Mexican Biker Gangs

Sunday night Ibis and I headed to the plaza to join the town in its weekly celebration of... well, I'm not really sure what exactly they celebrate, but there's food and entertainment and people of all ages. Good, wholesome, small-town fun.

They have tacos and tamales, ice cream and slushies (raspados), popcorn and fried plantains, and of course ears of corn served with cheese, cream and salsa. Yum. I've tried all of it, but these days I try to restrain myself and only have one or two items.

Lately I bypass all that and get a gelato from a nearby store, but that night I had a slushy (lime flavored with three different salsas). We sat on a low wall to listen to the singer -- dressed in a traditional Mexican costume -- performing in the center of the basketball court and watch the teenagers as they cruised the "strip." (I use that term loosely as the plaza is in the center of the pedestrian plaza.)

Anyway, on to the biker thing. If you've ever traveled to Mexico you may have noticed that a lot of people get around on mopeds. Only they don't call them mopeds -- instead they're motos -- and they don't follow US moped rules. While the police are cracking down on helmet usage, they don't seem to do anything about how many people are allowed to ride on one.

The most I've ever seen was a family of five. We lived with Ibis' family for our first couple months in Mexico, and one particular family drove by nearly every day. Dad, mom, daughter, son, and infant wedged against mom's breasts. For months I tried to get a picture, but since we kept the camera in our room, I was never fast enough.

Another amusing thing about the motos is most of them have stereos. That they play loudly. When it rains a small percentage of the year, I guess it makes sense to trick out your bike. And since a lot more people walk here than back home, you could even say they're even providing a service to the pedestrians.

But back to Sunday night. As Ibis and I wove through the cobblestone streets on the way to our car, we heard really loud noise on the street ahead. Just as we approached the corner we saw not one, not two, but THREE motos turning the corner, all blasting their music IN UNISON! (They were most likely playing the one radio station we have here, but STILL! In unison!)

Each moto was driven by a teenage boy, with another teenage boy chillin' on the back. (Please forgive my use of the word chillin', but they so were.) Traffic was barely moving so we had the pleasure of walking alongside them as they rolled their way down Avenida Nicholas Bravo, kickin' it Mexico style.

It could be dangerous asking this question, but what's the strangest thing you've seen in Mexico? Or if you've never been here, what's the strangest thing you've seen on vacation? Or heck, what's the strangest thing going on where you live?