Wandering Gypsy Poet

My time in Mexico has been a speedy jaunt across the whole of the country from bottom to top, I have stopped in a few places and seen the real Mexico unlike the people who go on holiday in the places like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and never leave their resort. These places were specifically built for tourism and nothing about them is Mexican, you could just as well be in Spain due to their sprawling resorts clambering for space. Just because you have eaten tacos, burritos, quesadillas or chimichangas in a resort does not make it Mexico just like if you have only been to Foz de Iguazu you have not been to Brazil!

My first stop was in San Cristobal which is not what I expected from my first Mexican experience, I guess I was thinking donkeys, sombreros and cacti instead I was surrounded by green hills, churches and flash cars, yes it was touristy with markets aimed at the tourist dollar but the churches were quite astonishing and it had a colonial rustic feel to it. San C was around 2100m above sea level so during the day it was hot but once the sun went down it became cold so I guess it was a good job I got rid of my winter clothes in Argentina (December). You can clearly notice the difference from Guatemala, the money is much more apparent with less tuk-tuks and more taxis and much more wealth in the automobiles driving around you have dodge ram’s, mustangs and Audi’s cruising the streets.

You are forever reminded how small this world is having befriended a couple on the bus after exchanging information I found out they were good friends with a person I had travelled South America with. I solely blame Sarah and Pete for the amount I spent on trinkets and souvenirs for my ‘imaginary house’ with them saying “you have to buy everything in threes or fours to make it work”. This brings me on to ‘souvenir scams’ its tactics the markets use to entice you to buy their crap. I mean who wants to buy a felt stuffed giraffe in Mexico let alone two of them? The animal is not indigenous to any area that side of the world let alone just in Mexico but its how they have ten of them all brightly coloured sitting there with a million other pieces of crap you don’t need all coloured brightly. Their stalls look as though Joseph and his techni-coloured dream coat were commissioned to make a Sony Bravia TV advert then wash it down with every colour known to Dulux. I must admit it looks pretty and there lies the rub you think it is pretty in their stall but you need to ask yourself what would you do with it back home?

One item that I did resist purchasing were the Nacho Libre masks (Mexican wrestling masks) however I cannot say the same for Sarah or Pete who practically bought out the whole stock in San Cristobal even trying them on like you would if you were buying your prom dress.

The bus system in Mexico is extensive with over 800 companies desperate for your custom but there is one thing I can find at fault and it is in the actual bus station, unlike other countries which have a board saying whether the bus is boarding, arriving or leaving instead they have a tannoy in Spanish in the least acoustic building. I can not even understand one single word and at some points I could see the locals wince struggling to make out the announcements. It would be like getting rid of the train board at Waterloo station and getting Paul Gascoigne to do the announcements drunk after the acoustic settings were designed by a three year old.

The 11 hour bus ride from San C to Oaxaca was more like 16 due to the angry machete wielding Mexican protest in the middle of the road, I did take some pictures until a bunch of them pointed at me with their sharpened machetes, in my defence I was trying to get them publicity for their cause, whatever it was. Some of the other tourists on the bus were getting angry and inpatient so I suspect this is early in their travels where as I took it all in my stride not bothered if it took 24 hours for them to leave this is because I learnt to take bus snacks and water a long time ago.

Oaxaca was basically the same as San Cristobal but with more churches which looked slightly nicer with stuff a bit more pricy. Before I came travelling I vision Mexico as one of the cheap places but in reality it is really expensive bus travel in particular

This same protest has delayed me again with my 0930 bus to Mexico City leaving at 1600 so that gave me a glorious 7 hours to enjoy the bus station.

Most of the most spectacular scenes are seen from the bus unfortunately the driver does not permit toilet stops let alone photo stops so one of the best sun sets over layer upon layer of mountains is reserved just for my memory. From Mexico City I got a bus straight to Mazatlan which is probably not one of the best places for tourists at the moment but like everything the media hype it up. One thing I did notice is the change from south to north, the vibe is a bit tenser the further north you go also the cost increases too. The general look of people I noticed had changed from nuclear family to gangsters with tattoos.

I got the first ferry out of Mazatlan over to the chilled out area of La Paz on the peninsula, now I have been on a few ferries and there generally like airport lounges but never have I seen such a shit show like the 17 hour ferry I just endured. No where to put my bags, no where to sleep so in fear of my stuff being stolen I sat in a seat semi-conscious for 17 hours. I did seem to be an attraction to the gangster looking truck drivers and in the morning after chatting to some they offered me a lift to La Paz claiming there were no buses from the dock to La Paz (20km) saying I would have to walk it. Of course there were buses, collectivos and taxis waiting to shuttle people to their destination.
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La Paz is like every tourist area with a beach it has row upon row of bar and restaurant with everything overpriced. As an add note they are also stupid. So many people thought that I was going to fly across the dangerous portion of Mexico. Sorry Mum I didn’t I wanted to see it and boy it was beautiful reminding me of Australia in a way, nothing, nothing, nothing, cactus, then valleys of cacti then rolling beautiful flowered hills then Tijuana. Why are they all stupid? Well because when I booked my 24 hour bus jaunt to get to the worlds busiest border crossing which I wanted to get at 0700 the next morning the idiots didn’t tell me that it was daylight saving hour that night and the clocks went forward hence I missed the bus by an hour. What the hell do Mexicans need it for? All they farm is Marijuana!

I got across the border and that could be a whole blog itself so read next time about crossing into the USA!