So I’m writing this in transit, on a shuttle bus going to Guatemala from San Cristobal.

Mexico has reminded me about my time in Thailand. Buildings are of similar structure. Shop fronts are usually open. Electricity or other cables are all overground and the roads are all dirt. I have a hard time drawing then line between poverty and wealth here. Back home I guess tarmac road and pavement mean the area is decent. But in mexico this could be totally different as I’ve seen grand houses and dirt roads. Its possible that in the UK, we can’t have dirt roads as we’ve got soil and earth so all our roads need to be tarmac of something.

The people here are extremely friendly and polite. It really helps if you speak some Spanish as I’ve had a few times where by not speaking the language, your reception for assistance is lower. Its not too bad, serves you right for not learning the native language! People pretty much understand English and you can sort of get what you want by talking in English so long as you’re not asking for something complicated. They don’t seem to correct bad Spanish much. Maybe the younger people do a bit, but if you’re saying something in a rude manner, it’ll be forgiven.

For some areas and services there is a Mexican price and local price. When I bought a Lonely Planet Mexican Spanish phrasebook, I could see that I was getting ripped off in front me as they scanned the book and I saw the price on screen but the manager told the guy at the counter to knock it up a couple of quid! Also at nature reserves they is a specific sign reminding natives that they get a discount. The local buses, the collrctivos, are a hail and ride service and they might knock up the price by 50p or so. This isn’t a big deal as transportation here costs 1million times less than the UK. Sometimes the people I have travelled with debate and get pissed off we foreigners are getting ripped off. I don’t actually give a shit as my wealth back home is far greater than the people in mexico. To them squeezing a few extra pesos is a massive bonus. To me, a few extra pesos is like, 5mins work in the office. I’m still unsure how the roadside pitstop cafes and garages earn money. While driving past them on the bus, the staff are doing nothing but waiting for business. I’m not an expert on business or economics, it just seems that they setup shop and hope someone stops by occasionally. Who knows if they make much or any money. Maybe I’m just too western to understand the value or I’m too much of a city boy the appreciate the slow pace these people have. It was the same in Thailand too.

I thoroughly recommend mexico as a holiday destination. Nothing bad has happened and everything is cheap compared to the pound. I don’t quite know how much I’ve spent, but I don’t think I’ve spent as much as my plane ticket to get here.