The Last Gringo In Mexico: Hurricane Dean and Its Aftermath - Help the Yucatec Maya

Well, actually, the last gringo on the south east coast of Mexico. Writer, Cliff Evans lives off the grid in Portillas, a small pueblo on the coast near Majajual and Xcalak where Hurricane Dean came down as a Category 5 and destroyed many traditional Mayan homes and villages. There's so much happening these days - near and outside of the personal - but, as anyone who knows me or my blog buddies who read this know: I HATE HURRICANES! (Soy de la gente del mar) And Hurricane Dean, for a time, was headed straight to Isla Mujeres where I have a small plot of land and many friends and favorite trees and critters. So I have been preoccupied y bien ocupada with the hurricane and its aftermath. I started reading Cliff's site years ago, now I'm hooked. Go to Cliff's blogs and MySpace site to read about Dean, his dog and see before and after pictures. Cliff is one heck of a writer, I'd suggest reading his story from the start.

Most important, Cliff "gets" the people there, and is doing something real and in real-time to help. I'd like to help him help, and you can, too. All donations sent to Cliff via his paypal address, cliff at portillas you-know-what, will be distributed directly to the people who need it most, the people you are not likely to hear about or see in the nightly news. A little bit of money goes a long way in Xcalak. If you pay by credit card, include a little extra as he has to pay a fee for credit card transactions. I've been reading the travel boards and Costa Maya sites for many years now, although I don't know him I know that Cliff is a real guy and will really help.

As I wrote after Wilma hit Cancun and Isla Mujeres, this hurricane will show the real face of Mexico to the world. Apocalipto is a bunch of Krapalipto. We have much to learn from this ancient culture.