I have traveled to and lived in quite a few countries over the years, including Europe, Africa, Panama, Canada and America too as well as Mexico, though I have to say I haven’t as yet found what I consider to be my ideal home turf. Everywhere appears to have its up and down sides so when I decided to move on and live in Mexico again for a while I didn’t have any great expectations of what it would be like to live there now. But so long as the climate is warm and you can get the basic necessities, I am prepared to live just about anywhere that is half decent, so leaving the United States where I was then living I spent a long weekend in Mexico looking around Rosarito and Ensenada in the Baja peninsular just below the American border.
Rosarito being in the location it is so close to the border draws young and older Americans alike, most of who drive down from the states to indulge themselves in the Mexican lifestyle for just a few days over a long weekend. Some of these visitors like the country instantly and decide to stay longer than a just weekend by settling in as a semi-permanent immigrant. To do that, you need a FM-3 visa. The FM-3 visa must be renewed every year. This allows you to remain in Mexico full time, and it lets you bring in any furniture you have plus your car. It also allows you to have a Mexican bank account and a driver’s license, for which you have to take a short test. When you pass that test, you get a drivers license for six months, after which – providing you haven’t had an accident you can get a license for three years. As I said, your Immigration Permit is good for up to a year, and once qualified, you’re allowed to renew your permit annually for a maximum of five years. After you have passed the five-year mark, you’ll automatically receive resident status, called a “FM2,” this gives you the same rights as a local citizen, except the right to vote. Your FM2 permit looks similar to a Mexican passport and allows you to cross borders just like a National
The cost of keeping a car licensed and insured in America is very high, so it is often better to import your car into Mexico if you are going to live here permanently. There are people here who will do the importation for you. If your car is over ten years old, you can do this import quite cheaply. It costs about $600 American dollars and takes approx two weeks to complete all the formalities. After which you can get Mexican license plates for approx 500 Pesos. Mexican insurance is also very much cheaper than American insurance. In California, I was paying around $600 US dollars a year simply for basic car insurance, while the same insurance here in Mexico costs about US $170.00. Note: Liability Insurance is not compulsory in Mexico but in case of an accident, it is highly recommended if you want to stay out of jail. Gas prices are similar to the States and maybe a bit cheaper, depending on where you live. The same goes for renting an apartment. In the states I was paying almost $500 a month plus utilities, while here in Ensenada, I rent the same sized apartment for under $400 with some of the utilities thrown in for free. However, the water here in Ensenada isn’t very good, it has a high mineral / salt content so you will have to drink bottled water or buy water purifiers with filters, which is what I do.
You can get TV and the Internet here but it pays to shop around, not that there is much choice? I have SKY satellite TV, which costs around $800.00 a month in Pesos. The programs are of course mainly in Spanish but there are some programs in English. The main phone company here is Telnor. They also have DSL Internet, which is provided by Prodigy Infinitum – and it is good. A popular English language newspaper here is the tabloid Gringo Gazette
Those are the good points. The drawbacks to living in Mexico are that the roads, though improving all the time, are not generally as good as those in North America and Europe. Many of the roads here are quite narrow with very rough edges and no shoulders so you really do have to concentrate on your driving, as most people quickly find out for themselves. Going over the edge can easily result in a puncture or even a shredded tire. Many mountainous roads also do not have adequate crash barriers on them so again you must be very careful when driving in those areas. However, Mexico now has a massive road-building project in progress, mainly in the southern part of the country, and these new roads are as good as, and better, than many roads in the United States or Europe.
Maintaining a car here can sometimes be cheaper too, but not at main dealerships. It takes a while before you discover who is or not a good car mechanic? You also have to be very careful if you don’t want to get ripped-off. Many Mexicans appear to believe that all North American’s (Gringos) are rich, and so overcharging them, for any work done, won’t be noticed by their customers. Some car spare parts also take a very long time to get into Mexico. While in America you can get a spare part in a matter of a few hours at most that same part may take at least two to three weeks before you get it into Mexico. Patience is indeed a virtue here. It does of course help a lot if you speak Spanish.
Road toll fees are also something to watch out for. Being short changed is more commonplace than you might imagine both at tollbooths and gas stations, so having the right amount of money to pay road toll fees is something else to keep in mind. As is car crime. As elsewhere in the world, car theft is rife in some parts of Mexico, not only of new cars, but all cars, some of which are simply stolen to be stripped down for spare parts. I live in a decent apartment block with good off street and well-lit parking, but one morning when I went to my car I found it had been jacked up and both of the rear wheels were missing! Probably the reason you see so many cars in Mexico with odd wheels on them? And yes, I do have an alarm fitted, but the wires leading from the battery had all been cut so the alarm didn’t function. Car thief’s here as elsewhere are pretty good at their work. To deter thieves in the future I now have locking wheel nuts, plus an obvious steering wheel lock, which I use in addition to the factory steering column lock. So I suggest you do the same.
If for any reason you break the traffic regulations whilst driving – like running a red light for instance, and you get a ticket from a cop, he will after writing the ticket take away your driving license. You are then required to pay the fine at the local police station or some other local authority building, when you have done so your license will be handed back to you. If the police should stop you for some driving infraction that you doubt did in fact occur and the policeman asks you to pay him personally, which you may think is akin to asking for a bribe, insist on going with him to the police station to do so. He just might think again.
Recently there seems to have been a spate of car-jacking’s along the main coastal highway leading towards San Diego, some assaults and the odd murder too, but away from the border areas Mexico is generally pretty safe. One of the first things I did when I came to live here was to drive all the way to San Cabo Lucas at the tip of the Baja peninsular. Never once did I feel threatened in any way. So much of the talk about ‘bandito’s’ is mostly just that, away from the border that is?
Mexicans are mainly very honest people who will go out of their way to help you. I once broke down with a bad car puncture, but because the wheel nuts had been over tightened, I was unable to get them off with my wheel brace and so replace the wheel with my spare. Fortunately, another man who was driving by noticed my predicament and stopped to help me. He couldn’t get the wheel nuts loose either but he drove a few miles to a nearby farm and borrowed a long piece of piping with which we were able to lever over the wheel brace and get the lug nuts loose that way so I finally could change the wheel. I had to try hard to pay the old man for helping me too. He was very reluctant to accept anything from me. Indeed, I have met many wonderful people in Mexico but like anywhere else, there are some bad apples. Just hope that you won’t run into them. Another thing to remember here is that on long trips gas stations may be far away from each other, so keep your gas tank full by filling up before a long trip. Carry plenty of drinking water in your car too. Distances between some towns can be very far and help in case of a breakdown may be a long time coming. I have heard about the Mexican ‘Green Angels’ who are supposed to patrol the highways to help motorists who have broken down but I have to say that in my three years living here I have seen them only three times? So it would be a good idea to carry a sleeping bag or two in your car, just in case?
Throughout Mexico, you will find roadblocks that are manned by the military. These are set up to try and catch drug smugglers, etc. I have always found the soldiers at these check points to be friendly and courteous. Usually they just wave you through. However, should they wish to search your car then just get out of it and let them do so, they won’t take long and you will soon be on your way again. That is of course if you don’t have anything in your car that you shouldn’t have. Drug offenses are not treated lightly in Mexico and you are not likely to enjoy a long stay in a Mexican prison, so for your own good don’t carry any kind of illegal drugs or firearms in your car or on your person. Obey the law and you will stay out of trouble.
Food in Mexico, as can be expected is of the usual Mexican variety. Trying to find an American type meal away from the border areas can be difficult. Though some Mexican restaurants are now using photographs to show what kinds of meals they can prepare. However, it seems that most Mexican restaurants appear to have one fault in common, and this includes some so-called American and Chinese restaurants that have been opened here, and that is they never seem to warm the plates before they put food on them, so the food is usually half cold when you get it and completely cold by the time you finish it. I’m pretty much a salad guy anyway these days, so I like to prepare my own. You may feel otherwise, a great many none Mexicans love the food here so you might too?
Ensenada, it is said, is a town built around bars, but as yet, I haven’t been able to find a decent ‘local pub’ here anywhere. Most pubs are it appears simply there for the holiday trade and most of them don’t seem in the bit interested in anything else but the holiday crowd. If ever a good local pub was needed anywhere it is right here. I’m not saying that there isn’t a good bar in Ensenada; I am simply saying that I personally haven’t been able to find one as yet. Parking your car in town can be quite a problem too.
I personally like living in Ensenada. I have been here for almost three years now. This town is pretty well laid back compared to Rosarito, but the traffic congestion is terrible. As are some drivers, but that too applies everywhere no matter where you may be. It always pays to drive defensively. Just because a driver in front of you is signaling left or right doesn’t mean that he or she is going to turn left or right. So expect the unexpected and with luck, you will be okay, but do watch out for women here using cell-phones when they are driving. Such people have nearly run into my car five times. Watch out for them if you can and give them a wide berth? (California State Senator, Carole Migden, who voted last year to impose a fine for using a cell phone while driving, crashed her SUV into another car while she was talking on her own cell phone!) Be very careful of pedestrians too when they are crossing the road at junctions or anywhere else. If you do happen to hit one – for whatever reason, it will be your fault!
If you like Mexico, enough to consider buying property here study the area you are thinking of buying into very carefully. If at all possible, rent there for a while and get to know your neighbors. Things are not always, as they may at first seem to be. Speaking Spanish helps a great deal. If you don’t it might be better if you bought in an area where other ex-pats live so that you can turn to them for help should it be necessary. If you do buy property and need work doing to it ask around about the people you intend employing to work for you, and if possible get firm quotes for any job. Doing so may well save you a lot of trouble later. Many people here consider themselves experts at various trades when in fact they have only a rudimentary knowledge of the work they do. That applies particularly to car mechanics. Only those working for main motor dealerships have to have proper trade qualifications. The rest don’t. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good at their jobs, but it does mean you should be careful when employing such people. Get references from other people wherever possible. Don’t take anything for granted.
Many foreigners coming to live in Mexico have been badly stung by phony real estate agents, lawyers and their crooked property deals, so deal only through accredited agents who can prove that they are what they say they are. Otherwise steer well clear of anyone who tells you he can get you a good property deal no matter where it is. Remember also that only Mexican nationals can buy property within thirty miles or so of the coastline. It is possible for none Mexicans to do so but it involves working through a bank and the annual charges for this procedure may be very high, so think carefully before you enter into any such contract. Deal only with true property professionals who can speak English and perfectly explain every detail of any contract before you sign anything at all. If they can’t or won’t for whatever reason, walk away and keep your money in your own pocket.
Having said all the above many people have come to and love living in Mexico. It isn’t as cheap as many people believe it to be, not by a long way when everything is taken into account, but it is certainly cheaper to live here than some other countries. The vegetables here are fresh and good. The Meat is too. And of course, like many large American towns there are plenty of supermarkets to serve your needs, though they may not stock everything you are used to buying in the States or in Europe?
It seems that there are quite a few British people living in Mexico. And if they are reasonably close to the US border, as I am, they no doubt regularly cross over on a whim to do a bit of shopping and sightseeing in the states. There has however been a change in US policy towards British people living in Mexico. Where as before we could quickly obtain a tourist visa at the border without any problems that situation has now changed for the worst. UK ex-pats who are residents in Mexico have now been excluded from the visa-waiver agreement between the UK and US governments on the grounds that they are no longer domiciled in the United Kingdom and therefore not entitled to benefit from that visa agreement. Which does of course mean that spur of the moment visits to the US by British Mexican residents is now no longer possible. They will from now on have to apply in person to the nearest US consul for a tourist visa, a process that can take up to 90 days, which unfortunately most of us will not bother with as it is simply too much of an inconvenience. This is good news for Mexico, as our vacation money will now be spent here rather than in the United States. I am assuming that this visa restriction also applies to UK residents in Canada and other countries. But I fail to see why this petty visa restriction has been imposed at all. It certainly goes against the grain of the so-called ‘special relationship’ that is supposed to exist between the EU and the USA. Perhaps this is a sign that it no longer does?
However, there are also ‘border restrictions’ in Mexico. For instance, if you have come to live here and imported your car from the United States, and wish to travel deep into the Mexican mainland you will need to obtain a custom’s ‘permit’ which will allow you to do so. The fact of your having already legally imported your car into Mexico and having Mexican license plates on your car simply isn’t enough to get a permit at the customs control point way south of the border. You will also have to produce your car’s original registration certificate along with a rent receipt for your apartment or home in Mexico plus other documents. If you do not have all of these documents, you will be refused a permit to travel onward and you will have to return to wherever you came from. I found this out myself when wanting to travel far down the mainland coastline in my old Jeep that I had imported when I came to live here. Assuming, wrongly as it turned out, that my Mexican documented and insured Jeep would be allowed anywhere in Mexico I was stopped at the customs control point about 50 miles south of the mainland border. I had then to return back to my home in Ensenada to get the required documents, which did of course mean a 700-mile round trip that could well have been avoided had I known of this restriction beforehand, which I did not. It seems that Baja California and the Mexican mainland are treated differently in respect to travel well beyond the border so do keep this point in mind. It will save you much aggravation as well as a lot of time and gas. These kinds of tourist deterrent travel restrictions can be real pain believe me, but it seems that in one form or another most countries seem to have them. So, if you are also planning a long trip deep into Mexico it would be a good idea to check with the Immigration and Customs Office here on the required documentation before you start. The regulations for your vehicle of choice might have changed? When you are sure that you do have all the required documentation, plus copies of everything, including your FM3, Mexican driving license, etc. You get your travel ‘permit’ from Banjercito. They are also online at: www.banjercito.com.mx If all goes well your interior travel permit will cost approx $385 pesos and it will last for six months.
Hotels here in Mexico as everywhere else vary greatly both in the amenities offered and the room prices. Unless the hotel you intend staying at is obviously a decent one ask to check out the room first. Some hotels are quite good whilst others are simply terrible. The price difference between the two isn’t always as great as you might think.
The above now brings us to the real question of Mexican hotels, particularly tourist budget hotels. Alas, in Mexico there is nothing at all to compare with the excellent Motel 6 and Super 8 hotel chains they have in the United States along with similar chains in Europe. Indeed, many of the so-called Mexican ‘budget hotels’ may range in quality from poor to simply deplorable, yet they often charge just as much as the named American hotels above. And trying to find a budget hotel that offers a desk and chair where you can sit down plug in your laptop and connect to the Internet can the equivalent of trying to find the Holy Grail!
It seems that many Mexican hotel owners have never heard about the Internet, let alone offering it as Wi-Fi connection in every guest room as a part of their service, that includes some of the very expensive hotels too I should add. That their guests might wish to check out their e-mail or stock options online is something that they apparently have given little or no thought to at all. Which I might add is pretty ridiculous attitude in this day and age. Mexico has some quite wonderful scenery and the landscapes can be quite awe inspiring but few foreign tourists will ever get to see them without a decent place to spend the night after a day driving though the countryside.
It is true that there are some quite nice hotels in the larger towns and cities, even though many still don’t offer the Internet as a part of their amenities, but Mexico is a very large country and outside the most populated areas, decent hotels can be difficult to find, as can decent restaurants. It is never wise nor safe to drive at night in Mexico. Stray animals may well wonder onto the roads so it is better to start looking for a hotel two or even three hours before you actually need one. Out of sheer necessity, I have stayed at some quite terrible hotels, simply to avoid driving in the dark. And I can assure you I have traveled all over Mexico including the Baja peninsular. I could describe some of my hotel horrors in detail but I have no doubt that you will soon find them out for yourself when touring the country. At some time in the future I have no doubt that some enterprising fellow will start a decent budget hotel chain in Mexico.
The roads here are getting better all the time which will surely encourage more tourists to visit and explore this wonderful country. The few rich people who visit Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco and other well-known resorts bring in the tourist dollars but what they spend is nothing compared to what tens of millions of regular tourists would bring in and spend if only there was decent affordable accommodation for them throughout the entire country, which unfortunately isn’t the case at present. Which I think is a shame and a great loss for all the Mexican people, as the entire economy would undoubtedly be greatly improved. Hopefully in the future the government will come to realize this and employ somebody with the skill to bring about the necessary changes. We can only hope so.
At the moment I am preparing a list of good budget Mexican hotels anywhere in the country - with an Internet connection in every room of course, so if you own such a hotel please contact me with digital photos and state what amenities are offered by you. I shall be more than pleased to give your hotel and any services offered free publicity. And if you just happen to be planning to build a motel please do, for your own success, consult with someone who knows what foreign tourists really want. Because if you don’t get the details right your motel will never get the business it could have if it provided the services they need and now all but demand. A clear sign outside a motel that says Wi-Fi in every room will tempt foreign guests to stop, without that service your business will not prosper in the way it might. Two recently built motels I have stayed at didn’t even have a chair in the room let alone a small desk or any place I could sit at to plug in and use my laptop computer. Whether or not a hotel owner personally has any interest in computers at all is totally irrelevant, they aren’t simply a future need for guests they are a here and right now necessity that any decent hotel must cater for.
(Foreigners are now permitted to own land with restrictions outlined in Article 27 of the Mexican constitution. Article 27 states "that foreigners cannot own property within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of the border and 50 kilometers (30 miles) of the coastline." The Mexican government purposefully intending to attract the foreign investor has provided two ways to get around this restriction - through the use of a Trust (Fideicomiso) or a Mexican corporation. If you are looking to buy land in Mexico, keep it in mind that real estate is not regulated in Mexico. There is no type of real estate license required. Anyone can sell real estate and there isn’t any type of code of ethics that they all agree with. You will need to work with someone trust worthy.)
You can contact me at lesdove@inbox.com Please put ‘Budget Hotel’ in the: subject line of your e-mail.
If you do come to live in Ensenada, here is a list of recommended firms that will help you to get settled in:
(1) Immigration: Aida Topete Ochoa, will help you with your immigration documentation. She speaks perfect English and she is very helpful indeed. Her office is right here in town. Phone: (646) 177-0388 or Fax: (646) 177-1613. Her E-mail is: atopete@telnor.net
(2) Car and house insurance: Elena Bretts Paul. Also speaks good English. Phone: (646) 178-5715 Fax: (646) 178-4394 and E-mail is: elenabretts@yahoo.com
(3) Internet: Dial Up and Cable. Rhamses Orozco Palafox. He speaks very good English. Phone or fax: (646) 178-8744 and E-mail: rhamses@giga-red.net
(4) Computer Repairs: Baja Laptops. Phone or fax: (646) 176-56-33 or E-mail at: bajalaptops@hotmail.com
(5) If you wish to make a complaint against the police you can get a complaint form in English at: www.sindicatura.gob.mx/complaints.asp The complaints phone numbers are: 664-683-4695 664-973-7273 and 664-973-7274.
(6) Car wheel alignment etc. Phone: (646) 176-46-68
(7) Car Importation. Importaciones Argelia. Phone: Also good English. (646) 176-56-97 Fax: (646) 131-36-23 E-Mail: argeluis44@hotmail.com
(8) SKY TV: www.sky.com.mx) and www.cablemas.com
Good maps, unusual Mexican gifts and advice about Ensenada is available from: UNCLE GEORGE, 1090-14 Ave, Lopez Mateos. Villa Marina. Phone: 178-37-34 or Fax: 178-28-15
My only experience of traveling on a freighter happened quite a few years ago, 1957 to be exact. I remember the date because Humphry Bogart the film star died in Hollywood during the voyage. As a young European man looking to gain experience of the world in general, I found myself in Mexico with very little money left in my pocket. Being in that situation wasn’t new to me. I had already been down and out in a few other countries, but being so far away from home, I knew that I had to get back to the UK before I was completely broke. A cheap ticket on a freighter heading for Europe seemed to be my best bet in doing that so going into a travel agent in Mexico City, where I was then staying, I managed to get passage on a Dutch cargo ship . It was called the Emdyke and it was due to sail from Vera Cruz in just a few days I was informed. So getting on a rickety old bus full of peasants and chickens I left Mexico City heading towards the east coast.
Arriving in the port of Vera Cruz I immediately walked to the harbor and went into the shipping office. Presenting my ticket to the clerk inside I inquired where the Emdyke was berthed. The clerk instantly pointed out the small ship to me through the window so leaving the office I made my way along the dockside and climbed aboard the ship where I was greeted by a smiling gray haired old steward.
I was informed by him that the Emdyke would not be traveling to Europe until it had finished trading along the Mexican coastline, which would probably be in a further week or two, but if I wished, the steward told me, I was welcomed to stay on board and join some other passengers who had already boarded the ship. Having little money left to pay for a hotel I decided to remain on board so the steward quickly showed me to my small single cabin, which I thought to be quite comfortable. The cabin bunk bed was soft and there was a small built in table and washbasin. The steward then explained that the ship carried only twelve passengers because to have more would have meant that a doctor would have to be carried too. He also showed me the ships small passenger lounge, which also contained a decent library. The steward then went on to say that coffee or tea was served to the passengers in the lounge every mid morning and afternoon. The main meals, he added, were to be taken in the dining room below where we would all be eating with the captain and the few officers at their tables. He also told me that passengers were free to go ashore for a few hours at the various ports of call if they so wished but to be sure, to get back to the ship again before she moved on, otherwise they would be left stranded in whatever port they happened to be. Anything else we might need he informed me, such as cigarettes or liquor of any kind, could be had from him on request and could be paid for at the end of the voyage.
I was then left to settle myself into the ships daily routine. At first, I thought that I would soon get bored, but surprisingly enough I never was. Not once during the entire trip, which, from that first day aboard, took about five weeks?
Freighter passengers I soon found out are an easygoing crowd who demand very little other than to be left alone to enjoy the voyage and whatever conversation is on offer. The ships food was very good too. And the ships radio officer kept us informed of whatever was happening in the world by posting the daily news on the ships bulletin board.
Over the next few days, I met some of the other passengers who were already aboard the Emdyke. One was a lovely Scandinavian girl of about twenty- five who in some way appeared to be attached to one of the ships officers. Another passenger was a titled older English lady who apparently was a writer and collector of Mexican silverware. She seemed to spend most of the time in her cabin but whenever she appeared she was always friendly enough, she had a good sense of humor too. Two other ladies, also English and in their twenties I guessed, only appeared at mealtimes. They appeared to be in some sort of sexual relationship and rarely left their cabin other than to sunbathe on the upper deck where nobody could see them. Another lady, a Russian / American, I got along with very well. In her early thirties, she was also exploring the world. Together, when in port, we often went ashore to explore the local scenery. Mexico then, pretty much as now, had much poverty. But we explored the small coastal seaports and their back alleys without any concerns at all. We were both amazed at how many professional people lived in almost the same poverty stricken way as did most of the rest of the Mexican people.
Whatever, as the rest of the passengers joined the ship in various ports up and down the coast we eventually set course away from Mexico to Galveston and then New Orleans in the United States as we headed slowly away from Mexico towards Florida and Europe?
The new passengers who gradually came aboard in various ports were a middle aged Swedish couple who apparently spoke no English at all and pretty much kept to themselves, plus a Mexican couple, both of whom spoke excellent English but who in some way appeared to be strange in that the man always appeared to be looking at his quite beautiful wife as though she might do something unexpected. We other passengers soon found out why.
I was in the ships washroom one day and after using the toilet, I was washing my hands when on glancing into the mirror above the washbasin I suddenly saw this beautiful Mexican lady again. She was framed in the toilet doorway behind me, her hands and legs spread out as she hung from the doorframe grinning at me – and she was stark naked!
For a moment, I was in shock, then turning around to face her for a second or two I quickly walked from the room leaving the lady hanging there, all alone still grinning away to herself. Back in the ships lounge I saw the lady’s husband. Quickly I told him what I had seen. He briefly covered his eyes with his hand, and then he informed me that his wife had a small mental problem. She wasn’t in any way dangerous he quickly explained, just a little odd in that she would, for no apparent reason, just strip off her clothes, amongst other things. One of which was that she might suddenly jump out at you from around a corner and shout, “Boo!” He said. But she would never touch you, the man went on telling me that the best thing to do was just to try and ignore her. They had apparently seen many doctors but so far, none of them had been able to help her, the man concluded with an apology. Then with a frown on his face he quickly left me and went off to find his wife and take her back to their cabin.
When I saw the couple together again later in the day they both acted quite normal, the wife apparently having no recollection of having been naked in my presence or of doing anything at all unusual. And indeed, as the man had told me, I did get ‘Booed!” by his wife a few times during the voyage, as he had said that I might, as did some of the other passengers – and crew, but by that time we had all gotten used to the lady’s strange ways and so we just took her antics in our stride. Another incident with her happened on Christmas Eve. We passengers had all gathered in the lounge for a couple of drinks to celebrate with the ships captain, when suddenly this lovely lady jumped up from where she was sitting with her husband. Then going to an inbuilt couch she lay back on it and spread her legs as she loudly cried out that she was about to give birth! Needles to say she hardly raised an eyebrow, we just felt sorry for her poor husband, who simply whisked the lady off the sofa and back to their cabin again.
It being Christmas, and myself being young and carefree, against ships regulations I should add, I accepted an invitation from a member of the crew and went down into their quarters to celebrate Christmas with them too. There were all good Dutch lads with their cabins full of booze from ports all over the world, so I proceeded to get merry with them through all the rest of that evening. We all had a fine old time relating our experiences to each other and getting drunk until eventually I was all but falling down, so a couple of the crew helped me back to my own cabin and tucked me in for the night. Knowing that I had very little money, they later also took care of my ships bill for all the cigarettes I had smoked during the trip. There’s no wonder I still like the Dutch so much.
Another interesting and unusual incident happened as the ship was in the Devil’s Triangle or Bermuda Triangle as it is now more commonly referred to, though the area wasn’t known by that notorious name until much later. (The term "Bermuda Triangle" was first used in an article written by Vincent H. Gaddis for Argosy magazine in 1964.) Whatever, on that particular lovely sunny day the sky was a clear and the sea was flat and calm with only a slight swell on its surface as we passengers sat down to have lunch with the captain in the ships dining room. As we all ate and conversed without a care in the world, the ship suddenly lurched violently right over sideways, so much so it was on the point of completely capsizing! Being so calm that day, the table rims had not been raised nor had our chairs been chained to the floor as they would have been in rougher weather. Consequently as the ship lurched right over all of our plates and the food on them was thrown off the tables and all over the place, along with many of the passengers who ended up on the floor covered in vegetables, cutlery and other tit-bits as they all cried out in alarm, no doubt thinking that they were all on the brink of going down with the ship and drowning?
But as the ship righted itself again, the captain quickly picked himself off the floor and almost in a panic he rushed out of the room to the bridge, probably thinking that we had collided with another ship, but we hadn’t. Indeed, there was no other ship in sight, and the sea was just as calm as it had been all that morning. There was no explanation at all, as to why the ship had almost capsized. However, we heard later that two other ships in the same area had also suffered similar mishaps, also without any apparent reason, though some of their passengers had suffered broken limbs as they were thrown to the floor as their ships almost capsized. We on the Emdyke fortunately had no injuries in that respect, though some of the passengers were pretty shook up and quite distressed from the near tragedy. In later years, on relating this experience to a seaman I met I learned that there is an area near Madagascar where similar incidents have happened. One explanation for this is that an undersea current slowly builds up until a swirling motion suddenly sucks down any ship that is near the surface where that happens. The latest theory holds that immense bubbles of methane gas rising from rifts in the ocean floor results in the sinking of any ship above it. Another explanation that comes to mind is undersea UFO’s that have been reported in the area. If we assume that, these reports are true and that such a craft had passed quickly underneath the Emdyke then that might have caused an undersea wave surge strong enough to have affected the vessel. In 2002, the BBC produced the Horizon documentary ‘Freak Wave’ that proved huge rogue waves happened much more commonly than had previously been thought. That being so then huge undersea freak currants may also be far more common than we have believed, which would to some extent provide another explanation for ships suddenly being lost in calm waters. But whether or not these theories are true I don’t know. Personally, I doubt it. But I can’t offer any other explanation?
Whatever, afterwards the ship preceded on to Europe without any further problems at all. Looking back, I have to say I enjoyed my voyage on the Emdyke immensely. Some time later, back on my feet again, I traveled from Liverpool to Montreal in Canada on the Saxonia of the Cunard Line. It was a very luxurious ship in every way but quite dull compared to my trip on the Emdyke. It still brings a broad grin to my face when I fondly look back on my voyage on her.
Dr Les Dove
During the apartheid area, I was living in Johannesburg, South Africa. At that time, I had rented three small connecting offices in the Grey’s Building, which was just opposite then new downtown Carlton Shopping Center.
When having my mid-day lunch break I used to read the afternoon copy of the Johannesburg Star. I ate my lunch sitting at my desk. However, on that particular day as I was eating a sandwich I suddenly had a feeling that something was in the office to my left. My own office was in the middle of three and to enter the other two offices you had to go through mine first. However, as the feeling of an intruder persisted I finally put down my sandwich and walked to the door of the office on my left. I thought that maybe a cat or something had somehow sneaked in and that was what I was thinking as I opened the office door.
But it wasn’t a cat in there – it was a ghost. As I stepped inside the room, there was the apparition of a middle aged black man. He had close- cropped gray hair but was slightly bald at the front. He was wearing an off- white-stripped shirt without a collar and he had on a rough serge jacket and trousers - and he was staring right at me from just three feet away. As I took this, all in I could see that there was nothing at all below his knees, and indeed, I could see straight through him. It was just as though I was looking at the clear negative of a photograph.
I didn’t feel scared at all, just shocked, as I think anyone would be. Whatever, on seeing what I had, I slowly backed away and out of the room, closing the door gently behind me. But then I had second thoughts quickly thinking that maybe I should try and communicate with the ghost somehow and so I slowly opened the door again intending to do so, but the apparition had already vanished.
The following morning I had occasion to talk with the lady who managed the offices and without mentioning anything about what I had seen the day before I casually asked her about the history of the building? She told me that at one time, not so long before, the Grey’s building had been used by the infamous South African secret police. And that during their occupation of the building many black men who had been arrested were interrogated there. As prisoners many of them were taken up onto the roof in handcuffs and thrown off to their deaths below, deaths which were later described as ‘suicides’. So, I could only assume that the man I had seen had been one of the unfortunate victims.
I never saw the ghost again during the time I was that office building, unfortunately, but about three months afterwards, I was working late in my office, the time being about 9 p.m. I guess. Whatever, right behind my desk was a large picture window and as I sat there writing, there came a sudden very loud crash from right behind me. It sounded as though someone had picked up a metal chair and hurled it forcibly through the large picture window! As you can imagine I jumped up from my desk in shock and alarm wondering what the hell was happening! But so far as I could see, nothing was, so I went into the other two offices to see if any windows inside them were broken – but none were? So leaving my offices and going to the ground floor entrance security guard, I asked him who else was working late in the building, but he told me that nobody else was, and that I was the only person left inside the building, apart from him. So, I informed the security guard of the loud crashing sound I had heard and asked him to investigate, just in case there had been a break in of sorts?
However, the guard checked out every other office in the entire building – and found no damage anywhere, all the other offices were empty their tenants having gone home for the night, so I had no explanation for what happened that evening?
Nothing else ever happened to me while I was in the Grey’s building, I left it a few months later to go and live in Rhodesia. But I still remember those incidents all this time later. And I still curse myself for backing away out of that office that evening, and away from the ghost inside it.
Dr Les Dove.
It has been quite a few years since I last toured around mainland Mexico, over fifty in fact, but now retired and living here with plenty of time on my hand’s I decided to do so again. The main reason being that “The Baja Run” (which means to the end of the peninsular and back) has gotten to be too easy. Just about any roadworthy car can do the trip now that the roads in Baja California are being upgraded. The run isn’t a challenge for us hard-core drivers anymore, we need something demanding to keep us happy on the road, so I thought that I would devise “The Mexico Run’ to compete with “The Baja Run.” So now, instead of driving approx two thousand miles up and down the Baja peninsular, you will have to drive over seven thousand miles almost right round the entire edge of the Mexican mainland - wherever there are roads to drive on. But this isn’t any kind of race remember, there is no need to put yourself in harms way. The Mexico Run is more of an endurance test, but one where you can take your time, relax a little and have some fun. We aren’t into nit-picking here, you will have a month or so in which to do it, and once you have done it then you will have earned the right to say you have done the ‘Mexico Run’ or your bragging rights - as the American’s like to say. The landscape views in Mexico are out of this world so you will really enjoy the drive. Driving through the desert, mountainous and coastal regions here in Mexico is a real pleasure to say the least.
The roads here are getting better all the time and the new roads now being built are equal to any in the world. New hotels and motels are also springing up everywhere; some of them even have Wi-Fi in every room, though not many I should add, so don’t count on checking your e-mail every day. And don’t always count on finding really good hotels outside the cities; sometimes you will have to put up with some very basic accommodation but you will at least be off the road at night, which is the most important thing. Eventually I think most hotels will get Wi-Fi installed just as they have in other countries. Most foreign tourists now have laptop computers and they will seek out hotels that offer that service to them but until that happens be content with what there is here now. Given time all decent hotels will offer Wi-Fi to their guests.
Before setting off on my drive round the Mexican coastline, I had my old Jeep Cherokee greased and serviced to make sure it was ready for an extra long trip. This is an essential step. Having your car breakdown miles from anywhere is not to be desired, whether in Mexico or anywhere else for that matter, so it pays to make sure that your vehicle is in good working order before you start your journey. I also suggest that you take along a long strong wheel nut wrench as garages here tend to over tighten them and getting them off in case you need to change a tire can be pretty difficult to say the least. It is also a good idea to have plenty of small bills and change for the many road tollbooths you will pass through on the excellent new autoroutes. These toll charges can really add up when you are doing the Mexico Run so add a couple of hundred dollars on your budget to account for them all.
Leaving Ensenada, at 8-30 in the morning, I took route 3 towards Tecate and then route 2 which would eventually lead me over the mountains towards San Luis and the desert state of Sonora. I found San Luis to be a thriving lively little town with quite a lot of decent shops and hotels, but it was too early in the day for me to remain there for long so I pressed on across the desert. After arriving there at around six thirty in the evening, I decided to stay in the small town of Sonoyta and spend the night there. The first hotel I tried had no vacancies so driving on through the town I came across the newly built Nora motel which is just on the edge of town heading south so I checked in there for the night. There is a restaurant next door to the motel but by the time I had showered and changed my clothes it had closed, so driving into town I looked for another restaurant but not quickly finding one I settled for a couple of tacos at a roadside café instead. After a long days drive, I usually find myself too tired to eat a large meal so a decent snack usually serves me well. When traveling I always carry a small two-cup coffee percolator so I quickly made myself a coffee in my hotel room and settled in for the night. There isn’t very much to do in Sonoyta at night anyway, the town appears to close down quite early in the evening so I wasn’t really missing anything. I would have liked to use my laptop to make a few notes but there wasn’t a desk in my hotel room or even a chair to sit on come to that, nor on inquiring at the reception desk could I get a chair, but the room did have a good bed so I had an early night instead.
The following day I was up early and really looking forward to my trip down the Gulf of California and the Pacific coastline. However, about fifty miles down the coastline from the US border there is a customs and Immigration post where everyone and all vehicles must stop to be inspected.
To get through this mainland ‘border post’ you must have the proper authorization, which for foreign tourists in foreign vehicles means that they will not be allowed to continue without the required documentation. So, unless you can provide that documentation for the authorities, you must be prepared to be turned back towards wherever you did come from. On a previous trip, I had been turned back. You can find out exactly what documentation you need by contacting any Mexican Customs and Immigration Office. They will supply you with full details of what is needed to travel down into mainland Mexico. A customs travel permit is issued by Banjercito and costs approx $385 pesos, and it will last for six months. Before a mainland travel permit is issued you will also require a photocopies of all your documents. Fortunately, after returning to Ensenada to get it, I now had the required travel permit and so was able to pass through the checkpoint and continue my journey without any difficulty. I must add that foreign resident’s who live full time in Mexico, even though they may have legally imported their car into the country and have Mexican license plates, also require this ‘permit’ to travel down into mainland Mexico so do take care of these formalities before you start the run. It will save you much time and aggravations later believe me. When you do have all these documents keep them handy, you may be asked to show them from time to time at police checkpoints.
After passing through the border post, I continued on to Santa Ana, on route 15 arriving there at approx 5 pm. The roads leading from Sonoyta to Santa Ana have been upgraded and they too are excellent. There was also little traffic on the road so the drive there was a real pleasure. The motel San Francisco which is on the main road going through town looked quite inviting as I drove by, so quickly turning around I checked in there for the night. The accommodations were excellent and I am pleased to say the hotel does have Wi-Fi so I was able to check my e-mail and make a few notes on my laptop, but the Wi-Fi signal was very weak so don’t count on sending more than e-mail. Another hotel directly opposite also has Wi-Fi I noticed so things are looking up in this direction.
I set off again early from Santa Ana sticking to route 15 and passing through Los Mochis, Culiacan, Matatzalan and Tepic before changing from route 15 to route 200, which is mostly a free road. Reaching Puerto Vallarta at 4 pm in the evening, I found the town to be everything that I had expected of it and more. Indeed, to my mind Puerto Vallarta is so very classy it far surpasses any similar resort town in Europe or indeed the United States. I have visited most of the well-known classy resort towns including Biarritz, Cannes, St Tropez, Barcelona, West Palm Beach, Newport Beach, plus Rio de Janeiro and other places the so-called Jet Setters like to hang out in. But in my opinion, none of those places can hold a candle to Puerto Vallarta. It is indeed one of Mexico’s jewels. Though very busy, the town still has that quiet old world elegance and charm rarely found anywhere today. Indeed, I would have liked to stay in Puerto Vallarta for a few days but the hotel prices were sadly well out of my budget for this or any other trip, so I settled for a quiet drive around town instead. The few hotels that I did quickly check out cost much more than I could afford so I continued driving along the coastline on route 200 and eventually found a small hotel offering a simple room for only $300 pesos a night, so there I stayed. The following day I pressed on early again and reached Acapulco before nightfall. As can be imagined the town was very busy but not at all as I had pictured it to be.
The road toll fees, and there are a lot of them here now, seem to be getting higher the further south I travel. So far, they have ranged between $9 to $202 pesos at every stop and I can’t help but wonder how an earth the locals can afford such charges? There seems to be little traffic on the new toll roads so maybe a lot of them can’t? It is certainly true that all the new roads that are being built here in Mexico are very good, equal to and even better than many American or European roads, but at those toll price’s they should be! In future, I shall try and stay on the free roads as much as possible.
Here I must digress for a moment to make a point, and so hopefully prevent those following me on this route from making the same false assumptions that I made after leaving Tepic on route 200 heading for Acapulco. As you have probably gathered by now, I’m full of assumptions as indeed are many other people when they are driving around in countries whose roads are new to them. Whatever, the tale I am now about to relate is about the city of Orlando in Florida. After leaving a hotel in the city after spending the night there a few years ago I decided make an early start to my driving tour right around the edge of that state, just as I am now doing in Mexico. However, on leaving my Orlando hotel and driving round and around the city for heavens knows how long I subsequently found myself back at the point from where I had started, indeed, wherever I drove it seemed that I could not find my way out of the city! The signposts, or lack of them pointing to an exit, offered no help at all and it must have been well over an hour before I finally managed to get the right directions and so finally continue on towards my preferred route to drive around the state. I later found out that many other visitors had also suffered the same fate as myself when the local Orlando newspapers began printing stories of many other visitors who also found themselves driving round and round Orlando quite unable to find their way out of it. Some drivers even contacted the local radio stations on their phones asking if they could be given help in finding their way out of the city. The point of this tale being that this kind of thing has also happened elsewhere, like on the Paris Ring road for example, and the London Ring road too, and now it’s also happening in some parts of Mexico, probably due in part because of the aggressive new road building that is taking place all over the country. Whatever the reason, I did not get to Acapulco on the day I wanted to after leaving Tepic. Indeed by the end of that day I wondered if I ever would get to Acapulco at all so frustrated was I after driving countless miles on route 200, which by my reckoning on reading through my map should have lead me directly to where I wanted to go. But no, wrong assumption again, route 200 led me not towards Acapulco but to Manzanillo and the new super high-way there whose signs led me not along the route to Armeria but into the city center where an abundance of other road signs, all seemingly saying the same thing – were no help at all in directing me out of the city and back onto the road towards Acapulco where I needed to go. Indeed, it was only through the help of an English-speaking port worker that I managed to get out of the city and back on to the road where I should have been hours before. But I had to retrace my steps some fifty odd miles to do so! Eventually finding myself back at Tecoman, a road sign in the town boldly directed me towards the road to Lazaro Gardenas, only when I reached that road I found it was no longer there, it had all been dug up in preparation for a new road that was in the process of being built, so again I drove all around town asking people how I could get to Lazaro Gardenas but nobody I talked to seemed to know? Much of this confusion stems from the road signs saying that certain towns are on route 200 when in fact some of them are extensions off route 200! So believing that by following route 200 and assuming – there I go again, that it will take you directly to where you want to go - does not necessarily hold true. That assumption will also mislead you and take you to places where you most definitely don’t want to go. So, by reading another more detailed map of the area, I eventually headed for the Cerro de Ortega, which is also actually located off route 200, but it was in the direction I needed to go on route 200 which would lead me to Lazaro Gardenas, which thankfully it did. If all this sounds very confusing, it was. However, by the time all these unwelcome diversions had taken place the day was almost over and when I did finally reach Lazaro Gardenas I drove right through the town without stopping until I knew for sure that I was definitely on the right track heading South on route 200 that would take me to Acapulco. So, my advice to you now is - simply head from Manzanillo directly to the Tecoman roundabout on the outskirts of town and from there, you can head directly towards Cerro de Ortega without going into the town of Tecoman at all. That will take you in the direction you need to go without all the aggravation and needless loss of time that befell me on that day! Point made, I hope. So, unless you really do want to go into a town anywhere on the Mexico Run I suggest that you take the by-pass roads that many towns have now.
I spent that night at a small hotel, which offered very simple but clean rooms. It was getting dark so I took what was on offer at the time more than grateful for being off the road at night and into a welcoming bed. Perhaps I should mention here that there are very few services on this particular stretch of route 200, and it definitely isn’t the kind of road you should be driving on in the dark. It twists and turns with some very tight curves and there are things wondering on the road you really don’t want to hit, like wild dogs, cows, mules, goats and horses, so be warned. It is a long hard drive of about 200 miles or so before you do reach Acapulco so start your trip on this stretch of road early on in the day if you can.
On reaching Acapulco I found that it too lived up to, it’s reputation, though it was far too busy a city for my liking. The traffic there is horrendous and the little white and blue Volkswagen taxis are furiously rushing here and there all over the place with urgency that is hard to understand. Yes, glamorous Acapulco may well be but for me the city lacked the quiet sophistication and charm of Puerto Vallarta. Though it’s easy to understand why millions of visitors do flock to Acapulco every year. I however quickly passed through after taking a few photos of the city and continued on my way. After reaching Copala some time later, I checked into the hotel Piccalino just as daylight was beginning to fade.
I haven’t worked it out exactly yet, but I reckon that I must have driven about two thousand miles at least during these last few days, so my Jeep needs to be checked over and cleaned too. There are many more thousands of miles for me to drive yet before I finish my task of driving right round the Mexican coastline so there isn’t any point in my rushing things.
Thursday, May 29th. I felt great so decided to press on to Salina Cruz. I arrived there around six pm. It had been a very hot day. I checked into the hotel Maria del Carmen to have a welcome cup of coffee and then a shower. There was plenty of military and paramilitary police check points on the way here today, but no problems. Once the military or police are convinced that you are not carrying any weapons or illegal drugs, they quickly send you on your way. Because of the Zapatista Resistance Movement my insurance agent had advised me not to travel through the area where they were known to operate so rather than continue on route 200 at that point I thought it best to cut across country on route 180 to the town of Villamariposa and then make that the end of stage one of the trip.
At this point drivers may if they wish turn around here and head up the Eastern side of the country north towards Vera Cruz and onward back towards the starting point of the trip. They will then be considered as having earned their stripes and done “The Mexico Run”. However, having come so far I decided to go the whole hog and continue on route 186 towards Chetumal and Belize. This is stage two of the trip. Having broken the back of this trip, so to speak, with everything having gone very well for me – apart from the broken down air conditioner in my Jeep, I am looking forward to having a look around Belize and later also Cancun in the Yucatan peninsular.
So far, the weather on this trip has been really marvelous, but just shortly after leaving Villamariposa it began to rain quite heavily and for the next two days it barely stopped at all. At one point, it was raining so hard I stopped at the next hotel I saw just to get off the road and out of it. The following morning the rain has eased up a bit but it hadn’t stopped completely. I carried on however towards Chetumal and there stopped at the Jeep dealer to see if I could get my air-con unit fixed but all their mechanics had stopped work for the weekend so that didn’t happen. Finally finding myself so close to Belize I decided to cross over the border and have a look at that country my not having been there before.
Just before you cross over the border check point into Belize there are a couple of glaring Casino’s and a duty free shopping area but ignoring those I drove straight to the border immigration and customs point to complete the formalities to enter Belize. These ‘formalities’ can be confusing so there are various local ‘guides’ touting their services offering to help direct you to the various offices where all these formalities can be completed. Asking one of these ‘guides’ how much he wanted for his services he informed me that it was up to me but that the cost would be small. I therefore allowed him into my car to help me complete the required procedures for entry into Belize.
The first thing that was necessary was to get the car tires sprayed with some sort of chemical. That cost $5.00 US. Then we went to get the car insured, which every car entering Belize from Mexico apparently has to have, that costs $6.00 US a day. As I didn’t expect to remain in the country for longer than a day or so, I took out insurance for one day only. I was then guided to the immigration department where they required full documentation for both my car and myself. A stamp for both my car and myself was then put in my passport. The car stamp was to be re-stamped on leaving the country to confirm that I had indeed removed the car from Belize when I left. I was then escorted to the customs post where I was asked if I was taking anything into Belize after which a customs officer then quickly checked my luggage and allowed me through the border post. My ‘guide’ then demanded well over $10.00 US for his fifteen minutes of service, which I thought far too much so informed him that $10.00 was all that he had earned and was going to get. He left me grumbling away to himself, after which I proceeded to drive to the town of Corozal which just a few miles inside the country. To say that I was not impressed with the town would be an understatement. I drove all around it before quickly deciding that Belize City would not be any better so turning around I headed back to the border post, got my exit stamp as required and then proceeded back on the road towards Cancun where I stopped for the night at the first motel I saw. I wasn’t very impressed with that either. An American lady who had settled in Mexico ran this motel. And all she really provided was a clean comfortable bed. There was no chair or table in the motel room where I could sit and use my laptop so as was usual I had an early night instead. I guess that I am about 300 kl from Cancun so I should arrive there sometime tomorrow.
Sunday, June 1st. It doesn’t seem to have stopped raining much at all since I left Villahermosa, it has poured down every day and as I now finally enter Cancun after leaving Belize it’s still raining hard and many of the streets in town are flooded. The traffic in Cancun is very busy and unorganized, plus cab drivers use their horns a lot. I can’t say that I felt like staying in Cancun. Maybe it was the endless pouring rain. But it isn’t my kind of town at all that’s why I pretty much drove straight through it and continued on to Merida and Campeche. The latter is a town I took to instantly. Like Puerto Vallarta, Campache is another of Mexico’s hidden gems. It is a very clean little town with a wonderful sea front promenade that would be hard for any resort town to beat. As I drove along the promenade looking for a hotel, I came across The Hotel Alhambra quite by chance and taken by the look of it I checked in right away. Very reasonable rates and yes, the Alhambra has W-Fi too, as well as all the other modern conveniences including a fridge in the room, which I used right away to keep cool a couple of beers that I bought from a nearby store. I also had a good meal in the hotel restaurant. The air-con in my car still isn’t fixed yet so I have really been feeling the heat. Hopefully I can get it attended to here in Campache in the morning. I dread the thought of driving north, into the Sonora desert, and over the mountains again without air-con in my Jeep to keep me cool. But then I really must press on again back to Villahermosa, Acaycan and eventually Vera Cruz, where I haven’t been for at least fifty years and more so it will be good to see how much the port has changed in all that time.
When I started out on this trip the Jeep had 166050 miles on the clock – but now that has gone up to 170585 miles, and there is still a long way to go before the journey is over. At a guess, I would say that the mileage would increase drastically before I get home to Ensenada again, so we shall see.
Monday June 2nd. For some strange reason the air-con in my car started working somewhat again so I decided to press on. I might have stayed a while here in Campache but it was raining again, and it kept on raining all day right on through Villahermosa again and now still is raining on the road to Vera Cruz which is now about 250 or so miles away. But it was lovely driving on the free coast road out of Campache towards Villahermosa. The ocean views were great. But try and avoid going into the center of Villahermosa if you can. The traffic there in the city center is a total nightmare and best avoided. Somehow, I took a wrong turn I did end up in the center of town and it took me ages to find my way out again onto the Coatzacolas and Vera Cruz road. After being on the road since 7am, I finally stopped at a truck stop at about 2pm to get something to eat. The food and coffee was great. I felt too tired to eat much after driving so long and shortly after I began looking for a hotel to spend the night in. Near 5 pm, I found another ‘Love Motel’ and checked in there for a welcome shower and a couple of beers. These types of private motels are getting very popular in Mexico now. If you want a quiet and very private assignation with a lady friend you simply chose one of these motels where you can drive into an enclosed garage area and from there step directly into your motel room without being seen by anyone but the hotel receptionist. These hotels are however not just for couples; single guests are also very welcome. I have stayed at three of them so far and no doubt will stay at many more as I travel about Mexico. I see a great future for these kinds of motels. Not just in Mexico but everywhere. But do be careful to check out the charges for staying at these motels for the whole night, some of them charge by the hour! However, if they are not very busy most of them will charge you no more than any other hotel.
Wed, June 4th. Well, it finally appears to have stopped raining. Both Veracruz and Tampico is nothing like I remembered them, naturally enough after fifty years, so after reaching both places I just kept on driving through and on to the coast road route 180 until I reached Soto La Marina, which is quite a nice area in a way. This coastal route is also very quite in regard to traffic. There were times when I thought that I was the only one on the road. The views along the coast roads are always better I find. Whatever after pressing on I joined route 101 and eventually finished up my day driving to Matamoros that is almost on the US border, and which I have to say is a very nice city indeed. It seems very well planned out and though very busy in regard to traffic it was quite orderly I thought, not like Villahermosa at all, thank heavens. So far, I think Matamoros is my favorite city after Puerto Vallarta. Whatever, it was around 4pm so after driving around the city to get the feel of it I headed West, keeping my eyes open for a place to stay the night. I found one soon enough on the Carr. Sendero Nacional a few miles out of town, and yes, it’s very good and it’s called The Motel Sendero. They don’t have Wi-Fi yet but the owners are considering having it installed.
Well, it seems that I am now on the last part of the ‘Mexico Run.’ Having driven from Ensenada in Baja, California, right round the Mexican coastline almost to the US border at Matamoros, the trip is almost done. All I have to do now is drive right across the country again back to Ensenada and it will be over. But what a wonderful drive it has been. This run is a great way to see the real Mexico, the country the usual travel brochures don’t show you. It dispels quite a few myths about Mexico too. Yes, there is poverty here, as elsewhere in the world, but there are a lot of good changes taking place all over Mexico. The marvelous new roads that are being built all over the country are going to open up Mexico as never before, indeed the day is soon coming when Mexico will stand proudly with every other developed country in the world, indeed it might well surpass many of them, just as China has done. This progress will undoubtedly open the way to many more jobs in the service and other industries, so if you still think of Mexico as simply being a ‘Third World County’ you are sadly out of touch, it isn’t anymore. Away from the border areas, this country is changing rapidly, and it isn’t just the great new roads, many town centers are being redesigned and made to look attractive. Mexico as a country may well be on the brink of a huge tourist boom and all the new hotels that are opening here are I hope going to be ready to greet those tourists and cater to their wishes. I just hope that hotel owner’s check out what there guests really want rather than what they personally think they should have. Sometimes I wonder if they have ever consulted anyone about modern hotel room design. The changes that most hotels here need to make aren’t expensive at all, more than anything just simple maintenance is required, a place to hang your clothes with a few hangers, and a shelf or desk to place a laptop on, plus a chair to sit on of course. And Wi-Fi would be nice. I know that I keep harping on about this but without this kind of service, no hotel today is going to get the business it should.
Thursday June 5th. No point in following route 2 from Matamoros as it peters out further along the US border so I headed for Reynosa and then Monterrey. What a huge busy city that is, I was glad when I reached the outskirts of it on the way to Saltillo and Torreon. But before heading north, I decided to take a small tour around the Durango area, as I hadn’t been there before, plus I needed to find a hotel for the night. The scenery in this area is really lovely. As it was getting late in the day I found and stopped at a small motel. The following day I took route 45 and headed North by way of Hidalgo del Parral and Chihuahua which will eventually lead me to Buenaventura and route 2 again, pointing the way to Aqua Prieta, Santa Ana and Ensenada.
Friday 6th June. I made very good time today, getting as far as Buenaventura on route 10. The first day I can remember without a spot of rain since leaving Tampico. Checked into a motel for the night, and I think that I was the only guest there. That motels here simply do not provide the facilities people need today is I think one reason for their lack of trade but another is that the tourists are not as yet coming to mainland Mexico in the required numbers. The ‘red tape’ permits, etc, may be one reason, as may also be the many police and military checkpoints that visitors to mainland Mexico have to pass through. It’s hard to pin down exactly why the tourists aren’t here in droves. Maybe they haven’t heard about all the new roads yet, and maybe the old tales about ‘bandito’s’ still persist in some minds. I don’t know. There is of course a lack of attractions here, apart from the wonderful scenery that is. There aren’t any Las Vegas’s here, or Disney worlds and Mexico certainly isn’t as cheap as people think it is. And maybe it is just too early in the day for all the huge advances that are taking place here to have been noticed by the travel industry. Whatever, I feel confident that given the right incentives to visit Mexico the tourists will come and Mexico will have the boom it deserves.
Saturday 7th June. No chance of making it back to Ensenada today. I have checked into a motel here in Soyanita and had a decent dinner for a change instead of the small snack I usually have.
Arrived back in Ensenada this Sunday June 8, just after 1pm. Great Trip but glad to be back home again. Total miles that I had driven during the Mexico Run were 7.584, which I should add include a return trip to the mainland border post from Ensenada. So, if as I do you really like a good run then this trip is for you. I got lost a few times on the way around Mexico but I found the wonderful Mexican people to be a great help in putting me back on track again. And other than getting lost a few times, I had no other real problems at all. The trip took fifteen days and five hours. Gas costs for my Jeep Cherokee were about $450 pesos a day. Hotel charges ranged between $200 and $450 pesos a day and the average meal costs less than $100 pesos.
Below are a few tips that may be helpful to you during your trip into the Mexican mainland. If you also make the run and come across any helpful advice for future travelers please e-mail me at: lesdove@inbox.com and I shall include them here.
NOTE: To prove that you have indeed made the ‘Mexico Run’ take a few digital photos along the way, including town signposts and some of the sights you see as you travel through on the journey, also keep your entire toll both receipts. I took most of my photos through the car windshield and you can do the same. You have one month to do the entire trip. When you return e-mail me and I will include your name in the list of fellow travelers who have accomplished the run.
Good luck and happy driving to you all.
Dr Les Dove.
MEXICO TIPS
1. Carry plenty of small bills and change for shopkeepers and tollbooths. Also, get a good map of Mexico before you come here. Surprisingly they are hard to find here.
2. Make sure you have all the required documentation to be in and travel through mainland Mexico. You may need to produce it all more than once.
3. When driving make sure your car is in good condition. It is also a good idea to carry spare radiator hoses and a fan belt, plus the tools to fit them. Distances between towns can be great and help in case of a breakdown may be long time coming.
4. Do carry plenty of drinking water, some food and possibly sleeping bags, ‘just in case’ they are needed. In some areas, hotels are very far apart.
5. ‘Border restrictions’ in Mexico. For instance, even if you have come to live here and imported your car from the United States, and wish to travel deep into the Mexican mainland you will still need to obtain a custom’s ‘permit’ which will allow you to do so. The fact of your having already legally imported your car into Mexico and having Mexican license plates on your car simply isn’t enough to get a permit at the customs control point way south of the border. You will also have to produce your car’s original registration certificate along with a rent receipt for your apartment or home in Mexico plus other documents. If you do not have all of these documents, you will be refused a permit to travel onward and you will have to return to wherever you came from. I found this out myself when wanting to travel far down the mainland coastline in the old Jeep that I had imported when I came to live here. Assuming, wrongly as it turned out, that my Mexican documented and insured Jeep would be allowed anywhere in Mexico I was stopped at the customs control point about 50 miles south of the mainland border. I had then to return back to my home in Ensenada to get the required custom documents, which did of course mean a long round trip back home that could well have been avoided had I known of this restriction beforehand, which I did not. It seems that Baja California and the Mexican mainland are treated differently in respect to travel well beyond the border so do keep this point in mind. It will save you much aggravation as well as a lot of time and gas. So, if you are also planning a long trip deep into Mexico it would be a good idea to check with the Immigration and Customs Office here on the required documentation before you start your journey. The regulations for your vehicle of choice might have changed? When you are sure that you do have all the required documentation, plus copies of everything, including your FM3, Mexican driving license, etc. You get your travel ‘permit’ from Banjercito. They are also online at: www.banjercito.com.mx If all goes well your interior travel permit will cost approx $385 pesos and it will last for six months.
6. If for any reason you have to drive off the road in desert areas, do be careful to pick firm ground to park on. You can very easily get your car stuck in the sand.
7. Don’t pick up strangers. I have at times given a ride to people whose car has broken down miles from anywhere, but as I say, do be careful.
8. Look for hotels 2 or even 3 hours before you need them. They may be very far apart. And don’t drive in the dark unless it’s absolutely necessary. Animals or humans may be wondering on the road and you may not see them until it’s too late to stop hitting them.
HOTELS – No need to book ahead.
Most of the average Hotels and Motels in Mexico cost anything from $200 pesos to $500 pesos a night. And although some are lacking in amenities most of them are very clean, so if you just happen to get a ‘rough joint’ just put it down to experience – the thing is you’ll be off the road when it’s dark, and that is what counts most.
Note: Most hotels in Mexico have tile flooring. When wet, tile flooring can be very slippery indeed, particularly in bathrooms. Take great care. I have twice very nearly had a bad fall slipping on tile floors and once almost broke my big toe, not to mention anything else.
The chain of “Auto-Motels” are beginning to appear throughout Mexico and they are very good indeed providing excellent accommodation. If they had Wi-Fi, which most don’t as yet, they could be recommended without hesitation. If you are close