Aventurando en Mexicali
Al fin y al cabo llego a las ocho y media de la noche, after a too-long Greyhound bus ride spent as an unwilling listener of the exchange behind me between a 19-year-old Marine recently back fromIraq ("Travis") and his seatmate Regina (twenty years old, from suburban New York but in school in Arizona, fake blonde,well-manicured nails). Conversational highlights included:
Regina: Why don´t you have a cell phone?
Travis: Cell phones are for gay guys.
Regina: Everyone has a cell phone. All my guy friends have cell phones.
Travis: Why?
Regina: So I can talk to them on the phone, for, like, four hours. Youknow, sometimes you want to talk to someone and you´re in your bed and you don´t want to leave... etc etc
And:
Regina: Did you ever feel bad? About killing people?
Travis: No, they´ve killed innocent people.
Regina: I know, the twin towers ...
That almost had me out of my seat, but I didn´t want to cut my visit short with jailtime. And then they talked about how they both voted for Bush. Imagine three hours of that, with no discman or anything.Yick.
AFORTUNADAMENTE that´s been the absolute low point of my trip so far. Karlos and his lovely gentleman friend Alberto met me across theborder (the pedestrian border crossing from Calexico to Mexicali is literally one turnstile) and we went out that night to a dance club,for amateur strip night. At least I hope it was amateur night becausesome of it really sucked. My particular favorite was this guy named"Edgar En Accion" who had come all the way from Tijuana to take off his clothes ... to the tune of "In Da Club." Not sure how 50 Cent would enjoy his breakthrough single used as backup for an ever-so-slightly hirsuite Mexican man, but I thought it was brilliant. He had not only a fedora but also chaps with side zips. Having never before seen a pair of black leather chaps with side zips, I gotta admit, that´s pretty classy.
Karlos´s grandma (who is doing Navidad in Mazatlan with the rest of La Familia Guzman -- so it´s just the three of us here in the house, plus Gogo the fluffy white dog ... very cosy) called the neighbor who got her husband to come over and replace the battery in Karlos´ car, only he doesn´t know how to drive, so, until me and Alberto teach him, we´ve been the chauffeurs the past couple of days while Karlos sits in back with Gogo. I must say, not only am I most happy to be able to drive a stick, but that driving in Mexico isn´t nearly as odd as driving in Ireland, although the distinct lack of lane markings can be disconcerting. Knowing which side of the road to pull out onto counts for a lot, eh? At least they´ve got left turn arrows at major intersections.
Last night we ate Christmas dinner at Alberto´s house (his mom made turkey with raisins in the stuffing ... yum ... they asked me if I wanted a beer, I said yes, and then I got a Bud Light in a can. How´s that for insane imperialist culture? Not that I´m hating on the Bud Light ... St Lou 4-eva!) and then we came home and drank some disgustingly sweet white wine and watched "Dirty Pretty Things" and some of "Love Actually" so it was Chjwetel Ejiofor-in-London movie marathon. Watching them together was a really wierd trip, I must say -- one is super sparkly and snuggly, one is the polar opposite, they both deal with reality although on completely different levels. If I wasn´t about to go to sleep I would expound more on this topic. Ask me for further thoughts on my return if you´re interested.
Today we got up late and I made banana pancakes and then Alberto drove us all to the mountain range outside of Mexicali called "La Rumorosa."By the time we headed back it was dark and the moonlight was incredible on the rocks. Every now and again there would be a white cross someone had put up, which sent shivers down my spine. It´s a pretty serious desert here, so the mountains are huge mounds of dustand rocks and scrub brush. And the dust/sand gets everywhere -- I´ve had a cough ever since I got here and I can´t wear my contacts for more than four hours without them itching the bejaysus out of me.
Tonight we also had tacos al vapor -- yum! and then went to see "·LosIncreibles" dubbed into Mexican Spanish. Beerlarious! Tomorrow we´re going to San Felipe which apparently is a tiny town onthe coast with the Gulf. Both Karlos and Alberto are working thenight shift tomorrow at the Red Cross so we are getting up early (I pushed for a trip to Ensenada instead, G, just so I could take apicture of The Road To Ensenada, but no dice). Then it´s only a couple more days before back through the turnstile I go and it´s MF-ing ON BABY; ON! to sunny/foggy Cullyforynah.
Regina: Why don´t you have a cell phone?
Travis: Cell phones are for gay guys.
Regina: Everyone has a cell phone. All my guy friends have cell phones.
Travis: Why?
Regina: So I can talk to them on the phone, for, like, four hours. Youknow, sometimes you want to talk to someone and you´re in your bed and you don´t want to leave... etc etc
And:
Regina: Did you ever feel bad? About killing people?
Travis: No, they´ve killed innocent people.
Regina: I know, the twin towers ...
That almost had me out of my seat, but I didn´t want to cut my visit short with jailtime. And then they talked about how they both voted for Bush. Imagine three hours of that, with no discman or anything.Yick.
AFORTUNADAMENTE that´s been the absolute low point of my trip so far. Karlos and his lovely gentleman friend Alberto met me across theborder (the pedestrian border crossing from Calexico to Mexicali is literally one turnstile) and we went out that night to a dance club,for amateur strip night. At least I hope it was amateur night becausesome of it really sucked. My particular favorite was this guy named"Edgar En Accion" who had come all the way from Tijuana to take off his clothes ... to the tune of "In Da Club." Not sure how 50 Cent would enjoy his breakthrough single used as backup for an ever-so-slightly hirsuite Mexican man, but I thought it was brilliant. He had not only a fedora but also chaps with side zips. Having never before seen a pair of black leather chaps with side zips, I gotta admit, that´s pretty classy.
Karlos´s grandma (who is doing Navidad in Mazatlan with the rest of La Familia Guzman -- so it´s just the three of us here in the house, plus Gogo the fluffy white dog ... very cosy) called the neighbor who got her husband to come over and replace the battery in Karlos´ car, only he doesn´t know how to drive, so, until me and Alberto teach him, we´ve been the chauffeurs the past couple of days while Karlos sits in back with Gogo. I must say, not only am I most happy to be able to drive a stick, but that driving in Mexico isn´t nearly as odd as driving in Ireland, although the distinct lack of lane markings can be disconcerting. Knowing which side of the road to pull out onto counts for a lot, eh? At least they´ve got left turn arrows at major intersections.
Last night we ate Christmas dinner at Alberto´s house (his mom made turkey with raisins in the stuffing ... yum ... they asked me if I wanted a beer, I said yes, and then I got a Bud Light in a can. How´s that for insane imperialist culture? Not that I´m hating on the Bud Light ... St Lou 4-eva!) and then we came home and drank some disgustingly sweet white wine and watched "Dirty Pretty Things" and some of "Love Actually" so it was Chjwetel Ejiofor-in-London movie marathon. Watching them together was a really wierd trip, I must say -- one is super sparkly and snuggly, one is the polar opposite, they both deal with reality although on completely different levels. If I wasn´t about to go to sleep I would expound more on this topic. Ask me for further thoughts on my return if you´re interested.
Today we got up late and I made banana pancakes and then Alberto drove us all to the mountain range outside of Mexicali called "La Rumorosa."By the time we headed back it was dark and the moonlight was incredible on the rocks. Every now and again there would be a white cross someone had put up, which sent shivers down my spine. It´s a pretty serious desert here, so the mountains are huge mounds of dustand rocks and scrub brush. And the dust/sand gets everywhere -- I´ve had a cough ever since I got here and I can´t wear my contacts for more than four hours without them itching the bejaysus out of me.
Tonight we also had tacos al vapor -- yum! and then went to see "·LosIncreibles" dubbed into Mexican Spanish. Beerlarious! Tomorrow we´re going to San Felipe which apparently is a tiny town onthe coast with the Gulf. Both Karlos and Alberto are working thenight shift tomorrow at the Red Cross so we are getting up early (I pushed for a trip to Ensenada instead, G, just so I could take apicture of The Road To Ensenada, but no dice). Then it´s only a couple more days before back through the turnstile I go and it´s MF-ing ON BABY; ON! to sunny/foggy Cullyforynah.
posted by Hannah at 4:26 AM
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