h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you ever feel that you are at the wrong end of several tequila slammers, the quickest route to sobriety that I can recommend is a quick trip in a Taxi around Mexico City. The combination of roads that have a vague relationship to smooth, cars which think that suspension is for wimps, and drivers who treat everything else on the road as minor irritants is far better than any raw egg based cure-all anywhere, ever. It's also good for loosening the bowels!

looks like I'm wankering with this toy along, just remember that taxi drivers in Mexico city are mostly Vogon military service rejects. Tht'll give you an idea what to expect.

An additional word on taxi drivers in Mexico, the experience talk about is worst than having a page or a cellular phone call on Sunday very early in the morning (something like 7:00 am.)

Having a pager going off at 7 in the morning is a mere blip compared to a taxi ride in Mexico City. If a pager going off is a grain of sand, then said taxi ride would be the beach in Acapulo. In fact, taking a ride in a taxi in Meico City should be classed as a dangerous sport ... that'll have the Antipodeans flooding in.

Here is an antidote against Taxi Drivers in Mexico: When they get too exited about running over somebody, start talking about family affairs, like 'Where is your family? where do you come from? Is your mother alive?' then they'll feel nostalgy and, slowing down, they'll start talking about the countryland they left behind and all that. You have to understand that this may be a prety boring chat, it migth be as boring dangerous as being abused by the driver.

When I asked a taxi driver in Puerto Vallarta why the speedo's are always "broken" in their taxis, he helpfully assured me it was for my safety, I can only assume he was talking about my mental health.

Talking about mental health in Public transportation systems, We have a teological twist here in México. Have you ever noticed that public transport drivers keep a rather bizarre collection of weird things arround them? like Dices, eigth balls, Hulla-Hulla dancing dolls, bald doll heads, etc, etc. Well, here we have some very relligious guys that carry Jesus portraits that ligths eyes when driver speeds up or applies the braces. Some say that a Mexican taxy driver will have a better wellcome in heaven than the pope, because they make people pray harder than any preacher on earth.

Funny... true, too. It's very dangerous to ride a taxi in Mexico City. Very possible you'll get mugged by the taxi driver... if your hotel offers taxi service, take it! If not, it's safer just not to leave. Besides, your throat hurts with all the pollution. Why go out?