This story is not a joke. It is absolutely true, and absolutely terrifying. I want to relay it to stop anyone else who might be in a similar situation duplicating the mistakes I made.
A bit of back story: I was 19 years old and living away from home for the first time. It was my gap year; I had been accepted to study medicine in the UK and was using my time off to volunteer in an underdeveloped, under-resourced hospital in Guadalajara, Mexico for three months.
The trip had been going well so far, and after a chance encounter or two I had found myself brushing shoulders with some pretty rich locals - around my age and entrepreneurial types (or so they said).
One night about halfway through the trip, I went to a party with some of these people. We had some drinks, smoked a little and decided we wanted to head to a club. At the time, I was living with another British girl in a retired Mexican couples' house, and she was also attending the party. Myself, her and two guys we knew thought it was time to head out.
As the guys were driving, someone suggested it would make sense to travel in two pairs. My phone, keys and purse were in my friend's car, but he said I should travel with his friend instead, so I did. This is where I made a HUGE mistake.
The club was probably a 20 minute drive away. The journey started fairly normally, listening to the radio, chatting away. But then suddenly this guy picks up his phone, and dials a number I don't recognise. He starts speaking incredibly rapidly in colloquial Spanish, which I can't quite pick up. I get snippets, more from his tone than the actual words he was saying.
I know something is wrong.
He appears to be arguing with the person on the other end of the phone. After a minute or so of back-and-forth, he hands the phone to me and snarls "he wants to speak to you".
I expect it to be my Mexican male friend. Instead, it is the British girl. She says:
"Don't react to what I'm about to say. From what I understand, the guy you're with has driven off-route and is saying you no longer want to go to the club, and would rather stay with him on your own. If this is not true, please say no.""No." I reply, as confidently as I am able.
"Okay" comes her response. "We've GPS'd the location of his phone. Find a way to get out of the car as soon as possible."
"Okay". I try as best I can to swallow the lump in my throat, and hang up the phone.
I turn to the guy next to me, and say "I feel sick! Please can you pull over? I think I'm gonna throw up." We're hurtling along the motorway at 80MPH. He looks at me. I look back at him. I know that he knows that I'm faking.
"Please?" I continue with as much gusto as I can muster, and pretend to gag. "I really think I'm going to be sick".
He continues to drive. He reaches over to me, and puts his hand on my thigh. "But we were just starting to enjoy ourselves. Come on, don't be like this."
I become more insistent. "No, really, I'm about to be sick. Please. I don't want to ruin your car."
He pulls over, visibly pissed. I clamber out of the car; he promptly tells me he's going to find somewhere to park and drives off into the night, the tail lights of his car blazing bright through the inky blackness surrounding, consuming me.
I am standing on the side of a Mexican highway in what now seems an incredibly inappropriate short, wine-coloured dress. No phone. No keys. No money. No grasp of the language.
Alone.
Afraid.
All the while, I'm trying to drive the fact 20 people got beheaded by the Cartel and lined up at the side of the road near my house last week out of my head.
I wait, for what seems like an eternity.
Eventually, my friends turn up. I jump into the car, and ironically almost vomit with relief.
My friends were incredibly smart. I was incredibly fortunate. I got into a car with a guy I had met several times previously and assumed it would be okay. The outcome of this story is thankfully a far happier ending than it could have been... but a word of warning: if you travel alone, keep your wits about you. Keep your belongings on you. And trust your intuition, for it is correct.
Rachel
I'm an American living in Guadalajara for about a year and a half now. I never feel in danger but that being said it's a big city and big cities anywhere can be dangerous so it's imperative that you act accordingly. Mexico is not as dangerous as most would believe (probably less so now than when you were there, however). I've also travelled alone quite extensively, being a female likely presents additional risks but I've gotten myself into a few scary situations as a male as well. Thanks for your great article, I'm glad you were able to avoid a bad situation. Happy (and safe!) travels everyone!
waooo excelente post
sorry for that
hope you good now
Hey, I about to travel to Mexico, I know this can be tough for you but can you make some recommendations to avoid having an experience similar to yours. By the way, you are very brave for making this post, which I find it very valuable.
Hi @aliceintech - firstly, I would say Mexico is an amazing country and you're going to have an awesome time! I would say try and avoid using taxis at all in Mexico City - if you have to, make sure you pre-book. Otherwise, a trick I used to use when travelling alone in a taxi would be to get a person at my destination on the phone and talk to the taxi driver. They would give them the address and say something like "I'm expecting her arrival shortly".
With regards to the above story, just keep your wits about you as you would whenever and wherever you travel. Keep personal belongings on you, be wary of the kindness of strangers (they're not always bad, just don't be naïve). Don't keep large sums on money on you, and don't drink so much that you're not able to handle yourself. Make sure you have a mobile phone too.
The police in Mexico are pretty corrupt and not always the most reliable, so if possible, I would say carry the contact number of someone there that you trust at all times. That way, if you get in a difficult situation, they should be able to help you out. I'm not saying don't go to the police, but it helps to have a local friend on hand.
Enjoy your travels!