The Yucatan and Cancun

The Yucatan peninsula comprises the eastern tip of the curving horn of Mexico; it has three states, Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. The peninsula borders Belize and Guatemala to the south, the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west and the Caribbean Sea to the east, Cuba is a mere 200 mile east northeast of the northern tip.

Today the Yucatan is famous for its beautiful Caribbean beaches from Cancun to Belize as well as its Mayan ruins and heritage, the largest being Chichen Itza and my personal favorite Tulum where several motion pictures have been filmed. Cancun is a city which was built solely on the premises of extracting dollars from Canadian and American tourists, they have succeeded very well in that respect; it has become a favorite spring break destination and widely visited by Europeans as well. Prices there are no bargain for anything and you may find half of your “authentic Mexican souvenirs” were made in China.

Further south on the coast is Playa Del Carmen more commonly known by the locals as just plain “Playa”. Once a fantastic secret hideaway from the real world turned typical tourist destination filled with bars, restaurants, loud music, gift shops and street vendors. Next blog will be on Tulum, Mahahual and Xcalak.

Travel Through Jungle Areas

Many people are unaware that much of Mexico is dense jungle and tropical rainforest, many species of wild life exist and survive in the forest's down here. In the last 6 months my son and I have seen on or near our property in Xcalak, 3 Boas, one Diamondback, several wild pigs, one Puma, one Jaguar, several deer, lots of Chichalackas, and several Cotemundi and one 6ft crocodile in the creek 4kms north of the house, flocks of wild parrots and one of those weird things that look like a hairy ant eater.

Below are some extremely rare photos of Mexican wild animals seen only deep in the rain forests of Mexico, trust me if you see one of these you need to grab a picture, quit smoking that shit and head for the clinic.

This is a Crockaduck, do not try to take it's eggs, she will f#@k you up!

This is a Parragecko, he ain't wanting no stinking crackers, watch your fingers.

This is a Redheaded Pecker Snatcher, do not sun bathe naked near these critters!

This is a Cockadog, rarely seen and often feared by virgin chickens.

This is a Frogadile, trust me, you do not want to swim in their pond if you want to keep all your dangling parts.

If you actually believe these exist, email me immediately, I have some ocean view property in Iowa for sale cheap.

Gasoline Stations in Mexico

Gasoline/Pemex:

            The only gas stations in all of Mexico are called Pemex, which is a short name for "Petroleos Mexicanos". Pemex stations are privately owned but obligated to buy fuel from the Mexican government, many have convenience stores attached to them and for Mexico they have clean rest rooms. Their signs are large green and white and easy to spot, most have official highway signs giving advance notice of upcoming stations at 1,500 and 500 meters.  

Yes, there's a sign in the picture, look closer damn it!!!

 Their rest rooms are not always free and will have an attendant outside charging 5 pesos to enter who will hand you a skimpy allotment of paper when you enter (ask for more), if you come across a station with no attendant you might want to bring your own paper or get caught with your pants down!!! Currently gas in Mexico is actually more than in the States, for magna (regular) it is about 11.2 pesos per liter so at the current exchange rate and conversion ratio 3.75 liters to the gallons that equates to about $3.50 per gallon whereas in the States it is running about $3.35 per gallon. It is not a lot of difference but for those of you thinking gas was half price, guess you will have to rethink that one. Many stations do not take credit cards so be prepared to pay cash and normally in pesos only. All Pemex stations have attendants, do not attempt to pump your own gas, they will do it for you, more often than not they will clean your windshield, check your oil and tire pressure, tips are gladly accepted and expected, for pumping gas 5 pesos is average and for the works 10 pesos is sufficient. Be very aware of what attendants are doing and never leave the car unattended, if you are alone and want to get something from the store or use the restroom get your gas first, pay and tip the attendant then drive the 100’ feet to the store and lock your car, if travelling with others it is OK to leave the car at the pump if not busy and always leave one person with the car. A few shady attendants can give the entire industry a bad rap, if you don’t know the people you are dealing with it is better to kick ass now and take names later as we use to say in my Viet Nam days.

            If you are going to be doing a lot of driving in Mexico, before you enter the country learn where your fuel filter is and carry a spare, the gas in Mexico is not the worst in the world but not the best either, diesel fuel is worse than the gas and often has algae, from what I understand you can buy additives to eradicate the algae. Changing a fuel filter is relatively simple and can be done with basic simple tools, having a mechanic do it for you should cost about 200 pesos ($18.00) providing you have the filter and can be done while you wait.

            BE VERY CAREFUL of shady attendants who will try to sell you every item in their rack and convince you your life is in danger if you don’t buy them i.e. brake fluid, oil, power steering fluid, washer fluid, transmission fluid and fuel additives, kind of ironic, in reality what they are saying is, we are going to sell you shitty gas but for a few bucks more you can buy this to clean it up.   

Typical Directioal Street Sign

This is a typical direction sign in the Yucatan just outside Merida. Notice "Centro" on the top sign indicating that is the way to the center of Merida.

Driving in the USA for most of us is by instinct and inbred from birth by watching our parents and peers drive us around for our first 16 years, granted it still takes some common sense even to drive there. In Mexico the fulcrum point slides a lot more towards common sense and a lot less toward instinct. Be consciously aware of everything around you and never stop for anything in remote or unfamiliar areas unless there are official emergency vehicles directing you to do so. There are many stretches of road that are unpatrolled and are simply ruled by the law of the land which means you are in their land so you will abide by their laws, legal or not. There have been reports of staged accidents with bodies on the side of the road, knowing you will stop…DON’T!!! Continue on your normal way and then contact legal authorities when you feel safe. These incidents are few and far between, I have been driving in Mexico for 50+years and have friends who have been driving here for over 50 years as well and none of us have ever seen one. Mexican newspapers have a tendency to sensationalize all the stories and they love to print graphically violent photos.   

How to get to your particular destination and the route you should take, entirely your choice, if you feel a little uncomfortable in a foreign country I would suggest staying on major Federal highways if your funds can stand the exorbitant tolls. I will not direct you to take any specific route,  you may want to take a coastal route, you may want to go through the mountains, you may want to drive down Baja and take a ferry across the Sea of Cortez, you may want to avoid major cities and congestion, you may want to stop in all major cities, you may want to visit archeological sites and ruins, you may want to hit resorts all the way down, you may want to make a two week trip out of getting here or you may want to drive 16 hours a day and get here as fast as possible. Each of you has your own agenda and travel desires and to all I wish you a wonderful trip. What I strongly suggest is, don’t miss anything, stop and visit with locals, give the road hounds your table scraps, eat at roadside stands, drink local beer, be polite, respect others, don’t criticize local customs and guys, don’t stop and pee on the side of the road thinking because you saw 84 others doing it in three days that it is legal, it is not. You can be cited for indecent exposure, especially if a local cop sees you…the Gringo breaking the law!!! He probably will have a child with a birthday coming up soon and he will need an extra 50 dollars. Go into the jungle and pee on a Python it will be more exciting. The lack of roadside rest areas is evident all over Mexico, oh excuse me, did I say lack of, I’m sorry, I meant to say nonexistent rest areas.!

Mexican Street Signs

Street Signs:

     Below are the most common street signs in Mexico, I believe they are self explanatory. The ones missing are pretty much the same as the ones missing in the States: 1. three men leaning on shovels which means, be careful we are getting paid for doing nothing. 2. Silhouette of large pot hole which means, holy shit, what the hell was that. 3. Silhouette of dog with nose up your tail pipe which means…fearless Mexican Road Hounds who will chase you no matter what speed you are going. 4. Silhouette of peasant on roadside with fruit or veggies in hand which means, if you are dumb enough to eat it we are smart enough to sell it. The rest speak for themselves.  

Note: Speeds are indicated in kilometers and heights are measured in meters.