Tequila Oil

It's 1979, Hugh Thomson is eighteen, far from home, with time to kill - and on his way to Mexico. When a stranger tells him there's money to be made by driving a car over the US border to sell on the black market in Central America, Hugh decides to give it a go.

Throwing himself on the mercy of Mexicans he meets or crashes into, Hugh and his Oldsmobile 98 journey through the region, meeting their fate in the slums of Belize City.

Thirty years on, Hugh returns - older but not necessarily wiser - to complete his journey.

“Utterly beguiling-- INDEPENDENT”

A beautiful book, full of appreciation and aphorism, an unashamedly personal story...it takes the reader to places we may not have dreamed of going... INDEPENDENT
A thrilling travelogue that rails against the homogenisation of the world. TRAVELLER
Thomson's Mexico is one of beauty, humour and freedom, laced with a tantalising hint of danger. WANDERLUST
Delightful, celebratory and honest....In a way it is the first installment of his now-complete trilogy, his Cochineal Red and The White Rock being two of the finest books on Latin America of recent years. -- Rory MacLean GUARDIAN
Thomson steers through a series of hair-raising encounters with wit, wisdom and an easy charm... -- Kathleen Wyatt TIMES
Utterly beguiling INDEPENDENT
'A sublime and richly informative travelogue from a true heavyweight explorer WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY

Hugh Thomson's previous books include THE WHITE ROCK, a vivid exploration of the Incas and NANDA DEVI, a journey to a usually inaccessible part of the Himalayas. He has led many research expeditions to Peru. He is also a film-maker and has won many awards for his documentaries. He lives in Oxfordshire. Visit his website at

It's 1979, Hugh Thomson is eighteen, far from home, with time to kill - and on his way to Mexico. When a stranger tells him there's money to be made by driving a car over the US border to sell on the black market in Central America, Hugh decides to give it a go.Throwing himself on the mercy of Mexicans he meets or crashes into, Hugh and his Oldsmobile 98 journey through the region, meeting their fate in the slums of Belize City.Thirty years on, Hugh returns - older but not necessarily wiser - to complete his journey.

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