I´ve been to Mexico before so I thought I´d write a few musings on what´s changed since I was last here in 2005.
What´s still the same...
1. The most effective way of crossing the road in Mexico City is to stick your arm out, start walking and take the abuse when irate Mexican drivers start shouting obsenities at you. Trust me, the green man only signals that drivers may decide to stop.
2. There´s nothing quite like travelling on 2nd class buses in Mexico. Why travel first class with air conditioning, reclining seats, rubbish films and fast toll roads. On a 2nd class bus you get a wannabe rally car driver, door to door service, old school mexican music, great scenery on winding mountain roads and you can open and clost the window. The drivers are on 2nd class buses are always characters and enjoy nothing more than speeding up when they see the "dangerous bend" sign. [I hope you´re taking notes of this Q - Jeff will be expecting this kind of service to cricket matches next season]
3. The Mexican dance-off. Generally, this is an opportunity for the older generation to pubicly show off their dancing skills in the town square in the evenings. There´s usually a band and a dance-off to old skool Mexican music. Quite a spectacle
4. Great beaches. The Mexicans have been quite smart on this one unlike the Spanish. They´ve basically ruined a small bit of their great coastline with a few uber resorts (Cancun, Acapulco & Puerta Vallarta)and left the rest of it pretty much untouched or for eco-tourism. This time I managed to find this great fishing village on the Michoacan coast which is pretty much people free.
5. I still have no idea what people are saying in Mexico City most of the time. As I said to some guy who I was trying to have a conversation with, "I´m speaking Spanish but I have no bloody idea what language you are speaking". He just laughed.
6. For me, Mexico is still pound for pound the best country to travel around in the world although I´m expecting Columbia and Argentina to be right up there. You´ve got basically everything you could want from a trip - great beaches across two very different coastlines, ancient ruins, beautiful colonial cities, canyons, deserts and great people. What more could you want?
What´s changed...
1. I spotted my first Mexican hoodies the other day on a bus from Creel to Chihuahua. I was going to ask them why they were wearing hooded tops in 35 degree heat but thought that might not be such a wise move. Knowing what I do about Mexican politics, I´m fairly sure we won´t be hearing the opposition talking about "hugging hoodies"...
2. The Mexican tourist board have obviously been doing a lot of advertising in Germany recently. Not sure I need to say more than that...
3. Prices have gone up big time here, especially bus travel.
