Back in Sunny but Chilly SW New Mexico: Five Cabs Rides Near and Around Ajijic
Brrrr its cold! after more than a month on the sunny shores of Lake Chapala. But before I left Mexico I had occasion to take five more cab rides, including our last one to the Guadalajara airport. I always like reporting on my foreign taxicab rides, always interested in comparing driver skills and general attitudes displayed by my cabbie comrades where ever they might be.
Four of the rides came in tandems of two, the first two occurring in Guadalajara toward my trip's end, deciding to return to that hectic city and visit at least two art museums. Taking a "fast" bus into the city (fare:70 pesos), I found myself at the old bus station, Central Vieja de Autobuses. Being not totally clear where I was, and how far it was to where I wanted to go, I headed to the stand of waiting cabs. My first destination was the Instituto Cultural Cabanas (art museum) and the 35 famous murals painted by Jose Clemente Orozco. The cabbie, who spoke no English, knew where it was, quoting me 150 pesos and off we went. Given the language barrier, I just enjoyed the ride as he negotiated heavy traffic on what turned out to be the same long street, Calzada Independencia Norte, I stayed on upon my December 10th arrival.
The ride took more or less 15 minutes, the driver making an effort to put me right next to the place, getting an extra $2.00 US for his troubles. If you ever find yourself in Guadalajara, I think you would enjoy the extensive campus that is this former sprawling orphanage. From there you can walk directly to the historical center of the city. The Cabanas is also about two blocks from the largest enclosed market in Guadalajara, a wonderful jumble of stalls not to be missed. It was there I had lunch has a busy counter called Fonda Don Jose. Pink clad waitresses flew around in organized frenzy, fresh tortillas flying off the grill. And cheap too, all this food---arroz, frijoles, pollo and espaguetis--- for 79 pesos ($4.40). I will never forget the smile my grumpy waitress gave when I handed her a 10 peso coin. A wonderful moment.
Ride two that day was unexpected. While sitting in a plaza after lunch, I checked my emails and found that "she-who-can't-be-named" locked herself out of our rental house, wrapped only in a towel, finding herself trapped in the tiny back courtyard. That of course abruptly changed all my plans, walking back to the main street where a eager cabbie grabbed me and off we sailed back to the bus station. The driver spoke some English and was cheerful, getting me quickly to the station. 100 pesos and two dollars for him too. Lucky, for in 10 minutes I was on the bus back to Ajijic and Lake Chapala to rescue the stranded sunbathing damsel, further museum visits having to wait another day.
On my last Saturday I had a goal to mind, and that was to make it to the south side of the lake. Lake Chapala is the largest lake in Mexico, and for three years running, I wondered what was on the other side. As she didn't want to go, I took a bus to Jocotepec where I was told that somewhere in that confusing city I would find a bus to take me along the southern shore and my destination, the 17th century town of Tizapan El Alto. The information I had gotten was completely unreliable, saying I had only to walk one block to catch the necessary bus. No, not at all true. And that information was provided by a gringo. Figures.
After being dropped off at the tiny Jocotepec bus station, no one seemed to know what I was asking about until I was rescued by a kind English speaker, who discovered the info I needed. It turned out that where I needed to go was an intersection about two miles outside the city, and while walking was an option, I took a cab sitting a block away. The fare was 80 pesos (he got 100), with the driver knowing something about Seattle, having picked apples and pears in Yakima, Washington for three years. He was friendly and it seems, has been driving cab in Jocotepec for nearly 30 years. He got me to the intersection on Route 15, and after waiting for about 15 minutes, my bus pulled up, the fare 117 pesos.
The south shoreline is far less developed, as I enjoyed scanning a shoreline new to me. Once in Tizapan, I wandered thought their Saturday market adjacent to the cathedral, where I watched local believers take communion. After sitting in the local plaza, munching my my lunch of roasted chicken and tortillas, I wandered back to the highway, where immediately I found a bus taking me back to the original intersection, where I waited for either a local bus or a cab. A cab came around the corner first, with a nice older gentleman taking me back to the Jocotepec bus station, he too getting 100 pesos. Both the the drivers were true professionals, taking me directly to where I needed to go. Who can ask for more? Not me.
My last taxi ride, the one taking us to the Guadalajara airport at 3:00 AM, was by far the best. It turned out that a cabbie lived right next door to our rental house, making sense to hire him for our early morning departure. Speaking taxi like I do, I understood his every action, from pulling up in front, to loading our bags, to how he approached the airport drop-off, patiently waiting for a departing car to leave. Driving taxi can be an art form, and this gentleman was a true artist, a veteran of 37 years beneath the toplight, and the proud son of another taxi veteran, his father having driven for 45 years.
He spoke English, which is why I joined him in front, but being the consummate professional, kept our conversation a to minimum as my companion in the back seat made it clear she wasn't interested in more taxi chatter. Obnoxious but I love her anyway. He got 800 pesos for his early morning journey plus six dollars US.
If anyone finds themselves in the general Lake Chapala number his number is ("plus sign" 54) 33 12 27 56 72. I never got to ask his name though his business card called him Roger but I am doubtful that's what it truly is, instead using a non-Mexican name for his hopeful rich gringo audience. I ranked his ride right up there to the one I got in a London Black Cab in early March 2000 by a true taxi dinosaur. Both knew what they were doing. The last thing any passenger needs in that time of morning is a BS ride, something you might expect with an Uber or Lyft, this cabbie's wisdom brighter than the headlights illuminating our roadway to the airport. If we return for another season, he's my man!
You Cabbies Might Drive Me Crazy But I Love Everyone of You!
I have gotten the strong suspicion that many of my loyal readers might have been offended by attitudes expressed in my 2025 assessment of the American taxicab industry. Since I can understand why some might think I despise taxi, it simply isn't at all true, But then what is true, how do I really feel about an industry that I gave over 35 plus years to? How can I say the industry is dysfunctional yet at the same time remaining steadfast in my affection for all my taxi colleagues, both known and unknown? While it might be hard to believe, my unwavering fondness for my fellow toplight sufferers is based explicitly upon knowing your daily reality: the bullshit you face ride after ride; yet simultaneously I become frustrated by your exhausted response, your silent complicity with the very forces that would destroy you and your ability to make a living.
What do I mean when I say, and I have said repeatedly, that the cab industry is crazy? While knowing full well that pejorative term has been historically attached to cabbies, I mean it in a collective sense rather than individually aimed at all you hard working cabbies. What I find disturbing, what I find crazy is a pervasive acquiesce to events and decisions made by those who have no direct connection to the industry, and by direct I mean by having driven a cab like you and I have.
Does anyone think it's odd that all the taxi regulators in Seattle and King County have never driven a cab? And this phenomenon isn't isolated, because in New York City, a big deal was made concerning the announcement of a new leader for the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, Midori Valdivia, but of course this the new woman in charge has never for a second driven a cab. Making this even clearer as to what is occurring, is that Bhairavi Desai's only qualification to lead the NYC Taxi Workers Alliance's is that she graduated from a university with a BA in Women's Studies. Again, never for a moment having driven a cab. What I again call crazy is the mass acceptance by the 13,000 NYC cabbies of being regulated and guided by amateur professionals. It isn't that both of then aren't well meaning. I am sure they are. But I have said this. before, and I say it again: no one can understand a cabbie's daily reality until they too have driven beneath the toplight. As I also keep repeating, taxi is an unique occupation where the abuse to mind, body and soul is singular, the cabbie often seen as a kind of societal and cultural leper, a pariah worthy of a kick in the pants. But don't believe me, ask any Seattle cop, they'll tell you what's what.
Knowing your agony, having lived it, fully explains why I can, and never will, abandon my comrades in taxi arms. I know what my brethren in Seattle continue to endure. A friend, transferring his cab from Yellow to One Taxi, after nearly two months, still doesn't have his cab on the road. Another friend, finding himself so confused by the medallion renewal process, might have his medallion retired despite poor communication by the City of Seattle, something he wasn't responsible for.
I tell you, taxi brothers and sisters, if I was the one running the regulatory offices in Seattle and King County, none of this would be happening. I wouldn't let it happen because I know taxi reality inside and out, having experienced every insult and bullshit imaginable. So curse me if you like, call me an a-hole and any other choice words but never forget I am you and you are me, forever bonded we are in the blood, sweat and tears that is driving taxi in the USA. My advocacy for you is real. And Permanent.
January 23rd at 4 PM was the last offical day to begin you City of Seattle Taxi Medallion renewal process
If you hadn't already applied, apply ASAP and ask for waiver. Get on it before you lose your medallion.
More Dumbbell Thinking in Seattle, King County and the State of Washington
More pain and suffering for Seattle cabbies, and all local car drivers in general, is due to the I-5 north-bound Ship Canal repaving project, something that will extend into 2027. While maintaining roadways are essential, commonsense should prevail when accommodating a driver's reality trying to get from home to work. What is inhibiting morning south-bound traffic along I-5 is the decision to make the reversible express lanes north-bound only 24/7, thus greatly impacting all south-bound traffic along I-5, especially the morning commute. The usual Lynnwood to DT Seattle commute, once averaging 35 minutes, can now be expected to average between 50-65 minutes. The question many are asking is why can't the south-bound express lanes be opened during that morning commute? Minus any real answer as to why not from the WSDOT, drivers continue to confront a frustrating commute trying to get to their workplace.
As I have written about many times over the years, even without any ongoing roadwork, the morning and evening north and south-bound commutes are horrendous, a true nightmarish slog guaranteed to drive you crazy. For Lynnwood commuters, the only viable alternative is taking the now expanded Light-rail Link to DT. Many are making that choice, leading to crowded trains but doubtful if they match the jam-packed subways in Mexico City and London. Such is modern life in crowded urban centers. Most recently I experienced heavily congested roadways in Guadalajara, population six million. For comparison, the population of the Seattle metropolitan area (King, Pierce, Snohomish counties) is 4.15 million. The current estimated WA State population is just over eight million, which should tell you how unpleasant Guadalajara traffic can be.
Getting back to the Seattle traffic dilemma, the convergence of area geography and an ever growing population means that living there translates into a kind of lifelong roadway imprisonment, the local driver sentenced to a daily frustration leading only to a shortened lifespan. Add some of the highest living costs in the world, it makes me wonder why anyone stays there, let alone relocates there. Given new rounds of tech industry layoffs, that all might be changing.
Locally here in SW New Mexico, if 30 cars past my house in a 24 hour day, I start swearing. Referring back to Seattle, King County and State of Washington's decision makers, I remain confounded why commonsense rarely prevails. If 50% of the population wisely decided that they had enough, and move away like I did, their tax base would collapse, leaving the entire area high and dry. But dumbbell bureaucracy never truly considers longterm ramifications. They just go on and on with their poor decision making. A recent Seattle Times article I found humorous featured the now deposed Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell saying his loss didn't cause any reflection on his part. No news there as there was no "reflection" during his tenure as mayor, Harrell languidly drifting along in his personal dreamworld, murmuring "everything is fine" when clearly it wasn't.
I'll end with what has become a personal mantra: "Welcome to Seattle: home of never ending circular thinking." Enjoy yourselves everyone, if you possibly can.
More Waymo Investment
Waymo just raised 16 billion from new investors. Waymo's new evaluation will be 110 billion dollars. Big Money gives no thought whatsoever to what happens to all you cab drivers. To Big Money you are cockroaches in their kitchen, vile creatures to be stepped on and swept away. There is no pretense. That is how they feel.
No comments:
Post a Comment