Just another one of my typical Mexican adventures.
No, I don’t but it don’t matter.
I speak English. I don’t speak any foreign languages. I’ve been to 102 countries. What did I learn from all of that travel? I will never starve by speaking English only.
Today, we go to Mexico, central Mexico.
For this trip, I’m heading down to Monterey, Mexico. The main reason I’m going to Mexico is to see racing at my 18th different race track south of the border. To see those 18 tracks, I’ve made 18 trips to Mexico.
Our kids were always hard workers. That’s one of the reasons they all graduated in four years from UCLA!
Mexico, back in the day.
When our three children were all around 10 years old, plus or minus, we used to haul our StarCraft pop-up camper from Southern California to Ensenada, Baja California, to camp. This was only a two-hour drive across the border. That was always fun, and everything seemed 100% safe. We did that several times.
Now I read that Ensenada is one of the more dangerous cities by homicide rank in the world at #47. Memphis tops the U.S. list at #29.
I had a chance to learn to speak Spanish. Missed it.
I told you that I don’t speak any foreign languages. I had the opportunity in high school to take Spanish for two years. Why did I take Spanish? It was a college prep requirement.
I went to high school in the late 60s and grew up in Central Illinois. Being a practical person, I analyzed my environment. I had never met a person who spoke Spanish except my Spanish teacher, Mrs. Corngiebel.
Growing up in my limited environment, I didn’t expect ever to meet anyone who spoke Spanish, so my motivation to learn Spanish was minimal. Indeed, I have always analyzed the reward before committing too much effort to the task.
How did I do in Spanish?
My high school had a semester grading system. Each semester was broken down into three six-week periods. During my first six-week Spanish study period, I received an F. Then my basketball coach told me I wouldn’t be able to play varsity basketball if I didn’t improve my Spanish grade.
During the second grading period of the semester, my Spanish grade improved to a B. Motivation is great. During the third grading period, the basketball season had ended. I received an F for that grade period. My overall numerical score for the semester was 70, which was the lowest passing grade.
I always thought my future in basketball was more important than my future in learning Spanish. When I didn’t get any recruiting letters from UCLA, I concluded I was wrong with that analysis.
I would continue to occupy space in the Spanish classroom for a total of 2 years. My four-semester grades topped out at 71 and bottomed out at 70. Yes, I hear what you are thinking. “Randy, you were consistent.”
There is always something to be learned.
What did I learn from this? If you just keep showing up, they are likely to want to pass you so they don’t have to see you again. That’s what I learned from having two years of Spanish.
I could send you my transcript.
I wasn’t the most motivated student in high school. In four years of high school, I never got an A in ANY class or subject except physical education. As far as I can honestly remember, I never took a single book home to study in high school. Ever.
My newsletter only shares facts, unless my comment is identified or recognized as an opinion. I would have no reason to tell you that I never got an A in any academic class unless that were true. What do we learn from this? Even if you were a poor student, you can still travel the world and stay in a Hyatt suite.
Viva Aerobus, first time.
Today, for the first time, I flew on Viva AeroBus, an airline based in Monterrey, Mexico. Why Viva AeroBus? They were the only airline that offered a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Monterrey, Mexico.
The three-hour flight was uneventful. Most PA announcements were in Spanish, with very few in English. Since I’ve been on an airplane before, I didn’t spend much time listening to the announcements that I couldn’t understand.
I’ve been to Monterrey before in 2017. Monterrey is in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. Once I landed, my plan for this trip was to take an Uber from the airport to my Hyatt hotel in downtown Monterrey. This would be a short trip. I would leave on Friday and return to Los Angeles on Monday.
Where was the race?
The racetrack I would be visiting, the Autodromo Gomez Palacio in Gomez Palacio, Mexico, was a five-hour drive from Monterrey.
I would rent a car in Mexico.
I planned to take an Uber from my hotel back to the Monterrey airport on Saturday. I would grab a rental car and make the 10-hour round-trip drive out to the track and back all by myself.
Was this safe? What’s your definition of safe?
I did some research on how safe it would be to make that drive. What did I find out about driving in Central Mexico? It would be “safe,” maybe. I would have to worry about both the police AND the drug cartel. Yes, that’s El Chapo pictured above!
Research told me that if a policeman asked for a bribe, I should decline the offer since he might just be “baiting” me so he could cite me for making a bribe. What should I do if I am stopped? I should ask the officer to write me a ticket. That’s not usually how I handle things. I typically ask the cops NOT to write me a ticket!
I was advised not to drive at night because of both potholes and bad people. That seemed like good advice. If I drove over to the track early in the morning, watched the races, and then drove back to Monterrey, the last part of my drive would be in the dark. I am an adventuresome soul. I could handle two or three hours of nighttime driving in Mexico.
I have arrived.
I landed in Monterrey on Friday. At just past dinner time, I grabbed some authentic tacos at a Mexican restaurant in the airport. Tacos and a Pacifico beer tasted good.
Then I ordered an Uber ride from the airport to my downtown Monterrey hotel. The distance was 22 miles, and the Uber fare was around $35 US. That didn’t exactly seem like a bargain, but it was what it was.
I am constantly reminded that I don’t speak Spanish.
My Uber driver didn’t speak a word of English. Nevertheless, he kept trying to talk to me in Spanish. The best I could respond with, from more than 50 years of memory from that high school Spanish class, was “no hablo Español,” which, to the best of my knowledge, means “I don’t speak Spanish.”
We traveled along in silence, but I observed his driving technique. He used his turn signal and seemed like a very responsible driver. He also seemed like a nice guy, even though we couldn’t talk to each other.
Maybe. Well, maybe.
I got to thinking. I could hire this Uber driver to use his car on Sunday to take me to the races and back, making a 10-hour round-trip. Then I wouldn’t have to rent a car.
There was a strong negative to this idea. Yes? We couldn’t communicate except through our phones’ translation options. That would be one long drive under those conditions. When we got to the hotel, I asked the driver to pull over and park.
You never know unless you ask.
I used Google Translate to ask, “Would you like to be my driver on Sunday?” My message was in Spanish, and he nodded his head yes.
Then I informed him that I was looking for a 10-hour round-trip drive. I needed him to be available for about 14 hours that day while we watched the racing.
Phone a friend.
At that point, he phoned his brother-in-law, and a long conversation in Spanish ensued. They seemed to be talking about the economics of the trip. Folks, it’s probably the brother-in-law that did me in. My advice? Don’t take advice from your brother-in-law.
I brought $300 U.S. in Mexican pesos on the trip, which meant I had about 5,000 pesos. If my driver came back with an offer of 5,000 pesos or less, we would be in business. He and his BIL did not do that.
Their offer was 8,000 pesos, plus an additional 1,500 pesos to cover the tolls we would encounter. Research told me it would be safer to take the toll road, and even if I used my own car, that’s what I planned to do.
My Uber driver, Ronaldo, and I had spent at least 20 minutes in the darkness of his car, along with his brother-in-law on the phone, trying to make a deal. In the end, we couldn’t make that deal and bid farewell as friends.
I am always looking for opportunities. New opportunities are always right around the next corner.
Now it was time to check into the Hyatt House hotel in downtown Monterrey. This was a very modern and beautiful 25-story building. It was probably the nicest Hyatt House I’ve stayed in, and I’ve stayed in my share.
Yazmin!
When I checked in, I encountered a young woman at the hotel desk named Yazmin. She was very friendly, :-), and spoke English well.
I began asking her about restaurant recommendations and tours of Monterrey that might be interesting and fun. She had lots of ideas.
Yazmin had a boyfriend.
Somewhere along the line, she mentioned that her boyfriend, Eduardo, had been to a couple of these restaurants and highly recommended them. Yazmin seemed intelligent and friendly, so her boyfriend, Eduardo, might be as well.
Carol says I’m an opportunist.
Before I go much further, I must tell you that Carol, on more than one occasion, has accused me of being “an opportunist.” I always take that as a compliment, although I’m not sure it has been meant that way in each of its usages by her.
I do know this. She knows that I can talk my way out of most things. When we’re in a situation where she would like to gain an advantage, she always nudges me and says, in one way or another, “You can get this done”. I always smile and say that she is very willing to use the opportunist side of the coin when she wants the benefits.
Yazmin, what do you think?
I asked Yazmin, the hotel desk clerk, if her boyfriend might like to drive me to the races. She said it might be a possibility and called him. She told me that Eduardo spoke English well and handed me the phone. Now it was time for me to use my opportunist skills. Remember, I’m a sales guy.
The money part.
My rental car would have cost about $250 for two days, plus gasoline at more than four dollars a gallon in Mexico, for a 10-hour drive. I would have to spend another $35 on an Uber from the hotel to the airport to pick up the car. Tolls would be about $70 U.S. Traffic was heavy. I would be driving in Mexico by myself through somewhat dangerous Central Mexico over a long distance.
Would ya be interested?
I asked Eduardo, who was just as friendly as Yazmin, if he would be interested in making the drive, and tried to explain what we would encounter. He told me he could do that. He had some other plans for Sunday, but he would change them.
Now we needed to talk about the price. It would be nice to have Eduardo’s English-speaking skills so we could enjoy each other’s company on the trip, as well as his Spanish-speaking skills, so that, as we encountered any “opportunities,” I would benefit as well.
How much to offer?
It was going to cost me more than $400 and a little bit of hassle to rent a car and drive myself. I didn’t have any interest in lowballing Eduardo. I have taken hours of negotiation training classes and listened to hours of podcasts on this subject.
Under normal circumstances, I would have Eduardo give me a price for what we needed to do. He would make the first “bid.” That came with some potential liabilities. I doubt Eduardo had any idea what to charge for such an unusual trip.
My Uber driver had offered to make this drive for 9,500 pesos, or about $515 U.S. Of course, he didn’t speak English, which was a significant drawback.
If I started our price negotiation with Eduardo by making the first offer, he might come in artificially high. What if he told me that he wanted to do the deal for $800 U.S.? Then I would have to talk him down to a more reasonable price since I had already been offered a deal for $515. I didn’t like the sound of that because that might take a little bit of the shine off of our pleasant conversation that I hoped we would have.
500 bucks!
I could do the deal myself for $400 plus. That being the case, I made the first price offer of $500, which I thought was generous. Eduardo did too. He accepted my offer immediately. I guess that meant Eduardo had not been in negotiation classes, because no matter what I was offered in a deal like this, I would ask for more. I liked that Eduardo accepted my offer because I thought it was fair and generous, and he did as well.
The deal was finalized, and I would meet him, Eduardo, at 6 a.m. on Sunday. I finished up my conversations with Yazmin at the hotel desk while she arranged my restaurant recommendations and some tour activities for tomorrow, Saturday, in Monterrey.
Then I walked over to the hotel bar and ended up having a couple of margaritas while I reminisced about what had just gone on.
I always wanted to set a good example.
No, I don’t speak Spanish. At the time, I thought that was a waste of time, even though all of our kids speak Spanish. Academically, I have never set a sterling example for Carol or our kids. I don’t really feel too bad about that. Carol was the salutatorian of her 400-person high school class. She has that part covered for the family.
I think I did set a good example for them on how to “figure it out.” If that truly is the case, I think I will have provided a very workable and practical fatherly example to my family. If I help them to learn how to “figure it out“ and they can still speak Spanish, they’re even further ahead of the game!
SATURDAY
Getting and taking advice.
All of my international friends, of whom I have many, use WhatsApp, while I use texting with my friends in the United States.
This morning, I finished reading Yazmin’s WhatsApp messages, so I can now choose from several restaurants she recommended. I planned to take a boat ride at sunset.
I also got a message from a friend in England, who is helping me with future race dates, and from a friend in Mozambique who shared some excellent photographs of the unique auto-racing-themed trophies (above) he makes by welding together parts from automobile engines. They’re beautiful and unique. Yes, I have many international friends, and we communicate every day.
I slept late and snuck in just in time for the 10:30 a.m. breakfast buffet, which was outstanding. Then I went back to my room, which was an upgraded hotel suite given to me by my new friend Yazmin, and just relaxed. That means I slept for a bit. I needed to be tour-ready for the rest of the day!
I have a “normal” Mexican race trip plan, but then you knew I would.
I’ve now been to Mexico 18 separate times to see racing at tracks all over the country. I’ve spent more than two months of overnights in Mexico visiting those tracks.
My “normal” short Mexican trip has me leaving the United States on Friday, touring different parts of Mexico on Saturday, seeing the race on Sunday, and coming back home on Monday. Sometimes, my trips are a little bit longer than that.
Let’s go touring.
Today, I would take a walking tour of Fundidora Park in downtown Monterrey. Back in 2017, I saw racing at the Autodromo Monterrey with Santos, my driver. I did a similar exploration of the park.
The park opened in 2001 on the grounds of the Monterrey Foundry, the biggest iron and steel foundry in Latin America at the time. On this night, a concert was scheduled at the Monterrey Arena located inside the park. It was a beautiful evening. Mexican families and young people were enjoying themselves. I was the only guy who looked like me in the park.
I didn’t expect this answer.
To get to the park from the hotel, I ordered an Uber. My driver was friendly and spoke English well. During our conversations, he told me he had lived in Southern California for 15 years. I always try to ask my rideshare drivers a lot of questions. I get a lot from the ride that way.
My driver, Roman, told me, after I asked him what he thought about living in America, that he felt where he resided in Los Angeles was way too dangerous for Mexican people. I can only imagine the neighborhoods he must have lived in.
Many Americans think that traveling in Mexico is dangerous. Here was a Mexican visiting and living in America who felt that America was more hazardous than Mexico!
Mexico has a strong family culture.
As I walked all over the park, I was reminded that Mexicans are a very family-oriented society. I was also reminded that Mexican girls at 15 celebrate their quinceañera. This is a huge party, and the girls are dressed in their finest.
I always love taking a boat ride wherever I’m visiting. In Fundidora Park, there is a man-made “river” where people can take a one-hour boat ride through parts of the city. I wanted to do my boat ride at sunset, and that’s what I did.
The boat slowly tracks past outdoor cafés packed with customers. At sunset, it’s a very scenic ride, and as expected, I enjoyed it very much.
It was time for dinner, and dinner is special in Mexico.
Next up was an Uber ride from the park to the Mochomos restaurant. Yazmin, my contact at the Hyatt hotel, had recommended this restaurant along with a couple of others.
The Mochomos restaurant was extremely upscale. I showed up wearing a black T-shirt and black athletic shorts. That’s pretty much how I dress every day of the year.
I wasn’t sure what the reaction would be when I entered and asked for a table for one. The hostess walked me through three separate dining rooms to the fourth and the last one in the building. It was just 7 p.m. The dinner rush had not quite hit, so I had pretty much an entire large room to myself, which was fine with me.
Drink. Eat. Maybe drink some more.
My current all-time favorite drink is a frozen mango margarita. The restaurant did those really well. Did you know that 20 bucks is pretty much the new price for a cocktail in a nice restaurant nowadays?
I figured I would have two appetizers rather than an appetizer and an entrée. This way, I would leave some room for dessert. It is this logic that allows me to gain a pound or two each month!
I started with the fried calamari. You may know this as squid. I was given a large serving of calamari with a special sauce and loved every bite.
My second appetizer would be queso fundido chorizo, a combination of cheese and chorizo sausage. Delicious.
Dessert. Really? After all of that?
Now it was time for dessert. The menu identified my choice as Esfera de chocolate. The description read “chocolate sphere flamed with brandy accompanied by Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.” Who could turn that one down? It was only 359 Mexican pesos. I had no idea how many calories this offering was. At the moment, I had no idea, nor did I care, how much it cost.
They served me a bowling ball?
My server soon delivered a large “sphere” not much smaller than a full-sized bowling ball to my table. He spent nearly 3 minutes heating up, then applying a flame to a concoction spread over the chocolate sphere, and then finally placed a large dollop of Häagen-Dazs ice cream on the sphere. This caused the entire thing to collapse, revealing a chocolate cupcake smothered in more chocolate. This might’ve been a serving for more than one, but I ate it all.
Tomorrow morning, I am meeting with my driver, Eduardo, at 6 a.m. Monterey, Mexico time. That’s 4 a.m. California time, and I had to get up sooner than that to be ready. Remember, I am not an early riser, except on occasions like this.
I suspected that Eduardo, my driver and soon-to-be friend, was going to be a good guy because he was the boyfriend of Yazmin, who had helped me so much at the Hyatt.
Sunday.
Small car; big guys.
Eduardo showed up driving his Mazda MX-5. The Mazda MX-5 nameplate replaced the Mazda Miata in the U.S. in 2006. Essentially, they are the same car. Eduardo’s car was a convertible.
I’m 6’3” tall. I didn’t have much legroom. Actually, I didn’t have any legroom! With the seat all the way back, my knees still touched the glove box. We were going to be driving for 10 hours round-trip, so this would be an experience. Heck, I completed Marine Corps boot camp during a time when they hit us for almost no good reason. Riding in a Mazda MX-5 would be easy.
One experience always reminds me of another.
The entire drive today reminded me of a trackchasing trip I did in 2010 to first Romania and then Bulgaria.
Romania.
On Friday night of that particular trip, I had dinner with my Romanian advance contacts. I can’t say this for sure, but I think they were part of the Russian mafia. They wanted me to be their “dealer” for car parts transported from the United States to Romania. Somehow, I talked to myself out of that.
The next day, I rode with a Romanian guy in the transport truck, carrying one of the race cars. Neither of us spoke the other person’s language, but we were still able to communicate with nods, pointing, and other gestures. Folks, I’ve met some people. I’ve had some experiences. They both will stick with me for a lifetime.
I saw the Romanian race on Saturday. Then I was scheduled to see a race in Bulgaria the next day, on Sunday. I had made an advanced contact with two twin brothers: one lived in Bulgaria and the other in the United States, but was visiting his brother at their home in Bulgaria.
Nicest guys, ever.
These were probably the two nicest guys I’ve ever met. Lyubomar and Paco. They came up with quite a transportation plan so I could see a race in their home country, Bulgaria.
The brother visiting from the United States would drive from Bulgaria to Bucharest, Romania, a six-hour drive, to pick me up after the race in Romania on Saturday, around noon.
Then the two of us would drive back to Bulgaria for six hours on Saturday evening. When we arrived at the hotel they had arranged in advance, the hotel had unexpectedly closed for the weekend for cleaning. My Bulgarian friend, being very creative, got me to a backup hotel in almost no time. Then we had dinner at nearly midnight, and I saw the race the next morning in Bulgaria.
After the race in Bulgaria, he drove me back to Bucharest, Romania, his third six-hour drive in about 24 hours. We arrived in Bucharest at around 10 p.m. on Sunday. I offered to buy a hotel for my friend, but he said he had to get booking back to Bulgaria and made a U-turn heading back for his FOURTH six-hour drive in the last 40 hours or so. Nice guys. About a year later, Carol and I had the U.S.-based Bulgarian twin over to our house in California for lunch.
What were we driving on the Bulgaria-Romanian marathon? A Mazda Miata!
Mexican toll roads.
On this Sunday in Mexico, Eduardo and I would take the toll road. The tolls for this 10-hour round-trip drive would cost about $70 U.S.
The massive advantage of having Eduardo be my driver was that he spoke English.
Although the Uber driver that I negotiated with last night was a nice guy, he only spoke Spanish. When you’re in a car for 10 hours with one person, you’re probably gonna want someone who speaks your language. I did.
I wanted to learn about Eduardo.
Eduardo and I were getting to know each other. He was a college-graduate engineer for a Canadian company. He had been to Canada and the United States on several of his business trips.
I like to eat. I also learned that Eduardo likes to eat. I told him I wanted to eat at “hole in the wall” restaurants exclusively during the trip. He was pleased to oblige.
Lunchtime at a place most Americans would not consider.
We stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant that was about as close to eating street food as you’re going to get in Mexico. We dined on Gorditas, which are basically tortillas stuffed with various meats, cheeses, and beans. It was all delicious, unique, and definitely down-home eating. Eduardo paid for lunch.
Time to see the actual racing.
Next up was the racing part of the trip. We would be seeing racing at the Autodromo Gomez Palacio circuit in Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico.
This was obviously my first visit. No other trackchasers had ever been here either. That wasn’t terribly surprising. This place was absolutely out in the middle of nowhere.
The entrance road to the track was well off the highway. This road really required a four-wheel-drive big truck. We had a Mazda MX-5, and we made it. Eduardo paid the 100-peso admission for both of us, and we continued on a very rough gravel road until we reached the track itself.
Why won’t trackchasers go to Mexico?
After today, I will have seen racing at 18 different tracks in Mexico. Hundreds of people have reported their trackchasing lists for all to see. Only a handful of those trackchasers have ever seen racing at a track in Mexico. No one has ever seen racing at more than one track in Mexico. I’ve got to believe those people are just a little bit on the skittish side of visiting a “dangerous” place like Mexico. That’s only a guess on my part.
Meeting new Mexican friends.
The first thing I needed to do was meet the racing friends in the paddock who had helped me so much with planning this trip. I had been in contact with several people using Facebook Messenger. In every one of those cases, all of our communication had been in Spanish.
I knew that all of my advanced contacts thought I spoke Spanish. Why? Because I used a translator. I don’t speak Spanish, but Eduardo did, and that would be helpful.
It was fun meeting up with these guys. Yes, they were a little surprised that I didn’t speak Spanish, but Eduardo saved me.
I first met Manuel Atilano and his son, Jorge. They were racing motorcycles at the track today. He told me his bike was numbered 24 because he admired NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, who drove number 24. It was nice meeting Manuel and his son.
Next up was to introduce myself to Carlos Menchaca Sr. and his racing partner, Oscar Diaz. They were a lively bunch. We talked with them for several minutes. They even told me about some other race tracks in Mexico that I did not know of. It’s pretty amazing how many new tracks I get turned onto when talking to my new friends at each track I visit.
Time to take a walk…around the entire track.
Our next activity was to take a walk around the entire 1.8 km racing surface. Can you imagine showing up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day and thinking you’re going to take a WALKING lap around the track?
Mind you, this track had been around for a very long time. There was a lot of deferred maintenance. Well, not really a lot. There was a LARGE amount of deferred maintenance.
Never take your eyes off the action on the track.
As we took our walking lap directly on the racing surface, a few cars were out taking slow practice laps. We were told to walk over to the side of the track for a few seconds until the cars passed us at speed. Nope. You’re not gonna be able to do that at Daytona, Monaco, or Indy, but we could do it at Gomez Palacio!
I’m not sure what Eduardo thought of all this. He had only seen one race in his life, and that was at the Autodromo Monterey. That track is a much more modern facility for the spectator. I think he really liked the idea of being in all these VIP areas that are generally not available to race attendees.
Not many people get to see this situation.
I’m going to guess the Autodromo Gomez Palacio circuit was at least 40 years old. The grandstands had small trees growing up inside them!
As we walked along, we noticed a completely abandoned house inside the racetrack. Back in the day, this must’ve been an upscale place because the house had a swimming pool, now totally inoperable.
Say what?
I suggested that Eduardo and I enter this abandoned house to see what was up. I’m not sure he thought that was a great idea, but he was willing to go along with my craziness.
If only this place could talk. Just outside the house itself was another much larger swimming pool, again totally abandoned. This might’ve been the largest inground pool I’ve ever seen. That made me think that this had been more of a clubhouse operation many years ago.
What kind of racing would we see today?
Today, there would be three different classes of cars racing. Each race lasted about 15 laps and featured 6-8 vehicles. There was no track announcer. Even if there had been, the PA would’ve all been in Spanish. Eduardo translated things to me when he could. We watched the racing from the top level of the starter’s tower, which gave us a very good view of the action.
Racing is a lot more fun when you know some of the drivers. After having met Carlos and Oscar, we had two drivers to root for in their races. Oscar picked up the win with Carlos running second.
Pretty far past crazy.
I knew in advance there would be motorcycle racing today as well. I think you have to be pretty far past crazy to want to run a motorcycle at high speeds with tight turns. The bikes were loud, fast, and entertaining to watch.
Mexican time.
I had been told the racing would begin at about 1 p.m. Maybe that was “Mexican time.” They started late, had some delays between races, and we didn’t get out of the track until 4:30 p.m. We saw the first round of races but couldn’t stay for the second, since we had a five-hour drive back to Monterrey, most of it in the dark.
Don’t do it.
It is recommended that people not drive all that much after dark in Mexico because of unseen potholes, cows crossing the road, and a general danger (drug cartels and bandits) that comes with nighttime in Mexico. We used the toll roads, which are considered to be safer.
Eduardo understood.
Of course, we still had dinner to consider. Eduardo told me he was beginning to understand my preference for informal, down-home meals that are popular and offer excellent food.
Eduardo texted a friend who lived in the area for recommendations. We came up with a place called Lucas in the town of Torreon. This place met all of my requirements.
Their specialization was hamburguesas, which is the Spanish word for hamburger for you gringos. The place was packed. It was noisy and crowded, and they were doing a lot of outdoor grilling for their takeout customers. This was a great experience. The food was simply outstanding.
From there, we hopped in the Mazda MX-5 and headed to Monterrey. I mentioned the car was a convertible. Getting in and out of the car was so tight that Eduardo had to raise the roof each time I did. That’s tight.
Tim Horton’s!
It was interesting to see so many Tim Horton’s restaurants during my time in Mexico. I had never seen that before. Tim Hortons originated in Canada, and whenever I go up there, I stop for their donuts and other tasty items.
Today was a great international experience. Hiring Eduardo to become my driver has been one of the best decisions I’ve made recently.
I made several Mexican friends during this trip. Yazmin at the Hyatt and her boyfriend, Eduardo, were great. Meeting up with the drivers, including Manuel, Jorge, Carlos, and Oscar, was over the top.
Monday
Not always easy but always eventful.
All I needed to do today was get an Uber to the airport and then fly home. Sounds simple, right?
The first Uber driver I ordered couldn’t find the main entrance to the Hyatt house, so we canceled that ride. Oh my. It didn’t take long for the next Uber driver to come along. I hopped in the front seat. I always do that so I can get a good view of the action.
Traffic to the airport, located about 21 miles from the hotel, was heavy on a Monday morning. My driver tried to bypass much of that traffic by taking side roads through the city, which was a major adventure.
Getting a hearty breakfast.
When we arrived, I was able to check in quickly with Viva Aerobus. Then I found a Priority Pass lounge at Monterey Airport, Terminal A, and relaxed with a bowl of Frosted Flakes! My diet isn’t like most old fogies.
Now the trip took a turn.
The flight from Monterey to Los Angeles was a straight three hours long. The seats and the legroom on Viva Aerobus rivaled what I just experienced with the Mazda MX-5. Nevertheless, I am trying to accept these inconveniences in exchange for the greater good.
I arrived at LAX in Los Angeles at 12 noon. Since I was already “up here,” in the greater Los Angeles area, I elected to stay in the Alaska Airlines lounge at the airport for the next five hours. The Alaska lounge is famous for its pancake machines. Yes, I had six pancakes, but at least I admit to it.
Might as well continue to do one thing after another for as long as I can.
From LAX, I headed up to legendary Pauley Pavilion, where UCLA would play a pre-conference game against West Georgia. I joined J.J. for his great seats to all the games, which are at midcourt, about 10 rows up. It’s always fun to spend time with him watching the Bruins play.
This was a quick In-N-Out trip, leaving on Friday and coming back on Monday. I always called this the “classic” trackchasing adventure.
Rarely an open weekend.
This weekend, on Friday, Carol and I go up to see the Bruins play Arizona, the fifth-ranked team in the country, at the Intuit Dome. Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer built the Intuit Dome, which is home to the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA.
On Saturday, I plan to fly to Columbus, Ohio, to see UCLA get killed by the Ohio State Buckeyes in football (they did). OSU is the #1-ranked team in the country. On Sunday, I’ll get up at 1 a.m. California time, which is 4 a.m. in Columbus, Ohio, and fly to Dallas on a 5:20 a.m. departure. Then I drive four hours over to Grand Cane, Louisiana, to see racing at a new track and then four hours back to DFW for a late-night flight to LAX.
Africa. Yes, I said Africa.
I’m home for a couple of days, and on Wednesday I fly to Africa for two weeks, hoping to see racing in lifetime trackchasing countries 92 and 93.
Remember, I’m just a guy trying to stay active and move from point A to point B to point C in an effort to maintain that activity for as long as I possibly can.
That’s it from Mexico. We’ll probably be talking about Africa after this.
Randy, a guy who can’t speak Spanish but who can find his way to plenty of countries where they do speak Spanish.