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| | Mexico
Traveler Review | |
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Destination:
Journey through West/Central
Mexico Write
your own review |
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| | Written
By : Dan & Donna Loper | |
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A
little info about yourself (where are you from / retired
/ line of work):
Pagosa Springs, Colorado / We teach in a specialized
school |
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| | Date
of your trip: June 2-18 2004 | |
| | How
many days were you in Mexico? 15 Days | |
| | What
was your destination / what part of Mexico were
you traveling in?
We traveled mainly in West/Cenral Mexico: Imuris,
Sonora (Orphanage) Villa Juarez, Sonora (Orphanage),
Mazatlan, Sinaloa (El Cid Resort), Cofradia, Sinaloa(Mission
Base), Guadalajara & Lake Chapala, Jalisco (Mission
Base)
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| | What
was the purpose of your trip (recreation / work
related / other)?
We spent time in two orphanages, In the jungle
with missionaries, fed 100's of poor people in Mazatlan
(The El Cid Resort accomodations were an appreciantion
gift from one of our students family!) Visited with
Missionaries at the YWAM base at Lake Chapala etc!
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| | How
many people did you travel with?
2 Adults and 3 Teenagers | |
| | What
kind of vehicle were you driving (Make / Model /
etc.)?
2004 Ford Taourus 4-Door (Rented from ENTERPRISE)
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| | How
did the vehicle handle the trip?
We cruised along sometimes way too fast but
it was very comfortable! Buy ONLY Premium gas (About
2.40/gallon but it will be worth the extra cost!)
Be sure the pump is zeroed out before the attendant
begins to pump and be sure to tip them! (10 pesos
or so.)Watch they change you are given.
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| | How
were the road conditions? Any specific areas to
be aware of?
The Toll Roads ("Cuota") were really
great. DO NOT TAKE THE FREE ROADS!!! ("Libre")
The Tolls for about 3,000 miles came to about $200.00
but they were worth every cent. (We had to take
some other 2 lane roads between Mazatlan and Tepic
but they are treacherous with SLOW trucks and busses
with everyone trying to pass! DO NOT drive after
dark...the roads are narrow enough and you meet
plenty of pedestrian, bicycle and animal traffic
in the daylight...DON'T RISK IT at night! Off the
highyway system the roads are generally RoUgH at
best!
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| | Did
you have a good time?
IT WAS FANTASTIC! We took our digital camera and
lap top along and took over a 1,000 pictures and
short video-only clips! We down loaded 50-60 pics
at a time and just kept shooting!
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| | Would
you drive to Mexico again?
ABSOLUTELY!!! It is THE way to travel and EXPERIENCE
Mexico. Flying may be convenient but you won't get
the feel of the country from the air. Be sure NOT
to hangout in just the tourist areas no matter where
you go.
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| | What
would you do differently next time?
We would take more time!!! (We will be doing a similar
trip down the east side of the country and then
another extended trip across the bottom and over
into the Yucatan pennisula and hopefully through
Belize and Guatemala basically doing the same things:
Looking for poor people to help and missionaries
to encourage!
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| | What
words of advice do you have for others driving to
Mexico / or others who are driving to a particular
destination?
Be gracious to the street vendors and window washers...keep
some "spare" $1 bills handy at street
lights etc. "TOPES" is the spanish word
for MONSTER Speed bumps through some towns. If a
semi-truck is creeping over the one ahead...BE ADVISED!
SLOW DOWN! He knows something you don't...namely
the speed bump may be 12-16 inches high and 2- 3
feet wide!!! We saw plenty!
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| | What
were some of the highlights of the trip? We would
really like to hear about these! The more descriptions
and details, the better!
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! Get off the beaten path
and really get to know some of the culture of Mexico.
Don't be the typical rude 'Americano'. Mexican people
by and large are extremely gracious, freindly and
helpful. Enjoy being out of your comfort zone...they
enjoy showing you their world! Get to the beach
if possible. Watch the sunset. Eat at little taco
stands...they are inexpensive and delicious! Walk
through the mercados even if you don;t want to buy
anything...but not on the border e.g. Juarez, Nogales,
or Tijuana.(If you have only been with in the "Free
Zone" 15 kilometers or less i.e. close to the
US border and claim to have been to Mexico you are
only kidding yourself. Mexico is so much more than
the mess that the aforementioned cities are!)
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| | Where
did you sleep? Can you recommend a place to stay?
We slept 2 night in two differnt orphanages!!!
This alone can change your life! As mentioned above
we were 'gifted' a week at the El Cid Resort in
Mazatlan which we used as a base to reach out to
the people living at the dump (in view of the harbor
about 2 miles away where the big cruise ships come
in...what a contrast!) and to help people in the
poorer colonias and at a childrens feeding program!
(About 75 kids) We then slept at a mission compound
in a small village bodering the jungle where the
missionaries we met work! (We went to church under
a thatched roofed open air sanctuary!!! Way cool!)
A missionary friend suggested the Posada Guadalajara
at 1280 Lopez-Mateos Sur in Guadalajara and it was
beautiful!!! (There was a short power failure due
to a storm that night. But our 17 year old son had
already attracted a crowd around the open-air 6
story court-yard pool as he played the guitar and
led who ever wanted to join in singing Praise &
Worship songs. There were many kids from the U.S.
there on school related trips. When the rain began
to fall and the lights went out we just moved into
a lounge area off the courtyard and kept singing
for the next hour or so!!!) On the way back north
we stayed the night at a Days-Inn in Obregon. Obregon
is a great city with great people...don't hesitate
to stop there!
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| | Can
you recommend any restaurants?
The El Patio in Mazatlan is a great place...be
sure to buy a rose from the 12 year old flower girl
who will come by in the evening! Her dad will also
offer to sell you a polaroid picture of your dinner
party. The Palo Verde Restaurant in Imuris (Just
south of Nogales) is a neat little place to grab
a meal! For a goofy fun lunch in Mazatlan catch
"Senior Frogs" The graffitti's pretty
raunchy but the chilli rellenos are the BEST! The
Shrimp Bucket is a great place for a meal in Maz
too.
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| | Any
other comments...feel free to ramble!
In the big tourist towns don't feel abligated
to tour any resorts and listen to their pitch but
you can get free meals etc from them! Don't forget
to get pictures of some of the wildlife, flowers
and scenery too! Keep your camera handy! Try some
'elote'--roasted corn on the cob from a street vendor!
Keep plenty of pesos (bills and coins)handy when
traveling on the toll roads to pay your tolls quickly.
Don't be surprised if at check points they want
you to unload ALL your luggage so they can search
them...be friendly and courteous. If you get stopped
for speeding etc. they will want to take your drivers
license and hold on to it until you have mailed
in your fine and then they will "mail it to
you". Offer to pay it right then... you should
by no means attempt to bribe the officer, but instead
ask to follow him to the nearest station so that
you can pay your fine and get your license back
immediately. I did this twice and both times I was
not issued a citation, was given back my license
and told "Hay no problema" "There
is no problem", and I was free to go on my
way! Be sure to bargain with the mercado vendors
but not with established store chains etc. Or Restaraunts
either!
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Note:
The Mexico Reviews posted on this website are not written by Adventure Mexican
Insurance Services, Inc. These reviews are posted by Mexico travelers who wish
to share their experiences with others, but they should not be considered as professional
advice or information.
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PROMOTE, OR VERIFY THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN. | |
