Free stuff at the truck wreck

Another journey underway as we make a repeat trip to San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato. Sometimes driving through Mexico can be rather mundane. You pay your tolls, you get on the highway. Other times, the trip can be a bit more “interesting.” Like today.

After spending the night in Guadalajara, we got on the highway toward Mexico City, and within a half hour, faced the first decision. The GPS said to go one way, the map book said go another. We followed the GPS which probably would have been a better way to go had it not been for the accident.

Now, in the U.S. if a big rig overturns and spills its contents over the road (in this case, canned sodas, popsicles, chips, your basic junk food), the police show up, declare it a toxic site, and tell everyone to scram. Here, it becomes a free for all … literally. While the truck wreck blocked one lane on the highway, it was the motorists who abandoned their vehicles to pick up on the loot who blocked the rest of the highway by simply stopping their cars where they were and pilfering whatever they could carry. Armsful, boxes full, dresses full. Anyway it could be carried, it was.

We were stopped about a mile from where the wreck occurred (at first, we did not know it was a bigaro rigaro fliparo, we thought it was road construction that caused the delays), so we just sat there in the air conditioned car, listening to Howard Stern Mother’s Day special (which is a story in itself), and waited. We were obviously out of the loop. But apparently, word soon went out via cell phone and text messages, and soon the people stopped in their cars around us hoofed it down to the carnage to claim their booty. We finally got going, and as we got to the scene, just like in the U.S. the police were there. Unlike the U.S., they were helping direct traffic around the looters so they didn’t get run over by the rest of us (and probably already had their patrol car trunks filled with bags of Tosti-Dips … which is what they call Tostados here). As we drove buy, I told Kurt to jump out quickly and pick up a few bags. Yeah, right.

The highways here, for the most part, are pretty good. The toll roads are the best. They cost anywhere from 10 pesos (about 80 cents) to 120 pesos (about ten dollars). Most are four lane divided highways. There are no road taxes here. If you want to drive on the highway, you pay. Not sure if the cattle pay, though. While driving along the “cuoto” (pay roads), you sometimes share the highway with farmers doing their spring time cattle drive … yep, right down the edge of the highway … just like Sacramento, right?

And if you’re driving along and hankerin’ for a road soda, no problem. You know how in California they have Giant Oranges along Highway 99 where you can buy a hot dog and a soda? Here, they have Giant Beer Cans where you can pick up a brew to go. In one town (Penjamo) they actually had a Giant Six Pack (I think you could drive through it). They frown on drunk driving here, and like in the U.S., they’ll throw you in jail if you’re DUI … some of the time.

Just before we got to San Miguel de Allende, the last stop was in the small town of Celaya, which like every good Mexican town, has a Costco. We marvel at how no matter what Costco you visit, you could be in any town, any where. They are all the same. We even had a hot dog and soda because it was lunch time (but instead of relish in those little crank dispensers, here they have jalapenos … ay!).

Made it to San Miguel. We did a house trade here this time (www.homeexchange.com). It’s a great place we found on the hillside to the east of “Centro” where the Jardines and Iglesia are (that’s gardens and church). We stay in their home. They'll stay in our house in palm Springs. Tomorrow, we’re linking up with some local friends to do some shopping at the local food markets, then doing a “locals” cooking class where we’ll get tips on how to prepare the strange things we see here in the market but have little clue what to do with them. More to come.