To Kill a Mockingbird
One of the biggest roadblocks to my Copper Canyon Trip was the well intentioned but mis-informed advice given by friends, family, and the media. During Spring Break in Cancun some party-ers were shaken down by the police for a couple hundred dollars US each and it made the evening news. Along the border some immigration/customs officials likewise have been known to accept or even require 'a little extra' in order to expedite what could otherwise be a lengthy and exhausting procedure. Military check points set up just inside the state and international borders and around known drug producing areas are manned by young soldiers with M16 rifles and can cause travelers great delays to unload and open all packages and luggage. Worst of all, the Mexicans you see as you travel are impoverished, just sitting around doing nothing, only begging for pesos and waiting for an opportunity to come across to the U.S.
In preparing for my trip I read travel books specific to motorcycling in the areas of interest and published in the last 5 years. Then I read the cross referenced books about backcountry hiking and touring, some dating back ten or more years. From this information I developed a background for what I would be seeing as I traveled away from the border.
First off, I was leaving my safety net of cell phone and 911 and English speaking uniformed civil servants. Instead of letting that put me on edge, I thought of it as heightening my awareness of my surroundings - to appreciate the differences and beauty as well as to be cautious. The lack of immediate assistance, to which we have grown so accustomed in the US that many people cannot even change their own tire (witness the number of cars stopped by the road waiting for help) made me ride well within my limits and apply a little forethought to repairs, spares, tools and mechanical knowledge of my bike. All of which, in turn, made me feel more confident and self-sufficient. I also believe that while I might be better able to communicate my need for gasoline stateside, walking up to a strangers house on a farm-to-market road and asking for a gallon or two would be met with far more suspicion and apprehension then doing the same to some remote farm in Mexico and probably with less success as well. Due to the inherent isolation people seemed more willing to assist a stranded traveler.
Speaking for myself and my trip, the customs/immigration issue was no more a hassle than checking in for a flight at the airport here in DFW. Yes, there is paperwork. Yes, you must have the proper papers and the requirements may all seem silly. Yes, you may have to stand in line to have verification or duplication of those documents accomplished, but they were simply following the rules of their position, and in this day and age EVERYBODY at the border needs to follow the rules.
In 1500 miles traveling in Mexico I was stopped about 5 times by the Military Police. These young lads have been waiting in the sun for hours and a traveler represents entertainment by one or two methods. 1) You pull up and wait, or fidget, or act aggressive/pissed off, and they entertain themselves by responding in kind and making you sweat and get nervous, requiring you to open each bag or case and display/explain each item or 2) You pull up with your visor open and a big grin exclaiming "Buenos Dias! Muy Bueno Camino!" because you took some time to learn 24 basic words and know that "Good Day! Very Good Road!" is a nice greeting. This is an opening for you to preemtively point to your map of where you've been, where you are going and how wonderful your trip into their country has been. Yes, you may have to open your tank bag, and a saddle bag or two, but a simple charades gesture was sufficient to explain the tent and tools and clothing inside. "Gracias, Adios!" and you are on your way. I never had to give away the packs of Marlboro's I carried as 'gifts'.
Probably the most significant notions I picked up from one older travel guide stated that doing nothing is not necessarily indicative of laziness, but rather of having nothing to do, and that while we look at their wood and tin and adobe structures and think they are impoverished, they look at our homes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and wonder how much of our lives we must give up working to pay for them and then go on vacation to places like Mexico to enjoy ourselves. Given the tremendous beauty of the land through which I traveled, logic like that is nearly impossible to defeat.
My first hand experience in Mexico is by no means conclusive - one experiment does not a Law of Physics make, but everywhere I went the people I met were no less hospitable, and in most cases far more so than strangers here in the US. The only form of bribery I used was a preemptive smile and greeting in Spanish, and a hard candy lemon drop for the children (and one or two adults).
In preparing for my trip I read travel books specific to motorcycling in the areas of interest and published in the last 5 years. Then I read the cross referenced books about backcountry hiking and touring, some dating back ten or more years. From this information I developed a background for what I would be seeing as I traveled away from the border.
First off, I was leaving my safety net of cell phone and 911 and English speaking uniformed civil servants. Instead of letting that put me on edge, I thought of it as heightening my awareness of my surroundings - to appreciate the differences and beauty as well as to be cautious. The lack of immediate assistance, to which we have grown so accustomed in the US that many people cannot even change their own tire (witness the number of cars stopped by the road waiting for help) made me ride well within my limits and apply a little forethought to repairs, spares, tools and mechanical knowledge of my bike. All of which, in turn, made me feel more confident and self-sufficient. I also believe that while I might be better able to communicate my need for gasoline stateside, walking up to a strangers house on a farm-to-market road and asking for a gallon or two would be met with far more suspicion and apprehension then doing the same to some remote farm in Mexico and probably with less success as well. Due to the inherent isolation people seemed more willing to assist a stranded traveler.
Speaking for myself and my trip, the customs/immigration issue was no more a hassle than checking in for a flight at the airport here in DFW. Yes, there is paperwork. Yes, you must have the proper papers and the requirements may all seem silly. Yes, you may have to stand in line to have verification or duplication of those documents accomplished, but they were simply following the rules of their position, and in this day and age EVERYBODY at the border needs to follow the rules.
In 1500 miles traveling in Mexico I was stopped about 5 times by the Military Police. These young lads have been waiting in the sun for hours and a traveler represents entertainment by one or two methods. 1) You pull up and wait, or fidget, or act aggressive/pissed off, and they entertain themselves by responding in kind and making you sweat and get nervous, requiring you to open each bag or case and display/explain each item or 2) You pull up with your visor open and a big grin exclaiming "Buenos Dias! Muy Bueno Camino!" because you took some time to learn 24 basic words and know that "Good Day! Very Good Road!" is a nice greeting. This is an opening for you to preemtively point to your map of where you've been, where you are going and how wonderful your trip into their country has been. Yes, you may have to open your tank bag, and a saddle bag or two, but a simple charades gesture was sufficient to explain the tent and tools and clothing inside. "Gracias, Adios!" and you are on your way. I never had to give away the packs of Marlboro's I carried as 'gifts'.
Probably the most significant notions I picked up from one older travel guide stated that doing nothing is not necessarily indicative of laziness, but rather of having nothing to do, and that while we look at their wood and tin and adobe structures and think they are impoverished, they look at our homes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and wonder how much of our lives we must give up working to pay for them and then go on vacation to places like Mexico to enjoy ourselves. Given the tremendous beauty of the land through which I traveled, logic like that is nearly impossible to defeat.
My first hand experience in Mexico is by no means conclusive - one experiment does not a Law of Physics make, but everywhere I went the people I met were no less hospitable, and in most cases far more so than strangers here in the US. The only form of bribery I used was a preemptive smile and greeting in Spanish, and a hard candy lemon drop for the children (and one or two adults).
posted by Randy Masters at 5:58 AM
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