Well, we've experienced something interesting, exhausting, sometimes frightening, unforgettable, and full of pleasure. No... it wasn't that. We drove two vehicles from Iola, KS to our home in Ajijic.
We were on a time schedule, so I'm sorry, very sorry, we weren't able to stop and take pictures. We saw some of the most amazing things. First of all, you haven't seen poor until you've seen how some of the Mexican people live. We've seen the homeless people in the streets of the U.S., living in cardboard boxes, pushing their belongings around in a shopping cart. They've lost their job and home and I sympathize with them. I wish our government would concentrate on helping all of them. However, unless you've driven through the heart of Mexico, you haven't seen poor. Most of these people never had a home, or a job, to lose. There is no soup kitchen, no Shelter, and no Salvation Army. We saw huts along the highway, built out of shipping skids, tree limbs, Adobe, and/or anything else they could find. They were covered with blankets, old tarps, scrap tin, and even palm leaves. How they survive, I have no idea. The climate, of course, isn't real harsh, but still? Most of them are standing out by the highway, trying to sell anything they can for a couple of Pesos. Some try to flag you down with a rag, to let them wash your car. It really made me think just how lucky we are.
Now..., driving in Mexico. Have you ever driven in Detroit, Kansas City, Tulsa, Houston? I have, and believe me, this is a whole new experience. First off, I wasn't two blocks from the border crossing and got stopped by the Policia. I didn't have my seat belt on (the only time during the whole trip I wasn't wearing it). Fortunately, there was a young Mexican man in the truck with me. As soon as you cross the border, they swarm your vehicle to show you how to get to the automobile import department (which isn't simple to get to). The cop let me go, but I had to tip the kid $10 for his help and to pay the cop (well worth it). I never figured out, if the kid talked the cop out of a ticket for me, in exchange for half the tip, or if he pointed out that I didn't have a belt on when we went by. The next problem was trying to explain, to the import authorities, why my drivers license says I'm Clarence Leroy Rafferty, but the title to the truck says I'm Lee Rafferty. That took about 25 minutes, but I finally convinced them we were the same guy. Next, you have to get through Nuevo Laredo and the first check point. At this point, I had my white knuckled hands at 10:00 and 2:00 on the steering wheel and I'm sure I was grating my teeth. After a nerve wracking, yet convincing conversation with the border guard, who was curious about why I had brought a ShopVac, step ladder, and hand cart on vacation with me... and didn't figure I had to pay duty taxes on them. It took Roseanna and I, both, to convince him we weren't bringing them down here to sell. After re-packing a few boxes into the truck, we were on our way. Actually, he was a pretty nice guy, just doing his job.
You've heard the phrase "always drive defensively". When they say that in Mexico, they're very, VERY serious. It doesn't just mean protect yourself from the other motorists. It means be aggressive yet cautious and know how to get out of the way in a hurry. If you drive the speed limit, someone will try to hurt you. At one point, an SUV passed us. When he was about 1000 yards in front of us (maybe 2 or 3 seconds), a cop passed us with his lights on. After the SUV, right? Nope; he passed the SUV too and drove along in front of it for about 2 miles (lights still going). Then, the SUV passed him (lights still going) and pulled out of sight. After another mile or so, the cop pulled off the road and parked; apparently to wait and catch some body doing something wrong.
They also tell you not to drive at night. Why? There are Banditos at every turn.No, not really, but like anywhere else, don't flaunt what you have if you want to keep it. Actually, the reason is livestock and drunk drivers, in that order. In the high desert regions, grazing grass is limited. However, there is usually an abundant supply, right along the highway. Therefore, you will see horses, mules, cattle, and goats grazing along the highway; most of them unrestrained. At night, you might not see them, or you might get a real close look.
Every where you look, they sell cervesa. If you go through a little village with three buildings, a couple of houses and several huts, all three buildings have a bar. Even here, in Ajijic, there are very few blocks without at least one bar. Thus, drunk drivers. Ya gotta watch for them.
The highways, except for about 100 miles, were all four lane, and most were toll roads. From Laredo to Guadalajara, we paid around $120 US per vehicle in tolls. One place cost us 26 Pesos to get on the turnpike, so we could get to the right off-ramp 1/2 mile away.
Though it was exhausting and nerve wracking, it was a good and beautiful trip. Roseanna took the lead (the speedometer on my truck doesn't always work) and navigated the entire trip. I'm very proud of her. We only made a couple of wrong turns, but caught them almost immediately. We kept in touch on our cell phones and never once did either of us get upset. It's really good to be home.
We were on a time schedule, so I'm sorry, very sorry, we weren't able to stop and take pictures. We saw some of the most amazing things. First of all, you haven't seen poor until you've seen how some of the Mexican people live. We've seen the homeless people in the streets of the U.S., living in cardboard boxes, pushing their belongings around in a shopping cart. They've lost their job and home and I sympathize with them. I wish our government would concentrate on helping all of them. However, unless you've driven through the heart of Mexico, you haven't seen poor. Most of these people never had a home, or a job, to lose. There is no soup kitchen, no Shelter, and no Salvation Army. We saw huts along the highway, built out of shipping skids, tree limbs, Adobe, and/or anything else they could find. They were covered with blankets, old tarps, scrap tin, and even palm leaves. How they survive, I have no idea. The climate, of course, isn't real harsh, but still? Most of them are standing out by the highway, trying to sell anything they can for a couple of Pesos. Some try to flag you down with a rag, to let them wash your car. It really made me think just how lucky we are.
Now..., driving in Mexico. Have you ever driven in Detroit, Kansas City, Tulsa, Houston? I have, and believe me, this is a whole new experience. First off, I wasn't two blocks from the border crossing and got stopped by the Policia. I didn't have my seat belt on (the only time during the whole trip I wasn't wearing it). Fortunately, there was a young Mexican man in the truck with me. As soon as you cross the border, they swarm your vehicle to show you how to get to the automobile import department (which isn't simple to get to). The cop let me go, but I had to tip the kid $10 for his help and to pay the cop (well worth it). I never figured out, if the kid talked the cop out of a ticket for me, in exchange for half the tip, or if he pointed out that I didn't have a belt on when we went by. The next problem was trying to explain, to the import authorities, why my drivers license says I'm Clarence Leroy Rafferty, but the title to the truck says I'm Lee Rafferty. That took about 25 minutes, but I finally convinced them we were the same guy. Next, you have to get through Nuevo Laredo and the first check point. At this point, I had my white knuckled hands at 10:00 and 2:00 on the steering wheel and I'm sure I was grating my teeth. After a nerve wracking, yet convincing conversation with the border guard, who was curious about why I had brought a ShopVac, step ladder, and hand cart on vacation with me... and didn't figure I had to pay duty taxes on them. It took Roseanna and I, both, to convince him we weren't bringing them down here to sell. After re-packing a few boxes into the truck, we were on our way. Actually, he was a pretty nice guy, just doing his job.
You've heard the phrase "always drive defensively". When they say that in Mexico, they're very, VERY serious. It doesn't just mean protect yourself from the other motorists. It means be aggressive yet cautious and know how to get out of the way in a hurry. If you drive the speed limit, someone will try to hurt you. At one point, an SUV passed us. When he was about 1000 yards in front of us (maybe 2 or 3 seconds), a cop passed us with his lights on. After the SUV, right? Nope; he passed the SUV too and drove along in front of it for about 2 miles (lights still going). Then, the SUV passed him (lights still going) and pulled out of sight. After another mile or so, the cop pulled off the road and parked; apparently to wait and catch some body doing something wrong.
They also tell you not to drive at night. Why? There are Banditos at every turn.No, not really, but like anywhere else, don't flaunt what you have if you want to keep it. Actually, the reason is livestock and drunk drivers, in that order. In the high desert regions, grazing grass is limited. However, there is usually an abundant supply, right along the highway. Therefore, you will see horses, mules, cattle, and goats grazing along the highway; most of them unrestrained. At night, you might not see them, or you might get a real close look.
Every where you look, they sell cervesa. If you go through a little village with three buildings, a couple of houses and several huts, all three buildings have a bar. Even here, in Ajijic, there are very few blocks without at least one bar. Thus, drunk drivers. Ya gotta watch for them.
The highways, except for about 100 miles, were all four lane, and most were toll roads. From Laredo to Guadalajara, we paid around $120 US per vehicle in tolls. One place cost us 26 Pesos to get on the turnpike, so we could get to the right off-ramp 1/2 mile away.
Though it was exhausting and nerve wracking, it was a good and beautiful trip. Roseanna took the lead (the speedometer on my truck doesn't always work) and navigated the entire trip. I'm very proud of her. We only made a couple of wrong turns, but caught them almost immediately. We kept in touch on our cell phones and never once did either of us get upset. It's really good to be home.
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