katybug

I also posted this on the Latin American board, but I thought I would try it here too:

I'm planning on driving down with my husband and his friend to Guadlahaja from Laredo. We're all in our mid 20's. My husband's friend is married to a Mexican and is moving down there. We will be in his car. I'm concerned about driving in Mexico. They said that they would not give a bribe if someone pulled us over. Is this wise?

What about routes? How long do you think it would take to go from Laredo to Guad. We're planning on driving straight through in one day.

Any other advice about driving? Oh, and my husband and his friend speak Spanish almost fluently.

Marilyn

Hi katybug. I've done lots of driving in Mexico with friends from Texas. You need to have proper insurance, and you should get the Sanbourne road guides which are invaluable for any driving trip in Mexico.

Two statements in your post set off alarms for me.

First, it's never a good idea to drive all night in Mexico. It's a lot safer to keep your driving to daylight hours. If you drive dawn to dusk, you can probably make it in 2 days with one overnight, but I'm not positive of the exact mileage.

Second, the bribe is a way of life in Mexico. If you are pulled over, it will likely be for the express purpose of extracting a small sum of money, not because you broke the law. Personally, I wouldn't go on a road trip in Mexico with someone who stated categorically they would not give a bribe. The alternative is likely to cost you a day of your life and innumerable hassles. (By the way, the only time this happened to us in half a dozen trips was in the Mexico City environs.)

Why are you making this drive if it's just to spend 24 hours in the car? There's some great stuff to see on the way down -- can't you convince them to make it a more leisurely and enjoyable trip?

Chele60

Have you looked at a map yet? Do you realize that Guadalajara is past Mexico City, and is more towards southern Mexico? (Unless you are talking of some other place, as I've never heard or seen a place "Guadlahaja")

I doubt seriously you will be able to drive from Laredo (in Texas, I presume?) to Guadalajara in one day. Seriously, get a good map of Mexico and start checking your distances.

As far as driving in Mexico? Well, one, you will need insurance specifically for Mexico. Second, everyone will have to get Tourist Cards, as you will be going farther south than what is allowed without them. Third, you would need to stay on routes that are main highways and heavily travelled.

What does "They said that they would not give a bribe if someone pulled us over" mean?? Are you asking if you can bribe a policeman if you get pulled over? The usual process if you are pulled over in Mexico is for the officer to take your drivers license and have you follow him to the nearest police station. There you would be processed and pay any fines due. I have heard of people offering bribes, and having bribes being accepted, so I am sure this does happen. But if you attempt to bribe the wrong officer, you could end up in even more trouble. Best to follow procedure.

It sounds as if no one has really done any research with this. I would recommend getting a good map or atlas first. Map out the trip and stay realistic about driving distances. This might take you a 2 - 3 days to complete. Also, check out what is going to be required of you to enter and leave Mexico legally and make certain you have all the necessary documents. (Tourist cards, passports, etc) Then start to look up things about the roads you will be traveling and what the conditions are like.

This can be done, but you need to be smart about it.

Marilyn

"The usual process if you are pulled over in Mexico is for the officer to take your drivers license and have you follow him to the nearest police station. There you would be processed and pay any fines due."

chele, I think you left out an intermediate step, which is where you ask the officer whether the ticket can't just be settled right there and then. I'd say the answer is yes, 99% of the time. Then, if you are fluent in Spanish, you can proceed to haggle over the actual cost of the mordita.

katybug

Thank you for the advice. We leave in less than 2 weeks and we're trying to finalize driving plans. Does anyone know of a good website to find distances between Mexican cities? I can't find one on-line.

Also, yes, I was talking about Guadalajara. My husband's friend said that he's driven it in one day and that he doesn't want to spend a night in Mexico. He hasn't seen his wife in a long time, so I know he's anxious to get down there.

But, I'm just concerned about safety. So, any opinions or especially real-life examples will help me to persuade them to take it slower.

Thank you for all the advice!

Marilyn

katybug, check out this website and thread in particular:
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/dt/dt...dochapala.html

It is a mile by mile routing from Laredo to Lake Chapala (which is just outside Guadalajara). They say 11-12 hours of driving.

Don't forget you have to cross the border, and if you get searched it can easily add an extra hour or two depending on how much stuff you're carrying in the car. (This did happen to us once, and we had to take EVERYTHING out of the car, and there is certainly no rushing Mexican officials when they are going about their business.)

Marilyn

Here's the Sanborn's website. I simply would not do a road trip in Mexico without their guides.
http://www.sanbornsinsurance.com/travelogtext.html

Chele60

Marilyn, you are a travel angel for all the info you've passed along!


Katybug, I just have a question or two. Has your husband's friend looked into taking a flight? He can get there in the same day and it doesn't involve any driving. I can understand a man missing his wife, but this just seems a bit inconvenient to all involved. I know there has to be a great answer to this, but I'm just curious.

katybug

I haven't had a chance to look at the website, but I will later tonight. I will thank you ahead of time for the info!

And my husband's friend is moving down to the Mexico, so he needs his car. Then, my husband and I are flying back.

Again, I can thank everyone enough for all the info! Where would you recommend we spend the night in Mexico.

Chele60

Sorry if I came across as nosey, now I understand better what the nature of the trip is about.

I've not been into the middle of Mexico, but I'm sure there are some experts that can help you. Looking at a map, though, it appears that the city of Zacatecas is almost at the half-way point. From the descriptions on the net, it also looks like a fairly nice city to check out.