Blog from a Long Journey to an Undisclosed Location

Readers:

I am on the road again. I won't say where but you are invited to guess if you like. Consider it a game for those who have nothing better to do and want to try their hand at veiled geography. We'll have more Bolivia news shortly.

Jim

Flags Flying High: Santa Cruz, Bolivia, a brief layover en route out of the country (not the easiest thing to do right now with the collapse of LAB Airlines). The green and white flags of the state of Santa Cruz are everywhere, on public buildings and private. A Bolivian friend of mine visiting from California likened it to the sea of red, white, and blue in the US after 9/11. The demand for regional autonomy in Bolivia vs. the US war on terror. I leave it to others to ponder the comparisons.

War in the Middle East and Babes on the Runway: Snippets of Fox TV caught on hotel cable en route. Things in the Middle East look bad, bombers flying in one direction hitting Beirut suburbs, missiles in the other hitting a seaside resort. But Fox tells us there is hope. At the Miss Universe pageant, it turns out; Miss Israel and Miss Lebanon are the best of friends. Fox images of bombs and fires are broken up by a few minutes of young attractive women parading in skimpy bathing suits that, I am sure, has nothing to do with ratings. If only, Fox says, countries could just get along like these two young women. I don't think Miss Hezbollah made the finals, but I can’t say for sure. I didn't follow it that closely. Who won Miss Congeniality this year?

Honey, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, or maybe we are: Miami International Airport. Comment overheard in the terminal. "Look, there is a sign that we are back in the US. There is a long line over there at Strarbucks." Confession, I am in the line.

Notes from an Undisclosed location: Bikes everywhere, like Davis, California with a different language. I saw a man riding a bike with a very happy dog riding in a basket latched onto a rack behind his seat. Simone and Little Bear (my dogs) would love that! One hot evening water is spouting out from two sides of a bridge. Some cyclists either lift their feet up to avoid getting wet and others drive right in with a gleeful smile.

Globalization at Work: Last night I had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in a place that is definitely not Mexico or even close. The waitress was a thin Egyptian woman who was almost comically nervous as we tried to communicate without any common language. The world's ethnicities have become a big plate of scrambled eggs. Thank goodness.