On the 29th of July 2015 I started from Antigua. On my way to the city boundary I met two Americans that asked me about my journey and wished me good luck. The first ride was found easily. A pick-up. In Guatemala 90% of all rides are with pick-ups. One more reason to love that country.
12:10 am
No idea where they were going. They said something about “close to the border”. Would push me pretty far. I sit on the loading platform and enjoy getting further that fast. We go through heavily vegetated areas. A heavy and intense smell of pussy is in the air. Is there some strange plant radiating this horny odor? Or did we just pass the “giant, glowing clitoris”? I was happy.
2:10 pm
A Family stops and takes me. I sit with the father, two sons and the mother on the platform. The oldest son and grandpa are sitting inside, driving. We stop at an intersection waiting for some acquaintances. Another pick-up with blue barrels shows up. Inside: alive fish. The family buys two buckets and we go on.
2:43 pm
Mazda pick-up with two guys. If I had lunch already? They buy a pizza and a bottle of coke and we share. They take a picture of me and invite me to smoke a joint. Sorry to decline. No drugs at “work”.
6:57 pm
Border of Mexico. It takes me 17 minutes to immigrate. It is bucketing down. No chance of continuation. I speak to two elderly men at a nearby bar. My Spanish is already good enough for conversation. The night starts.
8:55 pm
It’s dark, time to get lost. Two policemen take me to the next village on their way home from work. Even better, one of them is fetching his motorbike bringing me 7km further to the next city. Wow, it’s so nice here! Mexico.
9:32 pm
Had a nice ride with a taxi driver in the city. Now it’s the first time that I meet Mexican food. Tacos. Hadn’t really eaten much that day so any food would have been great anyway. Still, Tacos are delicious! With cheese and three different sauces.
10:03pm
Further. Walking to the end of the city.
00:06 am
No luck, walking further. There is a gas station, I look for a place to sleep. A security guy is sleeping there already. He is a little shocked as I wake him from his midnight nap. I ask if I can join and suddenly there are all in all 3 Persons sleeping there. Not only the security guy but also the people working at the gas station took a collective nap under the stars. After a short talk they allowed me to sleep under the roof of a nearby building.
30th of July 2015, 8:58am
I am exhausted. Was a hard night, in the morning I had to wait 100 minutes to get my first ride. I lie down next to the road, taking a nap.
12:37am
The sleeping beauty arises. This was urgently needed rest. At the same moment I catch, freshly committed, the first truck passing. 0 minutes of waiting time. Yeah!
13:34pm
Now on the run. The truck took me until a toll station. After a short while I flag down a small transporter with a huge trailer. I’ll be driving until 10:05pm with this one. Through half of Mexico. Well, a quarter, but several hundred kilometers. Good ride!
10:35pm
I am motivated. Good that I had slept in the morning. A family stops at my police check. My chance. If they were going towards Mexico City? Yes. Can I come with you? Yes. What I hadn’t seen was that there were already four people in the loaded car. Still I could squeeze in. Super nice. I feel flattered. For 3 hours we speed on the highway. Towards Mexico City. Perfect lift at night.
31st of July 2015, 02:33am
Another ride at night. Runs. A priest with his sheeple. I am offered food. The priest formerly lived in Los Angeles, speaks English pretty well. An amusing bunch of people. At least 2 of the 4 people were former drug addicts, before they found god. Crucial question comes inclusive. As always I try not to be very clear, that I believe in god at least somehow and try to switch topics to not offend somebody. My seat neighbour talks herself into an ecstasy, telling me that I have to talk to god because he is taking care of us all. I sit through it, pretend to only understand half of it. Then I receive a sandwich.
6:37am
Long ride at night. I exit at another toll station. A car stops, I run towards it, open the passenger side door. A voluminous woman looks at me, scared, instantly closing the door. Didn’t want to. There is that other guy with the white scarf. He comes towards me, looks like another hitchhiker. He buys me a coffee and a piece of bakery from a street shop. Later on I discover that he is not actually a hitchhiker but truckers pick up people with white scarfs as aiding workers. They help loading and unloading. Interesting.
7:34am
Another awesome ride. One guy with red shoes and a Hawaiian shirt (looking like a pervert, perfect target for me, they are mostly companionable) stops and gives me a ride. A friend of his drives behind us. They had bought a car. We have a great conversation, he is a really nice person. On the gas station we drink coffee. Then he wants to show me a Mexican speciality. We stop at a random street food shop. But they don’t have it.
We had a big nail stuck in one of our wheels. Again a flat tire. Driving to the next car repair. They can’t help us really but fill it up with air again. Speeding to the next workshop. A nice, fresh morning. We change the tire, I am offered breakfast, and further to Mexico City.
I missed the right exit and went 70km too far into the biggest city of the world. But I had a run so what the fuck, what could go wrong?
11:07am
Waited 30 minutes for another ride that would bring me to the northern end of the city. Super happy. One and a half hours of driving in front of me.
12:50am
A nice father is giving me a ride. Wife and kids drive behind us. I receive some ice tea as we stop. In the other car I spy a cat. How nice, they are traveling with a cat.
3:44pm
Another mega ride. Another transporter with a long loading platform. Another father of a family. He invites me to sleep while he drives. If he was tired? No, but if so, he will stop somewhere to sleep because he has kids at home and needs to be careful. He will take me far north. Close to Monterrey where not long ago the mafia war was going on.
11:25pm
Gas station. Amidst the drug trafficking area. Several Mexicans prepare a car to be towed away. They accept to bring me to the next toll station. Then a truck arrives, obviously filled with completely stoned people. Always pushing the gas pedal without a set gear. It roars over all the area. They go a little forwards, then backwards, there is a loud bang, the truck crashes with full force against another car. The driver of the hit car gets out checking the situation. But no need to heat the situation by stressing the crazy folks. I stay in the background, I feel uneasy about it.
