The Donkey Game

2008-12-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

Much of the time in Mexico is spent navigating the roads of the Sierra Madre on a quixotic quest for the next idyllic pool of swordtails. Along the way, one encounters road hazards ranging from fallen rocks to cows looming in the fog. Despite the semi-treacherous conditions, this time is best spent scanning the roadsides and pastures for donkeys (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. A typical donkey.

The first rule of the Donkey Game is that you do not talk about the Donkey...

Just kidding. The first rule is that if a donkey is spotted, the first person to call it correctly gets one point. Loudest is best.

Fig. 2. Baby donkeys should be extra points, but they're not.

In the case of two donkeys the correct call is "Donkeydonkey" (Fig. 2). Two points are given to the fastest spotter.

The rest of the rules of the Donkey Game*, for posterity
because they need to be written down:
*that is, the rules as understood by the author at press time. Disputes will be settled in the comments.

A mule, called correctly, is one-half a point, because it is one-half donkey.
A horse called a mule is one half point also because it is half right.
A donkey called a mule is one-half point for similar reasons.
A horse, called correctly, is zero points.
A mule, called incorrectly, is minus one-half, because the spotter is only half wrong.
A horse called incorrectly is minus one.
Anything else** called incorrectly is minus 20 or it might as well be because you'll never recover from a mistake like that

After dark, correct calls are doubled but penalties remain the same.

**includes cows, pigs, boulders, and other things that don't resemble donkeys.

That is all.

On to CICHAZ!

2008-12-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

Later this week we officially begin CICHAZ's fourth season. We've come quite a ways since November 2005. Back to packing, we hope to have satellite internet and blog from the palapa.
Gil

Science and quotidian drama in the Sierra Madre

The Donkey Game

On to CICHAZ!