Today we started out early, right after breakfast, but made a stop at Walmart to pick up a few things for our condo. Then we found our way out of Cuernavaca. I wish we had time to see the town because everyone says its beautiful. But we had a schedule to keep.We were driving south close to Acapulco and then swung west to get on the road toward Puerto Escondido our destination in the end. Hwy 200 goes through small towns, open areas, climbs up and down mountains and zigzags its way west. Even though we were close to the Pacific Ocean we never even got a glimpse. That will have to wait until tomorrow. The scenery changed dramatically over today's trip. A few photos will follow.
The Mexicans have a good way to slow down traffic. Topes are bumps that go cross the whole road. They force you to come almost to a stop or you will do damage to your car. On the other hand it seriously slows down the whole trip. It took us 7 hrs to drive to Pinotepa National where we are spending the night. Our hotel is Casavegas and it's quite nice. It is a bargain at $450 pesos including breakfast and parking. It even has a pool and good wifi- what more could you ask for?
The only problem we ran into on the way was an extensive brush fire that was almost out of control. There was a water truck pumping water and we were all escorted safely down the mountain by a police car. We really didn't lose much time. The smoke from it hung in the air but it was fine as we drove away from the fires.
Here are a few observations we have had of Mexico while driving on highways going south through the centre of the country and then southwest to the coast:
It's a very long drive. Very stressful most of the time. Drivers are skilled but come very close and take too many chances. People are nice and very helpful. Some police in Mexico City are brazenly corrupt. Some highways are excellent while others are in disrepair. On average they are pretty good. Signage lets you down. Perhaps a GPS would solve that problem. On busy divided four lane highways animals graze along the shoulders quite unconcerned with traffic. We did see one dead cow on the side of the highway but luckily we didn't see how it happened. Cows, horses, goats, sheep, dogs, chickens and pigs are within sight along the roads and often crossing on the smaller highways. There is a lot of poverty, The US and Canadian dollars go a long way. Service stations are full service like the old days and it's good to tip the attendant. There are protests, and some violence because the government raised gasoline prices 20% recently. We didn't see any of that and had no problem getting gasoline even though shortages were reported.
I'm sure to add to that list later. But I'm getting tired now and will be glad to spend our last day on the road. We are looking forward to being settled in at our condo overlooking the Pacific!
Hola, folks! Thanks, Carolyn, for the blogs, I love reading about your trips! I'm sorry you had those shakedowns in Mexico City-- yeah, avoid it if at all possible, if not for that then the traffic. Horrific! I only went once. I should have mentioned my parents have crossed the border by car more than once, I think Laredo was their crossing point of choice. Looking forward to some beach pics! My only memories of Puerto Escondido were that at the time it was still undeveloped so lovely but seriously lacking any amenities, and getting sick from something we ate there. It meant a day in a cheap Acapulco hotel but that place wasn't my scene anyway. You are missing out on some spectacular winter weather and highway nightmares! Stay warm!
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