NotTheNews

J a n u a r y   -   A p r i l    1 9 9 8     E d i t i o n
Living in Merida and interacting with some of the locals can be kind of contagious in that you tend to get accustomed to some of the strange things that go on, which under normal circumstances and in another place and time, would at least attract your attention, if not cause some degree of outrage.

This happened between January and April 1998, when this was the only edition of NotTheNews to issue forth from my rather depleted inspiration.

Garbage, garbage everywhere!!

It seems like the tema caliente de la semana is the municipality's efforts to upgrade Merida's garbage collection system and bring us just another little pasito closer to some kind of organized society that actually works.

Before I begin on this touchy subject, I should mention that I am not particularly enamorado of either the PAN or the PRI or any other political party for that matter. While I think the PRI has been in power for too long and has outstayed their welcome, I figure the problem is inherently Mexican and it really doesn't matter what party line you subscribe to if you have no moral or ethical guidelines to enable you to tell what's basically right and what's intrinsically wrong. This seems to be a problem much deeper than political; rather it is cultural and it will take a while (if it ever happens) to get the message into some of these thick skulls... ANYWAY!

So here we have a new garbage disposal facility, the famous relleno sanitario and the municipality charges the disposal companies to dump your garbage and mine there in exchange for the concession to collect garbage. Like any other major city, this is the normal way to go.

But in Merida, things are always a little diferente from the civilized world. There's a couple of theories floating around, including political motivation (the Pamplona boys are PRI affiliated, so they could be doing it to throw a wrench in the PAN-run municipality's plans). There's also the monetary consideration, which fits nicely in the Yucatecan business mentality of 'the cheaper the better'. When they didn't take advantage of the special rates offered by the municipality upon establishing the relleno sanitario they basically figured that hell, why pay, we'll get in anyway later.

Well their deadline passed and they couldn't pay the special rate anymore. Now they alledge that the rates are too high for them. If you've ever seen a Pamplona garbage truck (which is not any special vehicle; simply an open truck that gives off fetid odors and scatters garbage as it chugs along), you'd probably feel, as I do, that they'd be better off driving the whole truck into the dump and leaving it there, that's how run-down they are.

Maybe it's time they woke up to reality and set their prices adequately to cover the cost of actually running their business correctly and disposing (that's what they supposedly do isn't it?) of the waste in the proper manner.

But no, they want to continue doing things the old way, sandal-clad 'workers' haphazardly collecting trash in supermarket bags that they throw in the open truck and then again remove in somebody elses back yard or an abandoned lot somewhere where it can't be seen. Out of sight, out of mind. And as for respecting agreements and doing things the way they should be done, hell no, what for? There's always a prorroga or another way out later...

So as far as I'm concerned, they should cancel the company's concession and let 'em rot.

  Dishonorable Mention

The Secretaria de Ecologia for their part, wins a dishonorable mention in this case, as it has declared that dumping a ton of refuse on a public road is 'not a threat to the ecology' rather; it is a political problems. This is either very stupid on their part, or they consider worms, maggots and rats as part of their future political base...
And where is the state government? The SPV won't stop the Pamplona gang from dumping garbage on a public road; I wonder what would happen if you and I went out to the glorieta at Carrefour where they like to hang out and threw our garbage in the street. I might just try it, come to think of it. I thought the SPV  and the state government was supposed to look out for the interests of all the residents in the kingdom...maybe we aren't paying enough taxes to cover these little extras.

Special Thank-You to My Newly 
Doubled Readership - 4 people 
now read NotTheNews

Well, I can honestly say that the special and  polémico year-end 4-page compost issue was a great success. My readership doubled from 2 to 4 readers and I now have offers from other neurotic observers of life in this small large town to contribute with their own hallucinations.  We'll see what happens.

Comments from one well-wisher

No tengas un Buendía(as in Manuel) was one readers comment. This was part of his letter:

"Estimado Editor (Ann, Abby Landers, whatever) of Not the News.
En dos ocasiones he tenido la oportunidad de encontrarme leyenda vuestra publicación, ciertamente disfruté la de los albañiles, ya que en alguna que otra ocasión (one too many) lo he vivido. Ciertamente me gustaria seguir leyendo de esa gacetilla con toques provincianos."

This reader goes on to wish me luck and to stick to more mundane topics as commenting on some subjects can be like walking on thin ice, through which one can fall and not only freeze his/her butt off; it can actually kill you.

One reader asked: So do you only complain about Merida?

Actually, although it may sound to some people like I'm like a fountain of putrid bile and pus on the subject of Merida, I hope that the gran mayoria of my readers understand that my incoherent ramblings are observations presented in what is supposed to be a humourous fashion and that they serve no purpose whatsoever except for my own entertainment.

I consider myself an equal-opportunity observer and perhaps in a future issue I can touch on the almost touching innocence of the recently arrived Canadian pipeliners, or comment on the lifestyles of those American girls who married into the clase acomodada. I might also feel inspired to reflect on my recent visit to Canada and bash the Canadian's misguided sense of political correctness and over-regulation that makes the country more and more difficult to tolerate. The possibilities are endless and by no means bound to simple Merida-bashing.

So there.

Hacienda Katanchel an oasis; but don't go the way I went

In my last issue, while discussing  the myriad options of having a party in Merida and the places ideal therefore, I alluded to Katanchel, an hacienda that you can get to by heading off on the highway to Cancun, and sometime after Teya, you'll find a small road leading to the place, which by the way is gorgeous and seems completely foreign to all the mediocrity of Merida.

    main entrance to Hacienda Katanchel

Whatever you do, don't follow my example of trying to get to the hacienda from Tixcocob, unless you:

This back road will lead you to the Hacienda San Antonio Millet, another architectural masterpiece that looks like a palacio and you'll have to inquire several times as to the whereabouts of the turnoff for Katanchel. Since everyone has their own ideas on how to give directions, and the fact that I was interpreting them incorrectly, made for an interesting afternoon of driving back and forth several times (each time faster than the last) until we finally found the turnoff.

    the reception area at Hacienda Katanchel

This turned out to be a rocky road (and it was a Sunday OK OK terrible attempt at humour here) that went through the jungle for what seemed like hours until we finally arrived at the hacienda. Sin embargo we had arrived at the suppliers/employees entrance and no amount of whining and cajoling could sway the very efficient security people from their decision not to let us enter. We were therefore turned back to drive along yet another rocky road through the monte to finally get to the main entrance. This is a convenient way to prove for yourself the size of the Katanchel property as the road goes all the way around the hacienda, as well as being an exceptional test for your vehicles' shock absorbers. Believe me, when you finally get to stand up and walk, your backside will help you rate your car's suspension.  Nice blue jays along the way though.

Definitely go there for an elegant  luncheon because the menu is gourmet, eclectic and not at all expensive. The silver and tablecloths are especially interesting. You might want to leave the noisy kiddies at home with grandma, because they're frowned upon.

Literally.

The owners take their privacy and exclusiveness quite seriously and want their guests to enjoy a relaxing time, without any reminders of the mundane ordinary world that lays beyond the Hacienda's borders, and that ordinary world includes those little treasures we call our kids.

The bar has antiques and furniture from all overthat you can actually touch and sit in, not like in other haciendas where if you touch something it'll surely fall apart. Order yourself a 'Katanchel' which is a lime-juice-based refreshing drink with a touch of anis served in a salted-rim glass, and sit back and slowly relax.


Each bungalow has it's own plunge pool filled with cenote-fed crystal clear water

It feels so right that you begin to entertain the thought of spending the night, of putting on one of those cotton robes and lounging around your own cenote-fed plunge pool behind your bungalow, but then you remember the kids and grandma and before you know it you're back on the road to Merida.

This time, take the highway.

Here you will be whisked away to the Main page if everything works, that is...

 
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