The side of Mexico the American media doesn't write about

Sunday  - 2nd post for today.

Last evening Bill discovered he could pick up a couple of TV channels from here in Mazatlan. We were surprised because years ago in our travels under low hanging trees we managed to tear the regular antenna off the top of Alfie and never had it replaced. So he watched a soccer game and I started reading another Vince Flynn spy novel.

The adventures of another couple from Indiana who were visiting here in Mazatlan.

I will try to condense it as much as possible. They come here for vacation every year and stay at one of the all inclusive hotels so when they want to go somewhere they take a taxi or bus. This particular day they took a bus. He carries a backpack and she carries a large bag. Getting on the bus she handed him her bag so it was easier to get up the steps. When their stop came both got off and the bus pulled away. She said she would now carry her own bag. CRAP the bag was still on the bus. In the bag were: credit cards, driver’s license, cash, camera and tourist cards. As they stood on the corner thinking the worst a taxi pulled over and asked what was wrong. He was the same taxi driver that had driven them around the day before. He already had a passenger but told them to jump in and he’d try to catch the bus. For 10 or so blocks they darted in and out of traffic trying to catch the bus – no luck. Taxi driver still had to deliver his passenger but advised the couple to stand on the curb and watch for the bus as they all go past that point. He would shortly return. They next talked to a policeman who advised them to go to the office of the bus line. They took another taxi to get there. Then they learned that the bus drivers do not have 2-way radios and there was no way of communicating with the driver. Another person suggested they get a taxi and go to the ferry area where the buses turn around. Off they went.
Once in the ferry area they met a man with a clip board who said it had to be either bus #8639 or #1902 and they got the driver’s names. After checking all the buses in the area the taxi driver took them to a Pemex station where he said the bus would eventually go by. He told them to wait for at least an hour. …Eventually locals told them that bus didn’t go by there.
At this point they decided that it was time to go to the American Consulate. Hailed another taxi. They told him their story he radioed his dispatcher and got the address for the consulate. Off they went. Unfortunately he took them to the Canadian Consulate. Jumping back into the taxi they drove on the frontage road until they could turn around. A bus was in front of them. It was #1902. They pulled alongside looking up at the driver they could see that it was the right bus. Pulled in front of it and the bus stopped. They jumped out of the taxi and ran to the bus to find the driver happy and smiling and proudly holding up the bag.
It took 3 ½ hours but they found it – thanks to many warm and honest citizens of Mazatlan.
Now a side bar to the story – they returned home to Indiana, went out to dinner and returned to their house to find burglars ransacking it. Mexico is really a great place.

Continue to scroll down for blog about Concordia that I posted this morning.