This week I noticed two interesting things here in Mexico

First, I was out walking with a neighbor, her dog, and my two dogs when we were approached by a pack of wild dogs. This is the second time this has happened in the past two weeks. They travel during low tide along the rocks that are usually covered by water.

The photo on the upper left was taken the first time I saw a pack. This time, however, two of the four became bold and came up the rocky cliff onto the property and approached us aggressively.

I asked my neighbor to take my Golden Retriever, Bella, and go inside. (We had an easy escape right behind us had we needed it. Then I let Thor be a working dog again. Back when we had a farm in California, he regularly scared off bears and mountain lions, and although he's retired, his instincts are still excellent. He had a wonderful time barking and scaring them away. They exchanged some snarls and growls but the other dogs immediately began to back away from us. Once they disappeared over the side, we saw them running down the beach.

From everything I've read, with wild dogs it's important to make your environment as inhospitable as possible to get away. Thor took that job seriously and peed every 3 feet for the rest of the perimeter walk.

From a survival and prepper point of view, it's important to note that an increase in feral dog packs can be an indicator of economic collapse issues - people can no longer afford to feed their pets so they turn them loose. Wild dogs can be extremely dangerous and if my dog had not been a working dog I never would have used the tactic I did. (And as you can see from the photo of me laying on him, he's HUGE. I'm 5'8" for scale.) I'm not advising that you do this if you encounter wild dogs. I'm just sharing the experience.

The second thing I noticed when I drove a friend to a doctor's appointment in Tijuana, a city I avoid whenever possible. But the last thing I wanted to do during a pandemic was put an elderly friend with a compromised immune system on a bus for an hour with a throng of people. So off to TJ we went.

When I first came to Mexico last August, I was truly shocked by the camps along the side of the highway. There were thousands of people crammed under the overpasses and along the concrete embankments with makeshift shelters made of those inexpensive blue tarps, trash bags, plywood, and anything they could lay hands on. The smell going through the area was truly awful due to the fact there were all these people crammed into an area with no running water and no toilet facilities. The poverty and desperation was like nothing I've personally seen before.

At the time, I was told that these were the folks who had been part of last year's migrant caravan who'd been denied entry into the United States. It reminded me of photographs I've seen of New Delhi - I can't emphasize strongly enough how bad the conditions were.

Reports in the American media said last fall that members of all of the previous caravans had been "processed." This is a lie and I saw it myself.

This past week, we drove through the same area. There were still some homeless people - quite a few - but nothing near the number of people who had been there previously. I learned the day after our trip to TJ that the current administration has been letting large numbers of migrants into the US, so it's simple math that these folks who had been waiting just south of the border for almost a year got across. Hundreds of them tested positive for Covid but were allowed in regardless.

It's very interesting to see the difference between the news reports in the US and in Mexico, and then compare both of these with what I'm personally witnessing.

The Ruin of Roller Coasters and Other Formerly Fun things.

As the US begins to cautiously reopen (except for those afore-mentioned migrants), authorities are doing all the can to suck the fun out of everything possible to keep us "safe" from Covid.

As theme parks reopen in California, revelers are warned that there'll be no funny business, like screaming on a roller coaster literally named Scream.

WSOC-TV reports that the California Attractions and Parks Association has the most ridiculous plan ever:

"Face covering usage and/or modifications to seat loading patterns will be required on amusement park rides to mitigate the effects of shouting," CAPA wrote in its "Responsible Reopening Plan."

"Additionally, on rides, guests generally face in one direction," the plan stated.

Or, as The Orange County Register phrased it:

"Ride enthusiasts could be asked to refrain from screaming on the Scream coaster at Magic Mountain, abstain from yelling on the Supreme Scream drop tower at Knott’s and avoid hootin’ and hollerin’ on Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland under proposed COVID-19 health and safety protocols prepared by a theme park industry association."

...Per the latest guidelines, the parks will be allowed to operate at 15% capacity but with in-state visitors only.

In addition, indoor dining will be prohibited, tickets must be purchased online in advance and visitors are limited to groups of no more than 10 and from no more than three households, the TV station reported.

The Sacramento-based CAPA represents Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, SeaWorld San Diego, Legoland California, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and California’s Great America, the Register reported.

Boy, that sounds like a good time. (sarc)

So... restricting the number of households mingling with the other households is going to keep a virus from spreading? And have they MET children?

Zero Hedge also covered this story.

I'm learning to make some traditional Mexican foods that use inexpensive cuts of meat and cook them for a long time (over a fire for best results, but stoves work too). Cuts that aren't expensive are very often used in poor countries and seasoned in a way to make them delicious. As our choices become a bit more limited in the US, now would be the time to purchase spices and brush up on some new cooking methods and recipes. By the time I head back to the US I hope to be a pro at making carnitas and barbacoa.

This week, I purchased some medications that require prescriptions in the United States but do not in Mexico to grow my SHTF pharmacy.