Idiot of the year

When you travel, you are usually lucky enough to witness stupidity on a level that would be near criminal at home.  The kind of stuff that gets people fired, or that forces an inquiry to be held.  This guy in Mexico is our winner thus far.  Everything about this scene from Sanchez with his 10 a.m. quart of beer, to the onlookers who yell without helping, smells not only of village idiot, but a village full of idiots.  The fact that it took place in the empty lot next to our cabin made it much more enjoyable to watch from our veranda. 

Let's call him, Jose the taxi driver, decided to take a little drive out to the lake with his wife to park for a little afternoon delight.  What he didn't bank on was the tropical storm combined with the fact that the lakeshore is pretty well mud on a dry day.  It took me all of 5 mins. after being there to figure that one out.  Logan even commented on how squishy the ground was.  But not the locals!  They aim to amuse all passing travellers with their mastery over nature.

On the first day I actually tried helping him out as he spun his tires deeper and deeper into the muck all while turning the wheel sideways to ensure the rut got bigger.  I tried explaining not to hit the gas, but to no avail - machismo was on the line.  Later, when the rescue tow truck got stuck as well, the shouting and lack of any leadership from anyone made it clear this wasn't going to end any time soon.  We could hear him tinkering away under the glow of his flashlight with his son and wife watching on while we put our boys to bed.

What is even better about this whole event - is that pretty well everyone in town knew about it or came to help push him out.  Why is this so good?  Well the very next day another truck rolled up.  I suppose this next driver saw the deep ruts of mud filled with water and thought, "Maybe I can handle the Mexican Monster Truck Challenge!"  This lake is like some sort of Excalibur's Sword I guess.  When this one got stuck the amusing thing was his kid swinging like a monkey from a bar on the back of the pickup while they lunged from reverse to forward. 

I have a feeling that Guatemala may pose some competition for Jose.