A simple glance out the window showed the sky being near crystal clear and through the window the sun kissed my rosy cheeks, which released a feeling of graciousness inside.
I sprung out of bed and got ready for work. An hour of commute time away from home.
Without a second thought, I went about the unremarkable routine of getting ready.
I still remember what I wore that day: a cream colored oversized knit top, with a midi grey skirt and grey vans shoes. In all my outfits I seek comfort and flexibility, to compensate for out of the ordinary situations that may call for a quick sprint.
Well, out the door I went and onto the bus stop I waited.
While I waited, I could feel loud mexican music vibrating in my eardrums as my bus drove up.
The long line of bus regulars slowly climbed on board. Being at the front of the line, I took the opportunity to sit in the front seats. It made it easier to see my destination ahead of time and prepare to push through (if I had to) towards the exit doors.
Halfway through my way to work, the bus driver starts conversing with someone over the radio frequency.
"How strange," I thought.
The only times I've seen bus drivers chime in over the radio is when their bus had broken down and they needed to call for help. So I got that gut feeling, telling me there was something out of whack. But what?
Needless to say, my heart started pounding faster, my muscles tensed up and all of a sudden I seemed to be aware of every peculiarity. But why was I the only one who was really picking up that there was something off, I looked behind me and the rest of the passengers weren't intrigued at all.
A mile later and we were met with a slight traffic jam. The bus driver was able to get us off his regular route on to an alternative route and then back again some time later. Only to then come to a complete halt.
He turns around and yells, "All right guys, buses are being hijacked and being burnt down. I've been given the okay to release you guys and go back to headquarters, I don't want to risk my bus or my life."
(See this video of a bus which was burnt down. Thankfully, not the one I was in.)
What?! The surrealness of the situation triggered the sensation of being in a scripted movie, all we lacked was the dramatic suspenseful music in the background.
Off the bus we went. I watched as the bus drove off onto an unfamiliar alley, avoiding the well trafficked highway.
As my attention came back to reality, I realized we'd been kicked off the bus and now were stranded with nothing but some lunch money. Which wasn't enough for a taxi, though not that it mattered, all the taxis available were either not stopping or they were already taken.
Federal Police pickup trucks were driving back and forth with their sirens flashing blue and red. In the back of the patrol trucks were Federal policemen wearing bulletproof vests and carrying big guns. They were looking for the perpetrators: The Jalisco Cartel members who were liable for this.
Now, I had to choose, either I walked to my job or returned home and guess what I chose to do?
I WENT HOME lol. I mean I'm a good employee and everything, but I'm just not thaaaaaat dedicated. 😅😅😅
So, I crossed the highway through the available pedestrian bridges. On the way over a man caught up with me to say hi. It turned out we worked together, though I just hadn't recognized him because he was a new hire. I was glad to have someone to talk to, since all this uncertainty was intense.
Would there be some sort of shootout?
As we got to the other side and we waited to see if buses were still coming, I searched for places to hide in case of gunfire. After a while though, no gunfire, yet the police had two young men in handcuffs, with a small red gasoline tank as evidence.
I couldn't help but feel astonished. All my life, Narcos were these big, dark and horrifying drug mafia. Yet here we were and these handcuffed young men looked like everyday pedestrians.
And that's when I realized: they're just men. All these Narcos are just that, they're just men.
They don't have superpowers, they can't read your mind, they don't know it all. It's just that at one point they took the wrong path and have since been making horrific decisions and many lives have been lost because of it. However, as long as these Narcos are still alive, they have free will.
They're free to, at any point, turn around and make good choices again.
Sure, it'll be super difficult, due to all the crime entanglement they've been involved in, but it'll be worth it because as a Narco, they're risking their lives, all for earthly power and wealth, which they'll not take with them after death.
Now, I needed to get home but my bus route was no where in sight. This was when my co-worker and I decided we should start walking home. Both lived in the same direction, which was consoling, since it was going to be a 3 hour and 20 minute walk.
At this point there wasn't any sensation of fear, since we were walking away from the blockade and I knew that as soon as I'd be home, I'd be safe. Plus I had the rest of the day off.
Thankfully, a generous pickup driver was offering pedestrians a lift in the back of his vehicle and we climbed on board. We were all dropped off at the same location, a bus route towards home was available and I took it, parting ways with my co-worker.
Eventually, I was able to catch a taxi and since I was closer to home I was able to afford it with the lunch money I'd had with me. A quarter of an hour later and I was home. Safe and sound!
Later I found out that Cartel Jalisco had retaliated against the government for the arrest of its 10 members. Whom they wanted released immediately.
The only people who suffered casualties from the attacks were the military. A military airforce helicopter was shot down with 18 on board. 3 deaths and 12 injured.
This is usually the general rule, those who are involved with the cartel one way or another, are the ones who suffer casualties. If ever you come to Mexico, stay away from drugs, druglords and bars.
Stay away from the wrong crowd and you'll stay safe from many dangers.
A valuable rule to live by!
If ever you meet someone involved in organized crime in your regular day to day, encourage them to walk away from that life. A life full of betrayal, health damage or even death. No money, No power in the world, can buy you a peace of mind than to live an honest life.
Hey Saplings!
Thank you for reliving this strange episode of my life in Mexico. I hope you'll become a subscriber and join me as I narrate to you experiences like these and what life lessons I've learned from them.
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