General Observations

Well, since Joe is addicted to his toilet, I might as well offer some generalizations about Mexico, mainly in comparison to my last road trip about ten years ago.

The most obvious change is that, while the prototypical Mexican dog, loping along streets with rear legs sort of cattywampus (a little sideways, in other words) is still the majority, actual breeds of dog are evident everywhere:  schnauzers are especially popular.  In Cholula the place is, relative to years past, eat up with dachshunds. I bet I saw four.  Poodles are also popular, but make terrible street dogs, as their long hair mats and becomes filthy.  I see this influx of purebred dogs as a travesty, as there really is nothing finer than a Mexican street dog.  Certainly, sheep are worthless creatures, and chickens are naught but clownish panic-stricken morons.

Sanitation and litter are vastly improved, orders of magnitude from just a few years ago, a good thing, both for tourists and for the population at large.

Likewise, modern technology such as the Intergoogie, cell phones, convenience stores, ATMs, are everywhere.  Ecological concerns mirror, and in some cases, such as solar water heating and even solar electrical generation, are more commonly seen and accepted than in El Norte. 

Most impressive.  More impressive is that while yes, there's a series of drug wars going on, and yes, the Mexican press sensationalizes it, it does so at a lower volume than the shrill shouters of Fox, CNN, print media, etc.  Thus far, we have encountered exactly zero issues regarding the narco wars, or for that matter any minor crimes of misdemeanors, despite the departed Jim's fear of leaving his bike unattended for even a few minutes directly in front of a Mexican policeman, way back there in Xilitla.

Whereas, say, in 2000, I might have said Mexico is like the U. S. was in the early 1960s, today I'll say it's more like, say, Alabama of today, with more literacy.  Your mileage certainly may vary, but I'll say without equivocation there is no reason to avoid traveling this fascinating country and culture.

Almost all motorcycle travelers in Mexico become obsessesed with topes, which I find to be a nuisance, but not something to obsess over.  As Joe says, they do come in many flavors: " Mexico has several variations on the tope theme. There are short topes, wide topes, dos topes, tres topes, flat top topes, bumpy topes, steep topes, gentle topes, topes con valle, topes where the tops are wide and little topes are added for extra measure, topes where the tops are wide and two inch channels are cut across them, they have topes in the sweepers, topes on the freeways, topes with tope signs that tell you you have just run over a tope, topes with no tope signs, tortise shell shaped multi-topes, there are negative topes, topes con negative topes for good measure. My brake pads will surely need replacement. My shocks will require freshening up. Maybe I'll replace the steering head bearings while I'm at it."

 His comment brings us to the real issue with Mexican cartels.  It's not the narcos. It's the Carteles de Los Freneros y Choqueros*.  The topes are put there by these cartels, controlled by some of the richest families of Mexico, with whispers of ties to U. S. corporations such as Monroe, Penske, Bendix, and more.  The topes cause premature brake and shock absorber failure, increasing the vast fortunes of the brake and shock makers and sellers.  Asphalt and concrete are so cheap that the extra volumes used for the topes have not materially increased the fortunes of the road material suppliers.



*Freno: brake; Choque: shock