knittinkitten
Lady Lake, FL
age: 71
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Following is a copy of the Article that was published in my hometown newspaper, after a trip to inspect the damage of the earthquake that hit Mexico City.
As our plane circled for a landing, we anxiously peered down upon the approaching landscape, fully expecting to view a devastated city, heaps of rubble, and whatever else one imagines after an earthquake.
To our delight, the bright clear afternoon sky offered us a sparkling view of perfectly normal houses in a typical cluster pattern, highways stretching like snakes of ribbon in front of us, and toy-like cars and trucks, scurrying like ants in both directions.
It was business as usual in Mexico City….two months after a major earthquake in which buildings fell and people lost their lives. The loss of even one life is tragic, but Mexico City had 18 million people and they were going on with their lives. In a city of 2 million buildings, the loss of 3,000 although significant, is not total destruction.
Although only about 1 percent of Mexico City was affected by the earthquake, the news was so alarming that tourists simply stopped going. Our group, members of the travel industry, were guests of the Ministry of Tourism, Aero Mexico, several hotels and a New York based Mexican Tour Operator. Our purpose….to discover for ourselves, that Mexico was still alive and kicking, and ready for tourists.
Having been there only a few months prior, I was delighted to find this vibrant world capital still a symbol of endless cultural vistas, from ancient pyramids to the ultra-modern Museum of Anthropology. It was all still standing, miraculously untouched by the forces of nature.
We traveled through typical rush hour traffic, along the main thoroughfare, the famous Paseo de Reforma. Whatever had occurred, it certainly had not permanently affected the normal traffic pattern. The lovely parks were dotted with people catching the last rays of the warm afternoon sun. Sidewalks bustled with shoppers and workers wending their way home.
Although many old buildings were still intact, downtown, (away from the most heavily traveled tourist area) we began to notice some broken windows, a few vacant buildings, some under construction, all much like any construction site anywhere.
Along our route we saw the remains of some apartment and hotels that we recognized from television coverage, much of the rubble having already been cleared away. Mostly we saw construction workers busily replacing windows, plastering walls and mending sidewalks. Only a half dozen hotels popular with American tourists, received damage. The shell of the majestic Continental Hotel, which probably could not be salvaged, was a grim reminder that we are helpless against the uncontrollable forces of Mother Nature. But, I recalled, that was like any city mending itself after a natural disaster.
TO BE CONTINUED
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akashaman
Brunswick, OH
age: 29
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As always, elegant and graceful. I look forward to the rest of the story
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