Quote:
Originally Posted by everyann  Well sounds interesting! Be sure and let us know how your trip went. |
Just a word about Bus Travel in Mexico.
I returned about two weeks ago from doing
45 days in country. Flew into Cancun, did
at least a week or more in each city of interest.
GF spoke the language and I got good enough
to get a bus and order food.
Bus travel between Cancun and Mexico City
and Guadalajara and Alcapulco is SUPERB.
First class bus, Primero Plus Class, all great.
Air conditioned, comfortable, on time, and on
Primero Plus you get snacks and drinks at
every stop. Even 2nd Class buses were not
bad. Did have a bad experience on a 1st class
bus from Puebla to Cuernavaca. The damned
air conditioning went out and the driver just drove
on. I began making jokes in Spanish, loundly so
that all the locals could hear to the effect that the
next stop the bus would make was in HELL because
it was so f'n hot. But other than that, the entire trip was
great.
1st Class buses take US credit cards. Local, or Regional
buses require CASH in Pesos. City buses can get you
EVERYWHERE if you are willing to ride a bus with steel
seats with no padding. In the larger cities however, city buses
are just about as good as Los Angeles.
Traveling by bus in Mexico is superb since the country
is so beautiful. Starting in Cancun, you have pristine
beaches and jungle, then jungle and such to Veracruz
and a variety of other climes and geography all the way
to the US. Mexico has ancient volcanoes everywhere
and that makes for scenic beauty beyond compare.
The bus trip from Puebla to Cuernavaca for example
took us through an area so beautifutl, I had only seen
pictures of some places in China that were so grand.
And the benefit of course, is that you just sit in air
conditioned comfort and watch the scenery roll by.
Taxi's are available, but we didn't use them except in
relative emergencies. Fares start at about $3.00 US for
a taxi up to about 5 miles. We took one Taxi in Mexico
City however for the two of us, from one side of town to
the other. (About 20 miles) that cost $14.00 US. equivalent.
WARNING HOWEVER: We essentially ended our
Mexico trip in Guadalajara and took a 1st class bus
all the way back to Los Angeles. THE FEDERAL
POLICE, DRUG POLICE, FEDERAL MEXICAN ARMY
and the agricultural inspectors in EVERY state of Mexico
between Guadalajara and Tijuana PULLED us over, boarded
the bus with MACHINE GUNS, made everyone get out of the
bus and got into the guts of the Storage compartment and went
through our belongings, alledgedly looking for DOPE. I assume
they were also looking for subversives and Arabs posing as Mexican's
and for WMD. I learned quickly to say in Spanish. Good Evening, my
wife and I are NOT carrying anything dangerous in our luggage. No guns,
No drugs, No alcohol, etc. We are friends of the people of the United States
of Mexico and look forward to returning here soon. Blah Blah... On one occasion,
they pulled the bus over and made all the men get out and checked us against
a picture book. Again, apparently for WMD type issues.
10 or 12 stops in the 40 hours it took to get from Guadalajara to Tijuana.
Other than that, the buses were THE WAY to go. One word about City Buses
however. Crowded city buses, with all the potholes in the street will quickly give
you the strength of Superman, for standing in the aile,, (in my case, with a heavy
day pack on my back) and holding onto the rail, balancing to keep from falling on
your butt, and after 15 miles, beginning to feel like you were being cruxified from the
pain. But after about week three, I became invincible.
Final Thought: Mexico is a magical place. In 45 days, I spent what AAA asks
for 7 days in Cancun. We traveled by bus, stayed in youth hostels and cheap(er)
hotels, ate where the locals ate, and had the time of our lives. I highly recommend
Mexico for adventure, faith building experiences, making new friends and learning
a new way of life. I will never be the same person again after this trip. And we intend
to go back in successive years and see Northern Mexico, Chiapis, Oxoca, and then
into Belise, Paraguy, Bolivia and more.
Ned
age 57