When we crossed that border into Mexico nearly two years ago I knew pretty quickly that I was going to like it here. Instantly upon crossing the border into Tijuana I was bitchslapped with freedom for lack of a better way of putting it. Anyone who’s been to Tijuana know’s its a crazy anything goes sort of place that can be a bit of a culture shock to some, but for us it was just the culture shock we were looking for. I’m not sure we would have slept as well that first night had Mexico been anything like the United States once we were inside.
There’s a lot to like, truth be told. When you cross the border you immediately notice things like roadside restaurants that’d be illegal in the US and...honestly all sorts of other stuff that’s harmless but would be totally against the rules where we’re from. One of my favorite things about Mexico is the do it yourself culture that exists here and that’s what today’s story is about.
This ones been in the works for awhile honestly, as we’ve been encountering this guy all wet season at this point. As the rain falls, it washes a lot of soil down the mountain road which effectively turns into a river during storms. The bad practice of slash and burn style weed control leaves the topsoil exposed and it literally just washes down the mountain whenever it can.
There’s one particularly annoying turn at the bottom of a hill that collects a lot of soil and this year one young local took it on himself to shovel it out of the way of people trying to drive the road. That pile of dirt becomes a killer to things like taxis or motorcycles as it causes taxis to bottom out and motorcycles to crash.
He’s a young thin dark Mexican with a big smile, a shovel and a bucket. He moves it to a pile on the side of the road which he may or may not be selling. He’s either selling it or getting rid of it because that pile is depleting.
He’s not doing it for free, he’s a smart guy that understands he’s doing a service. While he’s working, people drive by and pass him pesos for his efforts. I’ve no idea what he makes in a day but it’s been enough to keep him busy for a month.
If we see him working, we stop and give him 20 pesos. Truth be told we’ve paid this random guy more in tips than we’ve ever paid to cops here in Mexico and I’m proud of that fact. He sees our truck and starts dancing, because he knows we’re going to give him a tip. Considering the fact that he spends his days shoveling dirt without any for sure pay, he deserves it.
So not only are people still willing to take shit into their own hands here, they’re also good at finding little ways to make sure they get paid what they’re worth for their efforts. He doesn’t force anyone to pay him, yet they all have enough respect to appreciate what he’s doing so they pay him. By the way, kudos to the people tipping him other than us, I know you exist, I’ve seen you do it.
He doesn’t speak English but he was able to excitedly communicate to us one time he wanted his hair to have dreads too. He seems to have a lot of respect for us and honestly we respect him. He’s honestly one of the people I look forward to seeing on the way down the hill and now that the rainy season is ending it’s likely I won’t see him anymore, not doing that task anyway. I hope he’s able to find something to do with his time that he enjoys that pays him better than what he was making on that street.
I’m glad I live in a place where young people are still willing to go out and make work for themselves. There’s so much he could have been doing with his time but he was out there clearing the streets for the people who use them every day, which is cool. It clearly wasn’t what he wanted to be doing but you could see he looked free because it wasn’t like anyone was telling him to be there, he just was. At the end of the day, that tip money was his. And sometimes he got beers and food, which is a bonus that sort of work.
Check out some of my other recent posts!
Adventures Around Acapulco: Random City El Centro Sights
Restaurants of Acapulco: La Concha in Costa Azul Part 1
Rebel in the Chair Photo Shoot
