Touring in México

[dragon72]

Courtesy of a tourer called Nico, via the ever-magnanimous Tourers' friends Andrew & Friedel, here is a great resource for anybody contemplating touring in my newly adopted country Mexico.

http://travellingtwo.com/10719


¡Buen viaje!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Hey whats it like living in mexico?

 

[dragon72]

It's fantastic and a far cry from Brighton!

I was given all sorts of doomsday warnings about rampant crime, but I've not found that to be the case. Sure there's a civil war going on with the drugs cartels beheading each other and the feds and the army mucking in (on both sides). But unless you're a drug trafficker, you'd have to be ridiculously unlucky to get caught in the crossfire.

The weather's great - it's always sunny, mid-20's degrees here in Mexico City, even now in December. I now ride sans-mudguards in full confidence I won't need them! And the mountain roads here are stunning. It took some time to get used to riding at >2,500m above sea level, but now whenever I ride at sea level I feel like superman!

The food's amazing and the people are so warm and generous and very chilled out but extremely hard-working. So different from the prevailing misconceptions about them being either "feckless and lazy" (Clarkson) or "hot tempered".

I love it here! The only bummer is that when I'm usually free to go on CycleChat, the time-difference means that you lot are tucked up in bed with the computer off!

 

[colly]

And the mountain roads here are stunning.

We need photos !!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

It sounds great. Have you been to a place called Merida? I'd be interested to know what you think of the place as a potential place to live for say 6 months of the year?

 

[BigonaBianchi]

..is it safe?...can you ge tby without speaking spanish, portuguese etc?

 

[dragon72]

Merida's pretty safe as long as you're sensible (ie don't go to a cash point after dark on your own in a side street, don't get involved with narcotraficantes etc.).
It's a great place with nice beaches, fantastic Yucatecan food and amazing Mayan archaeology nearby especially Chichén Itzá.
You could probably get by without Spanish as quite a few Gringo and British tourists go there. I'm sure you could pick up survival Spanish pretty quickly.
It's hot there all year round and in the summer it buckets down with rain for about an hour or two once a day. It's pretty flat, cycling-wise - so not my cup of tea, but the towns are worth a visit by bike.
I wouldn't mind living there, but probably not in the summer months (hurricane season).

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Thanks..it sounds a nice place to be in the uK winter!

 

[Crankarm]

Merida's pretty safe as long as you're sensible (ie don't go to a cash point after dark on your own in a side street, don't get involved with narcotraficantes etc.).
It's a great place with nice beaches, fantastic Yucatecan food and amazing Mayan archaeology nearby especially Chichén Itzá.
You could probably get by without Spanish as quite a few Gringo and British tourists go there. I'm sure you could pick up survival Spanish pretty quickly.
It's hot there all year round and in the summer it buckets down with rain for about an hour or two once a day. It's pretty flat, cycling-wise - so not my cup of tea, but the towns are worth a visit by bike.
I wouldn't mind living there, but probably not in the summer months (hurricane season).

Hola! Habla Espagnol? Que tal? Usted vive en Mexico ciudad? Wowwwwwwwwww ....... Respect.

Quiero muy viajar en America del Sur pero es peligroso.

 

[dragon72]

No, no es tanto peligroso cuanto se cree. Me gusta muchísimo el DF (Distrito Federal como llamamos la Ciudad de México). Estamos muy bien aqui! Tienes que visitar!
(no need to "Usted" each other, we're all friends here in T&E!!)

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Tu Tu Tu Tu Tu

 

[dragon72]

Forgot to mention that Mexico is an earthquake zone.
I just sat through a 6.7 magnitude quake. Fortunately no real damage.
Would have been quite hairy if I'd been on the bici!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

 

[dragon72]

I need them anyway, front and back

 

[dragon72]

Just planning my first proper little tour here since arriving, which I think I'll do between Xmas and New Years, from Oaxaca to the Pacific coast.
I'll forego the tent and camping kit and stay in hotels and posadas, because a) hotels are dirt cheap, b) campsites are thin on the ground and c) I like my camping à la française (ie civilised with toilet and shower facilities), rather than wild-camping among the scorpions and narco-traficantes of rural Mexico.
Looks pretty mountainous, but it's a net descent, which should take about 3 days over 250kms or thereabouts. I'll try to take lots of pics and Crazyguy the experience for you.