Bad Things Happen (October 2015)

I find posts like this very tricky indeed because the last thing I want to do is to scare people and make them think twice even for a second about travelling places. All places in the world have their own inherent risks whether it be from terrorism or crime or disease and there are things that are just out of your hands. This story is a case when you get caught out.

I have been travelling for quite some time now (I started my first travels in around 2002) and so far have been incredibly lucky in terms of crime and pickpocketing. I've avoided taking my attention away from my belongings when people put their hands on my on the metro in Istanbul, ran a mile when women try to sell you flowers in Madrid (my friend didn't and got robbed!).  I have always aired on the side of caution and used my gut instinct to avoid certain situations and places. When drinking of eating alone I pay special attention to my surroundings and always remove vital items from my pockets and wallets. I have even gone so far as to take out the memory cards from my camera in order to keep them safe when walking through places that seem a little dodgy.

So. It was my second trip to Mexico City, we arrived in the morning at around 7-8am and I was so excited to be back. A little tired and worn out as the bus journey went overnight and we left Zapopan bus station at midnight. We arrived in the station and I was just so happy to finally be showing Alex his capital city and as we walked through the station rejecting the offers of taxi drivers we walked towards the metro with my backpack and everything.

Normally I am quite astute to my surroundings and like to move my belongings around my person – add parts of the money in different compartments and also keep my bank cards and ID in different places. But not today! Oh no!

I got carried away and it was only when I was crushed between my backpack the wall of the carriage of the train and around 7 people that I realized that everything was in the same wallet in my front pocket of my jeans. I knew at this point that I was going to be robbed. There were two women in front of me that were very very close to me but that is not that unusual as Mexicans generally don't have the same ideas on personal space and being close to people. But I really had this strong feeling that something really wasn't right. And I was in a situation that I couldn't get out of.  NO!  

As it came to get out of the stop you usually have to push and shove just to get off and this is where it works to the advantage of others. As I was trying to get off the metro car, someone stood in my way, again not particularly that unusual. Temporarily, for a few seconds but long enough. As they eventually moved out the way it was so much easier to move off onto the platform.

After about two seconds I knew something was missing. They had grabbed my wallet. Two seconds later as the train moved off I knew that someone there had my wallet with them. Stupidly it had a decent amount of money in it, my ID, my bank cards.  My jeans were not loose, the wallet was not in my back pocket.  I am very surprised that I didn't feel anything!  They really are professionals.  But an absolute nightmare for me.

The thieves then used my bank card in around 7 convenience stores and stole half of my savings. I managed to get some of the money bank from my bank about 6 months later but it was an uphill struggle for sure and heaps of Mexican bureaucracy (oh the joy!  - You just need this form - brings form - Oh no you need B, C and D! hahahah!  I got there.  Eventually.  

Although you feel that it won't happen to you.  It really could.  But when I think about this event now I feel better.  Has it made me feel more scared to travel?  Not really.  In a way it is a kind of relief.  That sounds a little strange but for so long I have been so afraid to be robbed and be left in a tricky situation but it really wasn't as bad as you think it could be.  You can replace most stuff.  It also is a wake up call to arrange your stuff properly and think of how you can minimize risk when travelling in the future.  

Will I travel on the metro again?  Yes, for sure.  I will be going back to Mexico City next month.  I will avoid travel with my backpack at rush hour - I think that is sensible.  But paranoia to the extreme is a horrible way to live.  We travelled on the metro many times throughout the rest of the weekend in Mexico City and all was good.  

This is definitely not here to attack Mexico City - Travel on its crazy, overcrowded metro is fascinating, frustrating, exciting and incredibly insightful to the very heart and soul of this fantastic country I am lucky to live in.   In fact I still had some of my best moments in Mexico within this place and the weekend when this event happened I saw so many new parts of the city I had never seen (including the incredible Xochimilco which I will add a post on soon for sure!)

Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos

Quite a tricky name to say this one.  I have been referring to this little town as Itchy Itchy Marbles for quite some time.  I actually think that is a good name for the town although it doesn't come close to the real name all that much.

Part of the metropolitan area of the city of Guadalajara, this is a SMALL town and it really feels like it is a million miles from the Chapultepec in the city centre on a Saturday night.

Again ignoring the puzzled looks of my students and Mexican friends in the city we took a day trip to explore what the city has to offer...

Membrillos in the title is the Spanish word for Quinze fruit, the city proudly makes a great range of products from the fruit including sweets and Ponche (slightly alcoholic and yummy fruit drink) which of course I just had to buy.  The town has a large main square with its town hall at one end.  The interesting thing with this building is the fact that the murals are located on the facade rather than the inside (the inside here looked very much like someone's garden with very little detail - if any at all)

I nearly died

Upon wandering around the streets it is very soon before you realise that there really isn't much to this town at all other than residential properties and some strange abandoned looking public seating areas - oh and HUGE barking dogs that jump onto roofs and scare the hell out of you.

Behind the city on one of the huge hills that make the town as picturesque and country as it can be is a small chapel with a ridiculous amount of steps leading up to it.  Our mission was clear!
After walking up and down the same streets and asking locals how the hell you get to the step.  People kept saying to go the opposite direction of the previous and at first we thought we were stuck in some strange farce.   We eventually realized that it was a small gap in a wire fence with KEEP OFF PRIVATE LAND signs either signs.  Well obviously that is where it was!

Little town of Itchy Itchy Marbles

The climb up to the chapel was quite tough for me.  In the mid afternoon heat and suffering from a bad case of upset stomachs for the previous week, I persevered the 170 odd steps and reached the small (and rather underwhelming) chapel on the side of the mountain.  The breeze and the view from up was spectacular and you could see all over the little town and its neighbour next door.  Awesome little day trip that is for sure.

Food options are limited in the town and the bustly taco stands were completely locked up by the time we returned from the chapel in the early afternoon.  We found a really amazing burger stand on the plaza and they were super cheap too!  Hurrah!

Additionally two things I found rather odd.

The first was this picture in the square of a dog cleaning up.

The second was this picture of what looks like a Jesus that has been beheaded next to the main church of the town.

Otro pueblo dentro del Zona Metrópolitana de Guadalajara es Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos. El pueblo se puede observar del lado derecho de la carretera camino a Chapala. Un arco y un mercado de dulces típicos hechos de membrillos anuncian la entrada al lugar.

Tomamos un autobús de la central de camiones de Guadalajara y después de un recorrido de una hora llegamos al centro de Ixtlahuacan. A pesar de ser parte de la Ciudad de Guadalajara, aún se puede apreciar que es un pequeño pueblo.

Fuente escondida,

En realidad no hay mucho por hacer. Decidimos ir a explorar y me sorprendió lo limpio y tranquilo del pueblo. Después de un rato decidimos ir a la capilla que se encuentra en lo alto de un cerro, así que caminamos entre callesitas, teniando el cerro como guía.
Nos topamos con un pequeño parque abandonado, pero aún así en buen estado, donde se podían apreciar grandes árboles con ramas que casi todaban el suelo y lo que alguna vez fue una fuente.
Después de caminar sin dar con el camino, preguntamos a una persona que pasaba, que por suerte iba a la capilla, así que nos mostró el camino. Es dificil encontrar las escaleras a la capilla pues se encuentran en una propiedad privada con letreros de "No entrar" y se tiene que pasar por una reja de alambre de pues para poder llegar.

Son 170 escalones para llegar a la capilla. Tuvimos que deternos a descansar en varias ocasiones, pues el sol y el calor hacían más pesada la subida.
Cuando por fin llegamos a la cima nos dimos cuenta que valió la pena. La capilla tiene una vista hermosa, se podía apreciar todo Ixtlahuacán y las montañas a lo lejos.

Regresamos al centro del pueblo y compramos cajeta de membrillo y ponche de la misma fruta en na pequeña tienda improvisada en la casa de una familia. No pudimos encontrar algún lugar para comer, pero por suerte había un puesto de hamburguesas y papas a la francesa.