Is Mexico Safe?

[eakins]

i've switched over to all grey gear (klim) & silver helmet and it has made a huge improvement in overheating. i use this for visability
http://www.amphipod.com/products/vis...-vests/xinglet
don't even know it's on but have been told i'm extremely visible.

we were living in guanajuato in the summer and being above 6000" made a huge difference in summer mexican heat. went down to the coast once and it was unbearable hot to us atleast. the smart move is to stay high in the summer and coast in the winter.

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Kurt, don't give up!
Next time through, try getting some gear that is gray or a lighter color. Yes, I know many experts say that black is just the same as any color when it comes to sunlight etc... but I can tell you through my own subjective experience that black clothing is best avoided for tropical riding.
Always seek shade, and if it has a breeze you are really in luck. Many people coming through here sit in the sun for some strange reason. Especially the bright and searing morning sun. This is why Ted Simon (as well as being a trademark for him) carried his umbrella, remember it is a "parasol" or "para sol" for a reason. Sitting in the sun will give you a slow roast effect that you won't feel right away but will feel it later and it will sap your strength.
Use a hat, even a baseball hat, and light colored. Sitting in the morning sun, dressed in black, with no hat, is best reserved for old Italian widows waiting for a bus outside of Naples.
Get out of the sun when taking your refreshments and take lots of them. It's the old "mad dogs and Englishmen out in the noon day sun" line. I don't get on my bike here for any ride outside of the city without at least two bottles of water inside neoprene sleeves, a hat, and some energy food no matter what the season.
Ditch your helmet, gloves, and jacket, and open any and all vents on your pants ASAP when stopping, your body needs to breathe and feel the effects of any breeze that might be present. This is a cumulative effect for keeping you cool, when traffic is thick, get that jacket open.
Avoid the long lines where you are idling amongst buses or trucks, this is a killer on the cuotas, especially at this time of year where you can literally spend more time in lines on a cuota than having taken a libre and are in motion. You used to be able split lanes and ride the shoulder with a bike to get to the head of the lines and it was expected of you to do so, however, with military check points before cuotas this is heavily frowned upon and they will likely stop you from riding the outside shoulder to get to the head of the line. Especially if you knock over a traffic cone. DAMHIKT LOL!
Sunglasses, good ones, will keep your eyeballs from frying, even if you have a drop down sunshield in your helmet, you will need sunglasses for when you are off the bike.
Wear the least amount of clothing under your gear that you can get away with. An athletic tank top with sweat wicking capabilities and some of those "weasel squeezer" sweat wicking bike shorts under your pants will do the trick.
I have yet to find a "cooling bandanna" or a "cooling vest" that is worth a damn after an hour or so, even with having soaked them in ice water over night.
I've been on rides where people, at rest stops, jockey for position and will slyly move around while in conversation in order to get a taller and bigger rider to act as a sunshade for them. Whatever works LOL!
The hottest time of the day is not 12noon, it is between 2pm and 4pm where the earth is radiating all the heat it has absorbed along with the sun that is still beating down. Be in motion or in shade during this time, there is a reason why lunch time in Mexico is in the later afternoon. Double your hydration starting at 1pm and though plain water will do, the Gator drinks are available at even the smallest little convenience stores these days.
Just some tips.
In the summer here we get temps of 39c at 9am, you want to be 3 hours on the road by then and not grunting and lugging your luggage to load your bike, getting on the road before dawn and off before 3pm has its benefits. Plan your route for elevations if possible, cooler mountain air is good for the soul, the views are much better, the traffic is lighter, and the real magic is there. The Mex #180 is for making up time if necessary, going to a beach, good for convoy truck drivers, and half mad Central Americans jacked up on caffeine or who knows what and traveling in long lines of old school buses and towing beat up wrecks of cars. Budget an extra day or so and take the mountain route. Connect with the mountains of Oaxaca, and then into the mountains in Chiapas. You'll be comfortable that way. Very comfortable.

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

No, no, no. Cleese is the guy on the far right!

And as I recall Cleese was a British accountant and miserable at that trade, so he went into comedy. The closest that he ever got to Mexico was berating the Spanish servant on Fawlty Towers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawlty_Towers), which was a part actually played by a German-born actor.

[tricepilot]

^ We were looking for Hillary Clinton. Duh!

[MikeMike]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

^ We were looking for Hillary Clinton. Duh!

Yeah, sure, if that was true there would be a rock in the picture.

[OffRoadCruiser]

We are riding for another 2 weeks and I need to visit an inexpensive but good dentist.

Does anyone have any experience with Mexican dentists and can you recommend one.

We are in Alpine, Texas today and can head either East or West.

All suggestions welcome.


Carl

[tricepilot]

I recommend Milton. He's part Mexican.

[tricepilot]

If you didn't eat dinner at Reata in Alpine, you missed out.

[acejones]

I'll second Trices comments about Riata in Alpine. Ive eaten there a few times; never been disappointed. Don't know about dentists in that area. Last Mexican dentist I used was in Puerto Vallarta. should be some good ones around Acuna/Del Rio. Not sure about Ojinaga/Presidio.

[Tengai In Toronto]

Originally Posted by BMW Kurt

No it is not a triple black, but it is an '06 black and silver. That had to me me. I am in Coatzacolcos now. I just updated my ride report with the whole story.

Kurt, did you happen to wave to an extremely sweaty guy on a 2002 Dakar yesterday? If so, that was me. I crossed paths with a black and silver 1200 between catemaco and coatzocoalcos.

[Tengai In Toronto]

VERY IMPORTANT WARNING FOR THOSE PLANNING TO GO TO MEXICO:









'chorizo' = hotdogs

This one piece of information will help you avoid the pain and anguish of receiving a meal that doesn't look anything like you expected it to.

[Bato]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

If you didn't eat dinner at Reata in Alpine, you missed out.

[MikeMike]

Originally Posted by OffRoadCruiser

Does anyone have any experience with Mexican dentists and can you recommend one.

Well, I've been married to one for 19 years. LOL!
Dentist and Orthodontist, certified in both. What do you need? And define "inexpensive".

[OffRoadCruiser]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Well, I've been married to one for 19 years. LOL!
Dentist and Orthodontist, certified in both. What do you need? And define "inexpensive".

I was hoping to hear from that somone on this board that has experience with going to Mexico and using a dentist across the border. No time for a longer trip into Mexico or Guatemala this time so someone within a days (2 days) riding distance from Alpine, Texas would be best.


Carl

[acejones]

Maybe ask someone around Alpine or Marfa or Presidio.

[WeazyBuddha]

PM some of the guys on this thread? LINK

Do a search on Google like this "mexico dentist site:advrider.com"

Iz all I got....good luck!