Mexico is still the wild west.

Words could never describe this mess of humanity. It looks like a Jackson Pollock painting. A sleeping drunk guy somehow manages to hit 11 bikers in a race AT THE SAME TIME. Mexico is one fucked up place sometimes, not that i am ignoring the fact that the driver could be American, just that i find it hard to believe that in the US this driver would have even made it onto the same road as an active bike race, there would have been police around to block off the highway. or at least check if drivers were AWAKE. Not that police control makes US any better, it really doesn't. But it might have prevented this catastrophe.

I actually lived there, In the middle of Mexico city for over 3 months. I witnessed no less then 4 shoot outs, several police chases, dozens of high speed crashes at intersections (there are 10 lane intersections where people completely ignore the street light, it looks like high speed tetris), and once I was hijacked at knife point with my ex-girlfriend in a cab. four old guys jumped into our taxi at a stop light and grabbed her and forced me on the ground so nobody would see me. they then took us all around the city looking for ATM machines to take out as much money as my bank cards allowed. we were in one of those old school VW bug taxis so there was only one door in or out and the taxi driver was in on the deal. i felt like i could have done a number on all of them had they not had my girlfriend by the neck, i don't just say this out of machismo, but all things being equal, i saw no "pistole" as they claimed, and they were all gray haired and tiny compared to me. but they were pro's and they grabbed her and never tried to get rough with me, knowing that i would be docile for her sake. they got a few thousand dollars and then kicked us out of the car in the middle of the craziest ghetto you can imagine.

there were cars on fire and open sewage running through the middle of the "streets". we ended up getting taken in by the sweetest family, who never even asked for money (which was good because we were broke at that point). we ended up hitching a ride back across town.

I went to the US embassy to make a claim and get my money back from Chase bank (which i did eventually), the embassy said that it was good that we didn't go to the police. that really says it all.

well, actually it doesn't. besides the crime, Mexico City is one of the most interesting, most cultural, grandest cities i have ever lived in. there were incredible hip areas filled with boutiques and beautiful people, blond, black, you name it. all of your stereotypes get thrown out the window. clubs can be huge, museums endless, politics can range from posters on the walls, to sudden flash riots plowing through your area. there are armed guys everywhere, and you get the sense that people are actually civilized, not because they are held in place by the "law" or scared of consequences. there are none. instead you witness REAL society. the kind that exists because the majority of people just want to live and let live. its something we have lost in America when we decided it was okay to let our government grow mightier then the people.