Lots of Venezuelans we met today say they decided to go to the US now because the news was telling them Venezuelans could get TPS and the door was essentially wide open. But before they could make it, they were turned around by border authorities (either in Mexico or some other country) and told there is a quota of 30K and it has been filled. Many of the Venezuelans are now stuck - they can't walk back the way they came through the Darien, and can't continue forward. They are largely relegated to begging and busking to survive. All we talked to said if they knew then what they know now, they would not have come at all. Most have already been living in a third country (Peru and Colombia are favorites) for some years (3 or more) and surviving fine but were convinced by the rhetoric of the Biden admin that this was their chance. They are pretty disillusioned.
This family had been living okay in Colombia. Father is a construction worker and musician, now he makes about $20-25 a day playing his old trumpet. The family rented a room about 45 minutes away, and pays $235 a month for it. They don't know what they will do. They wish they had stayed in Colombia. they walked six days through the jungle with their four children. Their youngest is four years old. There were many dead bodies and those in front of them were robbed, but thankfully they were not.
It has been a very wet "dry season" in Panama this year, which is undoubtedly causing additional hardship for those coming through the Darien now. Panama is reportedly rounding up Venezuelans to send them back home. Am trying to confirm this.
You might be surprised to find that local bus transport is one of the most dangerous ways to get around, right behind motorcycle taxis.
This bus caught fire coming out of Iran into Armenia. Probably a bad wheel bearing. Once the fire started it only took about four minutes for the bus to be completely engulfed in flame. Many of the riders lost their luggage, documents and even shoes. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Love him or hate him, President Zelenskyy can flat produce a video.
I’m on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu. The sheer number of people who are still masking, even double masking astounds me. I don’t care if people want to mask as long as you don’t try to make me play along. But I just don’t understand it. These are presumably somewhat educated people, who apparently can’t see that masking did nothing at all to stop or slow the pandemic.
For many I assume it is a political statement, which is just stupid. If you want to announce your political ideology, there are far more comfortable ways to do it.
In reality I have to think many people are just still genuinely scared to be out in public. I’m on my way to Japan to do a report about a subculture there that has become so large it has its own name - which I can’t pronounce- made up of people who literally do not leave their tiny bedrooms. For months or years.
How unhealthy is that? For a guy who spends a good deal of time in the most dirty and dangerous places on earth, it is ...
