9 October 2012 The Day Started Quietly

Unlike my last flight to Mexico, this one was uneventful. The jet made the trip from Houston to Monterrey without turning around in Mexican airspace to fly back to Texas for emergency repairs. I had a quiet dinner with one of my staff members and an easy evening in my room.

The trip to our facility was re-assuring. There were a lot fewer Federales present, and the area just seemed more relaxed. Then came a trip out for lunch. My staff member I was traveling with said he had heard a report there was a shot-out between the Federales and a drug lord within a mile of our facility (and less than a mile from the hotel). The calm of the morning's ride was replaced by roadways filled with Federales and local police. we made it to lunch and back, but I decided to spend the evening in the relative safety of my hotel.

The courtyard and gazebo made a good place to spend the evening outdoors without venturing to one of the local restaurants.

The calm of my room was gone. The hotel is normally quiet, but the entire night was filled with helicopters patrolling overhead. Sleep would either not arrive or would just arrive before the beating of the blades returned. I was glad for morning.