I just returned from a 4 day trip from Cuernavaca to Mexico City. My landlord's dad owns an apartment in south MC, and we had to check the previous tenant out, clean and repair the apartment, and rent to the new tenant. This was to be our big test of all the repairs that we had completed on the 1999 Pontiac Sunfire, and also my initiation to driving in Mexico City.
Suffice to say, my driving was fine, but Mexico City drivers are a different breed. They call residents of MC chilango's, and I'm not entirely sure what that means, but perhaps it has something with their driving attitudes.
Now that I had learned all the driving rules for Cuernavaca, I had to unlearn them for Mexico City. No signal lights are used for turns. It is very unique to see someone use them in the city. Basically, you just nose into traffic, and do the same for changing lanes. Entering a freeway can be a challenge because you have to judge your entry point between fast moving cars - oh, and be careful when the guy in front of you suddenly stops.
I think the primary danger of driving in Mexico in general is that drivers here seem to ignore, or just plainly not see, important signs like, Stop, Slow, No Left Turn, etc. The only one they seem to all see is the Speed Bump (Tope) signs, thank god. The 90 km drive from the city in the dark was a challenge, and I was successful in missing dogs and people crossing the highway, as well as cars ahead of me stopping for no apparent reason. Talk about stressful.
We made it home safely last night, after a one day delay waiting for a door repairman at the apartment, and the car repairs held up nicely. Now I will have to buck up and get ready for my maiden voyage in the car all by myself. My landlord has been my guide until now thank you very much.
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