Specific questions about Mexico/Central America...

[Everymanalion]

Hey, so i have been down there a few times but im finally going to go when im off probation with NO money rather than hostel money this time.

For those of you(which im assuming is most) who crossed the border on foot or got let off at the border as soon as you got into Mexico, how many of you get harrased by locals such as gang members or cartels? I went into Matomoros once last year, and maybe it was because my whole body including my face is covered in tattoos, i got fucked with for sure and threatend but again, thats my physical appearances fault, once i got past the border towns, everything was cool, so in the border towns, how many of you got fucked with by anyone, gang members or not? Robbed, beaten, threatend etc.


And my other questions, i know Mexico has alot more nicer people and are more inclined to help because they dont have that culture of fear that we do up here, but did being a "dirty" kid deter you from kidding rides/people being polite and helping, like it would in the U.S. hitching wise?

Last but not least, how did you eat down there with no money? Small market theft for food? Handouts? Spanging? I am planning on going down there with no more than $30 bucks and a backpack and this will be my first trip without ample funds. Thanks!

 

[barefootinbabylon]

There's definitely a couple threads for this already - I would go find them for you, but I betcha can do it yourself; I think it's called 'Slumming it in the 3rd world' or something along those lines. Why don't you try to get a job of some kind? Even if it's just a bullshit job through a temp service - it would be money, andn it would also help you pass the time while you're on probation. I'm not trying to lecture you about how to live your life, but... it would help to have more than $30 going down there. I know people HAVE vagabonded it alll the way to South America with no money, but it's not for everyone, and if you're just posting massive amounts of the same kind of post on this message board about how to live with no money, then... I'd say you have a LOT of learning to do, and it can really only be learned through experiencing it first-hand. However, that's NOT to say that I think you should just go down there with no money to offer in exchange for food, WATER, etc.; many, many people down there make, in a day, what people in the U.$ make in an hour, even at shitty temp. jobs and whatnot. As such, I think it'd be wise to go down there with SOME money, more than $30. Shit, if you want, I can give you a website for doing transcription work; I do that a lot - it's only $1 per 3 minutes audio, but it's money, and it's not workign for anybody. You can work naked if you want - I do quite a bit. Haha. Anyways....

 

[Everymanalion]

Thanks dude but i actually HAVE money if i will need it which i will be bringing my debit card for but cash wise i want to see how long i can last on 30 bucks, more of a challlenge/experiment thanks though.

 

[Everymanalion]

And sorry about making so many similiar posts, i just really like to read about other peoples experiences

 

[barefootinbabylon]

Thanks dude but i actually HAVE money if i will need it which i will be bringing my debit card for but cash wise i want to see how long i can last on 30 bucks, more of a challlenge/experiment thanks though.

Hehe right on, right on. Sorry if I came off a little pissy in that last post; I... was pissy. But not at you or anything, so... sorry! I've definitely done similar experiments myself; not in foreign countries so much, but have hitched XC a couple times, and have been verrryyy well taken care of, without spending a dime of my own money. Strange and glorious world..

Thanks dude but i actually HAVE money if i will need it which i will be bringing my debit card for but cash wise i want to see how long i can last on 30 bucks, more of a challlenge/experiment thanks though.

Maybe check out some other travel websites, too? I know there's travelpunk.com; that's a good one, but not geared so much to the 'money-less traveling,' for sure. I wish digihitch was back up, b/c some of those cats on there have mad-crazy stories for ya.

 

[Everymanalion]

Thank you sir!

 

[barefootinbabylon]

Thank you sir!

Haha. I'm actually a 'ma'am,' at least technically. With all my gender 'issues,' though, I'll take being called sir, fo' shoooo'.

 

[Raging Bird]

Man...I'm just going to say my opinion, and do what you're gonna do, but I gotta say it.

Mexico is extremely poor compared to the first world, no matter what part of America you're from. People are generous because they need each other. I'd have strong issues on a moral level with taking my first world ass down there and even considering for one second "small market theft" from these people when I could easily stay in America and not worry about food. For that matter, relying on others at all is kind of shaky ground. It's one thing to rely on others to survive, it's another to take handouts from extremely poor people just to support your recreational travel. Mexico is so cheap that I would strongly recommend just working a shitty dishwashing job for two weeks before going down there, because even 500 bucks will last you a long time. It's one thing to challenge yourself, it's another to challenge the generosity of people in a different culture who struggle every day in ways that none of us are familiar with. Just my two cents.