December 29th to January 27th

I’m beginning to write this post on my last day in Mexico from one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever been to, rocking in a hammock on the water’s edge in Bacalar – a tranquil freshwater lake on the southern end of the Yucatan Peninsula. My current traveling companion, Hadyn, and I were supposed to enter into Belize today but I’ve long since lost track of what day of the week it is and I needed to visit the Banjercito (the Mexican army bank) before leaving Mexico to reclaim my car’s temporary import permit deposit and evidently today is a Sunday. Therefore we have an enforced rest day. (I later learned the Banjercito at the border is actually open every day but the rest day was required).

Mexico has proven far bigger and more diverse than I had ever imagined. I suppose this is somewhat evidenced by the fact that it’s taken me a month to cross the country since leaving San Carlos (so six weeks in total) and even then I always felt as though I was rushing more than I would have liked. I’ve driven another 5,000km since my hiatus on the Mexican West coast and lost track of the number of cities passed through and stayed in, not to mention the vast number of people that I’ve met along the way. Thankfully, it would appear that mechanical issues are not an issue at present and I’m smoothly progressing through this segment of my adventure.

A quiet beer on the beach in front of Casa Cenote near Tulum

The Route:

This post covers my exit from San Carlos (Sonora) via Los Mochis, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Teotihuacan, Tehuacan, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, San Jose del Pacifico, San Cristobal de la Casas, Pelanque, Campeche, Cancun, Tulum, quick trip to Cuba (separate post), Playa del Carmen to Bacalar and exit into Belize via the border crossing at Chetumal.

It’s a daunting post to begin writing because so much has happened and I’ve covered so much ground. I’ll do my best to remain concise but I doubt I will.

My route across Mexico (Image: Google Maps)

Mazatlán:

After finally (mostly) solving the issues from my transmission problem in San Carlos, I got on the road again. Nervous about more car issues, I opted to break up the drive to Mazatlan via Los Mochis in Sinaloa. Being part of cartel country, there were police and checkpoints everywhere but the drive was uneventful and scenery sparse. Los Mochis is a clean and pleasant town but doesn’t hold much for tourists so it was a quiet stop in one of the nicer hotels I’ve stayed in.

Feeling confident with a days drive under the belt, I pushed on to Mazatlan. I’ve come to gauge my mood and confidence by my ability to attend to my Spanish audio lessons and how much I sing or tap along to the music as I drive. At one point mid-way the car faltered and slowed momentarily, breaking the confidence of a day and a half of successful driving. It didn’t persist and I arrived successfully in Mazatlan.

Being the couple days before New Years, Mazatlan was completely full. Having booked, I figured I was ok but on arrival, I was told that my billing address for my booking couldn’t be verified and they cancelled my reservation. I was shuffled to a different apartment for an obscene price but, nevertheless, I had a place to stay.

In the middle of this shuffle, I had another ‘check engine’ light come on and my heart sank. My diagnostic computer registered eight different faults and I trawled car forums for an hour looking for a solution. With confidence in my car at an all-time low, I resolved that if the issues were serious enough, I’d simply dispose of the car and buy a Toyota in Mazatlan and deal with the financial consequences of such evasive action down the track.

With mechanics shut for the day, I headed out to enjoy a night in Mazatlan and come back to the problem the next morning. Thankfully the evening was a blast. I met a group on Mexican friends traveling from Chihuahua, so my night involved dinner, dancing and a lot of drinks with some great people with whom I remain in touch with today.

The next day was quiet. Car to the mechanic, O2 sensor switched out which appeared to solve the faults and enjoyed the sights of Mazatlan – the Malecon, Plaza Machado, the endless series of bars and restaurants along the main drag – and reconnecting with my Chihuahuan friends. At one point, I went to a Toyota dealership looking unsuccessfully for a used 4Runner, Hilux, Tundra or Landcruiser. It was New Year’s Eve but I didn’t manage to stay awake passed 10pm.

I’d soon learn there’s one of these signs in every Mexican city so I started collecting photos of them

One of my favourite foods of the region, aguachiles (shrimp ceviche)

Probably the only professional looking mechanics I went to in Mexico (replaced my O2 sensor and had me on my way)

Puerto Vallarta:

The drive into Puerto Vallarta was brilliant. For the first time, I got off the cuota (efficient but dull toll roads) and out of the desert. The climate changed to jungle and roads became meandering backstreets with endless topes (heinous Mexican speed bumps).

Until this time, I’d largely stayed in motels and hotels. But the time had come to experiment with more social forms of habitation. I stayed at a posada (like a casa / home stay) which ended up being a brilliant little place in old Vallarta and run by a Canadian couple – Marco and Tania – who were adventurers, backpackers and overlanders in their own right. It’s very comforting to meet like-minded people who truly appreciate the adventure I’m on and how optimistic / foolish / big it all is.

I met a nice Argentinean and spent the evening talking to her over beers. I find the Argentine accent tough to understand and the dialogue bouncing between Spanish, English and Google Translate was clumsy and slow but the conversation was good. One thing she told me that really stuck was, to paraphrase, that people in the developed world have everything except an understanding how to live a good life. It’s become a common thread with a lot of conversations I’ve had since – exploring the correlation between means and happiness and the recurrent conclusion appears to be that much of the world is much happier with much less.

Explored the sites of Puerto Vallarta including the Malecon, the markets, the old town and the beach. Also met a couple of expats, Gary and Shamsun, for a great couple of hours of chatting over beers which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Made a last-minute decision to go to a Rammstein concert. They were playing two shows in Puerto Vallarta which was their first and only tour since 2017. Having seen them a decade or so before and really enjoying their showmanship as well as their music, I figured it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Approximately 4,000 people on the beach, a truly unique venue. I wasn’t disappointed - I would count it amongst my top few concerts ever.

Loved my time here, I shall return.

Puerto Vallarta beach in front of the old town

One of the main streets in Puerto Vallarta Vieja

View from my posada at La Casa de Descanso run by Marco and Tania (highly recommend)

Undoubtedly one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. These guys really know how to put on a show

Guadalajara:

Got another O2 sensor warning on the way to Guadalajara. However, my growing understanding of the unsolved exhaust problems from the transmission swap meant I wasn’t fazed this time around. An exhaust leak is screwing with the oxygen sensors but it’s an emissions related issue and at this point, I only care that my car gets me where I’m going. I’ll fix it when I’m in the right place with time to spare.

I’d dismissed Guadalajara as another big city and one to avoid. As such, I planned it merely as a stopover destination and only one night. However, a couple hours of wandering the squares, city centre, Plaza de Armas and a couple surrounding suburbs, I realised this was a city I could have easily given a week or more to. I’ve resolved to go back some time.

The issue with driving solo is that you’re behind the wheel all day and without time to do research on where you’re going. The rest of the day is taken up with eating, checking out of accommodation, filling up with fuel, topping up the oil, buying some basics like beer and water (in that order of importance), finding an ATM, parking, checking into accommodation and seeing the city you’ve just landed in. I never would have guessed how little free time I have in a day and how difficult it is to find time for basic things like calling people back home, doing an Instagram post, writing a blog or responding to a couple emails. My time in Guadalajara suffered from this lack of time and research.

Socially, it was a bit of a miss as well. Hostel was quiet and not overly sociable. There was a pub crawl organised at the sister hostel that evening and I showed up 30 minutes early ready to go. However, before it started, I decided my inclination to get blind drunk with strangers was low and that a good night’s sleep in preparation for another driving day tomorrow was a higher priority. At this point, I’m questioning whether a combination of my age and the different nature of my trip meant that hostels aren’t the place for me (a view I change shortly afterwards).

On the way out, I found an exhaust specialist to try to fix the leak in my exhaust. He did a great job but I later learned that it wasn’t complete. My Spanish skills in mechanic vocabulary is growing as I learn translations for words like gasket, exhaust and various other necessary words to keep my car on the road. I very much enjoyed my time with the exhaust guy and watching him competently work on my car on the street opposite his shop despite having a vacant pit to use 50 meters away.

Near the Plaza de Armas in the historic district

My muffler mechanic’s dog who kept me company while he was working on my exhaust

Muffler mechanic workshop with plenty of Jesus stuff

Getting a good part of the way to solving my exhaust leak

Guanajuato:

Some days are utilitarian in that my goal is to cover some kilometres and get to the next place. Others you arrive in a place you really want to see and give them some more time. Guanajuato was one of those – I was really looking forward to seeing it.

Guanajuato is a beautiful old city painted in bright colours, dating back to the 1520’s and unique in that it has a series of old tunnels running underneath it (given the streets above were presumably built for pedestrians and horse-drawn carts but certainly not car or trucks). It didn’t disappoint, I adored this city and indulged one of my favourite things to do while traveling – finding a nice café in a busy plaza and sitting, observing, drinking (coffees or beers dependent on time of day), eating and generally absorbing the feel of the place. The city is filled with old churches, theatres, squares and generally amazing architecture.

Had a nightclub across from my hostel blaring reggaeton. Decided my only option was to get out of bed, go to it, and then either get drunk enough to enjoy it or drunk enough to sleep. I did the latter.

Driving in old cities is difficult at times. My car is 2.4m tall with the rooftop tent so I don’t fit in a parking garage and street parking is always tough (and less secure). I ended up taking an hour to find a parking spot on arrival with a local tourist info guy who jumped in the passenger seat to help me find something and proceeded to pay $70 for a few days in an open-air supermarket parking lot (despite my genius plan to pay the much lower ‘lost ticket’ price which was spoiled by the fact that there’s guys hanging around the parking lot ‘working’ at all times).

Leaving proved difficult for a different reason. The was a gas shortage in Mexico at the time. Apparently, locals were tapping the gas pipelines and stealing petrol so the government shut down the supply, leaving over 90% of gas stations closed in four states (all of which I was crossing through). Finding an open one, I lined up for over an hour. When I got to the front of the line, I was told there was a 500-peso quota per person (about 20 litres of my 96-litre tank and I’d already tapped the two gas cans on the roof to get me that far). I bribed the attendant to double that for me giving me just enough fuel to make it to my next city.

Captures some of the bright colours of Guanajuato

One of the beautiful little laneways that I was more than happy to get lost in

Local market and entrance to the tunnels below

I love the colours on the hillside as well as these underground tunnels

This church is a lot smaller than it once was to make room for the Jardin de la Union across the way (where I spent a lot of time sitting and watching the people and sights on Guanajuato

No reason for this one other than it representative of Mexico’s many cute street dogs

Teotihuacan Pyramids:

I opted to bypass Mexico City and save it for another time. I figured driving in a city of almost 10 million people would be a pain but more importantly, I couldn’t afford to give it the time it deserved. I’ll fly in sometime and see it but for now it will have to wait.

Had another encounter with the police, my second time stopped for speeding (the first being in Alaska with just a warning). This time I wasn’t so lucky and the police officer took my license and told me I couldn’t have it back until I’d paid the 7,500 peso or USD$500 fine. I tried to give him all of my pesos I had on me (much less than the supposed price of fine) but he was obstinate. I pulled out my USD reserve and he decided that the USD$250 or $300 was the right amount and sent me on my way. I didn’t enjoy this encounter.

Arrived in Teotihuacan. Not much in the town other than the archaeological site so I adjusted my plan to spend two nights and opted for an early viewing of the pyramid ruins and then spend the rest of the day getting to my next destination. The site was amazing and very glad I spent the money to have a personally guided tour to get the background. Great stories of ritual sacrifice and hundreds of years of toil to essentially build giant piles of rocks to get the priests a little closer to god. Unlike the Egyptians, these pyramids don’t have tunnels or chambers, just solid rock and mortar (made from cactus juice, straw and human excrement from memory).

I must admit that taking a hot air balloon over Teotihuacan would be one of the better places in the world to do it

Another dog just lapping up the attention of the many tourists visiting the archeological site

Thankfully I arrived early and this pyramid wasn’t nearly this crowded when I climbed it

I was told selfies here were obligatory so I complied

Obsidian knife thought to be the type used in ritual human sacrifices here

Tehuacan:

Like Los Mochis before, some towns are just not made for tourists / foreigners. But I needed a day off the road so booked in for a couple nights. Had a full day to catch up on laundry, emails, planning, talking to people back home etc. I realised this is my equivalent of a ‘weekend’ and that I need it about every week to stay on top of life and forward planning.

The one remarkable thing I will say about Tehuacan is that it consists entirely of people from Mexico. I literally saw one white couple the whole 48 hours I was there. Otherwise, not a single other race / ethnicity. Living in Melbourne, I take it for granted that we have such a diverse blend of backgrounds and so I find it surprising when a place is so homogenous.

It was at this time I reached a turning point in my relationship with the car. In the days around Mazatlan - the low point - I began to change my thinking about the vehicle. Initially, I held the view that the car had to make it the whole way and anything less was a catastrophe and a failure. However, in the face of constant problems, I had to change the way I thought about it. What I resolved was this: I would drive the car until it was more expensive to fix than to replace and that it was expendable, a consumable item on my journey. Ultimately, the car doesn’t have to make it to Ushuaia, I do. Ironically, since coming to this conclusion, my problems (touch wood) have seemed to have gone away (or at least are small manageable things that I can fix at about the same rate they occur).

One of two photos I bothered to take in Tehuacan - my hotel

My only other photo of Tehuacan - the spot I sat and ate & drank each day looking over the main square

Monte Alban:

On the drive into Oaxaca I stopped to see the ruins of Monte Alban. Another spectacular archaeological site. Although this time, I went unguided and just got lost and soaked it all in.

Oaxaca:

In Oaxaca, I met up with a friend of a friend, Ian Ord who was introduced to me via my friend, travel agent and ground support guru, Ivona. Living there a good portion of each year, he proved an excellent local guide and source of laughs. He took to me have some of the local traditional food, then for a cocktail overlooking the central church and finally to a mezcaleria for some of the local speciality – mezcal. Great to meet good, like-minded people when you’re in a strange city.

The next day did what I like doing, just got lost in the city and meandered aimlessly through its plazas and central historical area. Traveling alone, it’s hard not to meet people and found myself having dinner with a midwife from New York who was doing three weeks of intensive Spanish study who was good company for the evening.

Work caught up with me here. I’ve been very lucky that the team back home have taken over and respected my time while on this adventure. But there are some things I should or have to do occasionally. It made me appreciate how little work has interfered with this trip to date.

Ian and I enjoying a mezcal cocktail in the central plaza

The ‘mezcaleria’. Mezcal has a great depth of flavours and if you want, like whiskey, you can get a bit carried away with all the different variants (one of which, amusingly, is ‘pechugo’ or chicken breast)

This post turned out much longer than I had wanted and to catch up on posting something, I’m opting to cut Mexico in half and post the other half later when I have some time. By chance, this turns out to be a great place to stop. From here onwards, the journey took on a very different flavour and the from the drive to Puerto Escondido (the stop after Oaxaca), I had a constant stream of hitchhikers and backpackers and things became a lot more interesting very quickly. To be continued…