¡El Roadtrip Mejicano!

Your finest guide to crossing Mexico, staying out of trouble, enjoying the drive, and maybe even making it back to the border!

by Traian Popescu
(Click the photos to enlarge)

Although this is terribly unhelpful, and rather in bad taste, it is wholly honest to say that driving through Mexico can be incredibly satisfying, or maddeningly frustrating, largely depending on how one goes about doing the business. There is a wonderful diversity and amount of things to be seen in Mexico, and the driving itself is first rate in many places, but making the most of it requires a bit of knowledge and preparation, and to that end you won't find a finer guide than on these pages! I know, I know, my modesty precedes me…

I made the crossing from Matamoros, Tamaulipas - the eastern-most border-crossing point, just south of Brownsville on the Gulf Coast - to Merida, Yucatan - on the western tip of the peninsula and roughly 2000km away - in under 48 hours; as well as the full 5000km main event (from Toronto, Canada) in under 4 days. If such a half-assed scheme is in your near future, you have reached the right guide! Those of you who enjoy bizarre bureaucracy and frantic running around are advised to skip this section; the rest should probably read on. If you plan on driving any further into Mexico than the border town outskirts, you will need a 'permiso' for your car, which basically involves affixing a sticker to your windshield detailing that it has been 'imported into Mexico,' and promising that you will bring the car back across the border within 30 days or else incur a hefty penalty (generally $200-400 USD). This permiso costs roughly $37. Another permiso is needed for each person making the trip, which is similar to the customs immigration forms handed out on airplanes, except this one is not free. Figure on roughly $23. Finally, liability insurance is mandatory and this usually runs about 200 pesos (around $18).

The crossing I made basically involves following highway 180 for its entirety, which sounds rather more simple than it is. If you are going south, follow the signs for Ciudad Victoria, which will lead you to highway 180 and further. Unlike in Canada and the United States, road signs are generally labeled by destination, rather than by highway number, meaning you should follow the directions of the locations along your path, rather than waiting for a sign specifying the road you are looking for.

Matamoros is dusty and polluted, and contains both military and customs checkpoints. Make sure your papers are in order, get out of town as quickly as possible and breathe deep: you're in Mexico, and life is good! Where highway 180 branches off towards Tampico and Ciudad Madero and away from Ciudad Victoria, it becomes time to start unwinding your vehicle. The road to Tampico is the best drive I've had so far in my car. 180 runs along the edge of the Sierra Tamaulipas (Mountains), and is well-paved and hardly two bus-widths wide. Take advantage of the good road conditions and fine weather and exercise your right foot freely: blasting along these narrow lanes at awfully illegal speeds is a joy and the mountain scenery is stunning. Mexican drivers are friendly and accommodating and large vehicles such as trucks and buses usually move at rather illicit speeds themselves, but drivers of slow moving vehicles will always move over to let you pass, sometimes right on the gravel, and wave to you when it is safe to do so. A little Mexican peculiarity is the 'doble remolque,' which indicates a giant truck towing two trailers.

Tampico is clean and tidy compared to Matamoros and is close to beaches on the Gulf and offers inexpensive internet cafes and exchange houses which accept various currencies, but little in the way of sightseeing. Best to keep moving. (Map of Tamaulipas)

The roads in Mexico are surprising and varied and can take a very heavy toll on your car. Always follow the signs - unlike in Canada and the United States they are not merely there as empty threats and accusations but are real warnings and helpful indicators! A speed limit change indicates a real obstacle or change of conditions; do not take these lightly. Always reduce your speed when entering towns: these contain 'topes,' or very abrupt speed bumps, and 'vibradores,' which feel rather like driving your car down a staircase, and both can wreak unspeakable havoc to your car if crossed at speed. In fact, it is one of the unavoidable characteristics of Mexican driving that your brakes will be highly taxed. My pads were shot after the 4000km crossing, as a result of repeated heavy braking for unmarked topes, horse-driven carts and, more than anything else, extremely bad patches of pavement. Keep your eyes peeled, as perfectly smooth roads can turn into rough and unpaved nightmares almost instantaneously, sometimes not to be crossed at more than 20 km/h (down from 100 previously) if you have the slightest inkling of love or pity in your heart for your car.

In particular, the stretch of road 180 between Gutierrez Zamora and Veracruz (save for the high-speed 'autopista' leading into Veracruz) is highly unpredictable, and should not be traversed at night unless you enjoy the wrenching crunches of your chassis being tortured and torn to pieces. Six huge potholes and one massive hole that would be best described as a crater took their toll on my car during the night, and in the morning a number of little creaks and rattles appeared that were not there before. These holes are invisible and unavoidable at night, and fast moving rigs do not let you maintain a snail's pace to lessen their impacts. (Map of Veracruz)

On the flip side, Mexicans have developed an uncanny ability to mend their roads. Where different coloured patches of asphalt indicate quick fixes and therefore a rather lumpy road in Canada, Mexican repairs are flawless and the patches are level and cannot even be noticed. If the road seems to be covered in countless little patches but is otherwise smooth, keep your right foot planted; life is good!

Set aside a little while to visit Jalapa (known as the 'City of Flowers' and home of the naughty, tasty pepper) and Veracruz, which are about an hour and half's drive apart and well worth your time. Veracruz is located right on the Gulf, and has a beautiful historic centre with wide boulevards and plazas and handsome colonial architecture. A little further to the south, Boca del Rio has a fancy Mediterranean-style boardwalk, seaside casino and beaches; except here you can get a full plate of delicious tacos and an horchata for under 70 pesos, which makes Europe look rather like a con. (Map of Tabasco)

If you're still traveling south-easterly towards Minatitlan and Villahermosa and eventually to Yucatan, here you're faced with two choices. Highway 180 is 'libre' (toll-free), hugging the coast for a large part of the trip to Minatitlan, but is a tough drive through slow mountainous regions. Another choice is to take the 'cuota' (toll) autopista towards Cordoba/Puebla out of Veracruz, and then follow autopista 145 which branches off towards Minatitlan after about 80km. Although this is far quicker, beware that even the autopista has its rough patches and unmarked lane closures, and the toll charges for this particular stretch are extravagant: figure about 350 pesos (roughly $32) for the 280km trip. The best choice is to follow 180 on the return leg, and get a magnificent view of the Laguna de Catemaco at S. Andres Tuxtla as the road unwinds and descends out of the mountains.

Past Minatitlan brings you into Villahermosa, which, true to its name, is quite pretty, with a large church dominating the hill above the city. Unfortunately, the roads here are poorly marked, but following the signs towards Ciudad del Carmen should keep you on the right track. If you get lost, don't despair, as Mexicans are just about the most willing people to help a foreigner in distress. If you are lucky, as I was, a helpful storeowner may even volunteer to drive his car ahead of you until the outskirts of town, where the carretera branches off once again. It's a shame I got lost on the return trip too, otherwise I would have stopped again to give them my thanks (and maybe get another rounds of directions).

Once you are past Frontera, highway 180 joins the Gulf coast once again and a short drive later sees you in Campeche, one state away from Yucatan. As soon as you reach Campeche, the roads instantly improve, the carretera suddenly becomes an autopista, and, once again, life is good. Ciudad del Carmen is on a thin strip of land named Isla del Carmen bridging the mouth of the Laguna de Terminos, meaning you will have to pay tolls to cross both of the bridges connected to the mainland. It's a pretty drive and you will have a glimpse of both bodies of water at the same time, not unlike crossing Cape Hatteras. On the Gulf side near the easternmost tip of the island is a beached cargo ship, stranded on the rocks only meters away from the highway. (Map of Campeche)

Back on the mainland you'll find freshly paved roads, meaning a smooth, fast, sinuous drive along the coast right into Champoton, which is notable for its incredibly poor roads. The carretera north of Champoton leads into Campeche, while a cuota autopista bypasses it and joins the road to Merida. Campeche is a Unesco World Heritage Site and was once the most important port on the Gulf. Its gaily coloured central square and walled fortifications are well worth a visit, and on the south eastern corner of the main plaza overlooking the cathedral there is a pretty hostel that offers lodging, maps and internet for next to peanuts. By the by, cheap stays in Mexico are an easy find, and for under 200 pesos the rooms are usually clean and well appointed and even come with a sheltered parking spot.

Joining highway 180 again for a final two hour drive leads you into Merida, just 2000km away from your initial starting point. It is here where Yail lives, and it was worth all the seat-time and near misses to see her surprise on finding me parked by her gate one fine August morning. From here it's a three hour drive into Cancun, or about half that for the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza and Uxmal, both equally spectacular. Or hang around Merida, 'the white city,' for its Saturday night dances and delicious coconut ice cream in the central square and the oldest cathedral on the North American mainland, built in 1561. (Map of Yucatan)

You've made it! - I've taken you this far, now you're on your own. If you decide to head back, don't try too hard to not get lost. Whatever you decide, don't worry; you're in Mexico, the weather's fine, the people are tanned and life is good - you'll have to try very hard indeed not to enjoy yourself! - by Traian Popescu

Some useful tidbits about Mexico (all as of September 2005):

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