The Home of the Beeston Katz

The Home of the Beeston Katz

Loving the contributions, keep them up Peeps.

So, not too much has happened, I left Alfredo behind a few days ago which was a little sad but it just had to be done. He had an exam to revise for and I had to get off my riggy and do something with my time off. It was top to see him, if the Katz ever had a Spanish contigent he would be the Master in Chief, he's been getting up to all sorts. Without even getting drunk.

Anyway that 'doing something' took me to Mexico, like I said earlier I was expecting a lot of hassle from customs and aiport staff on my flight over to the US, which luckily didn't materialise, that being said I must just look like a terrorist about to explode because getting out of the U to the S of A was a total nightmare. I was stopped twice before entering the departure lounge and subjected to some rather simplistic type-casting. The fella on the desk simply marked my boarding card with a yellow line (Yellow Ribbon anyone.....ring any bells?) and at every check point I was taken aside. So there I was stood with you guessed it, every other brown person trying to board flight UA01087 to Cancun.

We were made to empty all out bags and stand in some funny machine that blew very highly pressurised air at us for 16 seconds (I counted). Then once out of the expensive anti-terrorist hairdryer I was made to stand behind a plastic screen (to protect all the god fearing freedom loving Citizens??) and then moved to a 'safe area' where everything I had in my satchel was wiped with a cloth and the cloth was then put in a 'lets find out if the dirty brown person has been making bombs' machine. Of course I was clean, not even a 'thanks for your time' later and I was so fooking glad to be getting on a plane to the Third World, the First World US stylee sucks ass, hard. What is their issue? I had to get that out of my system precisely because it's so systematic.

I travelled to a small island called Isla Mujeres and did very little for two days, the only thing of note was that I read 'Bolivian Diary' by Ernesto Che Guevara (Mork kindly lent it to me for the trip). It's a diary of Che's last 11 months alive whilst he was fighting a Guerrilla War against the Bolivian Government in 1966 / 1967 and ends with his capture and shooting. It's gripping stuff, two things struck me whilst reading it.

Firstly, life as a Guerrilla Soldier is very very tough. Living from day to day, storing whatever food and muntions they could spare all over the jungle and constantly having to move and 'manage' the local peasants as they could. At times they had to drink their own urine and eat their mules! More impressive than their will to succeed at any cost, was the huge impact that such a small number of men could have on the Cold War as a whole, every small skirmish and battle won would be reported on the radio that day and the US and Bolivian goverments would react. From the mountains they would cause changes in the political mood in La Paz and Washington, amazing given that there was no Internet, mobiles and that they did not even have a radio in the last few months.

Secondly, despite all their efforts they were destined to fail and ultimately like the Cold War, Capitalism won and they all died in vain. Ironically, like the true Champagne Socialist that I am, I thought that someone could make a lot of cash taking people like me (only child of Political Refugees from Latin America) on a hiking trip through the Bolivan Jungle retracing Che's final steps......someone has to have done that already I guess? If not you saw it here first, anyone for a trip to Bolivia?

I wonder what Che would make of me and my Gardening Leave? Oh well, his war was lost, and despite wanting to rage against the machine for a few moments there, I guess if I can try and topple the system from inside then that's better than nothing right? You sense the crisis of conscience.

I am off to fight global injustice and for the people of Los Barrios!!

El Comandante Pizbot.

Oh, the other thing of note that happened on La Isla is that I got a a great photo for Tom, I'll upload it when I get back Piz HQ and connect up to the Matrix. You'll see what I mean when I get back.