Road
Trip: From North Carolina to Nicaragua
Mexico and Central America
~ By Erinn Magee
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in the United States are well known for their love affairs with cars. Owning
a vehicle, although charged with responsibility, affords a great deal of
independence. For some, road trips are the preferred types of vacations,
precisely due to the freedom a vehicle offers. Thus, driving through Mexico
and Central America is a great option for travelers with a sense of adventure,
who have plenty of time to spend, and who cherish the liberty that driving
can bring.
This road trip
is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it for those who feel the need
to come to a complete stop at an empty intersection. Those behind the steering
wheel beware: the further South of the border one gets, the more freestyle
driving becomes. However, whether you believe it or not, you’ll quickly
adjust to the rhythms of driving in Latin America. With a month to spare,
my husband and I set out in our 1992 Toyota Tercel for Nicaragua, where
we planned to relocate and live. As a social worker, I was used to working
out of my car, and so moving there by means of our vehicle seemed like
a logical choice for us. Although, I had traveled extensively by land throughout
South America, I had never so much as set foot in either Mexico or Central
America; that made me all the more curious to see what was out there. My
husband, however, had driven the same trip a couple of times, starting
when his family moved from California to Nicaragua when he was twelve,
and he, too, was eager for me to experience the adventure.
Leaving the
parking lot of our town’s Wal-Mart, we set out from Western North Carolina
with four fresh tires and our most valued worldly possessions in the trunk
of the car. We left the United States at the border between Brownsville,
Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico. Using our trusted Lonely Planet Mexico guidebook,
we knew not to tell the Mexican authorities that we were only passing through.
Most governments will tag on a “transito” fee for those travelers who admit
that they are en route to another country. We listed our final destination
as San Cristobal de Las Casas. Once there, we planned to make our entry
into Guatemala “a touristy side trip.” We continued this practice all the
way to Nicaragua. Fortunately, no one accused us of being travelers in
transito. Sticking to the Gulf Coast to avoid the D.F. (Mexico City, Distrito
Federal), we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Mexico is a great
place for driving. |
| This is
the Cabeza Closal Olmeca in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. The six heads
were carved by the Olmec civilization that flourished on the Gulf Coast
of Mexico from 1200 to 900 B.C. The heads are made of basalt rock that
was extracted 50 miles from where the heads now stand. The heads stand
8 to 9 feet tall and are thought to resemble Africans. The Olmecs were
the first pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilization and they developed the
notion of zero, had their own hieroglyphic writing and developed a calendar
system. The Olmec civilization lies below the roots of the Mayan, Zapotec,
Mixtec and Aztec world's. Villahermosa is located south of Veracruz. |
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Recently constructed
four-lane toll highways connect most major cities, and by paying the small
fees one gets the highway practically to his or herself and avoids having
to worry about hazards such as slow-moving clunkers, potholes, smoky buses,
and livestock-- which can still be commonplace on regular Mexican highways.
The toll roads, while allowing for very pleasant driving, tend to skirt
around the little pueblitos that are rich in cultural content. Traveling
in this way, one admittedly misses some of the special experiences that
can make traveling through Mexico so rewarding: the quinceañera
parading through town with her ladies in waiting; the roadside coconut
stand selling coconut meat mixed with chile, salt, and lemon; and the colorful
religious processions, saints in tow, to name just a few. Mexico is, however,
a very large country, and the toll roads are definitely convenient to use
as short cuts..
Newcomers should
be aware of Mexico’s driving etiquette for those occasions when it is necessary
to leave the toll roads and travel the country’s regular two lane highways.
Probably one of the most surprising of these new rules, in my mind at least,
was the way one is expected to make a left turn from a two lane highway.
First, put on your left blinker and then pull over to the RIGHT hand shoulder.
You sit there and wait until BOTH lanes are clear, and then you turn. In
this way, you don’t block traffic while you wait, but it can sometimes
take a while to find yourself with a clear highway!
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| Coffee
grows under the coolness of a high tree canopy and needs five years
growth before the plant can be harvested. Farmers in Central America are
always careful when they pick or clean coffee because snakes like to hide
in the dead leaves and undergrowth of coffee plants. You pick coffee when
the berries are red. And often in Costa Rica farmers and their families
will dress up in crazy multi-colored outfits when they pick coffee: good
spirits, good coffee. Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala are well-known
for their high-quality coffee. |
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If
you happen to be behind a slow moving vehicle and are anxious to pass,
you might notice the driver turn on the left turn signal. He or she is
signaling that, in his or her opinion, it is safe to pass. As you do so,
it is considered courteous to honk a few times. Don’t be surprised, then,
if when you are passed the driver honks at you! It is a friendly gesture
intended to make sure you are aware of their passing and in no way should
this be seen as a sign of hostility as in, “Out of the road, pinche slowpoke!”
For both Mexico
and the rest of Central America we used Lonely Planet guides to find inexpensive,
comfortable places to stay, with safe parking areas. We do advise, however,
that you avoid leaving anything tempting inside your vehicle. We used the
Club as a little extra security, but throughout the trip we had absolutely
no problems with either theft or vandalism.
Today, Mexican
police are not the corrupt, bribe-hungry “law enforcement” officers they
once were. My husband drove through Mexico in 1978, and he remembers being
coerced into paying a bribe anytime a police officer spotted his out-of-country
license plate. On one occasion, after being stopped somewhere in
the D.F., he told the offending officer that he didn’t have the $10 bribe
on him and asked if he would wait while my husband went quickly to the
bank to cash a traveler’s check. Somewhere, on some random street corner
of the capital, that police officer is still waiting.
While you will
see a lot of police in Mexico, if you have your paperwork in order, they
will not bother you. It is my understanding that if you are asked for a
bribe you should report the incident immediately to the nearest police
station. The Mexican government has worked hard over the years to change
the image of their police. At present, asking tourists for bribes
is dealt with severely. Every time you cross from one state in Mexico to
the next, expect to be stopped by stern looking soldiers in olive green
uniforms, and with semi-automatic weapons slung casually over their shoulders.
They will want to see your passports, the paperwork for the car, including
the original title, and they will often search the vehicle. Plus,
the closer you get to Belize and Guatemala, the more thorough these searches
will become. Entering into the state of Quintana Roo, two police officers
searched our belongings so thoroughly that they opened our shampoo bottle
and then sniffed our toothpaste! Nothing was ever taken during these searches
and it is best to just be patient and let them do their jobs. |
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Leaving Mexico
and entering Guatemala, certain differences become obvious immediately.
Gone are the four lane super highways and pothole-free pavements. On the
Pan-American Highway, crossing into the highlands you will find yourself
on narrow, often unmarked, two-lane roads. It is a good idea to plan on
a leisurely drive, enjoying the scenery and resigning yourself to spending
a lot of time stuck behind exquisitely painted busses that already saw
a tour of duty in U.S. school districts. These busses are the most common
forms of mass transit throughout Central America, but only Panama comes
close to competing with the level of artwork put into these formerly canary
yellow vehicles. In Guatemala, some busses will have elaborate dashboard
altars, complete with plaster images of Christ and various saints, all
adorned with flashing lights. The windows might be dressed with curtains
similar to those found in my grandmother’s kitchen, with pom-poms swaying
and dancing with the bumps in the road. The back doors and sides will be
dedicated to the most important convictions of the driver- God and or his
girlfriend/wife/mother. (In Panama busses go for more pop culture themes,
with portraits of Britney Spears and other artists gracing a bus’ rear
door.)
Guatemala has
fairly good two lane highways, but it is best to rely on navigating from
city to city rather than expecting highway numbers (I-99, for example)
to keep you on course. We had a very frustrating experience the morning
we left Antigua. To get from Antigua to the border with El Salvador, it
was necessary to pass through Guatemala City. On our map, it didn’t look
like such a complicated task. However, once we hit the city we realized
what a puzzle we had entered. None of the routes were marked and our very
basic map proved to be useless. Worse-- every single Guatemalan we stopped
to ask for directions would tell us something completely different, and
when we would follow their instructions we would only end up more lost.
We drove around for about five hours before finally finding our way OUT
of the city. Once on the outskirts, and at last convinced that we were
on the right track, we pulled into a Pollo Campero (a Guatemalan chicken
chain that has spread throughout Central America and well into South America)
and tried to settle our nerves over some good ol’ fried chicken. Unless
you have a detailed map of the capital, or have some desire to actually
stay there, I recommend avoiding the city altogether...
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| Crossing
into El Salvador, we left behind the world of computers and the wonderful
efficiency they can sometimes provide, and entered into the world of carbon
paper and corrupt officials. Be prepared to spend an average of two hours
at each border crossing. If you get a grumpy official, or one with a birthday
in their family coming up, expect to be charged an extra $5-10 for his
particular services. I repeatedly asked for receipts for these charges,
but my requests were refused throughout, even when I asked nicely. Fortunately,
the Salvadoran crossings were the only ones where we found that these “donations”
were absolutely necessary.
While El Salvador
has a growing reputation for crime, the worst cases we saw were the border
officials. We traveled during the rainy season and possibly as a result,
the roads were more potholes than pavement. This was especially bad near
the Honduran border, where hurricane Mitch had struck months before. Perhaps
another factor influencing the road conditions was the fact that we chose
to travel the southern route through the country, hugging the coast and
avoiding San Salvador. I am assuming that since the road was not
vital to the capital, it was possibly less maintained.
Another difference
we noticed in El Salvador was that it was hard to find decent places to
stay that offered secure parking arrangements. We stopped at several “Moteles”
before we realized that they were love shacks for couples that preferred
anonymity. These places not only provide parking, but the parking areas
are always adorned with nice curtains to close around your car so that
no one knows you are there. These are also common in Honduras and Nicaragua
and are best to avoid. Not only is their cleanliness questionable, since
they charge by the hour, they tend to get expensive if you plan on spending
the entire night there. |
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The
Carribean Coast of Honduras.
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When planning
your trip through El Salvador, give yourself plenty of options as to where
you might stay and plenty of time to check them out. All Mexican and Central
American highways are dark and dangerous places to be at night, and it’s
no fun to be out after dark still wondering where you will sleep.
After yet another
LONG hour and another “donation,” we crossed into Honduras. Admittedly,
the El Salvador experience made us anxious just to arrive to Nicaragua,
so we plotted the shortest course possible through Honduras and we spent
only two hours in the country on a very nice, straight, two-lane road.
Honduras is, however, known for its excellent highways. There is much to
see and do in Honduras, especially if one is interested in snorkeling or
scuba diving. The Caribbean coast of Honduras is not only easily accessible
by car (unlike Nicaragua), but boasts the continuation of the coral reef
found in Belize. For these reasons and more, Honduras is a great country
worth driving around in—which, unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do.
Our border
crossing exiting Honduras was a breeze, but entering Nicaragua was a different
story. We happened to arrive at high noon-- lunchtime. Following a custom
found commonly in small towns in Nicaragua, the border closed for two hours.
There were no air-conditioned restaurants in which to sit and relax. No
air was moving anywhere, and it must have been 95 degrees in the shade.
This lunchtime two-hour border closing might have changed by now, as I
know that the Costa Rican-Nicaraguan border is now open all day long.
Once we were
finally on our way, practically three hours later, we realized that the
delay was going to force us to do some night driving in order to reach
the next town. The implications of this realization came to us as we faced
a highway full of potholes from Hurricane Mitch and resembled something
from the surface of the moon (the road has since been repaired).
Some of the
hazards we encountered in our mere one-hour of night driving were drunks
staggering on the side of the road, a wandering cow or half-starved horse
here and there, and the occasional skeletal dog scratching his fleas. The
worst one was this large shape looming ahead that neither one of us could
really identify. It turned out to be a wooden cart pulled by two oxen.
Since the cart had no lights, no reflectors, and was painted a dark red,
it was extremely difficult to see from a distance. Fortunately for us,
the ox cart driver noticed our fast approach and he steered off the road
into the shallow, grassy ditch. We swerved to give him extra space and
with our hearts racing vowed never to drive at night in Nicaragua again.
Once in Nicaragua
and well beyond the damage done by hurricane Mitch, the roads improve and
driving becomes slightly easier. However, driving in Nicaragua requires
more caution than in other countries due to the large amount of animals
that you encounter in the roads. Many farmers only own one or two horses,
or cows, or pigs, and they often tie them up along the roadside to graze.
These animals inevitably get loose and it is not unusual to see a horse
wandering alone, even through the busy streets of Managua! Other than the
large animals, there are seemingly endless mangy dogs and foraging chickens
to look out for, not to mention the many pedestrians.
All in all,
driving through Central America and Mexico is an adventure few will ever
regret. Drivers need to be prepared to accept that for the most part, not
only life, but traffic, as well, seems to move at a different pace the
further south of the United States one gets. Plan your trip with
plenty of spare time to compensate for sightseeing, slow traffic, random
unexpected stops to watch a religious procession pass by, and whatever
else the region might have to offer. It is generally best to plan your
trip during the Central American dry season that runs from January-May,
but while the rains have started by June and July, the road conditions
usually haven’t deteriorated too terribly. You will find that a trip by
car will indeed give you the options and freedom to see Central America
and Mexico in a way that just isn’t possible by plane or bus.
What to
take:
*Roadmaps (AAA
can provide good maps of Central America and Mexico)
*Aerosol flat
tire repair kit
*Copies of
passport, license, and car title (just in case) in addition to the originals
*Car Insurance
from Sanborn’s (can be purchased at any U.S. border town and is available
on a daily or monthly rate while you are out of the U.S.)
*Extra tire--not
a temporary 30 mile spare. While this takes up additional space, should
the time come when you need to use it, you will find that it is more than
worth its weight in gold.
What NOT
to do:
In the past,
unleaded gasoline was not readily available in this region and drivers
were advised to have their catalytic converters removed from their cars.
This is no longer necessary since unleaded gasoline is easy to obtain and
the removal of your catalytic converter is actually illegal in the United
States..
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