Sundays in Mexico
Yesterday we left Puerto Escondido where we stayed for an entire week – the longest we’ve stayed in one place so far on this entire trip. For me it was one of the highlights of Mexico so far. We drove to Salina Cruz which appears to be more industrial wasteland, but this time set on the spectacular Pacific coast. Matthias describes the town like this: “Next time you come to Mexico stay away from Salina Cruz. The city looks like a mix between New Jersey and Beirut. Nasty humidity, oil refineries, pollution and abandoned buildings that look like they were bombed. Post-war Germany also comes to mind.”
We found a hotel and were then looking for a place to eat dinner when we came across a great playground (by far the best so far in Mexico). At first we were one of the only families there, but slowly more and more people came and we noticed that they were setting up for Sunday evening. In Mexico Sunday is a big meeting day at the plaza. People get dressed up and head to the plaza and sit and hang out. There are vendors selling food, drinks and toys for kids. At the playground they were setting up a bunch of activities for kids: a trampoline, battery powered cars and a jumping structure. (I don’t know a good English word for them, but they are those things they pump full of air and kids get on them and jump around. Auf Deutsch – Hüpfburg.)
One thing I noticed was the difference in the way these things are run in Mexico compared to how it would go in the States. To pull something like this off you would first need a small business license. Then you would probably need a permit to set up and charge admission for this event. You’d have to hire workers, which means they would all have to fill out W-whatever forms and there are a bunch of child labor laws that you would be required to adhere to. Anyone selling food would have to have a food handler’s permit and would also be required to have necessary hand-washing stations. You would have to have height/weight restrictions for who is allowed onto the bouncy structure and you’d have to hire at least one worker to police this. Then you’d have to have a worker at the front to keep a count of the number of kids on the structure you don’t exceed the manufacturer-specified capacity. You’d also need one worker on the top to make sure there is no more than one child on the slide at a time. And finally you’d need one person to collect the signed waivers of the parents or legal guardians releasing you of any liability if (God forbid) your child were to fall while jumping around on this thing and the parents wanted to sue you.
In Mexico it is easy – you pay your money to the 10 year old working the stand and go. If you get hurt – well tough shit Sherlock! If there are 10 kids sliding down the slide at the same time, we’ll that just means it’s all a bit more fun. This lack of red tape and paranoia over law suits sure is refreshing.
Today it is onto Tapachula, which is the border town to Guatemala. We plan on staying there 2 nights to get everything in order for entering Guatemala on Wednesday.
Tags: Guatemala, Mexico-Guatemala, Puerto Escondido
lotzbay
Really interesting reading the account of you trip. Sounds like you are enjoying it. I have to admire you both for the courage to do this and am sure you will have a lifetime of memories from this trip. Sounds like a neat way to learn the Spanish Language. It so great to be able to read about your trip as you go. Keep the account updated. Your aunt, Jo Anne