Oaxaca to San Cristobal De Las Casas and Palenque, Chiapas, and More - A Driving Tour

This 2,000 kilometer driving tour serves the needs of vacationers to Oaxaca who also want to take in the sights in central Chiapas, as well as those who want to at least consider visits to the Pacific coastal resorts in Oaxaca and the Gulf beaches and cultural sights in the state of Veracruz ... all without foreclosing a side trip to Puebla. The south central circuit of Mexico provides travelers with a leisurely and culturally diverse driving segment within the context of a two or three week vacation, with virtually no backtracking.

For this particular trip, our first day took us from Oaxaca to Tuxtla de Gutiérrez, then to Chiapa de Corzo. After visiting the impressive lookouts at the Parque Nacional Cañón del Sumidero the following morning, we carried on to San Cristóbal de las Casas where we spent two days in the city and visiting nearby villages. The following morning we drove to Agua Azul, and then on to Palenque, touring the ruin the following morning. That afternoon we continued through Tabasco, then Veracruz, spending our final night at Orizaba. Our sojourn concluded with a return home to Oaxaca, via Puebla. As a result of personal time constraints the excursion lasted only six days. It easily could have been extended by a week or more, taking in many additional sights and cities. Accordingly, while we saw many of the highlights noted in the tour books, a close examination of all that is available is highly recommended, in particular for those with time to spare.

For most of the drive the highways were excellent. We passed through 14 toll booths and nine military checkpoints, at the latter having been stopped, questioned and required to pop the trunk, only once. We did experience, however, one disturbing incident involving state police, in Acayucan, Veracruz, noted as an Addendum more info. It convinced us to deviate from our otherwise steadfast rule against night-time driving.

Distinct from Oaxaca, in Chiapas there is signage encouraging drivers to use the paved, wide, right hand shoulder; warning that physical abuse of women is met with jail time; cautioning that the fine for littering is ninety times your (daily) wage; and along many stretches of two lane highway there are small home-made signs indicating where gasoline is for sale (from householders; sometimes in plastic 10 or 20 liter containers out front as your notification). In addition, one encounters checkpoints aimed at regulating and policing the transport of animals.

Oaxaca to San Cristóbal de las Casas

The drive from Oaxaca to San Cristóbal takes about 8.5 hours, but is best done in two segments, with an overnight, assuming you want to visit more than one sight en route.

As you leave Oaxaca for the drive towards Mitla along Highway 190, fill up with gas, since there are lengthy stretches of highway without stations after you turn off and head towards the coast. You'll approach that first interchange after close to a half hour of proceeding along straight, essentially flat highway. Take the 190 cut-off to Tehuantepec / Matatlán. After about five kilometers of rolling hills, you'll reach the "world capital of mezcal," Matatlán, with production facilities and shops peppering the roadsides for about three kilometers. The billowing smoke is from deep pits being readied for baking agave, and to a lesser extent the stills fueled with firewood.

For the next hour and a half you'll be climbing, at times considerable inclines, then descending into fertile river valleys, along curvy, well-paved yet at times repaired highway. If you hadn't filled up for gas earlier, do so just beyond the first military checkpoint, an hour into the drive, at San Pedro Totalapan.

Safe Towing Tips

Towing any vehicle, whether it's a refrigerated truck, a snack hut or even just a standard trailer, will dramatically affect the way your van handles. If you are not used to towing any kind of trailer, there are a few safety tips you should bear in mind before setting off.

The first rule is - always read the manual. Even if you are an experienced driver with plenty of practice in towing the manual will give you vital information that will determine how you hitch up the trailer, tyre pressures, the maximum load limit and weight distribution instructions. Refrigerated trailers will also need to be connected up correctly to ensure that all electrical connections are wired up properly and that the unit will not fail in transit.

Commercial van insurance can be invalidated if your policy does not cover you for towing, so it is essential that you check before hitching up your trailer that your van insurance allows you to tow a trailer. This is particularly important if you are towing vehicles such as snack huts, as they may require additional cover to deal with the contents of the hut and whether the hut has propane gas cylinders attached. Some cheap van insurance policies may not cover you for towing trailers over a certain weight, so check your policy carefully before venturing out onto the road.

Once you've checked that your insurance is in place and you have also had a good look at the manual, the next step is to ensure that your vehicle is suitable for towing the weight of the trailer and that the trailer itself is hitched up correctly. Any trailer that has its own braking system must by law be fitted with a safety chain. This will prevent the trailer from potentially careering into oncoming traffic should the hitch fail by applying the safety brakes more info. Ensure that if your trailer does has a safety chain fitted that it is attached correctly to the towing vehicle.

One of the most common causes of incidents involving towed vehicles is incorrect weight distribution of the load. By checking with the manual you will be able to determine the correct weight for the axle configuration and how that weight should be distributed for maximum safety.

Connecting a trailer to a vehicle changes almost every aspect of normal road craft. The extra weight will mean that you will have to apply more pressure to the accelerator to get the vehicle moving and braking distances are increased, again because of the additional momentum of the trailer. You will need to leave yourself an extended distance between yourself and the vehicle in front when driving to give yourself plenty of time to stop in an emergency. 'Blind spots' may be greatly increase, particularly on the nearside of the vehicle, so ensure that your mirrors are adjusted accordingly or use convex mirror additions to minimize areas of restricted visibility. Because you need more time to react when towing a trailer, you will need to look further ahead and be aware of potential hazards much earlier than if you were in a normal vehicle with no trailer attached.

The handling of the vehicle will also be affected when cornering, and depending on the length of your trailer you may need to reposition yourself on the road before making a sharp left or right turn. Trailer wheels track tighter, so your turns have to be wider to compensate. This may put you over the central line, so be aware of oncoming traffic and your road position when turning. Gear selection on steep inclines and declines is also important - a lower gear when going downhill will enable the engine to act as an additional brake rather than risking overheating the brakes by applying them all the way down a hill. If you have tow-mode on your vehicle, engage it when tackling hills.

Towing a trailer need not be a daunting experience, and if you have never towed before find a quiet area to practice before venturing out on the road to get used to the difference in handling and manoeuvrability of your vehicle. Remember to take your time, give yourself plenty of distance between yourself and the vehicle in front and make sure that all your trailer lights are working before you set off. A few simple steps before you hitch up should mean that you will be able to tow any trailer safely.

Industrial Air Conditioning

Air conditioners have become such an indispensable part of almost all environments that it is quite difficult to imagine an environment without air conditioning. Many households, offices, schools, colleges and industries are opting for air conditioners to ensure the comfort of those inside.

Air conditioners are vitally essential in industries for many reasons. First, many industries involve mechanical work that is very tiresome and can generate a great amount of heat. Heat causes workers to tire and sweat. Air conditioning does a good job of cooling workers down by reducing the overall temperature of the environment. It also circulates the air and reduces the humidity in the room and allows for a healthier climate more info. This is not only important for workers; it also helps keep machines from over heating, which could be catastrophic to any industry. Thanks to all of these benefits air conditioning, is an absolute essential in any industry.

Industrial air conditioning has a higher intensity than normal air conditioning. At most industries, normal air conditioners would make little difference in the quality of the air. That is way most industries install centralized air conditioning. These centralized industrial air conditioners have a very high range and can reach almost all parts of the building with a wide network of ducts. There are also 'air condition boosters' at different points in the network of ducts to make sure that the air circulation has flows quickly and efficiently.

Many industries use natural gas centralized air conditioning, as opposed to electric air conditioning to cut down on costs and make the surroundings environmentally friendly.

Essential HVAC Guide - Air Conditioning Control Systems

People often talk about getting some form of temperature control included with their reverse cycle ducted air conditioning system. So what are the different forms of air conditioning temperature control and how do they work? We will look at the common types of air conditioning temperature control systems and how they work below.

Basic Air Conditioning Controller

The basic controller that comes with your reverse cycle air conditioning system comes with a thermostat that reads the air conditioners temperature. Usually this temperature is read either from the controller itself or more commonly inside the return air box of the unit that sits inside the roof space.

If the temperature is read inside the return air box, it is sometimes not an accurate representation of the temperature in the room. The room itself may be quite cold but by the time the air is recirculated to the return air box it may have warmed up significantly which means the air conditioner will keep running (e.g. the controller in the living room is set to 22 degrees but once the air reaches the return air box it has heated back up to 30 degrees, which in turn causes the air conditioner to keep running).

In this situation, the unit will keep running even though people are becoming cold. There are however two options to counteract this. Firstly, increasing the temperature of the controls will cause the unit to cycle off quicker more info. It needs to be remembered that the temperature set on the controller is usually not accurate, instead it works as a scale (i.e. if you set to 22 degrees, it does not necessarily mean the room will cool to 22 degrees).

Secondly, some people put a ducted fixed constant in their hallway near the return air grille. This constant as it name suggests is always on. This allows the conditioned air to return easily back up to the return air box of the unit, which helps the unit cycle off. In this instance if you were running just your bedrooms that were all a long way from the return air, the air from the rooms would heat up too much before getting back to the return air. The fixed constant however would bleed air directly back into the grille which will make the unit cycle off and ultimately save you money in running costs.

VAV Air Conditioning Controller

VAV stands for Variable Air Volume system. This is where the zone motors for your reverse cycle ducted air conditioning system allow some temperature control to the rooms you are in.

A zone is basically a series of blades that close the ductwork if you want to stop the air to a room. For instance, if you turn off your bedroom, the blades close restricting the air flow from proceeding down the ductwork and into your bedroom. Likewise, when you want air, the blades fully open and air starts to flow out the diffuser and into your room.

VAV systems work differently however. Instead of the blades simply opening or closing, they can constantly adjust what percentage they are open. This constant adjustment lets you control the amount of airflow you get into a room which ultimately controls the temperature of the room.

For example, if your room is around 30 degrees and you set your VAV controller (located in the actual room) to 22 degrees, the air would rush in trying to cool the room. Once the temperature in the room got to around 22 degrees, the blades will start to close to restrict the airflow to maintain that temperature. As soon as the room temperature starts to increase above 22 degrees, the blades will open again to let more airflow in to bring it back to the 22 degrees. By doing this the VAV system can maintain the temperature in a room.

The VAV system is one of the most basic forms of air conditioning temperature control. It is a cheap way to add temperature control to just a few rooms (say your master bedroom, office and living room for instance).

This system is not to be confused with VRV. VRV air conditioning systems use multiple wall splits (head units) running of a single large outdoor compressor.

Full Air Conditioning Temperature Control

Fully ducted temperature control works the same way as the VAV system outlined above. A controller is located in each room and the temperature is read, whereby the blades open or close to allow the correct airflow to heat or cool the room.

The difference between full temperature control is obviously that the whole house is run by temperature control instead of just a few rooms. Because of this, the full temperature controlled air conditioning system will give you the most comfort as individuals would be able to set their own desired temperatures in their own living areas.

Construction Contracts and Tenders in the UK: Facts, Figures

Construction Contracts

Each year, public sector contracts account for nearly 40% of construction work available. These commissions total in value of over 33 billion. To claim a portion of the construction budget, businesses must secure tenders. The tender process is the method businesses are required to follow to make their bid on construction contracts. Tender opportunities vary based upon the needs of the public and private sectors.

Sectors where construction tenders are plentiful include schools, hospitals, social housing and roads. The housing sector alone accounted for over 1.7bn in construction across all departments. Tenders are typically related to construction machinery, construction equipment, roof works, special trade construction works, repairs of building installations, maintenance service of building installations, architectural contracts and other related services.

Local Authorities & Construction Contracts

Local authorities have budgeted expenditures in the UK for 2010-2011 year at 121.9 billion. Fourteen percent of this budget is expected to be spent on housing, and 38% of the budget is expected to be spent on education. Currently, the UK local authorities have several construction contracts underway and several more planned. Many of these contracts consist of:

• Department of Children, Schools and Families projects

• Department of Transport projects

• Community and Local Government projects

• Department of Health projects

• Ministry of Justice projects

• Department of Culture, Media and Sports projects

• Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs projects

• Others

The budget percentages are not indicative of the remaining contracts in construction for 2010-2011. A large portion of the construction contracts will be allocated towards construction projects related to health. The Department of Transport and Department of Children, Schools and Families also account for a significant portion of the budget. Over 17 million will be spent in the Department of Health, and over 26 million in the Department of Transport is remaining on the budget for this year. Over 8 million in contracts are remaining and will be allocated towards construction related to education. 

  

Construction Tendering Process

The construction tendering process is similar to obtaining tenders in other industries. Most businesses simply locate a tender provider, select a tender and bid for the business. Since the government supplies 25% of local employment, many construction tenders are public contracts. Hence, many businesses rely on government tenders as a vital source of income. The private sector may also provide tenders through tender opportunity providers more info. Tenders are provided online, by phone or by email. Depending upon the mode of retrieval, tender searches vary. Elaborate websites have been developed to make tender searching easier and more convenient. When tenders are displayed in real time, businesses that identify them quickly have a competitive advantage.

Selecting an appropriate tender provider is almost as important as bidding for the opportunity. Many tender providers offer construction businesses more opportunities than others. The more opportunities available to businesses, the more likely the business will land a viable contract. Ensure that the tender provider offers tenders from both the public and private sector. This will guarantee that your construction company finds the best opportunities.

Through tender websites, businesses may search for tenders by industry, region or other advanced methods. During registration, some websites will gather information about the business to deliver relevant tender opportunities via email. When the company finds a relevant tender, a representative of the company will prepare a PQQ or ITT. These documents contain questions that businesses must adequately answer regarding the opportunity. The questions must be answered thoroughly to demonstrate your business's competitive advantage over other businesses bidding for the same construction contracts.

Some companies that apply frequently for construction contracts may be tempted to copy and paste answers into the fields provided. While this saves the company time, often the information is not relevant to the question asked. If the information is not relevant, this will make the company appear less informed about the opportunity. The evaluator will then select the next applicant that provided a detailed description of how the project will be completed. The business with the lowest bid that meets the project's needs will win the contract. When the bid is won, the construction company is expected to meet the criteria outlined in the bid, including the bid price. Those who do not may be penalized.