Marek When you take a rental car, it is often a basic version of the car, with a weak engine. And power is very important in Mexico. Especially in the mountains, on steep switchbacks. Especially if you’re dragging behind a truck. Especially that in the center of the country the roads are not as great as on Yucatan.
We rent a Volkswagen. A great car for the Mexican plains. The engine doesn’t have too many mechanical horsepower, but it burns gasoline like a dragon. Fortunately, fuel is cheap here. The road to El Tajin leads through the mountains, on very winding roads. A few hours, provided that you bravely overtake trucks that are dragging up the hill at a speed of 20 km/h (12 mph). Each time, there is very little space for overtaking. You have to make it before the turn.
I turn on the blinker, put the pedal to the metal and… The truck in front of us is approaching, but somehow suspiciously slow. Agnieszka turns off the air conditioning to save those few missing horses. I’m on a par with a truck (why is it so long?). There is a turn ahead. The floor under the gas pedal bulges under the pressure of my foot. I’m about to ask Agnieszka to get out and push us, when the car finally pulls forward. Is! We made it, another truck remains behind us. We turn the air conditioning back on. The air in the car has not had time to heat up, but I still feel rivulets of sweat on the back of my neck. A truck is ahead of us. It’s long, this time I need more straight road, overtaking will take time….
I must admit, the road through the mountains was daring. I admit, I tempted fate. Now, when we go downhill, the car has revived and accelerates again like a small racer. There is very little left to our destination, but the late hour and fatigue make us decide to stop for the night. In front of us is a motel taken straight out of Hitchcock’s Psycho. Unanimated. There are no lights, houses, or any traces of human activity nearby. Even fewer cars pass by. But we won’t look any further. Especially since we get a free room without any problems. We are the only guests.
The room is small, even pleasant, equipped with a chair that we place under the handle. Just in case. The windows are small, so they do not need to be secured. No one will squeeze through, and certainly not without making a noise. We sleep very alertly. Unnecessarily. Nobody murdered us. I go to the shower to rinse my body after the night when I hear Agnieszka screaming. So, after all…! I run to the room. Agnieszka is standing on the bed, there is no stranger in the room. A stranger. The intruder is small, hairy, and has hidden under the bedside table. At night, we were accompanied by a handsome tarantula. Securing the door was of no use.
