Pop quiz!
     A tough one: in the photo below of a street crosswalk what is the third language and in which city is this? Here’s a hint: Kim Kardashian. The first person to answer correctly whom I have never met in person AND I have never sent a postcard to AND will add me to their RSS feed OR “like” my Facebook page OR will help a little old lady cross the street today will get a postcard from Mexico.
     A postcard isn’t much of a prize? Have you noticed I don’t have advertising on my site? No paid links? No strategic alliances with womenbehindbars.com? The cost for me to buy and mail a postcard to you should be about four street tacos, so I am taking food out of my mouth to try and please you. I can hear you now: “I’d rather have four tacos instead!” Well, then come on down and let me buy you some tacos!

     Yes, I am going to Mexico. Tonight I am flying from Los Angeles to Mexico City on Alaska Airlines for only $105 one way including taxes (and one free checked bag). That includes a $50 discount for signing up for Alaska Airlines’ frequent flyer program, but I am using the miles from the trip to go to my American Airlines frequent flyer account for two main reasons: it keeps my account active and I want to consolidate my miles as much as possible in one airline within the program alliance. (More tips on managing miles can be found on the frequent flyer miles page of my website.)
     I’ve been to Mexico about a dozen times but have really traveled around Mexico maybe four times. Last time I started a trip through Central America in Cozumel off the coast of Cancun. A trip through Central America is the answer to the eternal question of where someone from North America can go on an easy, interesting, affordable journey. You can fly into Cancun, Mexico and fly out of Panama City, Panama cheaply, and there are a ton of things to do in between. Food is good, hitchhiking is pretty easy, people are great—what more do you want?
     That said, I’m a wee bit nervous about going to Mexico. Mexicans might tell me I am being manipulated by the media, that the security issue is overblown, but in how many other world capitals are there gunfights at the airport? Only four months ago in Mexico City policemen were firing on other policemen!
     We’ll see what happens.

     Got my absentee ballot for the US election, voted, and sent it back. Citizen of the Year.