"We heard about it last year. You read about it last year. Now we're headed back to find the elusive dragon of Lake Catemaco...an expedition to uncover a legend. An expedition to  remember..." Last year, you might remember, I reported to you about the legend of the Lake Catemaco creature; a strange sighting of a creature that was described as "dragon-like" by the fishermen who spotted her. Catemaco, you might also remember, is a very strange and mysterious area of Mexico, a place they call the "Land of the Brujas," - or witches. The village is full of self-proclaiming wizards and witches, most of who will gladly sell you a good luck charm or prepare a magical ritual to heal and cleanse you of evil, or whatever else might be ailing you. But there's more to the mystery of the region than just the commercial peddlers of magic in the village. For one, it was the home of America's oldest known advanced civilization - the Olmecs, surrounded by ancient volcanos and dense jungle, here they carved great faces in stone, developed a complicated system of math and astronomy, built pyramids and laid down the cornerstone for many great pre-Columbian civilizations to come. Rooted in spiritualism and magic, these early Native Americans were noted for their fables and tales, and the timeless jungle around Catemaco still holds the untold secrets of these ancient people. A retired American school teacher and friend of mine, George, had related the creature story to me on my last visit, the subject of one of my columns last year. As far as I can tell, George is the only American who has seen the creature. But on my most recent visit to the village I was introduced to an American the locals call "El Picaro." A young 83 year Pittsburgh native, "El Picaro" turns out to be a very educated and well traveled man. He holds professorships in Germany and Iran, speaks five languages, once did a stint as a foreman at a banana plantation in Ecuador, and at age 79 served a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in Morocco. He now lives in Catemaco "to study the culture and the history of the region." During several meetings and conversations, El Picaro filled me in a great deal on the ancient history of the region, and it turns out he has been gathering stories about the dragon in the lake, having talked to many eyewitnesses. According to him, a group from China migrated to the region in the 1800s, bringing with them a number of "fabled" creatures, including a species of Asian monkeys. A little investigation reveals that there are indeed Asian monkeys still in the region. In fact, one of the major attractions of the lake are the many islands that are populated by - you guessed it - Asian monkeys. Visitors feed the monkeys from their boats, and the monkies seem content to remain on their islands in the middle of the pristine lake. El Picaro concludes there is ample eyewitness accounts of the dragon story to indicate that people have been seeing something large and unexplained in the lake, and he further speculates that whatever that creature may be - dragon or not - it may have been something introduced to the area from far across the sea. My new found friend in Catemaco is so intrigued with the dragon story that he is planning a major research expedition  in an attempt to uncover additional evidence, and perhaps discover the creature that has been the subject of so many strange sightings. And if you think Tex was going to let an opportunity at high adventure like that pass him by, you've got another think coming. I signed on and am happy to report that our expedition down south will begin in just a few short weeks. So stand by for periodic reports as I hit the trail in search of the Catemaco dragon. Until next time - adios.