Oaxacabound

Day 4

After closing the bar last night, morning came way too early. I met my new amigo for a grande bowl of menudo…cow stomach soup, traditional hangover cure, much needed. Rest of day spent getting to Eastern end of state as originally intended.

The best parts of driving in Mexico:

1.  Freedom and mutual respect: You almost never see a speed limit sign, and everybody drives halfway on the shoulder to make it easy to pass on any road. It’s a little scary seeing cars coming head on at you, but very efficient. I’m sure there are limits (so AI says), but most people drive 70 to 80 and no one gets a ticket. In fact, people pass police cars like any other vehicle. It’s similar in cities where traffic lights and stop signs aren’t at every corner and people manage just fine. I remember hearing years ago that the most regulated countries have the most accidents. The US could learn something.

2. Gas station attendants: It’s like America circa 1963 where no one pumps their own gas. I thought it a bit pretentious at first and got out to pump my own. Nope, not allowed.  Once you get used to it, it’s kind of nice.

3. Google maps: Cell phone and internet coverage is very spotty, especially between cities but Google is always on. I’ve even had it track me on a dirt wagon road in the middle of a farmer’s field. Directions aren’t always great, that’s how I got into that field, but at least you’re never lost. I’m sure it’s different tech (satellite vs land towers?), guess that’s Elon’s next $100B.

The worst parts of driving in Mexico:

1. Gas prices: This also feels like a throwback, but to only 5 years ago. It’s $5 or $6 a gallon. Combine that with the exchange rate and it seems odd when the attendant asks for $1,000 pesos.

2. Topes: The way they control speed without signs is with cement humps in the road. Some are gentle slopes just reminding you to slow down, others are like hitting a short brick wall. I know they exist, I look for them constantly and I still get a dozen bone-jarring jolts every day.

3. Public bathrooms: Some still charge to get in so you need to carry change, though fewer these days. More troubling is that many (most?) public banos stock zero paper products. If you forget to ask or BYOTP, you are literally ess out of luck. I relearned this the hard way today.

I did meet an interesting guy who owned a microbrewery next to my hotel. He has a brother in Houston and used to be an analyst for Honeywell MX, but gave it up to pursue his dream. Unfortunately, Mexicans are decades behind in the craft movement. Mass produced Corona and Victoria are everywhere and not much else. Good luck Gerry!