Cinco de Mayo & Tourism

Most people celebrate Mexico today, but I bet if you ask them what they're celebrating, they'll shrug and say, "cheap beer?" I always understood Cinco de Mayo to be a celebration of a revolution, or independence, or maybe some battle, but I never really questioned it, I just went out for burritos and Coronas, maybe a margarita or two.

Since living in Mexico I've discovered that Cinco de Mayo is just another day on the calendar. There aren't any big celebrations (that I'm aware of anyway) -- that was last Friday on Primero de Mayo, May 1st. That's Labor Day and everything shuts down in honor of the workers. Of course, since most things were closed for the swine flu it didn't have quite the same significance this year, but there were a lot more tour buses that day and the beach was packed.

"High season" officially ended at the end of Easter week, and Zihuatanejo has become a ghost town. May is typically one of the slowest months for tourism, and then the "nationals" (Mexicans) start arriving in June and stay through the end of August, when the kids go back to school. It's ironic because just when Americans are donning sombreros and slamming back tequila, the celebration is ending here.

We went to dinner the other night at one of our favorite little restaurants and the waiter told us that they'll be closing for a month at the end of May, but "possibly sooner" if it stays this slow. No more burgers for us.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to not have to fight crowds at the grocery store, and I love being able to find a parking spot at the market, but I feel bad for all the vendors whose busy months have passed. Now they have to somehow get by with no income, at least until the nationals arrive.


*****

If you haven't already, please take a moment to read my post from Saturday. A friend of mine from college is taking on his local school board to make sure his autistic son gets the education he deserves, and they need help raising the money to pay their legal fees.

Check out his site here:

Owen's Due Process Legal Fund

Self-Aggrandization

As with any major news event, it's easy to get burned out by the constant coverage, analysis, and "breaking news." We're only a few days into Swine Flu '09 and I'm already avoiding stories about it. I did check this morning to see the latest numbers, but until they have a more definitive answer as to what's going on, I don't need to spend all day scouring the internet. I did that Monday.

There are a couple conversations going on about it over at Absolute Write, and the majority of the attitudes seem to be hesitant caution, if that makes sense. No one seems to be panicking, but they are being smart. There are a few people who laugh at everyone for freaking out, joking that we're all going to die, etc., and then there are those who insist on tying this flu outbreak to illegal immigration.

Excuse me?

The comment that made my insides cringe was in response to someone announcing the first US death yesterday. He asked if the kid was there illegally, then nonchalantly said "Or are we still not allowed to care about our borders?"

I've also heard speculation that this is a plot against the US. People, not everything is about you! (General you, not you there on your sofa.) I found an article on the Chicago Tribune yesterday that mirrors my thoughts. Teresa Puente, who teaches journalism at Columbia College Chicago and is the editor and publisher of Latina Voices, says this:

But we have to debunk the hate. First of all, there’s no evidence illegal immigrants are bringing the swine flu into the United States and other countries. It appears it may be carried by American and European tourists who have visited Mexico.

But the hysteria over the swine flu has to stop. Let’s just put it in perspective with some simple facts.

There have been 159 deaths in Mexico. Only seven have been confirmed as swine flu and the rest are suspected, according to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. But the population in Mexico is over 100 million.

I don’t think that’s cause enough for us to close the borders or boycott Mexico.

If it makes you feel better, go ahead and wash your hands more often and use hand sanitizer. But I don’t think we all need to start wearing masks or pulling the kids out of school.

Let’s not bash Mexico or view Mexicans or brown people in the United States with suspicion.

The article is really worth reading, in my opinion. I just can't believe that it's come to this. [insert disgusted look on my face behind the mask]


Do you have any cases near you? Have you taken any precautions? And to the anonymous poster from a couple days ago, I don't believe this counts as hysteria, I'm just reporting what's going on. If you care to leave your name next time we can have a conversation -- I don't reply to anonymous commenters.


PS -- On a lighter note, happy anniversary to my parents!

The Latest

I'm a little worn out. You can only refresh the CNN, BBC, and other news websites so many times before your nerves are shot and every little twinge in your body becomes the swine flu.

As of this morning, there are 152 deaths in Mexico and 90 cases confirmed around the world. I don't want to rehash the facts -- I'm sure you're all checking yourselves -- but that's pretty much all I'm thinking about right now.

They closed the local schools for the next two weeks, and Ibis said that the pharmacies were running out of masks last night. He had to drive to several places and finally found a veterinarian who was selling them. He said the line for masks resembled the line for tortillas, which if you've ever been to Mexico, you know it can get quite long.

I haven't left the house since yesterday morning so I can't report more than that, but I'll need to go to the store in another couple days so I can tell you more then.

I also want to address something I said in my initial post yesterday. I commented about the cases of diarrhea here in Zihuatanejo and speculated that those could be the swine flu. Someone sent me a note that gastrointestinal diseases and viruses like the flu are not related. I wasn't trying to say that they are -- I was merely wondering if the diagnosis was wrong and that those people actually had the flu.

Update

This is an update to today's earlier post. Please read that for the full story.

*takes sip of large orange juice*

I just got back from the market, and while I was nervous heading there, I feel a little more reassured now. I saw a few people with face masks and the vendors I regularly talk with all knew about the flu.

This morning's paper says that several nightclubs and restaurants have closed, as well as the circus. (Yes, that freaked me out a little. We've already told our nephew's mom to keep an eye on him.) Apparently they shut down the circus in the middle of the act.

So, I'm relieved that people here are aware and the media isn't ignoring it.

I'll keep you posted if anything else develops.

Just When I Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Water...

I'm assuming that by now most of you have heard about the swine flu that has struck Mexico and is quickly spreading throughout the world. The Health and Human Services Secretary has declared a public health emergency in the US, Latin American and Asian countries are screening passengers as they arrive at the airports, and Mexico City is in complete lockdown.

Cases have been reported in the US, Canada, and New Zealand, and possible cases are suspected in France, Brazil, Australia, and several other countries. Meanwhile, nothing has been said about it in Zihua.

This article from the BBC seems to give the best breakdown of what's going on.

This one is a little scarier.

This has comments from people in Mexico City, including many doctors. It really gives a perspective that you don't see on CNN.

I'm having a hard time getting any local information, but there was something in the paper over the weekend about an increase in cases of diarrhea (30 reported on Saturday). Health officials think the situation here is from people eating from street vendors. During the dry season (which we're at the end of) there is a lot of dust, excrement mixes with the dirt, then goes airborne. (Yes, it's disgusting to even think about.) They're saying the illnesses are related to the dust, but diarrhea is a symptom of the flu, so I don't know if I believe them.

Needless to say we won't be traveling to Mexico City (DF) anytime soon. We were already planning to wait until the second half of May, and now we'll wait and see what develops. We have family there but they said they're doing fine. In fact, since Ibis' aunt is a teacher and they've closed all the school until May 6th, they might come here to visit instead.

[Update: late last night they called and said it's probably best if neither of us traveled to or from DF. So the visit's off for now.]

I am freaked out about Ibis since he works in a hotel and a lot of people from DF vacation here. I imagine a lot of people who live there might try to leave until things calm down, and may unknowingly bring the virus to other locations. Ibis has strict instructions (from me) to wash his hands a lot and to try not to touch anything, but there's only so much you can do when you work in the service industry.

I've bleached the house and we're thinking about getting an anti-viral to help prevent getting infected. I'm keeping a close eye on this and will let you know if it comes to Zihua.