Piratas are 4 door Nissan pickups with a long truck bed equipped with seats, a tonneau cover and seating up to 16 people,. They are almost the only public transportation around uptown Catemaco.
Sometimes I come across a post about something I have been hesitant to say. Here is a young woman who pulls no punches:
It was definitely transportation as I've never experienced it, something that would be illegal (and cold) in Scandinavia, but here in Mexico, everyone is driving around in pick-up trucks with a bunch of people on the back. The police nod to the drivers as we pass, they don't mind us risking our lives on the back of a truck in 70 km/h. That being said, Jenny and I are not the bravest ones, we are perfectly happy sitting inside the trunk, and not on the edge of it like any mexican would do. Perfectly happy may be an overstatement though. The road is bumpy, and after two days of that trip, my butt hurts. I bet it's blue, but I haven't dared to check. And I'm sure I'll get really strong arms from holding on to the edge of the trunk, and strong legs from trying to dampen the worst bumps and not hurt my behind any more than necessary. And of course, there's all the dust. The truck whirls up a massive amount of dust as we drive on the dirt road, and I get dust in my eyes, in my nose and my mouth, not to mention all over my body. The first thing I do when I get home is jump in the shower and get clean, I look like I've been rolling in mud all day long. But it's worth it, so worth it.
You can read more from her here
PS I only published this because I know the Tepetapan gringo resort is filled for the summer and will not have to worry about impressing more renters for the immediate future.
