Lightning! Ai Yai Yai and Oi.

The Plotniks´ plane got hit by lightning late last night while landing in Puebla. Don´t be frightened, because this is The Great Plotnik reporting. There was a huge BLAMM and a very white light, the lights all dimmed, the faces of the stewardesses turned somewhere between yellow and cream, and then Plotnik waited for what would come next, which turned out to be everyone sort of exhaling, a few small chuckles and quite a few people saying things like Ai, Jesus and Ai Yai Yai. The pilot never said a thing, and twenty minutes later the plane touched down, no problema.

When Plot and Duck exited the airplane into a very refreshing Puebla night, he didn´t want to appear too concerned, so he asked Ducknik if that was the scariest thing she had ever experienced on an airplane. Ai, Caramba, she said.

Half an hour later Plotnik had two condoms in his hand, thanks to an old lady who walked slowly through the line waiting to go through Mexican customs, staring everyone in the eye, and handing all the men what Plottie had thought would be those little fresheners you open up and spread hot liquid on your face, but no.



Puebla seems to be famous for tlacoyos, which are little fat tortillas, filled with meat and covered with sauce and cheese and served with hot green tomatillo sauce.



Plot and Duck just stood in the park listening to wonderful Huasteca trios, three women in white costumes, each group of whom played guitar, tiny guitar and violin, and sang very bawdy songs about life in Northern Mexican towns like Queretaro. The choruses all seemed to say things like ¨Ai, Queretaro, I Love You, But if You Go Down to the Cantina One More Time When You Come Home I´ll Cut Your Nuts Off.¨ The audience howled.



The flight down here is less than four hours, completely in Spanish and nothing heard but Spanish. There are no gringos here. The only tourists are from Mexico City.

Tonight we go for a real Poblano meal -- mole poblano and chilies in nogada, which are in season now, because whatever is underneath is covered with a sauce made from pomegranate seeds. You see the pomegranates on the street being sold on upturned milk cartons along with lottery tickets.

Huge city. Tomorrow¨is a bus trip, 4 1´2 hours, down to Oaxaca. Los Plotnikos les saludo, amigos. Hola, Isabella. Soy Grampi. Can you say Grampi?