Los Federales in Lo de Marcos

We got a taxi in Sayulita and headed north to Lo de Marcos.  We said good-bye to our Vancouver friends and I started to mentally prepare myself for the non-tourist side of Mexico.  Lo de Marcos is not exactly a tourist destination and I was not exactly sure what to expect other then that fact that a lot fewer people would be speaking English.  All I was thinking on the way down the twisty highway was “I wonder if we will have to deal with people trying to steal our stuff or those cops bullying us for money, like both people and books had warned me about. “

As we pulled into town, even our taxi driver was unsure who to ask for directions to the hotel.  He looked over a number of people on the right and then on the left and kept on going.  Not exactly a stellar sign of things to come.  There were many more loose dogs in the streets and the buildings were not as well kept as in Sayulita.  It was very Quentin Tarantino.  All of a sudden, the driver puts on the breaks and hollers to this guy on the corner.  I have been working on my Spanish, and I was pretty sure he said, “What’s happening you old dog”. It worked out to be the taxi drivers’ friend that he has not seen in a long time.  This really broke the tension for me.

At the hotel, the manager came out and unloaded our bags from the taxi; I paid the driver; Catherine got the reservation sorted.  As we headed towards our room at the back corner of a 4-story complex, we saw only one set of stairs that seemed to go up forever.  See, Catherine and I are packing gear for 6 months and strategically had packed our bags to 49.9 lbs each before flying.  Not to mention our day bags, which weigh in at “only” 25 lbs apiece. 

The hotel manager was determined to take both our bags at the same time.  I didn’t think this was a great idea, but this friendly 5 foot Mexican guy could be a wrestler in his spare time, who’s to say at this point. I pictured him using our bags as props in the ring and let him give it a go.

Just then a 4x4 Police cruiser turned the corner and these huge officers with guns got out of the truck.  Shit! What is the theme for the Mexican version of Cops anyway? Something tells me it is not La Bamba.  I was wondering what wall I was supposed to get up against and all I could do was stare at my feet and hope that they were just wondering about a room. The first officer went up to the hotel manager and started talking.  He then looked at Catherine and me and I thought we were going to get searched for sure.  I figured I was in for $100 US and having to repack my bag in order to get to my room at the top of the stairs. 

Then the manager came over to me and grabbed my bag and started heaving it towards the 4-story high staircase.  I smiled and sighed until one of the officers went to Catherine and grabbed her bag.  I thought to myself, “Well, she was better positioned to deal with the cops anyways”. I held my breath and then the Police officer starting taking Catherine’s bag up the stairs and talking to her in Spanish.  I was in utter shock and followed with my bag.  It was a great day and we thanked the Officers for their assistance up the stairs and a little piece of my perceptions was shattered.  Hopefully that continues as a positive trend!