Currently viewing the tag: "Driving in Mexico"
Have you ever seen road signs like this?
We’ll get used to them. You will see them often when driving in Mexico. There are a few more things to take note of, the first is to make sure you have good maps. And I do say maps. One will not do. We recommend that you make sure Mexico maps are loaded on your GPS. Most GPS’s (we use Garmin) say they contain maps of North America, but for some reason Mexico is no longer in North America.
You will find that your GPS will not always pick the best route. It will usually take you right through the middle of most Mexican cities instead of taking you via the much, much easier bypasses that are usually available.
This is where “The Mexican Guide to Camping” comes in. Although a few years old, this book it still worth it’s weight in gold. Not just for the campgrounds, but for the information on crossing borders, city by-passes and general rules of the road.
If you want a good physical road map, we recommend Guia Roji. We have found it to be the most accurate and detailed featuring highway maps, city maps and toll road information.
Another thing you need to know is Mexican road sign and signals. Did you know that a left turn signal has more than one meaning? If someone in front of you puts on their left turn signal they may be turning left or they may be letting you know that it is clear to pass or…. there are a few other things. To familiarize yourself with all the quirks of the road along with a ton of in sites into the culture, we recommend reading “The People’s Guide to Mexico”.
Once equipped with these things you will have a better chance of having a relaxed and happy journey.
Day one is never an early or easy day for us. Packing up your life for the next six months takes a lot of time, co-ordination and work. It is late afternoon before we get out. We drive straight through Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
We only try to make it as far as Bacalar, 4 hours south of us, which puts us very close to the Belize border. We spent the night tucked away in front of our pal Jimmy’s place (a big Thank You!) in this quiet, little lake side community.
It is always nice to see a friendly face on the road and even better to have a kitty that curls up on your lap.
It always feels good to get on the road, but we will miss our little town.
Hasta Pronto Puerto Morelos.
Many people ask us about our drive from through Mexico, so I thought I would share the route we take. This is not the shortest route, going straight up the coast through Tampico is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) shorter, but it is a much more scenic route with much better highways and nicer stops. This will be our 12th return trip (that’s 24 trips up and back for those of you that are bad at math), so I would like to say that we have become experts on the trip, but you never become an expert at driving in Mexico. We have encountered so many shocking “road hazards” in our travels that I couldn’t even begin to write them all down.
Everything from trucks and horses….
…to driving beside this guy!
So off we go! We are starting our 2,745km (1704 miles) journey, and that’s just to the US border, we will keep you posted and go into more detail about our trip from the road. Be sure to check back here to follow along.
