B A C K T O T H E T A I L H U N T E R W E B S I T E
PHOTO 1: On so many levels, Mexican taxi drivers can be your best friends on a visit to Mexico whether you're a first timer or returning vacationer.
PHOTO 2: Make a friend and most taxi drivers will hang with you to make sure you're OK even getting you back to your hotel after a fun night on the town, even when you've run off with someone's Mexican flag...JOSE AND JESUS HAVE YOUR BACK
Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of March 10, 2009
If you ever want to know anything in Mexico, talk to a taxi driver. Forget the concierge at your four-star resort. I think stereotypically, taxi drivers are the same around the world.
They are a great mix of a little bit of hustler; bit of shaman; bit of scheister; huxter; and general purveyors of knowledge big and small. They are like walking talking guide books and far better than a phone book!
They can be as paternally watchful over you and your family like a favorite uncle or cousin or happy to be a frat boy with you careening around town on an all-night bender.
If you’re new in town and a first-timer, a Mexican taxi driver can be your best friend. Forget for a moment the little electric fan attached to side window or the colorful yarn-dingle-balls stuck with Velcro to the inside of the windshield. Or the foam dice from the rear-view mirror. Forget the two massive speakers playing Creedence Clearwater Revival from the rear or the tuba and accordion sounds of rancho mariachi music…
OK…so maybe the motor pings a bit and you can feel the brake pads pushing metal to metal…
With Jose at the wheel (singing along to a cassette with “Proud Mary!”) and a plastic statue of Jesus on the dashboard you’re in good hands! (I know one guy that loves 70’s disco music and at night while driving flashes his ceiling lights like a strobe for the clients).
Actually, most of the drivers I know take much pride in their jobs and their vehicles. They’re like modern day cowboys and know that their ponies are their livelihoods.
Even if the motor rattles, they do their best to keep ‘em shiny! In between fares, they meticulously polish their cars to remove the Baja dust that settles on everything within minutes. When they get a call, they come running!
Any cab driver worth his weight in salsa knows who has the best fish tacos. He knows the best beaches. He knows where they make the strongest margaritas and where to get the best deal on souvenir t-shirts. Forget walking around with the Auto Club guide book looking like a tourist. Jose has your back.
Ok, so he’s also probably watching the backs of his family too. Usually, every place he takes you is owned or operated by an uncle or cousin. But, that’s OK too. Roll with it and he’ll probably get you a discount or at least some extra beans and rice and you can always count on a big smile.
You are very important to any driver. Fares don’t come easy. Competition is rough and there are 50 cabs for every tourist. I once heard that in Cabo San Lucas alone there are something like 30 different taxi cab companies, not to mention tour bus and shuttle bus operations.
You really do have a choice to ride with someone else and most will go out of their way to do extra things. Do you need some special service like running to the market to get you a case of beer or pick up a kilo of carne asada and tortillas for the beach? Send Jose.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Nothing is written in stone. Taxi drivers, like anyone else, are businessmen.
If you need him for several hours strike a deal. Need him to come back later? strike a deal. Most taxi drivers I know would much prefer knowing they will be busy, especially with the same customer, than waiting in line at the airport or hotel for a fare that may or may not show up.
Some of the best friendships I have seen develop over these many years with our clients and locals are with taxi drivers. Befriend a taxi driver and believe me, they’ll remember you when you come back.
Bring him a new CD or cassette for the radio and you’ll make a friend for life and won’t have to listen to “Proud Mary” twenty times either! “Beeg wheels kip on torning…”
That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.
They are a great mix of a little bit of hustler; bit of shaman; bit of scheister; huxter; and general purveyors of knowledge big and small. They are like walking talking guide books and far better than a phone book!
They can be as paternally watchful over you and your family like a favorite uncle or cousin or happy to be a frat boy with you careening around town on an all-night bender.
If you’re new in town and a first-timer, a Mexican taxi driver can be your best friend. Forget for a moment the little electric fan attached to side window or the colorful yarn-dingle-balls stuck with Velcro to the inside of the windshield. Or the foam dice from the rear-view mirror. Forget the two massive speakers playing Creedence Clearwater Revival from the rear or the tuba and accordion sounds of rancho mariachi music…
OK…so maybe the motor pings a bit and you can feel the brake pads pushing metal to metal…
With Jose at the wheel (singing along to a cassette with “Proud Mary!”) and a plastic statue of Jesus on the dashboard you’re in good hands! (I know one guy that loves 70’s disco music and at night while driving flashes his ceiling lights like a strobe for the clients).
Actually, most of the drivers I know take much pride in their jobs and their vehicles. They’re like modern day cowboys and know that their ponies are their livelihoods.
Even if the motor rattles, they do their best to keep ‘em shiny! In between fares, they meticulously polish their cars to remove the Baja dust that settles on everything within minutes. When they get a call, they come running!
Any cab driver worth his weight in salsa knows who has the best fish tacos. He knows the best beaches. He knows where they make the strongest margaritas and where to get the best deal on souvenir t-shirts. Forget walking around with the Auto Club guide book looking like a tourist. Jose has your back.
Ok, so he’s also probably watching the backs of his family too. Usually, every place he takes you is owned or operated by an uncle or cousin. But, that’s OK too. Roll with it and he’ll probably get you a discount or at least some extra beans and rice and you can always count on a big smile.
You are very important to any driver. Fares don’t come easy. Competition is rough and there are 50 cabs for every tourist. I once heard that in Cabo San Lucas alone there are something like 30 different taxi cab companies, not to mention tour bus and shuttle bus operations.
You really do have a choice to ride with someone else and most will go out of their way to do extra things. Do you need some special service like running to the market to get you a case of beer or pick up a kilo of carne asada and tortillas for the beach? Send Jose.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Nothing is written in stone. Taxi drivers, like anyone else, are businessmen.
If you need him for several hours strike a deal. Need him to come back later? strike a deal. Most taxi drivers I know would much prefer knowing they will be busy, especially with the same customer, than waiting in line at the airport or hotel for a fare that may or may not show up.
Some of the best friendships I have seen develop over these many years with our clients and locals are with taxi drivers. Befriend a taxi driver and believe me, they’ll remember you when you come back.
Bring him a new CD or cassette for the radio and you’ll make a friend for life and won’t have to listen to “Proud Mary” twenty times either! “Beeg wheels kip on torning…”
That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.
posted by Jonathan @ 8:43 AM
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