Sunday, November 9, 2014
Zipolite As-it-happens update ⋅ November 10, 2014 WEB El Alquimista Zipolite Instagrin El Alquimista Zipolite Location Feed. Instagrin is a web version of Instagram that allows anyone to browse through user, tag, and location feeds.
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As-it-happens update ⋅ November 10, 2014
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El Alquimista Zipolite
El Alquimista Zipolite Location Feed. Instagrin is a web version of Instagram that allows anyone to browse through user, tag, and location feeds.
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Where Does Your Unclaimed Luggage End Up? Caroline Morse, November 05, 2014
Where Does Your Unclaimed Luggage End Up?
Where does your luggage go when an airline loses it? You might imagine that it simply disappears into a black hole behind the conveyer-belt curtain, somewhere akin to the mysterious void where all of your missing socks end up when they disappear from the dryer.
But the truth, of course, is much stranger.
Lost bags and all of their contents eventually find their way to a retail store/warehouse in Scottsboro, Alabama, called the Unclaimed Baggage Center—a facility so large that it's bigger than a city block. All are welcome to peruse and shop a wide selection of goods culled from unclaimed luggage and cargo delivered from commercial airlines, buses, trains, trucks, and other transportation venues. The Unclaimed Baggage Center is open Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
What You Can Buy There
So what can you find there? The short answer: everything. "If it's packed in a suitcase or left on a plane," notes the facility's website, "it could wind up for sale at Unclaimed Baggage." Think: clothes, books, cameras, electronics, jewelry, and sports equipment. The store stocks more than 7,000 new items daily.
And if you're imagining a filthy thrift store crawling with bedbugs, think again. All of the clothing is professionally cleaned before being put on the sales floor; electronics items have their memories wiped and are tested to make sure they work.
Keep an eye on the upcoming events page for special themed promotions such as the annual ski sale. The Etc. building, located next to the warehouse, stocks household goods, beauty supplies, and more.
Where It All Comes From
If an airline or other transportation provider can't track down the owner of a bag, it sells the contents to the Unclaimed Baggage Center. Airlines work for 90 days to find someone to claim lost items before turning them over. (Friendly reminder: Always label your luggage in multiple places.)
By now you're likely wondering if you might find any of your long-lost luggage at the Unclaimed Baggage Center. The answer: Maybe, but it's not yours anymore. Sure, you can comb the shelves for something that once belonged to you, but even if you find it, you'll have to buy it back. According to the Huffington Post, this sometimes happens: A man once unwittingly bought back his wife's ski boots after she lost them on a ski trip years prior.
- People pack (and lose) almost everything imaginable. Some of the good: a Versace gown, an $18,000 Limoges vase (sold at the center for $80), a 5.8-carat diamond ring, and a 40.95-carat emerald.
The weird: 50 vacuum-packed frogs, a full suit of armor, a camera from a space shuttle (returned to NASA), a missile-guidance system for a fighter jet (returned to the Air Force), a shrunken head, someone's ashes, and an engraved headstone (which someone actually bought and turned into a macabre coffee table).
You can view some of these bizarre items at the Unclaimed Baggage Center's museum, located inside the store.
Trash or Treasure?
Only the best stuff is put out on the floor, and anything that doesn't sell is either tossed or donated. Eyeglasses are donated to the Lions Clubs International's SightFirst program, broken wheelchairs are rebuilt for charity, medical supplies are given to developing countries, and suitcases are hand-painted and turned into "Luv Luggage" and given to children who are moving to foster homes.
So the next time you're in Scottsboro, Alabama, why not pay a visit to the Unclaimed Baggage Center? You never know what you might find!
My Spanish Notes I however two Posted: 09 Nov 2014
My Spanish Notes |
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Posted: 09 Nov 2014 06:29 AM PST
Once again, we're going to be talking about one of my favorite subjects, food. Somehow my Spanish has become inexplicably tied to food, but I love both of them, so no me voy a quejar (I'm not going to complain).
If you've never had a genuine Mexican taco, then you haven't lived. And one of best places to experience the joy a great Mexican taco can deliver is in the city of Tijuana. If you happen to be in San Diego, it's very easy to get to there, you just cross the San Diego border and there you are. Taco stands are everywhere in Tijuana, it's hard to turn a corner and not see a taco stand of some sort. There are basically two kinds of places to eat tacos, those that are more like restaurants with fixed locations. You walk up, pull up a chair or sit at a table and then order your tacos and enjoy.  And there are the taco stands (puestos de tacos), that sit on a corner and get wheeled in and out everyday. The photo below is of my favorite taco stand. 
Let's take a look at how these puestos work. As you can see by the photo above, there are lots of people just standing around. Why you ask? Let me explain.
Once you've chosen the puesto you want to eat at, you simply walk up to the puesto. You may have to navigate your way to the front of the puesto with your best con permiso (excuse me), but once you get there, this is what you'll see:
Then all you do is place your order with the cook:
I however two
I want two with everything
Of course you can order as many tacos as you want, I typically start with two and end up having eaten 3 or 4. They're more tasty and addictive then you think. Now, you may be wondering what is a taco "con todo"? You're average puesto de taco will typically have a collection of condiments that looks like this: 
There's limón (Even though your Spanish book says limón means lemon, you'll get a lime when you ask for one) , some form ofsalsa (which is almost always spicy), rábanos (radishes), pepinos (cucumbers), cebolla (onions) and cilantro. Cilantro is the same in word in Spanish. You can just add whatever condiments you like to your taco yourself.
Here's a bit of Spanish you might need.
If you want to know how spicy the salsa is you can ask:
Is the sauce is spicy?
Is the salsa spicy?
If you want to sound a little more Mexican, then you can say?
Does pica sauce?
Is the salsa spicy?
You'll get one of two answers back:
Sí pica
Yes it's spicy
Or
No, no pica
No it's not spicy
It's the second answer you need to be worried about. Sometimes when they say the salsa no pica, it really doesn't. Sometimes it means the person you asked doesn't consider it to be spicy. Big difference. You've been warned, let's move on.
When I order I keep my tacos pretty simple.
Two beef with onion and cilantro
Two beef tacos with onion and cilantro
Here's the end result:
Another condiment I nearly forgot about is aguacate (avocado). Aguacate is practically a staple in Mexico, but I'm not a fan of it.
Now that you've got your taco, you simply take a step back and enjoy. You can eat them right there in front of the puesto. Take your time, there's no rush, they even offer refrescos (sodas). Still hungry? Order a few more. That's why you always see so many people standing around.
 Ah, there's one other thing I forgot to mention. Aside from tacos de carne, you can order tacos al pastor.  Do you see that big hunk of meat? That is the where tacos al pastor come from. When you refer to tacos al pastor you're referring to roasted pork. The pork is being cooked on what's called a trompo, which you can think of as a rotisserie. Here's a closer look:  The meat is sliced off of the trompo into the tortilla:  And when all is said and done you have a delicious looking taco:  Most taco stands offer only carne or al pastor, but there are stands that offer other types of tacos.  A close look at the sign reveals that you can order pechuga de pollo (chicken breast) and cabeza de res as well. Cabeza de resis the meat that comes off the skull of the cow. Typically you'll see more of a variety of tacos in the restaurants that serve tacos, liketacos de ojo (eye) or de tripa (intestines). I don't think I'll be reporting on the specifics of those anytime soon. Well, more like never. If you've been intrigued by the street tacos of Tijuana, you're not alone. In fact, you're in very good company. Rick Bayless has talked about how great the tacos of Tijuana are as well. There you have it, everything you need to know to enjoy street tacos in Tijuana or any other part of Mexico. There are few more things I want to share with you about the street food of Tijuana, so stay tuned. Lastly, if I haven't mentioned it before, you can finally follow this blog on Facebook. ¡Hasta la próxima!  |
Sunny Zipolite Posada Buena Vida Ver Detalles. Travel to sunny Zipolite, stay in Posada Buena Vida during November and December and pay for 6 nights only and get the seventh Free!
Sunny Zipolite
Posada Buena Vida
Sunny Zipolite
Sunny Zipolite
Ver Detalles. Travel to sunny Zipolite, stay in Posada Buena Vida during November and December and pay for 6 nights only and get the seventh Free!
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