Inland Travel
Mexico
Mexico is such a wonderful country but it most if it
cannot be seen from a boat so we like to travel inland to
 see the what
the various regions have to offer. Links
to the trips are listed at the bottom of the page but there is some
general information about travel in mainland Mexico we would
like to share.
Bus Travel
The bus
system in Mexico is fantastic from the often quirky local buses the ply
the cities and towns to the first class longer range buses that travel
throughout country. For those of you that are old enough to know what
an "E Ticket" is, some of these bus rides are truly E ticket rides
whose drivers seem like frustrated Milla Milla racers. We
don't need no stinking brakes. Many of our friends rely upon these first class
buses for their inland travel. We have taken a 20 hr bus from
Puerto Vallarta to Guaymas and found it to quite satisfactory.
However for sightseeing we prefer the convenience of having a car so we
can travel off the main highway to sights that would be hard to get to
by public transportation.
Driving in Mexico
Insurance
We have now driven over 6500 km in Mexico and have
gained some insight we would like to share. When budgeting car
rentals be careful to include in your price estimate the taxes, fees and
insurance. Some car rental firms do not show insurance costs on
their internet sites. These insurance costs are subject to the
taxes and fees that are calculated as a percentage of your total costs.
If renting I recommend taking the liability insurance that should run
somewhere in the $150/day range (peso), plus taxes and fees. We
rely upon our credit card for the collision insurance thus we opt out of
this insurance which can cost more than the daily cost of the
car, frequently in the range of $350/day (peso), plus taxes & fees.
However be
careful and make sure you understand the rules that your credit
card company imposes regarding reporting any unfortunate incidents. We carry
a Mexican insurance policy on our personal car but unfortunately this
policy does not apply to rental cars and I've been told that it is
impossible to obtain a blanket policy to cover car rental. Sounds
like a great business opportunity for some creative sole.
Maps
Get a good highway
map book that includes the major cities through which you will
be traveling. Many Mexican highways including the
autopistas seem to disappear in the cities and the signage is
somewhat lacking in many cases. Don't simply rely upon the
map a rental car agency provides. We travel with our US
highway GPS which does show some major Mexican highways but the
real benefit is that it shows in which direction you are
traveling, a great asset when you get turned around in a big
city. If you are doing a lot of travel it may be worth the
investment to buy a GPS with Mexican based maps but be careful
the voice commands may be in Spanish!
Passing on the Highway
Many Mexican highways have a limited shoulder
width so be
careful. When available, we we opt for driving on the Autopistas (toll roads) which are
usually great roads and have a much wider shoulder. This shoulder
is important on a two lane highway when drivers are passing. While
the highway signs indicate no passing when a there is a solid line, most
local drivers pass anyway. It is the custom that when a car comes
up behind a slower car, the in front car may turn on the left
blinker indicating it is ok to pass and moves as far to the right as
possible to allow the rear car to pass. Interestingly an oncoming
car does the same so there is plenty of room to straddle the center line
and pass safely, We have done this passing a bus while there was
an oncoming truck. At first it is unnerving but it does keep you
alert while driving. So make sure you stay alert and keep an eye
out for an oncoming car on the center line and move over onto the
shoulder. While this may seem crazy during the day, at night it
is damn dangerous. There are a significant number of memorial
shrines along the road from simple crosses to rather elaborate
structures commemorating a point where a loved one met their final end.
We understand that a significant number of these are the result of
drinking and driving at night so we limit our driving experiences to
daylight hours.
Speed Control
Throughout Mexico there is a very effective way of
controlling speed called "Topes" (speed bumps). Their size runs
from the normal size speed bumps to huge mounds in the highway. Take care some of these
are marked by roadside signs, others by painting the tope and others are
just there. Keep an eye out for the local drivers and if they slow
down chances are there is a tope or two. Another thing that keeps
you alert while driving down here. Hitting one of these large
topes could take out your rear end (of the car) not to mention jarring a
few fillings loose.
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