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I hate to give a black mark to any place based on a very limited experience, and I think one can pretty much learn to like almost anywhere in Mexico. Simply getting lost with poor road signage (almost guaranteed in any town in Oaxaca state) is enough to make you hate all of Mexico forever.
I often cross the border at Ojinaga and drive down to Durango. Ojinaga used to be a very nice little border town, but now it has become a pretty seedy strip in an unpleasant town. Further, I dread the stopover on that route in either Cd. Camargo, Cd. Jiminez or Hgo del Parral, which seem like very expensively Americanized towns lacking any nice budget hotels.
Palenque was a nice little town once, too, but its proximity to the ruinas has converted it quickly into a turista nightmare.
Given Mexico's climate of wet/dry seasons, there is a good chance that if you went back after 6 months to a place you hated, you might love it, or vice versa. I asked my wife, and she suggested Puerto Angel, and that reflected exactly this phenomenon. Lovely when it's wet, dreadful when dry.
Negative - Well no place is perfect. I certainly ran into some issues on my trips.
Not crazy about graffitti. TJ is most guilty of this. Frankly I thought TJ was pretty much a dump.
I had a problem at MTY airport. Customs shipped us around and kept us (all 100 of us) for an hour while they f-ed off for an hour. I asked them how long they were gonna hold us up and they told 15 minutes. When I walked away I think they thought my Spanish was too weak to understand them laughing about holding us all up for no reason whatsoever. Mob controlled.
DF: Well DF of course has in addition to all its amenities the inevitable big city bullshynt. Trinknet hawkers everywhere. I couldn't buy a coffee one morning cuz two stores couldn't change a $20! 7-11 couldn't change a $20! Credit card machine at museum not working so 20 minutes wait till they fix that.
I had less problems in DF in 6 days than I had in Paris in 3. Gypsies and other solictors in Paris were far more aggressive. Hotel help and waiters in Paris act like they are royalty. No such problems in DF. People are nice - though slightly big city gruff,
DF: Well DF of course has in addition to all its amenities the inevitable big city bullshynt. Trinknet hawkers everywhere. I couldn't buy a coffee one morning cuz two stores couldn't change a $20! 7-11 couldn't change a $20! Credit card machine at museum not working so 20 minutes wait till they fix that.
Talk about it! In Merida the 7-11 near the central zocalo WOULD NOT ACCEPT a 100 peso bill (that's about $8) for a 7 peso soft drink.
Although I never drove in Mexico, the infrastructure in many of the regions I visited is definitely sub-par. What passes for a "federal highway" there might as well be a county highway here (granted, there's less inter-city traffic). "Toll" highways are usually better but expensive, especially for local incomes. The "topes" - strategically-placed potholes intended to slow down speeders - slow almost any vehicle down to a crawl. If the infrastructure of say, Minnesota, was similar to the infrastructure of Yucatan or Tabasco, going from Minneapolis to Duluth would take about five or six hours, rather than 2.5.
Well, the change thing is pretty common- ridiculous, but common. Even places like McDonald's routinely don't have change. So, I think that's a very fair negative point.
Talk about it! In Merida the 7-11 near the central zocalo WOULD NOT ACCEPT a 100 peso bill (that's about $8) for a 7 peso soft drink.
Quote:
Originally Posted by c3dw
Well, the change thing is pretty common- ridiculous, but common. Even places like McDonald's routinely don't have change. So, I think that's a very fair negative point.
Wow, they have that problem in Merida too, eh? I thought that would be just a DF/big city thing. I realized very quickly that that not having change problem was deeply ensconced just by the counter-reaction I got when I acted (spontaneously) baffled. Without saying it, I'm sure there was a "why you dumbass American got no change" thought in they're heads.
Oh one other thing that was an annoyance I thought I did get. That was the "Gringo, wait - Mexicans first." Seemed like several times in several places people thought nothing of butting in front of me and the counter help were only too happy to look right through me to help the "other" person.
Oh one other thing that was an annoyance I thought I did get. That was the "Gringo, wait - Mexicans first." Seemed like several times in several places people thought nothing of butting in front of me and the counter help were only too happy to look right through me to help the "other" person.
That happened to me a couple of times when I first, "got off the boat" so to speak in Guadalajara. If someone did that to me now I'd push them out of the way.
That happened to me a couple of times when I first, "got off the boat" so to speak in Guadalajara. If someone did that to me now I'd push them out of the way.
I thought about it, but I didn't want to ruin my vacation with a challenging translation chore with the DF Policia. I'm sure i coulda took the old dude down w one kidney punch, but I thought that would only make me look like the Ugly American, completely contrary to my own wishes.
I will however choose to not patronize shops operated by people of insular consideration.
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