FIRST TASTE OF MEXICAN JSTICE

Thursday, October 22th from Oaxaca,: Mexico

Yep, you heard it right. Oaxaca. Pronounced Oh-Hock-a. It’s my jumping off point into Guatemala. I’ve felt very comfortable up to now being in Mexico which I am very familiar with. I must confess to a little apprehension about the unknown. I opened my Malaria pills tonight, and took the first one.

Wednesday and today were both days of hard driving. I spent 5 hours in Guadalahara arranging to extend my Mexican Auto Insurance for a few days. It was a Circus. That was with everyone being helpful.

I had planned to take the Pacific coastal route, but decided instead to go straight up the middle. Straight through Mexico city, then on to Oaxaca. Toll roads all the way, which I said I wouldn’t do.

Two nice things happened on the way to Mexico City. A bunch of 15 year old girls were standing on thee road collecting money for, I’m sure a good cause. One little girl with a big cup in her hand looked at me reprovingly. She held a single finger in the air twisted her head and finger a little as if to say, “Just 1 Peso”. Who could resist that? So I opened the window and dropped a bunch of coins in the cup. To my surprise they all simultaneously recited some nice little poem for me. I felt good about it.

Then, later, I saw a live smoking volcano a long way off from the road. I stopped and looked at it through my binoculars. I thought that was pretty neat.

In, Mexico City, I had my first run-in with the law. I was driving on the “Periferal”. What we would call the beltway. I stopped at a light, and then suddenly the were sirens going off all around me. A cop walked over to my window and said, “Your liscense Senhor.” He looked at all my papers which were in order. He seemed Decent enough. Then a second guy came over shouting and waving some kind of book at me. It was the traffic codes for the Federal District of Mexico. It turns out that non Mexican tagged vehicles are not allowed on the Periferal on Tuesdays or Thursdays. It was Thursday by then. The two choices I was given were: Either appear in court the following day, or pay a 1500 peso fine right on the spot. That’s about $120.00. Of course I paid the fine. In a matter of 10 minutes, they had plucked me like a chicken. I drove away 1500 pesos lighter.

I took a few pictures of the mountains coming into Oaxaca. I’ll look at them and find the best one or two and stick them in with the other photos at the end of the blog. You just can’t do justice to mountains with a photo unless you have a great camera with a wide angle lens. You really have to experience them. The mountains in Southern Mexico are stunning. The geography changes every twenty or thirty miles. I did take a couple of video clips today, but still haven’t figured out how to post them.

That’s how it is October 22nd.