Climbing provides a good mental challenge as well as a physical one. We’ve been looking for a new way to scare ourselves since climbing is a little tough to come by. Lisa got tired of walking 20 blocks a day in humid 90 degree temperature, and suggested we buy motorbikes. I like suffering a little more than Lisa so I was hesitant, but decided to go along with it.Learning to ride these bikes amidst city traffic has been pretty thrilling. It’s not like the US where traffic laws are obeyed most of the time. It’s more, well, lets say free flow. Bikes are expected to swerve in and out of traffic and if you don’t, you put yourself at somewhat of a liability since you not behaving on the road as you would be expected.We are getting the hang of it and I am stalling my bike less. Once we can both remember to turn off our blinkers after turning, I think we can consider ourselves masters of yet another endeavor.Once we tame this beast, I guess it’s time to move on and find yet another thrill.

We were in the realty office the other day to meet with our property manager.  One of the realtors, a Canadian, greeted us and asked how we were getting used to life in Mexico.  We replied that everything seems to take twice as long and requires twice as much effort, but that things were coming together for us.
“I used to be a business analyst before coming here and it would drive me nuts.  I would constantly ask myself,  ‘why are they doing it this way?’  Why do they water the grass only to cover it with sand and kill it all?  Why are there giant holes in the sidewalk?  It would drive me nuts.  I wasn’t until I decided that who was I to question how they do things here if they’ve been doing then this way for generations.”
This got us thinking.  There had been many little thoughts bouncing around my mind on the same topic.    Perhaps to drive ourselves crazy, we started asking the question “why”.  That unanswerable question.
Here is a few of our favorite “why’s”.

1.Why are there trees in the middle of the sidewalk?
The sidewalk servers little function when you frequently have to walk out into traffic to get around a giant tree growing in the middle of it.  I don’t understand it?  I first thought that maybe the trees were planted there for ambiance, but given that most the city is pretty new, perhaps the sidewalks were build around the trees.  Either way, it doesn’t make any sense to me.
2.Why not create a drainage system throughout the city?
This is an area where it rains quite frequently, almost everyday in fact.  Sometimes the rain is torrential and sometimes it’s just a sprinkle.  There are all kinds of depressions and giant puddles all over place after a good rain.  A moat forms around our building and one must hop across bricks in the puddle in order to get in and out.  The puddles can remain in place for days afterwards.
3.Speed bumps
There are speed bumps of all shapes, sizes and styles around town.  Riding over each type with a scooter or motorbike requires a unique and special skill.  Some are easy and hardly requiring a brake, and others you nearly have to stop in order to get over.  The come in a seemingly random order as well.  A ramp may be followed by a depression then an old woman or small child may be next (just kidding).  The most hazardous are the round metal bumps.  They are staggered so that they can only be avoided at a 45 degree angle or if you’re lucky, one of them is missing and you can cruise on through.  It’s really easy to bottom out on these and if you’re paying more attention to the girl walking down the sidewalk with a g-string, which they do, than the road, it’s going to be an ugly wreck.
4.Driving
It’s required to wear a helmet on any scooter or motorbike and this rule is enforced.  However, it doesn’t seem to matter what type of helmet you have.  Some of the commonly seen helmets do not more than keep the bugs out of your hair.  I can’t help but wonder if a big sombrero would suffice.  That would look pretty cool cruising around on my new chopper with one of those on.  There are stop signs (ALTO in spanish) around town, but perhaps the translation for ALTO is a little softer than the English word for stop.  I say this because few people seem to actually stop for them.  It also appears that the helmet rule is the only rule that applies to scooters and motorbikes. It is perfectly acceptable to weave around and in between traffic at any speed you so desire.  Anything short of riding on the sidewalks seems fair game.  Maybe that’s why there are trees growing in the middle of them?