I did not expect this project to actually proceed. I fully thought my fellow cave instructors and guides were being alarmist and reactionary. Think about that: I thought people were being reactionary. (For those of you who don't know me... I'm pretty bloody reactionary.)
"A train? Through the jungle? Over limestone? That shifts every time it so much as drizzles which, I'm not sure whether you know, is not great for train tracks that rely on precision? Nah, nothing to worry about."
Worst case scenario, I thought, 2km of it would be built, AMLO would get his picture taken riding the single car ever commissioned for it, and then it would all be forgotten about after wasting billions of pesos when he leaves office in a few years.
Turns out I was wrong. It is very, very, very something to worry about.
Over the last year or so a great deal of development has been happening, clearing huge swathes through the jungle all over the peninsula.
It is ******* with the ecosystem both in terms of wildlife displacement and damage to the ground and aquifer.
It is ******* consistently unearthing archeological remains of significance... which seems cool, but the priority is to get these finds the **** out of the way as quickly as possible, not to study them.
It is ******* with communities as "right of way" and "eminent domain" are claimed left and right where peoples' homes or entire villages already exist.
And, most importantly, it is ******* with the cenotes that riddle the entire peninsula.
A recent redirect of the train (It was supposed to go down the middle of the highway in this area until the hoteliers had a ******* conniption fit) sends it a few kilometers back through the jungle...
Directly over dozens of the cenotes we love and dive all the time. One of the most significant being Dos Ojos.... possibly the single most frequently dived cenotes in the area - possibly one of the most frequently dived sites on the planet. The place where hundreds and thousands of people every year fall in love with this place and the fascinating and unique hydrogeology of the Yucatan.
The train's path cuts RIGHT through the middle of Ejido Jacinto Pat's property and only a couple hundred meters away from Dos Ojos itself. DIRECTLY ON TOP of Xunaan Ha, Nicte Ha, and Dreamgate.
I like public transit. I'm a huge advocate of cutting down on the fossil fuel waste of every individual driving their own car and cutting down on the congestion. Mass transit is important and valuable for a litany of reasons.
In cities. Or in places where there is solid, stable ground in open areas. Not through the goddamn jungle which is a place of shifting ground and abundant, delicately balanced biodiversity.
This is going to be like juggling chainsaws and puppies while balancing on a house of cards. It is only a matter of time before a train rumbles open a hole in the ground, falls in, destroys an entire cave system, and drowns 100 people. To say nothing of simply jumping off the tracks when the rails go slightly out of true because of a recent hurricane or there's just a big ******* snake sunning itself on the metal.
Not to mince words:
****.
This.
Train.
You're going to hear quite a lot about this harebrained nonsense from me over the coming months. There is (thank god) a LOT of opposition to this project from the local community and there is some discussion about what can be done about it.
If you've got any ideas, we're keen to hear them.
"A train? Through the jungle? Over limestone? That shifts every time it so much as drizzles which, I'm not sure whether you know, is not great for train tracks that rely on precision? Nah, nothing to worry about."
Worst case scenario, I thought, 2km of it would be built, AMLO would get his picture taken riding the single car ever commissioned for it, and then it would all be forgotten about after wasting billions of pesos when he leaves office in a few years.
Turns out I was wrong. It is very, very, very something to worry about.
Over the last year or so a great deal of development has been happening, clearing huge swathes through the jungle all over the peninsula.
It is ******* with the ecosystem both in terms of wildlife displacement and damage to the ground and aquifer.
It is ******* consistently unearthing archeological remains of significance... which seems cool, but the priority is to get these finds the **** out of the way as quickly as possible, not to study them.
It is ******* with communities as "right of way" and "eminent domain" are claimed left and right where peoples' homes or entire villages already exist.
And, most importantly, it is ******* with the cenotes that riddle the entire peninsula.
A recent redirect of the train (It was supposed to go down the middle of the highway in this area until the hoteliers had a ******* conniption fit) sends it a few kilometers back through the jungle...
Directly over dozens of the cenotes we love and dive all the time. One of the most significant being Dos Ojos.... possibly the single most frequently dived cenotes in the area - possibly one of the most frequently dived sites on the planet. The place where hundreds and thousands of people every year fall in love with this place and the fascinating and unique hydrogeology of the Yucatan.
The train's path cuts RIGHT through the middle of Ejido Jacinto Pat's property and only a couple hundred meters away from Dos Ojos itself. DIRECTLY ON TOP of Xunaan Ha, Nicte Ha, and Dreamgate.
I like public transit. I'm a huge advocate of cutting down on the fossil fuel waste of every individual driving their own car and cutting down on the congestion. Mass transit is important and valuable for a litany of reasons.
In cities. Or in places where there is solid, stable ground in open areas. Not through the goddamn jungle which is a place of shifting ground and abundant, delicately balanced biodiversity.
This is going to be like juggling chainsaws and puppies while balancing on a house of cards. It is only a matter of time before a train rumbles open a hole in the ground, falls in, destroys an entire cave system, and drowns 100 people. To say nothing of simply jumping off the tracks when the rails go slightly out of true because of a recent hurricane or there's just a big ******* snake sunning itself on the metal.
Not to mince words:
****.
This.
Train.
You're going to hear quite a lot about this harebrained nonsense from me over the coming months. There is (thank god) a LOT of opposition to this project from the local community and there is some discussion about what can be done about it.
If you've got any ideas, we're keen to hear them.
