Acapulco Hell

If yesterday was the best day so far in Mexico, then today (Saturday March 29) was the worst. Realizing that we are taking longer to travel Mexico than anticipated, we wanted to make some mileage today, but things started badly when we got turned around leaving Playa Azul, took a "shortcut" on the advice of a local guy (Central America Riding Rule #6 – Locals are always eager to give directions which are almost always wrong) which got us into Lazaro Cardenas all right, but not on the main road and we wasted a ton of time finding it. Two hour later, we'd traveled 28 miles!
Yesterday, we had another Federale stop.......17 year olds with M16's, looking very serious indeed as they unzip a bag here at pat down a duffle there. The officer in charge was friendly and even recommended the hotel in Playa Azul.
Back to the here and now, Things went from blue to gray as we approached Acapulco; we'd planned on bypassing the city altogether which was possible, as it turned out, only on the map. Instead, we inadvertently got into town, and spent the better part of two hours trying to stay alive in the utter chaotic mayhem which is Acapulco traffic. Buses cutting you off, cars blasting out from side streets, stop and go major gridlock jams..........all in the usual milieu of fluid lane demarcations ( there aren't any) with two vehicles often trying to occupy the same space simultaneously. I consider it fortunate that we escaped without injury. FINALLY, after 5 stops to ask directions (see above rule) and 3 to check our maps, we escaped.
The topes are rapidly losing their charm to put it charitably and in G rated language........not that they had any in the first place. By now, I must have ridden over a few thousand of the damn things. For the most part, they make no sense whatsoever. There are usually 2 – 8 of them at the entrance and exit of every little town,sometimes marked, sometimes not. Today, when we at last made the highway out of Acapulco, and are accelerating onto what amounted to a turnpike, what did we encounter but several of the ##$%%^&# topes....!!!! This on a major high speed thoroughfare. Called it a day after 300 miles, emotionally and physically exhausted. Stayed in an authentic Mexican hotel, i.e cheap, tawdry, but clean with an air conditioner that works and the faint odor of sewage throughout. Hey beggars can't b e choosers and there wasn't any more daylight to seek out a bigger town. Had a very good authentic Mexican dinner however, enlivened by several giggling senoritas who kept asking, "What are you doing here?" with genuine puzzlement , made jokes with Jogi and practiced their English.