Guest Blogger—C.M. Mayo

Guest blogger C.M. Mayo is the author of Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles through Baja California just released in paperback by Milkweed Editions, and Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion, a collection of Mexican fiction and literary prose. Her most recent travel writing, "From Mexico to Miramar or, Across the Lake of Oblivion", an essay in Massachusetts Review about a journey to the Emperor of Mexico's castle in Italy, won the 2007 Washington Prize for Personal Essay.

Around the World with Madam Mayo

Bon voyage, feliz viaje, and how do you say that in Icelandic? Speaking of which, one of my favorite travel memoirs, perfect for whiling away lazy afternoons in a deckchair, is Charles Fergus's Summer at Little Lava: A Season at the Edge of the World, about his mid-life stay at Litla Hraun in western Iceland.

For some reason, though my own writing tends to focus on Mexico, most of my favorite travel books are about the far north--- Farley Mowat's dirge-like Walking on the Land (about Canada's Ilhalmiut people); Gretel Ehrlich's low-altitude, vegetable-free romp, This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland; and for sheer wierdness (wierd to me, anyway), Gontran de Poncins' cult classic, Kabloona. But I certainly do read books on Mexico. My all-time favorite is Frances Calderon de la Barca's 1842 Life in Mexico--- not so much a seamless narrative as a patchwork quilt of vivid, often comic scenes. Two new ones well worth reading: Jeff Biggers's In the Sierra Madre, and Sam Quinones's Antonio's Gun and Delphino's Dream, a rollicking collection which includes chapters about the black velvet paintings, opera in Tijuana, and--- that's right--- Mennonite narcotraffickers.

On Southeast Asia, I've yet to read anything that beats the drama and haunting poetry of war correspondent Jon Swain's River of Time. For Francophiles: Sara Mansfield Taber's Bread of Three Rivers, in which the story of the best loaf of French bread rises to become the story of the whole world. For Italophiles, subspecies Venetophile: Judith Martin's hot-off-the-presses No Vulgar Hotel. Jog a bit around the Adriatic for Jan Morris's Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere, a meditation on this most un-Italian of Italian cities, with denizens as unlikely as Mexico's Emperor, Maximilian, and James Joyce. Oops, that's eleven. Ciao for now. I'm going to California.

Comments

[anonymous]

very cool

[I sincere plead for your kind help.]

Dear Sir

I do not know to what extent you are familiar with events and fragile political situation in my country Liberia, but it has formed consistent headlines in the CNN, BBC news bulletins. I will so be glad if you can accept to lead me to the right channel by means of your assistance to my situation now.I will make my proposal well known if I am given the opportunity. I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself to you.

I am Krist Daihatu from Liberia i am 24 yrs old, the son of Late Mr.Hassan Daihatu Hassan Chief Financial Officer for Budget under the leadership of president Charles Taylor who went for excile and presently facing trial on a case of genocide as for the killing of innocent souls. I and my brother are presently under asylum in Lome Togo.

The main reason why I am contacting you now is to seek your assistance in the area of our better future living and investment of Fifteen millon Five Hundred Thousand Dollars (us$15,500.000.00) my late father deposited for safe keeping under Finance company,in Belgium,in my name.

I want you to help me claim the money for transfer to your country on my behalf.
The security company is called, Financial Service Agency ( FSA ) who will take care of the payment with there affiliated bank in Brussels,Belgium without no delay, as you will be requested to come in person and open a none residentiel dollar account and the final sign off before the fund will be transfered to any of your nominated bank account.

As i have mention earlier on your acceptance to help us please kindly forward your details like your address, full name, occupation, marrital statues and your telephone number, so that i will personally forward it to the security company in Belgium for the change of ownership and as well extablished a relationship between you and them, but before i do that i will like to ask and know from you these question.

1. Can you handle this project for us?
2. Can we give you our trust?
3. What will be your commission when the transaction is over and the fund in your name and as well in your (account)country?

Pls you can reach me on this number 002289892840.

Thanks

Remain blessed,
Mr Krist Hassan Daihatu.