OK I'm back in the zoo, the jungle is now just a memory, oh well ... freedom takes time and intelligence,  you have to be smart.  I went to see the zoo keeper aka The Bank  and they said that as long as I have a number (a bank account) I can live in the zoo unless I make trouble in which case they'll put me in special cage (the jail).  No problem, I can fake it, I'll be just another zoo animal for another while.. I'll be planning my next escape though... so stay tuned, in a few short months this monkey is heading out for the jungle again. Escape is the only reason to live, what else!   See you soon.

well I'm back to the Internet cafe in Merida after spending a week in the jungle. I've been working hard clearing land and planting bamboo.  This type of bamboo will do well here because is from India and likes the dry wet seasonal changes. It will be a valuable new source of building material and soil improvement. It's called iron bamboo because of it's stength. I've been working hard every day, even at night during the full moon I was out picking rocks to make paths. I am a workoholic.  I don't care for any electronic entertainment or video fantasy,  I love to make the world better naturally, and work is my entertainment.  I enjoy seeing the changes. I fixed an old diesel pump that had not run  in years and now I can fill a big tank - big enough that you can swim in it - to use it to irrigate the bamboo during the dry season.  And yes, I'm gonna be splashing in my own private pool as soon as it gets filled up!

what else,  Christmas day I'm gonna be missing my family.  First time I've ever spent Christmas away.   I'll be eating refried beans from cans as usual, maybe I'll buy some special treat like pecans.  But my heart will be warmed by memories of past Christmas when my children were the supreme boss of my life.  Hey, children ARE the boss, and we all ARE children to the universal mother who in a miraculus way put us in this world. So, let's be children, let's play with no worries, everything is taken care, Mother will never leave us astray,  let's remember the times when everything was wonder and miracle.

Because everything IS wonder and miracle 

Today is a big day in Mexico: the day of the Lady of Guadalupe.  She is the biggest icon of this country, a magical being that appeared more than 400 years ago to a poor indian peasant and left an imprint of her image on a blanket that he was carrying. The piece of cloth is now kept on display in a big church near Mexico city.

(It´s also a special day for me: my daughter Lidia's birthday.  She is also quite a lady). 

And today I am getting ready to return to the jungle.  This time I´ll be carrying a chain saw. Yes, in order to implement my idea of sustainable survival I must modify the natural environment in a way that the right plants and the right structures be put in place in such a way that they would insure the survival of the the jungle's care takers for generations.  I have identified several trees that are already growing there that would produce food without any special care.  My favorit¨: the ramon tree (bread nut tree), the ancient Mayas loved it.  Even the leaves are edible.  Stay tuned for my next report next week.  Adios.

I'm getting ready for my escape to the jungle.  I know how easy it is to get lost there so I'm bringing a Cobra GPS 500 to make sure I can find my way back to my camp. I will be exploring an area in the Yucatan peninsula where there are many natural pools. These pools called "cenotes" are clearly seen on satellite pictures of the area but many are so deep in the jungle that not even locals know they exist. There are also many ruins of the ancient Maya civilization buried under the vegetation. I will keep you informed on the details of my explorations and anything new that I learn which you may find interesting. Stay tuned!