IHANA.COM big trip - diary - October 2001

Zacapu campsite

Our place in Mexico City

Magaly lights up DF

Monday 1 - Thursday 11 October

After Guadalajara, a quick detour to Lake Chapala proved to be unexciting as its dried up a fair bit due to irrigation demands. We tried to continue all the way to Mexico City (District Federal) without using the toll roads. This was a mistake as it takes hours more to negociate each little village and its topes (speed bumps). When it got dark we stopped in Zacapu and found a guarded carpark to sleep in for 10 pesos.

Approaching DF we were stopped by 2 police motorbikes who decided we should have some kind of pollution control sticker, fortunately a more superior bloke turned up and said tourists don't need this. Five minutes later, another one tried it on, getting angry we give him a severe dissing and got on our way. We reached the capital and found the house where we are staying, conveniently located above a bar, Piso 66.

Lots of walking about checking out the sights and a museum ensued. We were staying in Condesa, an area of euro-style restaurants with euro prices. Leaving the landy in the street overnight in the hands of the local vigilante wasn't such as a good idea as all our spotlights were stolen and the mirrors snapped off.

We drove north to visit Teotihuacan, an ancient city with pyramids dating from 300BC, click here to see more. Returning to DF we were stopped by the police because cars with a number ending in 9 or 0 aren't allowed to drive before 10pm on a Friday. This time the four cops wanted almost $280 'fine' and made us drive to a very dodgy looking car impound place which we refused to enter. Leaving Magaly to do the talking in true machine gun spanish style we managed to get away with a $20 'donation' after over an hour of negotiations. We thought we'd escaped the clutches of corruption but were stopped again within 5 minutes by the 'environmental police' who were keen to fine us again but settled for making us park in a supermarket carpark until 10pm after more negociations. Getting paranoid about the next step of the crime and corruption cycle, T left with Magaly for a weeks tour around Puebla, Oaxaca and Acapulco, leaving Barry in DF.