Yesterday's internet crash means tonight's publication

Unfortunately my hopes of uploading a mere 500 kb file yesterday were a futile failure. Internet speeds in the boonies this week have been miserable and two weeks of unappeallingly worse cellphone signal from the Telcel monopoly has once again reinforced my mindset that I'm not being narrow-minded because I still own a 6 year old Nokia phone with a green screen and a flashlight. I feel proud that I spend less than 5 USD a month buying prepaid cellphone credit sparingly over wasting 20 USD on a monthly plan for a service that doesn't work half of the time. I know I'll have to get a smartphone before February 2017 but let me enjoy my ignorance of fiddling with Whuts Upps or whatever that blasted messaging service everyone and their dog uses.

Today was a doozie. After reaching Toluca I once again forgot to ask the driver for change from a 200 bill and got off the bus without enough cash. I can't deny my disdain for Toluca. Google Maps never gets any address right causing me nearly hysterically annoying detours walking around gigantic avenues in circles, the taxi drivers always dump me in oddball places (more than once my taxi driver has asked me to tell him how to get to my destination. I guess nobody there stores a map in the cab and dumping clients in weird places just to get rid of the problem is common courtesy). I still can't remove from my head how I once got off a bus halfway between hell and a yard full of goats named "La Bombilla" even though I specifically asked the driver to drop me off on a stop before the bus terminal. I had never been to that city before, only had 60 pesos in my pocket which was barely enough cash to reach home and the cream of the top after getting stuck in that muddy road filled with cornfields and suspicious looking street dogs was a freak rainstorm... without an umbrella.

After my hate/hate of the dozens of times I've gotten lost in Toluca, we can add unexpected closure of ATMs in major avenues in that list. Walking 16 blocks halfway to Metepec for an ATM carrying all of my luggage and trying my earnest not to get hit by cars (stop lights and walking on the right part of the road doesn't deter drivers from trying to ram you over to reach their posh homes 1 minute sooner) at least accomplished my mission to go back home albeit 40 minutes later than I would have wanted.

NOTE TO SELF: Don't forget your change on the bus next Friday.