Houston
Getting around in Mexico City is fun, and an adventure in itself! A Mexico City avenue is almost literally green with thousands of Volkswagen beetle taxis - a trademark of the capital.
For those like me who like to "go native" (a codeword for TOO DOGGONE CHEAP
TO PAY FOR A TAXI!!!) there is the fine, ultramodern city subway system -
known as the METRO.
Topside, there are regular city buses, and to the delight of traction fans
such as myself, there are even 13 trolleybus lines and one light-rail
(streetcar) line.
For the impatient local, there are also the minibuses. These small buses
operate jitney service on main avenues. There is no waiting, since there are
so many of them, but the riding conditions are Spartan at best. They are
cheaper, and will stop in the middle of the block. Just wave or hold out
your arm and at least three taxis and a minibus will pull over for you. Take
your pick!
Now a ride on the Mexico City METRO (or on trolleybuses, too, for that
matter) - can be a bizarre or fun experience, depending upon one's viewpoint
... and tolerance for foolishness!!!
Like subways everywhere, these tube trains seem to attract beggars and
itinerant vendors like sugar attracts flies!
Practically every stop, the jostled Chilango (Mexico City-dweller) rider can
count on yet another new face showing up as the car doors open - selling
everything imaginable - from candy & chewing gum to city maps, crossword
puzzle & coloring books, CD's and political pamphlets, to even toothpaste
and kitchen knives.
Frequently some person or persons will come on, playing a guitar or
harmonica, and will sing (or sometimes CROAK) a tune, and then will pass
through the car collecting whatever he can get.
They don't get much, I have to say.
Occasionally a beggar will come in, and mechanically spit out a staccato of
stilted phrases explaining why the riders should part with their precious
pesos. As quickly as they came, so they leave - usually making their song or
song-and-dance last until just before the arrival at the next stop. As for me,
I actually think I prefer the beggars, because at least they do not sing
off key!
However, every now and then one of these steel-rail troubadours will make
his entrance and croon a quite enjoyable tune. This adds something to the
folklore of the place, and serves to make the commute more pleasant.
To a tourist, this plethora of perambulating peddlars may seem to be an oddity,
and to the first-time visitor it certainly makes the trip more interesting. But a
steady diet of this cacophony, it seems to me, could eventually become most
aggravating.
One more thought: if a passenger travels the subway on a crosstown journey -
a long distance indeed - and would drop just one peso into every hand, hat,
or tin cup passed by these ephemeral guests, the rider would find, much to
his (or her utter dismay,) that he has arrived at his final destination ..... BROKE!!
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