I'm back in Mexico City after a year's absence and somehow, incredibly, I find myself at the Hotel Nikko. You could fit the place I stayed in last year into the bathroom of the room I'm in now.
In brief, this summer in Mexico is part of a research project surveying rural folk about their use of telecommunications and financial services, which we're assuming basically involves calling family in the States and receiving money from them. Qualcomm's providing some of the funding, which means we're looking for ways to improve rural services using wireless technology, and also explains why I'm writing this blog entry from a top-notch business hotel. The irony of discussing poverty alleviation with guys in expensive suits in a place like this does not escape me.
It was decided that our research would be greatly aided by having a car, and since renting is ridiculously expensive in Mexico, I've set off on a 5,000-mile road trip in my Civic. Contrary to popular belief that you can't survive Mexican roads in anything but a beat-up pickup truck, I've had no problems at all. One brief encounter with the police involved them pulling me over for going the wrong way down a small one-way street. They let me off with a warning to be more careful. Duly noted.
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