Questions of travel  

1. The latest edition of my sister Jackie's travel magazine The Long Trip Home has just come out; it includes (among other worthy travel pieces) some photos I took in Rome, and some great photos of Panama by my good friend David Sasso. You, by the way, can submit travel writing to The Long Trip Home -- the magazine doesn't pay, but it's both selective and established, so a published clip might have real value for an aspiring freelancer.

2. Ever since I saw this article last week about Aymaran hip hop, I've been trolling the web looking for mp3s, but no luck. I've contacted the folks listed on this page, so we'll see how that goes -- but if anybody has any idea where to find Wayna Rap online, well, I'd be prepared to offer a handsome reward for information leading to its capture.

3. This is almost a month late, but Gates of the Mountains has a very reasonable-looking recipe for mole up. My own experiences making mole have been guided by Rick Bayless, who is meticulous and authentic, but often impractical. Gates's recipe includes most of the same ingredients, but a lot of the peculiar prep is omitted, and I'm guessing it will go a lot faster.