The land was flat and lush, with lots of banana trees and cacti. Miles of deserted beach stretched out on our left, and the pterodactyl-like frigate birds circled overhead. It was a week after peak season, and so we had the road to ourselves, except for the manic and garishly-painted buses. Every once in a while, we'd pass a man leading a donkey laden with green bananas.

The road was dotted with quiet beach towns - San Pablo, San Pedro, Ballenita. The speed bumps were formidable, like the ridged backs of dinosaurs. They are called "chapas acostados" - sleeping policemen.

The buildings were small, made of cement and cinderblock, sometimes with thatched roofs. Skinny black hammocks hung under covered porches, and bougainvillea flowered outside. The walls were still stenciled with political slogans from the election last November.

We saw lots of cows, donkeys, pigs, and goats, hanging out by the side of the road, or grazing in people's back yards. At one point, we had to come to a complete stop to allow a chicken to cross the road. (You can imagine that this led to endless speculation as to its reasons.)

The sun set, and we drove for an hour through a moonless night. Finally arriving at Montaņita, we peered through the darkness at every sign, looking for our hotel, Baja Montaņita. The town was so small that the hotel didn't have an address.

At one point we stopped, and my lover leaned out of the left side of the car to read the sign above a hotel.

"Alta Montaņita!" she exclaimed in frustration. "Where the fuck is Baja Montaņita?"

Out of the darkness came a disembodied voice. "Más adelante!", offered a guy walking by the side of the road. Straight ahead. We cracked up and drove on, finally finding Baja Montaņita at the far edge of town.

It was a cross-cultural moment. My lover spoke in English, but received the perfect answer in Spanish. Another cross-cultural moment occurred at the hotel, with the woman behind the counter. We told her that we wanted a double bed, but she didn't quite believe us, and showed us a room with two singles. I guess she'd never run into a lesbian couple before.

Cross-cultural moments are always a good thing. Sometimes they work out, and sometimes they don't. Sometimes you bridge the gap, and sometimes you just end up confused. But every once in a while there's a voice in the darkness that tells you exactly what you need to know.

We spent our vacation reading, sleeping, and soaking in the sea. I didn't see a newspaper until I got back to Quito. When I did, I was appalled at how badly the Iraqi occupation has been going. Even the US newspapers are admitting that the US forces are mostly unappreciated. When they stand by while priceless archeological artifacts are despoiled, when they fire into crowds of protesters, it definitely doesn't help.

Meanwhile, right-wing religious forces are working steadily to consolidate power in Iraq. And the people will support them, sooner than they support the US occupation. They are, at least, Iraqi.

No, this is not going well.

Looking at the planetary alignments for May, there isn't a great deal of potential for change. At the May new moon, half the planets are in fixed signs, and so there is a hardening of positions. With the sun, moon, Mercury and north node in Taurus, the focus will be on protecting financial interests. Yes, now the US government can do what it went to Iraq to do, and that is make a buck.

May is not a particularly good month for new endeavors. During the first half of the month, Mercury will be retrograde, giving an emphasis on tying up loose ends from the past. Even when Mercury goes direct again on the 19th, it still moves fairly sluggishly until the end of the month.

All month, Mercury in Taurus is in square to Neptune, the trickster planet. Taurus is a no-nonsense, well-grounded, responsible, kind of sign. Its Achilles heel is the failure of imagination, the inability to see how twisted things can sometimes get. People in suits and ties will be signing papers and shaking hands, sure that it will all work out and they will end up richer. Since Mercury is retrograde, this may be the final stage of plans that were carved into stone quite a while back.

But Neptune is slippery. It's the planet which dissolves boundaries. And so the May contingent of businessmen may not get what they came for. How much will the US be willing to pay to consolidate their power in Iraq? How many people will make deals and accept money, and then do the exact opposite of whatever they agreed to? And how many truly sleazy characters will emerge, on both sides?

The Mercury/Neptune square could also show up in the misinformation that reaches the public. This has already been true, but it may reach surreal proportions this month. The lies that are spread may be bolder and more outrageous than before. Whose hidden agenda will they be serving?

Secret intelligence gathering is also related to the Mercury/Neptune square. Luckily, though, this is not a particularly efficient aspect! When people talk about conspiracy theories, I always cling to one ongoing belief - that bad guys are just as disorganized as good guys, and that there's always an element of luck and of chaos in everything. And this will be especially true in May. They can gather all the information they want, but there will be times when their computers speak in tongues, and when strange molds grow on the papers in the back of their cabinets.

People with planets from about 11 to 19 degrees of fixed signs (Taurus, Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius) will be especially affected by the Mercury/Neptune square. So expect to lose things in May. Watch out for misunderstandings, especially around financial matters. Pay attention to the ground that you walk on, and realize that it may not be quite as solid as you thought it was.

It's not a month with a great deal of movement. But when the energy is fixed, it's good for meditating on your assumptions. What fixed position are you maintaining? If it's one based on integrity, trust, and good faith, you are more likely to survive the slippery rains of Neptune.

Honesty is like good drainage. If you aren't honest - and if you haven't been honest in the past - you could spend May standing in a mud puddle. If you are, you'll find yourself in a fertile field, welcoming the flowers and looking forward to an abundant harvest.

Eventually, all the rains flow back to the sea. All the papers, the million-dollar deals, will be nothing but compost. But there will still be donkeys along the route of the sun.

Index of Jenny Yates' Writings on Lesbian.com