How it IS

It’s pretty easy to take our good ol’ country for granted until you go check out one of these third world deals. Here are just a few random observations to give you a flavor... People don’t pay their bills through the mail down here. Apparently it’s not safe. They pay all their bills in person. About the roads...mostly dirt, and the ones that are paved are often cobblestone. Traffic laws here are sparse, or at least lax. Crossing the street can be risky business. Every city has a plaza which usually includes the mayor’s office and a catholic church. The cathedral here in Santa Cruz is fairly impressive. 95 percent of the population here is Catholic, if that explains anything. The weather has been surprisingly cool. I guess they’re having what they call a Sur, a cold front that blows in from the south. Right now it’s about 58-60 degrees with a brisk wind.