1984. It was our first visit to Mexico. My husband John and I love trains, and we had decided to drive to Laredo, Texas, walk across the border and take a train into the Mexican interior. The three o'clock train rumbled into the Laredo station, only two hours late. Having read all the guidebooks, I was aware the Mexican people paid little attention to time and schedules, one of the country's most endearing qualities to my way of thinking.
Boarding the sleeper car in which we had reserved a bedroom for the 12-hour trip to Mexico City, I found it wasn't the bedroom at all. It was a tiny, one-person roomette.
"There must be some mistake, I said to the young porter, who spoke a little English. "We reserved a bedroom."
"This is a bedroom, Senora," The porter smiled and nodded toward the other roomettes lining the narrow aisle of the sleeper, all of which were being quickly occupied by Mexican families.
John, who was less than enthusiastic about this particular adventure, spoke: "Stop arguing and sit down. There's no mistake. This is what they're obviously referring to as a bedroom." He was right. I gave up. If five Mexicans could sleep on one narrow cot, the two of us could manage as well. After all, we wanted to experience the true essence of the country, and believe me, the essence on that hot, humid, sleeper was overpowering.
Pretty soon, I heard band music. Not wishing to miss one Mexican moment, I ran to the little platform on the sleeper to see a student band arranged across the track playing its heart out. I seemed to be the only one impressed by it. Our fellow travelers paid them no mind at all.
As I listened to the music, the train suddenly came alive and lurched forward. There being no rail to hang onto, I very nearly fell off the platform. It was the first of many such experiences in my travels. There are no safety rules or warning signs anywhere in Mexico. You are totally responsible for the safety of your person. If you fall off the back end of a train, you shouldn't have been out there in the first place.
I bounded from side to side back down the aisle of the swaying train and sat down on the bench in our "bedroom." It was covered in patched plastic, the stuffing long gone. The journey was to be non-stop to Leon and then an express to Mexico City. We were no sooner off than the train groaned to a stop.
"Great! It's broken down already," John wailed. But no. After a few seconds it started up. I breathed a sigh of relief just as the train stopped again. After the fifth stop, which occurred in a curve, I discovered the reason. Peering out the grimy window, I saw a man alight from a car up ahead. His family was waiting for him, standing beside a campfire and an adobe hut. I was amazed to find that our express train stopped to take on and let off individual passengers.
We had now experienced at least three surprises. We're still being surprised by this magical country even after 30 years.
We ate our picnic supper, and decided to turn in. There was nothing to see anyway. We soon discovered that was no easy feat. By standing in the aisle and with much tugging and pulling, the berth fell down from its overhead compartment completely covering our other accommodations.
Peering down into the toilet before the berth covered it gave me a quick view of the railroad ties as they sped by underneath the train. There was no need for a flushing mechanism.
By now it was at least 110 degrees in the sleeper. We clamored into the berth from the aisle. There was no sheet. Back in the aisle we shoved the bunk into its receptacle, pulled our luggage from under the bench and found our largest towel. At least it would be absorbent. The way we were now perspiring, the towel would be soaked in no time.
Back on the bunk, we found if we both lay facing the train wall and not bending our knees we wouldn't touch one another. The bed was about 30 inches wide and about eye level to anyone passing by in the aisle. Fortunately, there was a zippered canvas curtain hiding us from the view of passers-by.
I lay there for an hour, unable to sleep and very nearly suffocating in the stifling heat and the dank air.
"I've got to get these clothes off!" I hissed. I was barely able to peel them off. Although better than sticky clothing, it was precious little relief to wear only my skin. I then found if I bent my body slightly, just enough to poke my posterior over the side of the bunk, I was treated to the merest whisper of air under the canvas curtain.
I was just settling in when suddenly I felt the zipper being unzipped up my backside. A voice in the aisle said, "Pardon, Senor and Senora, I have come to make up "
There was a brief pause and then a blood-curdling scream. "Dios Mio!" cried the voice. I flopped over and peered out the curtain just in time to see the young porter dashing up the aisle. Heads began popping out of curtains up and down the sleeper car. Pandemonium reigned as the other passengers tried to identify the source of the pandemonium.
I quickly zipped the curtain up again. John still lay with his face to the wall. He hadn't moved. Finally he spoke quietly: "I hope that boy's reached his full growth. If not, it's stunted now."
"Dios Mio," I replied.
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