Beyond the nice roads the gulf coast of Mexico has many differences from Mexico’s Pacific coast. The gulf coast seems a much more populous region and the gentle coastline with it’s flat highways and large ports is much more industrial than the parts of the Pacific coast that I saw. Close to my path were many interesting sites including old colonial cities, ancient ruins, beaches, high mountains and volcanoes.  I passed most of these sites by as I made my way to the border. I did make a few stops and spent a few nights in a nice hotel in the city of Tampico which gave me a chance to prepare for crossing back into the U.S.

These five days that I spent travelling from Villahermosa to the border city of Matamoros were largely uneventful outside of my run-in with a traffic cop in the city of Tuxpam that involved his wanting $800 (U.S.) from me since I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt. Instead of the money that he wanted he ended up with about fifteen minutes of my “no intiendo” routine and $20 (U.S.). As I drove away I was surprised and angry at the traffic cop for taking advantage of me. This event was surprising after months of meeting people across Mexico that were very friendly and hospitable.

When I reached the border I spent a few hours shopping before crossing back into the U.S. and was happy to find that many of the wares that I had seen in Mexico were available and often for lower prices. A few blocks from the markets I entered the line of cars that were Texas bound. The wait was only about an hour which I easily spent calling folks on my newly working cell phone. Above the Rio Grande I realized that I had missed the vehicle importation permit return. With no other option I continued to the crossing and was hopeful that I could walk the ticket back over or turn it in on the north side of the border. The guys searching my car were nice enough to explain to me that I did indeed have to cross back over into Mexico to turn in my importation permit. After paying my taxes and getting my gear back in the van I headed back to Mexico. This time I found the return station and successfully returned my permit before again waiting in the hour long line over the rio grand. Fortunately the agent on the U.S. border recognized me and waived me through the inspection center and on into the U.S.

Back in the U.S. I noticed a lot of similarities to the border city that I had just left in Mexico. The biggest differences that I noticed immediately were that everyone was speaking English and that the road quality was amazing. They both made me realize the extra effort that I had been putting forth in Mexico but had gotten used to. Able to read the numerous road signs I quickly made my way to North 77 without even stopping to consult a map and was soon speeding north with a wide shoulder on each side of the road and without the worrying about topes for the first time in Months.

Even though I am now back in the U.S. the trip doesn’t seem to have reached it’s final ending yet. Maybe when I return to North Carolina it will have ended, or maybe after our groups reunion at Every Bus the trip will be finished? Since one of the best parts of this trip was the great people on it (and in it) this trip may continue as long as we all stay in touch and keep sharing adventures together? I hope that this is the case and that we eventually get to live out the many plans that we constructed when together in Mexico.

Jonathan Poole
Tupelo, Mississippi

Excited about the seeing waterfalls we headed for the roar and were not disappointed when we reached the rain swollen falls. We could see no end to the falls downstream or upstream so we started hiking upstream along the well made path and stairways to see more. The forest quickly became very thick and large trees were a common site. The main river crashed over fall after fall as we climbed upstream and also small streams rushed out of the forest and little falls were scattered there.

After a few minutes of exploring up stream the trail hit a steep stairway that leads a little away from the main river. Curiosity led us up the stairway and into the entrance of a large cave. This was an unexpected treat and we realized that we must have flashlights to continue our explorations. Somewhat out of breath but excited about exploring the caves I returned with a small lunch and some big lights and into the caves we went. We descended the well made path and soon found ourselves in another world. After the roar of the waterfalls the cave seemed filled with silence that was only broken by our footsteps and the occasional squeaking of bats. Formations made by the flowing limestone were frozen in place along most of the surfaces we could see and freestanding towers and other large cascading sculptures surrounded us.

Bobby is visible at the far end of this cavern.

Deeper inside the cave we crossed a small stream that was busy moving the limestone around. After passing through a few chambers we saw light ahead and felt a breeze. This first light turned out to be electric but the breeze grew stronger. We passed through multiple lighted chambers and then popped out of another entrance on the far side of the cave where we had lunch and a short jungle hike on which we saw another, smaller cave entrance.

We re-entered the caves and eventually found a third large cave entrance the floor of which was covered with snail shells.

After our amazing time in the caves we returned to exploring the waterfalls and discovered that the river flows straight out of the mountainside!

Our unexpected stop at Agua Blanca made the day for us and was on of the highlights of the trip. We explored more of the river didn’t have time to see all of the falls since the river may continue it’s cascading path for miles beyond the farthest point that we explored.

Ready to rest up after our hiking and caving we made the short drive to Villahermosa and secured a hotel room in the busy centro. While not known as a tourist town I found Villahermosa to be a practical and likeable place. The downtown area has been cleaned up from the flooding and life is proceeding at a fast pace throughout the city.

Jonathan Poole

Cleveland Mississippi, Gringolandia

The first 100 km to Ocosingo contained more topes than I had encountered on any similar length stretch of road in Mexico. Many of these topes were unpredictably placed outside of towns and sometimes at the bottom of hills along desolate sections of road. Many inhabitants of this tope filled land were apparently subsistent farmers and the day that we passed through was a plowing day for many. The primary crop in this region was corn and the plows that we saw were the old-fashioned type.

Beyond the unexpected our first stop was at the ruins of Tonina just east of Ocosingo. This stop was to whet our appetite for Mayan ruins before we hit Palenque. Our stop at Tonina turned into an extended hike to the top of the main pyramid with stops at every sight along the way. Tonina left us dehydrated, a little sunburned and ready for more of anything Mayan.

The second small deer in captivity that I had seen was at Tonina.

After the stop at Tonina we planned to finish the day at the highly praised Agua Azul. Too many topes later and just before sunset we made the turn for Agua Azul. Our dramatic drop in elevation was equaled or surpassed with an equally dramatic increase in roadside vendor aggressiveness. While being accosted by these vendors the commonplace activity of cruising along in my van became completely transformed. We were surrounded by exotic jungle vegetation and at most of the topes had young girls screaming different Spanish phrases at us while they waved their bananas and other jungle produce at us. At one point there were more than 6 young girls running alongside the van on both sides and even our well practiced “No, gracias” could not be heard over the din. A few of the frustrated young vendors even hit the back of the van with whatever they were trying to sell and made comments that they were probably glad that we couldn’t understand. We soon learned that these aggressive tope vendors set an appropriate tone for Agua Azul. Just after paying to use the road and then a few yards later paying to enter Agua Azul I was solicited by a few teenage boys that assured me that they would do a good job of keeping an eye on my van. After telling them that I didn’t think it was necessary but thanks anyway I realized that it might have just become necessary. Lucky for me a few other boys showed up a little later to offer me their services as watchmen. Maybe it was because of my tope overdose, or perhaps because young girls had flogged my van with fruits and vegetables, whatever the reason I, with difficulty, declined their services and decided to watch the van myself. We parked within site and grabbed the most overpriced meal of my trip in Mexico and then headed for Palenque, dark or not. With consideration of the recently displayed attitude towards gringo tourists and the bravery of it’s youth we played it safe and tailed a smoke belching bus all the way into Palenque. Later that night when safely in our hotel room we read the Lonely Planet section on Agua Azul and learned that crime is common there and that travel at night is to be avoided if at all possible.

In between harassments we did go see the waterfalls which are beautiful and unlike any that I have ever seen. The water is an unnatural looking bright blue and must be rich in sediment to build the formations that cover whatever gets in it’s path. We hiked to the upper observation platforms and it appears that the falls run along for much longer than we could have hiked in even a full day.

The region around Palenque receives more rainfall than any other in Mexico and we were awoken in the night to the sound of heavy rainfall outside. This was the first rain that I had seen in Mexico and it continued all day. Much of the ancient, ruined city of Palenque is yet to be unearthed and the rest is beautifully surrounded by thick jungle. Seeing Palenque in the pouring rain seemed appropriate and the low light and thick clouds certainly helped Palenque live up to it’s mystic reputation. After more than 4 hours of exploring we were soaked in spite of our umbrellas and didn’t have enough energy left to fully appreciate the museum. We did however fully appreciate our dinner and our warm beds and cold A.C. back at the hotel.

Jonathan Poole

Cleveland Mississippi, Gringolandia

At Tuxtla Guiterez I assumed that we had finished most of our climbing and that the remainder of the drive to San Cristobal would be flat for the most part. Just outside of Tuxtla we started climbing again and after stopping to let the van cool off three times and with the sun going down it became obvious that I had no idea how much higher we would climb. We literally ascended into the clouds on this amazing stretch of road and finally reached San Cristobal which we found to be a vibrant and beautiful colonial city.

The high mountains surrounding San Cristobol are filled with small villages and towns of indigenous populations said to be descendant of the ancient Mayans. Like the Mayans that took refuge here as their civilization collapsed over 1000 years ago the Zapatistas rebels also take refuge in the forests and mountains around San Cristobal. Small hand-sewn Zapatista dolls complete with machine guns, artistic graffiti and even revolutionary themed restaurants and shops are to be see in San Cristobal. This celebration of the Zapatista rebels was at first interesting and entertaining for me but at dinner one night I was reminded that there is much more to the rebels and their war. An enlarged photo of heavily armed Zapatistas surrounding a bound and pleading captive was on display above our dinner table. For me that vivid image of suffering brought to reality the violence and killing that I had read about and changed my perception of the many Zapatista signs pervasive in San Cristobal and the surrounding area. I hope that propaganda has permanently replaced violence in the Zapatistas war.

We stayed 3 nights in San Cristobal which gave me just enough time to fall in love with the city. With it’s beautiful scenery, diverse and interesting culture, historic sights and charming colonial center San Cristobal was one of the highlights of my trip to Mexico and I hope to return for a longer visit.

Jonathan Poole

Boston Texas

The day after my departure from Acapulco my friend Bobby was flying in to join me in Puerto Escondido. Eager to prepare for Bobby’s arrival and to leave Acapulco I made the drive from Acapulco to Escondido in one day. It looked like an easy drive on the map, at only about 400 kilometers or 250 miles long, but it still took over 8 hours for me to complete. I made it into Escondido with time to find a nice spot to stay and to unexpectedly meet up with Charlie and Jessi whom I hadn’t seen since La Manzanilla. The next day Bobby’s plane was on time and Bobby was on it in spite of the difficult to navigate Mexico City airport. Our trip together quickly took us to the hotel’s rooftop palapa for cold beers and a great view of the sunset. Soon after the beautiful sunset we enjoyed the lunar eclipse which made our night on the roof top a real treat.

Before heading south we checked out Puerto Escondido and the Playa Zicatela with it’s world class wave and many surfers. Escondido is loaded with cool shops, restaurants and places to stay. One of our favorite sites in Escondido were the many beautiful courtyards.

From Escondido we headed south with hopes of finding a small isolated beach and were prepared to drive dirt roads and explore the coast until we found such a place. After more than an hour of driving no sign of our beach was to be seen. Finally, somewhere around Puerto Angel the mountains that we had seen on the inland horizon met the Pacific creating a rugged coastline sure to be hiding a few remote beaches. We started taking side roads the first of which took us to a large, new development just south of Puerto Angel.

There was no good camping at that beautiful spot so we made our way back to the 200 and then continued south. About 15 minutes later a small dirt road was marked with a sign labelled Bahia Tepec. With concern about my van’s limited traction on such a steep and rough road we ground our way through the climbs and turns. Eventually the road began to descend and was so narrow and steep that we couldn’t turn around and certainly couldn’t reverse out. After over an hour of banging along this road the view opened and before us was one of the prettiest little beaches that I have yet seen.

–

There were three other visitors on the beach that left just after we arrived. After their departure we had the beach all to ourselves until later the next day when the army showed up in force.

Even the most relaxing beaches become uncomfortable when they are covered with machine gun toting soldiers so we headed out in search of another amazing spot. Near Tepec the coastline turns east which made this the southern extremity of my Mexico trip.

Our next destination became Salina Cruz and it’s nearby peninsula. On the map Santa Maria Del Mar looked like a great place to camp with the Laguna Inferior and Atlantic so close together. After missing the turn and then being led around by a local we finally were making our way onto the peninsula. We soon passed through the indian village of San Mateo del Mar in which the women all wore impressive full skirts and beautiful blouses. I am sure that we were the first VW van driving gringos to be seen there in at least a long time. Soon after passing through San Mateo the road turned into a giant washboard and the sun went down. What had looked like a 20 or 30 minute cruise on the map turned out to be a grueling hour and a half torture session for my van’s suspension. I first tried driving slowly which seemed to allow my tires to fall more deeply into the ruts. I then drove as fast as the curves would allow which sounded every rattle that I had ever heard in my van at once. Unable to talk for the noise, we enduringly flew down the dusty rut of a road hoping that we would reach it’s end soon. We finally made it to Santa Maria Del Mar which turned out to be a dimly lit little fishing village. We drove through town towards the beach only to find a graveyard at the roads dead end. With my new headlights blinding all of the locals that we passed I don’t think many of them realized that it was two lost gringos that were driving circles through there tiny town. While backing out of another dead end we were stopped by a well intentioned but difficult to communicate with lady. She did make it clear that we couldn’t get to the beach in our van or camp anywhere near where we were but beyond that the conversation was going nowhere. She seemed to be prolonging the conversation so that she could sneak peaks into the van and at us. Trying to communicate my authentic confusion I drove off leaving her in our dust swirl. She had convinced us that we couldn’t camp on the Pacific side of the peninsula so we went back through town in what I thought was the opposite direction. After a few dusty blocks we entered a rough and rolling open space and passed many men walking back into town. At the other end of the open space we found a bluff above the lagoon and interrupted two men sitting on a log there. They informed us that they were the security guards and that we were welcome to camp for the night which we did. Except for the sulphur smell that greeted us in the morning it was a great sleeping place with no noise and a constant breeze. After seeing the area in the daylight we felt quite lucky to have blindly stumbled into what was probably the only suitable campsite around. After another, slower this time, pass on the terribly torturous washboard road I developed a taste for paved roads which we followed for the rest of the coast.

Jonathan Poole
La Luz, Mexico

Bobby,Charlie, Jessi, Sharpener Dude

The wind generators were enormous and in my opinion a beautiful site.  The little peppers were by far the hottest thing that I have ever tried.  The sample that I tasted was only the very tip of one of the peppers but the burning lasted for half an hour.

After many villages, kite sightings and topes I reached Acapulco. Before this first visit the name Acapulco brought visions of a tourist filled, Florida like beach city to my mind. An area of Acapulco is indeed just what I expected but much of the city is unlike the touristy beach strips that I have visited in the U.S.

Driving into the city required that my senses wake from rural driving relaxation. Mostly free of signs and full of erratically piloted busses and beetle taxis the roads are a torrent that quickly swept me deep into the city. Perched on the front of my seat I discovered myself a very agressive driver whose primary goal was to stay out of trouble. Stops at red lights offered me time to orient myself before the gush of traffic swept me on again. Entering Acapulco with only a vague idea of my destination fortunately allowed me to focus on driving instead of worrying over a planned route. Eventually it became evident that I should head towards the beach and I did so with hopes that my surroundings might become less gloomy. The scenery did improve as I dropped onto the main strip but after the extended visits to small fishing villages such a large city was a shock. Many of the negative differences that I detected in Acapulco were visible in faces within the crowds. There were uncheerful kids, scowling women and homeless people frequently catching my eye.

Instead of the normal slow cruise down a dusty road looking for a camping spot amongst the palapa restaurants I raced down the beach surrounded by the crowds, tall buildings and traffic looking for a hotel with safe parking and as little noise as possible. Fortunately I found such a place near the Zocalo and made the most of my few days in Acapulco. I spent most of my time in the internet cafes and walking around the zocalo though I avoided spending much time out at night.

Although I could see the high-rise hotels accross the bay it wasn’t until I departed Acapulco and drove through the southern part of the city that I discovered the Hard Rock Cafe, Mcdonalds, Wal-Mart and Crowne Plaza side of Acapulco. This was what I had expected to find in Acapulco and though I might not have enjoyed staying there much more than near the zocalo I am sure that I would have felt more welcome and safe.

Such a large city surely offers a great variety of experiences for it’s visitors and Acapulco probably has some of the largest, cleanest and best equipped accomodations in Mexico. Even with that in mind I don’t plan to return.

Jonathan Poole
Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca Mexico

Acapulco

Driving

It is fall here for most plants and they are going dormant in the deepening dry season. The tree in the following two photos was said to be around one hundred years old by the farmer that I discussed it with. It’s leaves are falling and it’s seeds ripening.

How many gringos does it take to fix Mike’s fridge?

Thanks for the photos Mike,

Jonathan

There is a good restaurant with a great view above where we camped in La Manzanillera. We picked up breakfast there before our departure. Mid-meal a Parrot marched over to our table which disturbed the dogs a good bit. In an effort to put some distance between the bird and the dogs I started a trail of tortilla crumbs that lead away from the dogs. This must have encouraged the bird because it decided it would kick me out of my chair and then help himself to the food on the table.

One evening while in La Manzanillera Frank, Mike and I developed a plan to create a lure launcher for Frank. Frank was frustrated because he wasn’t able to cast as far as he wanted and this lure launcher seemed the ideal solution. In Maruata after a lot of bad Spanish and charades we aquired all of the pieces that we needed for the creation of our lure launcher (potato gun).

There are some great surfing spots along this coast including Playa La Ticla and Playa Nexpa. After our first day of driving met up with Frank and Rita for a few nights at the surfing beach of Ticla. The water at Ticla was often crowded with more than 30 surfers out a common site. After Ticla we all drove south to the eco tourism installation at La Manzinellera. This beach with it’s newer and cleaner casitas and restaurant was mostly empty and was a tranquil spot. Maruata was the final camping spot on this coast and we found a very comfortable arrangement on this sleepy little beach. After the two nights in Maruata I parted company with Frank, Rita, Mike, Marianne and the two dogs with confidence that I would see them all again and hopefully soon.

Past Maruata the road grew steeper and more twisty where in spite of the new pavement I spent most of my time driving at speeds around 30 mph. Near the end of the Michoacan coast the road grew more straight and full of traffic. I enjoyed a nice lunch at Playa Azul and then skipped Lazaro Cardenas, which looked like a pretty large industrial city, for Zihuatanejo.

I missed a lot of photo opportunities over the past week but still had a hard time narrowing down the selection. My first list of photos for this post included around 90 images. While the photos below fall far short of showing what this section of the coast is like I hope that you enjoy them.

Jonathan Poole
Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico

I have seen a few of these on the beaches that I have visited. While I don’t know what it is I took this one back to the van for investigation and learned that they swim, are self righting and expand and contract rapidly. Overall Length is around 2 inches.

One good sign that you are getting close to a nice break is the sighting of a half-pipe.

The trees are getting bigger and are quite beautiful.

A new to me style of construction is a common site on the Michoacan coast.

With sadness from saying goodbye I headed to Melaque to gear up for the surfing safari that starts tomorrow morning. It was good to wash the beach off of my van and to get gas for the first time since mid December. The photos below are mostly from outside of La Manzanilla except for the photos of Frank blissing out with his fresh churros and our good friend Leon waving goodbye.

Jonathan Poole

Melaque (San Patricio), Mexico