Hanging out a mile or two from la frontera (the border) is one thing.
Descending past about 30 miles into the “interior” of Mexico is something else completely. And I’m talking both figuratively and literally.
Yeah, in many ways it feels like the “wild, wild west” once you’re beyond the gringo-rich bordertown atmosphere.
But then there’s la aduana, or “customs” as it’s best translated into English.
Now clearly Mexico would rather you not bring your U.S.-registered vehicle into their precious country. In fact, they apparently have more of a phobia of your car for some reason then the State Of Texas, Farmer’s Insurance and GMAC do combined. Whatever their hang-up, it’s obviously an untold calamity worse than your kick-ass symbol of American gas-guzzling extreme being pilfered under cover of the night (or by banditos during broad daylight?) and whisked off to some “chop shop” never to be recovered.
Then again, what does Farmer’s care? Once you’re past la aduana you’re pretty much on your own as far as they’re concerned. This means that a subtle form of low-grade extortion known as “Mexican Auto Insurance” is a must. The cost? Only roughly 8-10 times the cost of equivalent US insurance for a similar coverage period.
Sooner than later, you realize that’s a bargain. After all, one of the most bizarre fundamentals of Mexican culture is that people just flat-out have distinctively less respect for the value of their own lives than I’ve ever seen in any country in the world.
Emily claims that this has a lot to do with the ubiquitous Catholic Church’s teaching that God will take you when he feels like it, and that there’s not much we humans can do about it when “our time” comes.
I think that explanation carries a certain amount of verisimilitude based on what I’ve seen. Hell, if such a philosophy indeed rules the day then it obviously applies to animals also. Mexicano drivers appear to have a shocking propensity for mowing down any vertebrate (human or otherwise) that crosses their asphalt path without so much as a tap on the brakes.
But back to the story.
