Is Mexico Safe?

[MysteryRider]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Rhode trip, do not trust the Roji farther than you can throw it, especially for accuracy of back roads.

Craneguy, now I need to ride it. Too bad I didnt take you up on the offer.
My ride report for the comfortable chair in the Mystery Rider's new bar is my next priority! LOL!

And a big thanks to CraneGuy for suggesting the name of the bar. (Seal Club)

C´mon MikeMike! We need some photos of the AdvRider Statue.

And, don´t forget to tell us how you had to use tools off of a Hardley to fix yur bike. (BTW: Was that a metric phillips screwdriver?)

[rockymountainoyster]

Anyone know if the BiciMapas for the Garmin is more detailed and accurate for the backroads than the Guia Roji? GR seems pretty good for general orientation and major roads... there seems to be a lot of detail in BiciMapas but I haven't challenged it yet. This morning I will rely on it to get me out of Lerdo and on my way to Zacatecas. I used the taxi driver trick to get me to the hotel late yesterday afternoon. Was it trice who posted that idea? It is a great one. I was tired and wandering around in a strange place... the taxi got me to the zocalo pronto... diez pesos, worth every centavo!

[MikeMike]

I borrowed that little torx to make sure you were making a meaningful contribution to the surgical procedure I was about to perform on the redheaded German on a quiet backstreet in a Mexican mountain town.
The real Houdini act was how I was able to use the Jedi mind trick power of suggestion "Hey, dont you have a pack of Cohibas and do you need a light?" to divert your attention while I palmed the torx key and used my Leatherman needlenose to terrify those two little fittings into abandoning their steely grip on the failed piece of Fatherland engineering.
At least that is how it would read if George Lucas and David Grisham wrote repair manuals!
There were no other witnesses, Craneguy had wandered off to get a cold drink. Smart man.

The best thing was I didnt hear any banjos playing while it all went down.

What happens in the coastal Sierra Madre, stays in the coastal Sierra Madre.

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Tampico is ok, it has a unique norteno and Veracruz type vibe to it. Since it sits right on the state line, you could consider it extreme north Veracruz. What it does is position you perfectly for either deeper into Mexico or up to the US border. Prices are not insane like in Veracruz.
Have you thought about Tuxpan? Tuxpan is going to be getting busier with the direct highway connect to Mexico City and the port expansion. Tuxpan is a few hours south, more laid back, and sets you up nice for travel within Mexico and still easy to do the border. If I had to choose between Tuxpan and Tampico, I would opt for Tuxpan and since you are comfortable in Mexico you might enjoy it, summers are going to put you on the Veracruz weight loss plan with the temps and humidity! ha,ha!
You can live well and you'll enjoy Tampico if you are set on Tampico as a destination. No worries.

I stumbled into a motorcycle rally in Tuxpan and spent some I scheduled time there. Beautiful town with a great waterfront along the river.

That was kinda what I was telling him, that if he got to Tampico he should head south a bit just to check it out and see what he thought. It gets awfully pretty down there awfully fast.

[MikeMike]

Until you get to Poza Rica! LOL!

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by rockymountainoyster

This morning I will rely on it to get me out of Lerdo and on my way to Zacatecas. I used the taxi driver trick to get me to the hotel late yesterday afternoon. Was it trice who posted that idea? It is a great one. I was tired and wandering around in a strange place... the taxi got me to the zocalo pronto... diez pesos, worth every centavo!

Nice use of the Taxi Trick

To the aspect of who coined the idea: I don't think anybody really invented it and its probably been used since taxis have been around.

But I wrote about it here in March of '09: The Taxi Trick as a piece of advice to newer travelers to Mexico.

Yes, Bicimapas is getting better every year, with more and more detail. And we talk about mapping etc. here in the IMS thread as we do the other classic "cyclical" or "boomerang" topics like insurance and topes.

YMMV, but to me, in any size town or certainly cities, I'd rather defer to the taxi driver than my GPS to take me to the hotel and, on the flip side, out to my departure highway. There are a number of reasons for this.

Probably the chief reason is that with a GPS/Bicimapas, you have at best excellent situational awareness but what you don't have is an inexpensive local guide, hired on the spot, to be your personal concierge for the truly fastest route, least traffic, hotel recommendations, things to see, or whatever else you ask him for. Plus, and this doesn't get talked about enough - you can enjoy the scenery, look around, concentrate on the senses firing at you all at once as you explore yet another fantastic Mexico destination. Who wants to be studying a GPS while keeping eyes on city traffic? And why do you want to shoulder that worry, when you should be smiling your ass off and really enjoying the destination?

If you really want to have fun, get comfortable with hiring taxi guides on the fly, which means engaging their guide service while stopped at a red light or even while in moving traffic. Just shout something like this while moving along:

"Hotel Posada de Amor - veinte pesos! Vamanos!"

[MikeMike]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

"Hotel Posada de Amor - veinte pesos! Vamanos!"

Just what sort of guide are you looking for?

$20 pesos?
Now some wealthy US hooker is going to come on this thread and berate you like the US dentists tried with Pirata Juan.

[2mstone]

As I wander through this thread it seems like there are a lot of riders going to Mexico this time of year. Would anyone have an idea of how many go in the winter?
And more specifically into Baja?
And even more specifically into Baja riding a V-Strom? (not that I'm prejudiced or anything... )

If the last one applies to you please contact me.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by 2mstone

And even more specifically into Baja riding a V-Strom? (not that I'm prejudiced or anything... )

Bienvenido amigito, you will probably be interested in this LINK

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Just what sort of guide are you looking for?

$20 pesos?
Now some wealthy US hooker is going to come on this thread and berate you like the US dentists tried with Pirata Juan.

Too funny!

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by Rhode trip

And finally, a specific question: when we crossed at Ojinaga, the border guards just chatted with us about the bikes, and said we should check out Santa Elena canyon from the Mexican side...and nothing about TVIP or tourist cards.

You can be in the border zones for 36 hours without a tourist card, and you don't need a TVIP either. I assume that these border folks were the Mexican authorities because usually the US authorities are clueless about Mexican procedures.

Glad to see some folks riding over there. Exploring that area is on my bucket list.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by PirateJohn

Exploring that area is on my bucket list.

Long time overdue to stop adding to this bucket list you keep mentioning all the time, and transition to a checked-off list.

[Turkeycreek]

Originally Posted by 2mstone

As I wander through this thread it seems like there are a lot of riders going to Mexico this time of year. Would anyone have an idea of how many go in the winter?
And more specifically into Baja?
And even more specifically into Baja riding a V-Strom? (not that I'm prejudiced or anything... )

If the last one applies to you please contact me.

We see lots of riders here in Sonora. Northern Mexico in winter can be cold at times with morning lows in the mid to 30s. Som of the border areas are about 5,000 ft and it snows from time to time at those altitudes. La Rumorosa in Baja gets snow and it can be pretty cold in the mountains. We got snowed on in March 2010 on Mex5 between La Trinidad and Ensenada up high.

Take a sleeping bag even if you are staying in hotels. Many hotels have no heaters (ours does ) and many have only thin blankets. You will be happy to have it if it cools down. Pack your heated vest and winter gloves and hope you never use them. Once you get closer to Baja Califonia Sur, things will warm up.

Just get on the bike and come down.

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

Long time overdue to stop adding to this bucket list you keep mentioning all the time, and transition to a checked-off list.

I agree, but I have to replace some of the things that my ex-girlfriend stole from me. But I can assure everyone that I am planning to get back to riding ASAP. Hopefully beginning later this year.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by PirateJohn

I can assure everyone that I am planning to get back to riding ASAP. Hopefully beginning later this year.

Cheers on that, because "bucket list", "planning" and "hopefully" are fodder for a younger man's vocabulary.

Guys our age can't afford to keep them in our lexicon.

Even if you still feel like you're 25, time has a way of eclipsing the best of intentions.