Traveling
Mexico - Homeward Bound
"We,
however, got a push from some federal camino police
officers, thank god for cattle guards!"
K.L. Moore
Some many people come here
via plane. Some even come by bus. And a few come
by car. Driving through Mexico, how crazy is that????
Not so crazy. It is cheaper. It allows you to see
more of this wondrous country. It is long, but the
view is beautiful, sprawling mountains, thick forests
and quaint colonial towns. Granted, you will need
some time. About two to three days, depending on
how fast and furious you drive.
Last
year, I hopped in the back of a 1974 Jeep Wagoneer,
properly named Scrappy, and headed north to Texas.
There are routes to take to all four of the border-states.
Stick to the cuotas, or toll roads. They are safe
and well traveled. Drive during daylight hours,
always. Our driver wanted to head toward Texas via
Guadalajara and San Luis Potosi. Known as the scenic
route, we headed up the coastal highway, HWY 200,
to Colima. It is a very windy road, with some very
breath-taking views and turns.
Definitely
leave Zihuatanejo early morning. You need to take
the toll road, or cuota 54, outside of Tecoman towards
Guadalajara. We made it right after night-fall.
The entire day was beautiful, but we had some car
problems on the toll-road into Guadalajara. We stalled,
or ran out of gas, depending on the male/female
opinion. This is an interesting note. Ever heard
of the Green Angels? They are a rescue/repair service
provided by the Mexican Tourism Board. They are
wonderful. We, however, got a push from some federal
camino police officers, thank god for cattle guards!
We were obviously blocking rush hour traffic. As
we sat by the side of the road, waiting for our
driver to return with some gas.....I realized, here
I am experiencing every tourist's nightmare, stranded
by the side of the road in Mexico. It was like waiting
anywhere for gas. Just a long wait; I had my book.
Outside
of most of the larger Mexican towns look for motorist
hotels, safe and secure; they are usually marked,
MOTELS. For about $20.00 USD, you get a private
locking garage for your car and a clean comfortable
room. Note, the maximum stay is eight hours, the
rooms are usually rented by the hour. They are wonderful
for those people who do not want to unpack their
car or want to catch a few z's without worrying
about their car being out in the open.
The
next day, we jumped in Scrappy, rested and gassed
up and headed for our next destination, via San
Luis Potosi. In Guadalajara look for signs for the
cuota 80 north to Lagos de Moreno. This toll road
lasts until the city of Lagos de Moreno. After this
it becomes a free road, still highway 80, until
you come to the city of San Luis Potosi. Once you
are in San Luis Potosi, take the cuota 57 North
to Matehuala. Our true destination point was outside
of Matehuala, Real de Catorce.
This
day of driving was long, about ten hours...and as
we turned off onto the unlit desert road to Real,
Scrappy did start to get tired. She needed to rest.
So we let her. Standing once again on a road in
the middle of a desert in Mexico, I wished only
for a few more hours of sunlight. After a long nap,
Scrappy revved up and made it the 30 more miles
or so to our destination point.
Real
de Catorce is an abandoned silver mining town, which
has become a destination point for the adventure
traveler. You have to go through an old mining shaft
for about 2.5 miles to reach the town. We made it
and sighed a sigh of relief. After mopping our brows,
we realized there were police cars everywhere. No
one was being allowed into the town. This can not
be. Our driver said, very adamantly, he was not
spending the night in the truck. I could not blame
him. The local police were cordial and nice, but
they, too, were adamant. No, there is no escaped
murder or convict....just a movie, a big Hollywood
production movie. It seems that the film people
can and do take over entire towns while filming.
No room at the inn.
Well,
I had been there before. I had friends in small
places. Friends with inns. These friends had family,
who had family, who had family. I obtained the last
room in town. Above my friend's brother-in-law's
sister-in-law's small two-room house, with toilets
and showers but no covering on the window, it would
do. The police were rather amazed at my find, so
much they let us take the car into town. Scrappy
barely made it up the narrow steep walkways that
are the streets of Real de Catorce. We quickly learned
that this was no mere film, oh no, it was a Brad
Pitt movie, and suddenly, for all the women in the
car, staying in an open-air room with two beds for
four people, seemed just fine. Brad Pitt sightings,
instead of sightseeing became the main goal.
A
full day and two nights later we set off for Texas,
we stayed a day longer to let Scrappy rest, of course.
Goodbye Brad, Hello Laredo! Up Highway 57 to Monterrey
Cuota 40, take the loop around Monterrey, then Cuota
85 to Laredo. This last bit takes about 8 hours
or so. Be prepared to show your tourist card/FM-3
documents before entering the border area! Once
you are in Laredo, cross the bridge, go through
customs and you are on I-35 to Austin. A note, drive
slow through Laredo....our driver, after 27 hours
of driving through Mexico, got pulled over for speeding.
He was not too pleased.
A
quicker route to Texas and not as scenic is via
Acapulco. Mostly toll roads after Acapulco, take
Highway 200 south to Acapulco then Cuota 95 to Mexico
City. Remember, in Mexico City there is a ban on
cars driving in the city on certain days. Look at
your license plate. Do not drive on Monday if it
ends with a 5 or 6, Tuesdays a 7or 8, Wednesdays
a 3 or 4, Thursdays a 1or 2 and Fridays a 9 or 0.
Saturdays and Sundays there is no ban. Once in Mexico
City, take a left on the Periferico (loop, looks
like a clover) to Cuota 57 to Queretaro, and then
on to San Luis Potosi. Then follow the directions
from above. A good map is a must. A car in good
condition is even more of a must. But, most importantly,
you need a sense of adventure. Drive through Mexico,
if anything, it makes for good dinner conversation.
April 2001
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