01 Apr 04
Central America, civil war, bandits. All very Hollywood, but also very real. Take Captain Francisco Radilla of the Mexican Federales, or Highway Patrol. Straight from central casting, his jet black hair is slicked back, his eyes masked by massive mirrored Ray Ban aviators, his uniform right off the back of Erik Estrada from the TV series CHiPS, and his chin almost as smooth.
Radilla was my first introduction to Mexican road culture. It was ten years ago, and I was chasing the annual Carrera Panamericana road race through Mexico. Radilla was the only way of keeping up with the likes of Pink Floyd stars David Gilmour and Nick Mason in their Jags.
A day earlier , Radilla's chief of police had given me a ride in his blue and white Jet Ranger chopper, with the promise of an aerial view of the race - only for us to end of hovering 100ft above a semi-naked woman on the beach near Acapulco whilst he took photos. Francisco was just as macho as his boss. Stood by his Chrysler patrol car Cpt. Radilla had proved his manliness by opening Coke bottle tops with the top of his (loaded) Colt .45. He even declined the use of my pen knife, complete with a perfectly serviceable bottle opener.
