Long day in the desert~

So, a man walks into a car rental agency....wait, that is no joke, in fact it wasn't funny & there is no joke!! If given the choice between burro & car in Mexico the choice might seem obvious but don't be so quick to decide...





What is a routine rental car experience in the states can turn to an awful nightmare in Mexico! That car doesn't belong to you but the problems could be all yours!! What was to be a 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive to Torreon, Coahuila through the desert turned out to be almost 8 hours by the time our day was finished. We noticed the car made strange noises as we were in Saltillo but couldn't find much truly wrong other than high mileage & general abuse rental cars take in Mexico.
Somewhere out in the desert between Saltillo & El Sol Coahuila we had a blow out on a tire, mind you there was a double trailer 18 Wheel truck barreling down the Cuota in our lane behind us.(very scary) John pulled, over called someone who told us the problem was by definition of rental policies in Mexico our problem!!! We then proceeded to empty the trunk of the rental car to find the jack & spare tire. Tire wasn't inflated & jack was inoperable. This was a huge problem as it left us stranded. Through many many phone calls John finally managed to convince someone we couldn't repair the tire, the car needed repairs & we needed a new car!! All of this seems a simple process in the US but here in Mexico is a different story entirely. Basically if you rent a car South of the Border it "sucks to be you" if there are problems.
Never one to take no for an answer, I think John was "¡cliente enojado en el desierto caliente!" or angry client in the hot desert~as the rental agency phrased it!
While we sat in the heat in the desert, miles from anything we did see the local farmers go by with their cattle & burros. What else can one do sitting in the desert but try & enjoy the local terra vista?
Long story short we were tired, cranky & both needed a bath at the end of our long day but we did arrive at our hotel in Torreon, many hours later.
Moral of the story: beware of car rental agencies in Mexico, especially if that company once had the "Juice" running through the airports advertising how customer friendly they are!!! Out of country car rentals? That can be a stacked deck, with the customer the ultimate looser!!!
My personal motto right now? I am getting tired of these personal growth opportunities, somewhere South of the Border...