This Blog is a journal of my self imposed exile in Puerto Vallarta. How did a nice guy with a moniker like Lagunalary wind up living in a third world country is a long story. I may tell you in time, but for now I would like to begin with my first impressions of living in Mexico.
Immediately you realize that you will have to get used to the sights, sounds, and smells of Mexico. Some are pretty; some are pretty awful. Cobble stones for example look nice, until you have walked over them for a few days. The uneven pavement, pots holes, slippery bolders will make you fondly remember our black macadam highways. Sidewalks (such as they are) are even more of a hazard. They are not only extremely uneven, but also have pot holes and sudden drop offs. You must watch every step (and then there is the dog poop). The city has made an attempt to improve their walks by tearing out the old and replacing with wide side walks with a sort of serpent design in small black pebbles. As soon as the concrete is dry they begin to dig holes in it. Why what ever they are doing wan't done first remains one of the mysteries of Mexico. When they do fill the holes they just dump concrete in the hole. No attempt is made to smooth it over, let alone continue with the serpent design. The also never bother to block off the fresh concrete so people, dogs, cats walk right through it.
When you need to cross a street is when you really have to be alert, as it is a real hazzard. Not so much because of the cobble stones and pot holes, but because of cars. They have the right of way. Never expect a car to stop for you. They might not even stop if they hit you (and if they did you might be liable for damage to their car). Pedestrians are at the bottom of the food chain here. Now intersections are really interesting. There are a few stop signs, but never assume that cars will stop. Many times they just blow right through them. How drivers figure out who goes first is another mystery. It looks like survival of the fittest, with the bolder, older cars pushing their way through. Some times so many cars attempt to get throught that they cause total grid lock. Always someone will hammer on their horn (as if someone up front had fallen asleep). Mexican drivers are crazy, but I would never say one was asleep at the wheel. There are also a few signal lights, but don't think that the green is for you. It is for the cars. They will turn left or right (sometimes two at a time) in front of you and rarely do they signal a turn. I found that the safest thing is to cross a red light when there are no cars coming from that direction.
Loud noises are a given. By the time you think you have adjusted to the constant bump and rattle of the cars and buses, a dune bugger or motorcycle will screece by. All this pales to the vendors. They have speakers or megaphone on top of their trucks and shout at a level that would wake the dead (and certainly those still asleep in the morning). The truck selling propane gas is the worst and he does come early in the morning. Then of course there are the totally unexplained explosions. Was it a gun shot, a fire cracker, a tire blowing out, or what? No one seems to know or care. People are always yelling and singing in the streets, sometimes in the middle of the night. Mexicans seem to love noise.
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