Mexico Metropolis’s subway known as the Metro, and it’s simply superb. Firstly, it’s extraordinarily straightforward to make use of. Even on my very first journey to Mexico, when my Spanish was restricted to asking for a cup of espresso to go, I used to be capable of navigate the subway as a result of they made it very straightforward to establish the varied strains and stations.
Every line has a quantity or letter and is colour coded, and every station has a reputation and a singular image, so even somebody who’s as directionally challenged as I’m can simply get round. To provide you an thought of precisely how directionally challenged I’m, I as soon as acquired misplaced whereas biking on the Erie Canal towpath in Rochester, New York: the towpath solely runs east to west. A Metro experience may be very low cost, costing 5 pesos. That’s about US 25 cents.
Each station has a cop or two standing on prime of a small platform. I don’t assume these cops are there to guard folks as a result of I’ve by no means seen them go away their spots. They like as a substitute to speak to different cops or, extra typically, peruse their cell telephones.
What they appear to be there for is to blow whistles which can be loud. So loud, in truth, that I’m positive most of them are going deaf. On the Metro’s official X account, they declare that “The whistle is used to tell customers of the presence of safety personnel on the station, so in case you want help, you possibly can establish them instantly.” To me, plainly their job is to blow the whistle to let folks know {that a} practice is arriving.
The purpose of that is unclear to me: they don’t see the approaching practice any prior to anybody else standing on the platform. If something, they are going to in all probability see it later. The trains aren’t precisely quiet, so even if you happen to’re not wanting down the tunnel of their course, you’re going to listen to them. And even if you happen to don’t hear or see them, you’ll really feel the breeze they create as they strategy. However somebody determined that there should be cops blowing whistles to tell folks of that reality.
I attempt to stand as far-off from these cops as attainable. I’ve misplaced sufficient of my listening to to rock concert events and drumming. I don’t need to lose extra to some whistle-blowing fanatic. However generally — particularly throughout rush hour when the platform is packed — avoiding them is solely not attainable. At these instances, I put my arms over my ears, wanting like a reside model of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”
I don’t know for positive, however plainly every cop has their very own particular whistle name. They don’t merely blow one word to let you realize {that a} practice’s pulling in. Oh, no. They fluctuate in pitch. They blow quick notes. Lengthy notes. Trills. For all I do know, they’re all annoyed musicians working towards a brand new composition. Possibly sometime I’ll take the time to ask them.
Joseph Sorrentino, a author, photographer, and writer of the guide San Gregorio Atlapulco: Cosmvisiones and of Pungent Island Tales: Some Tales from an Italian-American Childhood, is an everyday contributor to Mexico Information Every day. Extra examples of his images and hyperlinks to different articles could also be discovered at www.sorrentinophotography.com. He presently lives in Chipilo, Puebla.
