Travel: Beam me down

This week's random co-ordinates chosen by the computer are:

25 18' N 104 27' W

FIRST REACTION

"Meep! Meep!" There goes Wile E Coyote on his eternal quest for the pesky Road Runner ...

COUNTRY AND REGION

You are in north eastern Mexico, some 300 miles south of the American border.

NATURE OF TERRAIN

With the Sierra Madre on the western horizon, this area is a combination of desert and mountain.

NEAREST SETTLEMENT

Rodeo, a farming town (wheat, corn, cotton) on the Nazas River, less than 25 miles south.

POSSIBLE HAZARDS

There is a genus of white Scorpion, unique to this area, which has a sting that is frequently fatal.

USEFUL LANGUAGE

Most people will speak English, and Mexican Spanish is generally easier to understand than the European variety - with slower pronunciation and no lisp.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER

Possibly a contender for the leader with the longest name, President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Len.

LIKELY WEATHER CONDITIONS

There is little rainfall in this area, except in the higher mountains where frost is a threat to farming. Temperatures currently average between 22C (74F) and 33C.

REASONS FOR HANGING AROUND

To star in a Spaghetti Western. This area is besieged by American film units which like to take advantage of the constantly clear, high altitude light and desert scenery - not to mention cheap Mexican labour. There is even a permanent film set at Tepehuanes, some 10 miles to the west.

GETTING THE HELL OUT OF THERE

Not that difficult really as you've landed on, or at least very near, a motorway - Highway 45 to be precise. There is an international airport in Monterrey, near the Mexican/ American border some 300 miles north.