Friday
Louise and I have had limited exposure here in Mexico, even given the fact that we lived here in Cabo San Lucas for 3 plus years and have been back many times. Having had said that, it still grinds me the wrong way when I see certain things that go totally under the covers because some person or persons in power receive “mordida” (MONEY).
Going all the way back to 1988 and then again right this moment someone in one of the police departments is receiving “mordida” to allow the taxi and truck drivers to drive in total abandon. The taxis aren’t near as bad as those trucks, but their bad enough. The prime danger comes with the dirt and water trucks. Because of the incredible growth here in Los Cabos, there are trucks everywhere handling the movement of rock and dirt. These vehicles would find it impossible to pass an inspection, but they are still out there. Louise and I have been walking down the sidewalk and have a passing fully loaded dump-truck blow a tire. This is a common accordance. Every time we pull up next to a truck on the road, we would be dumb-struck if it had tread on anyone of the tires. They are so over loaded that the rear axles bend like a “lazy U”. They travel fast…VERY FAST…and they are in love with their “Jake Brakes”, even when the roads are filled with signs that tells them that they are “ILLEGAL”. As you are coming down the hill from Todos Santos, you have to pass a hospital, and there must be 6 or 8 signs telling the truck drivers that it is a “QUIET ZONE” … Jake Brakes are ILLEGAL….well, you guessed it… Hell, the highway out in front of this RV Park is so noisy with those brakes that there are times when you have to stop your conversation with your neighbor because they are so load. The other day I went to the owner of the park and mentioned that I was surprised that the police wouldn’t use the Jake Brakes as a way to fill their pockets…”a truck comes down or up the hill blaring the brakes and “wham”, you have a fine”…more money in their pockets, personal or… But no, they pay it up front (mordida) to the “big guy” so they can go about their business without being hassled. These people have to live with this, and quite honestly, they accept it. It used to be that the only paved streets in Cabo were those that the mayor and police chief lived on…I’ll bet that hasn’t changed much either. Those big resorts on the beach and some others have been trying to force Juancho and Doris out of their beach front restaurant/bar for sometime now. Well, their back at it. Somehow, this last Wednesday a large tent was set up right in between the restaurant and the water. The tent is so close to the beach chairs, that there is no room to get into them. The view out to the water is lost, and now you have 6 to 8 jet-skis sitting in its place. SOMEONE IS BEING PAID OFF !!!