In my imagination it’s so vibrant and exotic and romantic. An impression left by reading books by old, great authors. Graham Green’s The Power and the Glory, and DH Lawrence’s Mornings in Mexico. Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide helped cement my longing. I didn’t know the ‘reality’ of Mexico, I only knew the stories.
Yes, perhaps it has a reputation of being a lawless narco-state, but that’s part of the adventure – and anyway, stories like that are never the full picture. I gave more weight to the stories told by friends over the years. Truth or fiction, reputation or reality, it doesn’t much matter – stories have power. To entice and ensnare the mind, and to move people to action. So it was that I made my travel plans. I was going to Mexico.