Driving in Oaxaca, Mexico, became a little more difficult in September / October, 2009. That’s when federal, state and municipal governments actually began enforcing the law, at least in the City of Oaxaca and in parts of the central valleys. Until then rules of the road for driving in Oaxaca were on the books, but not enforced; or if enforced at all it was on a very sporadic basis.
As of autumn, 2009, the authorities have been out in full force in a concerted campaign to stop those suspected of driving without seat belts in use, using a cellular phone, and speeding. It’s not as though enforcement is a bad thing, only that as a driver you have virtually no recourse in terms of disputing the alleged infraction.
Oaxaca still has a Napoleonic, inquisitorial penal system, and while change is in progress in terms of oral trials for the most serious of criminal offences, it’s unlikely that drivers will ever be given the right to dispute highway traffic offences through the courts – at least not in this writer’s lifetime.
The range in penalties so far seen is from being given a ticket, to having your plates removed, to having your vehicle towed. No doubt those with more serious infractions uncovered are being whisked off to jail. And since there’s no such thing as “probable cause,” the police can pop the truck and the glove box, as they wish, and try to uncover all manner of illegal material. So just watch out if you’re inclined to smoke up and take along your grass, pot, boo, mota, hierba or weed with you.
The enforcement of seat belt and cell phone laws is indeed admirable, regardless of whether or not a bribe can be paid. But it’s the use of radar guns to determine whether or not you’re speeding, which is troubling, for two reasons:
1) The speed limit signs are simply absurd. For example, en route to the Sunday market town of Tlacolula, there are signs randomly indicating 40, 30 and then 60 – and not miles per hour. We’re talking kilometers per hour. This is a major highway leading from the City of Oaxaca to the coast. And naturally one of the speed traps recently seen is just outside of Tlacolula along this stretch of roadway. Leaving the city and descending the Cerro del Fortín just beyond the Auditorio Guelaguetza, there are newly erected signs indicating 40 kph. At least here the limit is consistently displayed, unreasonably low as it is. And yes, the speed traps are there from time to time, with up to nine police officers awaiting you.
If you ask a Oaxacan what the speed limit is, he will on balance have no idea, for two reasons: the signage, as indicated, in many cases makes no sense; and perhaps key to the analysis, is the fact that drivers are now licensed without a requirement of passing a written or on-road test, since such testing does not exist. So there is no way that drivers will reasonably, of their own accord, go out and try to ascertain the limit.
2) In the US and in Canada, there are a couple of pretty good radar defences to which those facing conviction can avail themselves. Since in Oaxaca one does
not have the right to dispute an alleged infraction in court before a judge, with evidence in chief, cross-examination, submissions and the rest, those defences are
not available. You cannot question the officer using the radar gun regarding his training regarding competence to use the equipment, whether or not the equipment has been tested before his shift to determine its reliability, or based on
any other doubt you may have or wish to pursue.
The best advice is buckle up, don’t use the cell phone while driving, try to find some speed limit signs, and drive accordingly – no matter how much those behind you are honking. And if you are in fact stopped, try to direct the officer’s attention to the motorcycles whizzing by you, drivers without helmets, and on the phone and smoking – at the same time.
Alvin Starkman has a Masters in anthropology and law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Now a resident of Oaxaca, Alvin writes, takes tours to the sights, and owns Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ), a unique Oaxaca bed and breakfast experience, providing Oaxaca accommodations which combine the comfort and service of Oaxaca hotels with the personal touch of quaint country inn style lodging.
Seat belt, cell phone and speed limit laws enforced remains copyright of the author titosarah, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.
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]]>Introduction
This 2,000 kilometer driving tour serves the needs of vacationers to Oaxaca who also want to take in the sights in central Chiapas, as well as those who want to at least consider visits to the Pacific coastal resorts in Oaxaca and the Gulf beaches and cultural sights in the state of Veracruz … all without foreclosing a side trip to Puebla. The south central circuit of Mexico provides travelers with a leisurely and culturally diverse driving segment within the context of a two or three week vacation, with virtually no backtracking.
For this particular trip, our first day took us from Oaxaca to Tuxtla de Gutiérrez, then to Chiapa de Corzo. After visiting the impressive lookouts at the Parque Nacional Cañón del Sumidero the following morning, we carried on to San Cristóbal de las Casas where we spent two days in the city and visiting nearby villages. The following morning we drove to Agua Azul, and then on to Palenque, touring the ruin the following morning. That afternoon we continued through Tabasco, then Veracruz, spending our final night at Orizaba. Our sojourn concluded with a return home to Oaxaca, via Puebla. As a result of personal time constraints the excursion lasted only six days. It easily could have been extended by a week or more, taking in many additional sights and cities. Accordingly, while we saw many of the highlights noted in the tour books, a close examination of all that is available is highly recommended, in particular for those with time to spare.
For most of the drive the highways were excellent. We passed through 14 toll booths and nine military checkpoints, at the latter having been stopped, questioned and required to pop the trunk, only once. We did experience, however, one disturbing incident involving state police, in Acayucan, Veracruz, noted as an Addendum. It convinced us to deviate from our otherwise steadfast rule against night-time driving.
Distinct from Oaxaca, in Chiapas there is signage encouraging drivers to use the paved, wide, right hand shoulder; warning that physical abuse of women is met with jail time; cautioning that the fine for littering is ninety times your (daily) wage; and along many stretches of two lane highway there are small home-made signs indicating where gasoline is for sale (from householders; sometimes in plastic 10 or 20 liter containers out front as your notification). In addition, one encounters checkpoints aimed at regulating and policing the transport of animals.
Oaxaca to San Cristóbal de las Casas
The drive from Oaxaca to San Cristóbal takes about 8.5 hours, but is best done in two segments, with an overnight, assuming you want to visit more than one sight en route.
As you leave Oaxaca for the drive towards Mitla along Highway 190, fill up with gas, since there are lengthy stretches of highway without stations after you turn off and head towards the coast. You’ll approach that first interchange after close to a half hour of proceeding along straight, essentially flat highway. Take the 190 cut-off to Tehuantepec / Matatlán. After about five kilometers of rolling hills, you’ll reach the “world capital of mezcal,” Matatlán, with production facilities and shops peppering the roadsides for about three kilometers. The billowing smoke is from deep pits being readied for baking agave, and to a lesser extent the stills fueled with firewood.
For the next hour and a half you’ll be climbing, at times considerable inclines, then descending into fertile river valleys, along curvy, well-paved yet at times repaired highway. If you hadn’t filled up for gas earlier, do so just beyond the first military checkpoint, an hour into the drive, at San Pedro Totalapan.
The predominant vegetation is agave under cultivation --- occasionally on the steepest of hillsides --- and mixed brush, with pole cactus and palm interspersed. Towns are encountered, with small stores, restaurants, pharmacies, mechanic shops, and even a guest house at about the two hour mark, in San José de Gracia. In the area around El Camarón you’ll one again encounter a few fábricas de mezcal.
Your final descent towards the coast begins at about three hours into the drive, when you’ll finally find yourself speeding along straight-aways. Once you reach Marilú, you’ll feel you’re in the tropics, with signs offering fresh fish (mojarra) and cold coconut milk.
You’ll then have the option of heading up the coast to Huatulco, or down towards Salina Cruz, Juchitán and Tehuantepec.
The new toll road to Chiapas, along Highway 200, has an interchange which can potentially create a bit of confusion. At kilometer 240 of the trip, more or less, you’ll encounter a traffic circle with signs which do not assist in terms of reaching your destination. Take the exit which includes the words María Romero, and then ask to ensure that you have the right highway. Traffic and pedestrian activity, at least as of early 2009, are sparse. You’ll be heading towards La Ventosa, so when you see a sign so directing you, you’ll know you’re on the right road. At about four hours into your trip, near kilometer 270 of your day’s drive, you’ll pass through the La Ventosa toll booth, with clean washrooms and a gas station close by. From this point, until your arrival at Tuxtla, you’re home free.
For the next 60 kilometers you’ll be driving across flat winding plains. There’s a stretch of 15 kilometers with two sets of large white windmills, very unusual and impressive to the eye, the second set with power generating equipment apparent. There are thereafter a couple of provisional checkpoints along sections of new, and then old and badly pot-holed road in the process of being repaved.
Your arrival at San Pedro Tapanatepec follows along good highway traversing mango orchards, with a bit of ranching. In town you’ll find a gas station, Banamex, etc. After passing through the next military checkpoint, once again you’ll begin your climb into the mountains, arriving in Chiapas approximately six hours into the drive.
The approach to Tuxtla is uneventful, marked by continuing periods of ascent and descent, stretches of plains, and traveling through a couple of small cities. Upon arriving you’ll encounter a traffic circle, easy enough to navigate. You are not required to enter the city, but rather, will be traversing a number of overpasses in the course of about 20 minutes. You’ll be passing high above and to the left of the city, then descending towards the fork in the road leading you to Chiapa de Corzo. Note that the cut – off is not well marked, so when you see the choice to veering to the right or left, turn off to the right.
The two main attractions which you may find at Tuxtla and / or Chiapa de Corzo are the zoo and the Cañon del Sumidero. Both are easily accessible via Chiapa de Corzo, but could require a bit of backtracking. The advantage of staying in Chiapa de Corzo is that it’s quaint, you do not have to enter the metropolis of Tuxtla de Gutiérrez, and it makes for an easy morning beginning for a boat tour of the canyons. However, if you wish to take the boat trip as opposed to driving through the national park, you may have to wait an hour or two in the morning until there are sufficient tourists to fill up one of the many waiting vessels. It all depends on the time of year in terms of level of tourism. We arrived at the docks shortly after the 8 am opening, only to be told that we’d likely have to wait at least an hour. We therefore hopped back in the car and drove to the lookouts in the Parque Nacional Cañon del Sumidero. The site, via boat or drive, should not be missed.
The highway from Tuxtla to San Cristóbal de las Casa is perhaps the best quality stretch of roadway and most pleasant to navigate on the whole trip. Unfortunately the drive takes only about 35 minutes. It begins immediately after you pass through the toll booth as you leave Chiapa de Corzo. Almost all of the drive is ascent with easy curves. You’ll descend to San Cristóbal over the final five minutes of the brief ride. “Must” visits while in the area of San Cristóbal, preferably with a guide notwithstanding that you’ll have your own vehicle, include Chamula and Zinacantán.
San Cristóbal to Palenque
Although along the basically good, two-lane highways descending from San Cristóbal to Palenque there are several homes and businesses offering gasoline for sale, and at Ocosingo you’ll find gas stations, it’s best to fill up as you leave San Cristóbal. Don’t worry about your departure time, since with stops en route you’ll probably be too late to take the tour of the ruin, and in any event it’s best to visit the site during the early morning hours before the afternoon sun and heat preclude enjoying your visit to the maximum. Without stops, the trip takes about 4.5 hours, over the course of about 200 kilometers.
About 11 kilometers into the drive you’ll find a cut-off to the left, onto highway 186 to Ocosingo. Take it, even though there is no sign for Palenque or Agua Azul. Notwithstanding several ascents, you’ll gradually descend into the hot jungle environment characterizing Palenque, a stark contrast to the relatively cold climate of San Cristóbal you’ve just left
You’ll pass through pine forests and lumber mills, ranches, quaint roadside eateries, and stalls offering local produce for sale. At about 65 kilometers into the day’s drive, a “don´t miss” stop is at one of the two or three amber outlets, in an area where the mineral is mined and then worked into predominantly silver accented jewelery. If you’re in the market for amber, wait until your arrival here. You will have likely visited the Amber Museum in San Cristóbal, so by the time you’ve reached these workshops you will have learned how to detect the real thing from the glass and plastic imitations. These stalls boast true amber, and for the asking you’ll be shown pieces in the rough, how to identify the fakes, and how raw amber is fashioned into fine jewelery.
On the approach to Ocosingo you’ll have an opportunity to also stop at craft and coffee outlets. In the course of the decent you’ll encounter cultivated bromiliads used as impressive garden borders, and produce changing to tropical varietals such as bananas, coconut palms, sugar cane, and perhaps surprisingly, still some corn.
Almost immediately you’ll then begin to encounter more switchbacks and peaks and valleys, with once again a net descent into a lush, green forest environment with streams, waterfalls and even a water park and an ecotourism site. After the military checkpoint just over 100 kilometers into the drive, your descent will be characterized by predominantly straight-aways for close to 40 kilometers as you arrive at the cut – off to the left, for Agua Azul, another “must” on your trip. Don’t be surprised to find that you have to pay two separate tolls or entrance fees. In the parking area, you’ll be asked by a youngster if he / she can guard your car. We declined. Later we found that our car aerial had gone missing. Give the kid 10 or 20 pesos, both here and at Palenque.
The ride from Agua Azul to Palenque takes about two hours. A few kilometers into the drive you’ll pass through a stretch of stalls on both sides of the highway, selling hand embroidered skirts, blouses, dresses and shirts. From here on, until Palenque, the highway descends, with easy curves and lengthy straight-aways, featuring corn, sugar cane and plantain.
Get an early start to your day at the ruin. The gates to the park open at 7:30 am, with tickets to the site available for purchase at 8 am. You can secure a guide while waiting to buy tickets. Suggest that you wait for a group of about eight people to make the cost more reasonable. You’ll be given a per person rate on the basis of eight or ten in the group. In our case, the guide decided to take us for his per person rate for eight, with only six of us, presumably anticipating that it would take a fair bit of time to get the other two, and preferring to finish the tour before the hottest time of the day … or perhaps anticipating being able to fit in another tour if he finished with us early enough.
Palenque to Orizaba, or other stopovers in Veracruz
If you intend to spend the night in Córdoba or Orizaba, you might want to consider leaving Palenque early the following morning because of the driving time involved. Of course if you intend to head to the city of Veracruz, another plan might be in order. Between Palenque and Orizaba you’ll encounter at least three cut – offs leading to Veracruz, and at one point you’ll only be about 50 kilometers away from the city.
Choose carefully from your various lodging options, if for no other reason than to reduce the likelihood of encountering the problem which beset us … feeling compelled, at dusk, to change our plan regarding where to spend the night, and as a result having little choice but to drive at night, not the optimum way to enjoy any trip through Mexico.
Leaving Palenque along route 186 you’ll immediately encounter palm and sugar cane under cultivation as well as cattle, on both sides of a good, two lane highway with flat curves and straight-aways. After about 25 kilometers, immediately after passing through your first checkpoint you’ll turn left. During 2009, the highway was being converted from one lane in each direction, to a lane and a half, quite common throughout southern Mexico. As noted earlier, this wide shoulder is perfectly legal to drive on, and in fact speeds up traffic flow as long as drivers are prepared to yield to the right. Aside from this construction, the highways for the rest of the trip back to Oaxaca, or to Puebla, are excellent.
Within an hour or so the highway will be solid four lane, minimum. It will be basically toll road for the rest of the journey. About 125 kilometers into the day’s trip you’ll have the option of staying at an impressive Hilton Hotel & Conference Center, easily visible from the highway. Just before that complex you’ll see a large underpass where there’s a gas station. About 25 kilometers further, as you enter Villahermosa, take the Cárdenas cut off and proceed along highway 180. You’ll be continuing along a highway with plantations of bananas, coconuts and sugar cane, and fields of familiar tropical flowers. Consider a brief stop at La Venta, a small town known for its Olmec ruin. But the site closes at 4 pm, so keep that in mind if interested in a visit to the site.
After about a half hour, roadway curves will once again begin, and less crops will be apparent, now with more herds grazing. You’ll pass through river plains and over a large suspension bridge. Based upon the recommendation of at least one tour book, we had planned to spend the night in Acayucan, Veracruz, but as noted earlier felt compelled to continue on to Orizaba, after dark (see Addendum). The saving grace, at least in our minds, was somewhat of a comfort in passing through four toll booths over the next 2.5 hours, between Acayucan and our ultimate stop for the night, Orizaba. The cut – offs are clearly marked and leave little room for error. From Acayucan, just continue along the highways marked for one or more of Puebla, Mexico City, Oaxaca, since it’s well after Orizaba that you’ll actually be turning off for Oaxaca.
For those interested in floriculture, plants, cactus and succulents, consider a stopover at Fortín de Las Flores, perhaps as a taking – off point for a diversion to Veracruz. Córdoba is a reasonable option for spending the night, close to Fortín de Las Flores, and with many more hotel options as well as daytime sights. But Orizaba also has a number of interesting options worthy of consideration for a stopover, and a visit to its tourist office makes for a good start for a short, pleasant visit to the city before continuing on to Oaxaca.
Orizaba to Oaxaca
The drive from Orizaba to the Oaxaca / Puebla interchange is extremely scenic, climbing dramatically for all but the final few minutes. The snow-capped peak of Orizaba is particularly impressive. You’ll pass by areas of large, ornamental agave, used as property boundary lines. Simply follow the signs indicating Puebla / Mexico for about 30 - 40 minutes, until you finally see the Oaxaca cut – off, at which point you’ll either carry on to Puebla, or return to Oaxaca.
The home stretch of your journey should take about 2 ½ hours, without stops other than to rest and gas up. However, there are couple of worthwhile sights to consider. Unless you want to spend time in Tehuacan, your first stop will be at the onyx / marble village of San Antonio Texcala. Take the second Tehuacan exit (after the Tehuacan toll booth), onto highway 125 leading to Huajuapan. After 6 km you’ll arrive at the village, with several factory outlets where you can by almost anything into which onyx and marbel can be shaped --- tequila sets, plates, sinks, lamps, tables, bowls, boxes, unicorns, fish, hash pipes, and of course a number of diverse ornaments with religious imagery. Prices are about half of what you’ll pay elsewhere.
Next is the Museo de Agua, or water museum, actually a misnomer because it is so much more. Take the well-marked next exit after your return to the toll road, for Sangabriel and Chilac. There will also be signage for the museum. You’ll be given a tour (in Spanish) in the main building, and of the outside surrounding landscapes. You’ll learn how progress is being made to teach villagers in desolate regions where water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to conserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm culture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth.
In terms of the land use and sights, near Tehuacan you’ll see long narrow white-topped buildings where poultry is produced and then trucked throughout the state of Puebla and other nearby states. There will be a couple of lookouts demarcated as stops for tourists to pull over and appreciate and photograph the deep valleys and high mountaintops. Long, well-marked expansion bridges showcase the valleys and mountains. You’ll pass over a geological fault. There will be several kilometers of impressive pole cactus. Close to the approach to Oaxaca you’ll see vendors on each side of the highway selling brightly colored miniature wooden trucks.
The last of several toll booths is Huitzo. About 15 - 20 minutes later you’ll approach Oaxaca. A few minutes after entering the city, you’ll be given two opportunities to turn to the left (one of the signs is difficult to interpret), but unless you’ve been provided with specific instructions to get to your hotel or B & B, and know it’s in a northern suburb, best is to just keep driving straight, eventually entering onto a one-way street which will lead you to the core of the downtown area and the zócalo.
Addendum
We had planned to spend our last night in Acayucan, Veracruz, having noted three hotels, one of which piqued our interest because it appeared to be the only middle-of-the-road and acceptable option, at least for us. Immediately upon entering the town, at about 6:30 pm, we were pulled over by two state troopers, and asked to produce some type of sticker about which we knew nothing. I produced license and ownership without a request to do so. The more belligerent of the officers, Taurino Santiago Ramas (Santiago) insisted he would phone for a tow truck, and did pull out his cellular and make a call.
After ten minutes of heated banter, I told me wife to just ask him “how much?” Santiago said he didn’t want money. This was a shock, since my initial assumption was that it would just be a matter of how long, and how much. He became more testy, almost as much as we had become.
Out of the blue, Santiago’s mood suddenly changed. He asked us about our plans for the night. We indicated that we intended to stay in town. He immediately mentioned his hotel recommendation and how to get there. It was the same hotel at which we had planned to stay. We assured him we would indeed lodge there, whereupon he told us that we would have to pay a 1,000 peso fine the next day. In the same breath, in a softer tone, he proposed “but since I’m a nice guy, and have a kind heart, if you like, instead you can pay something to me.”
I pulled three fifties and a twenty peso bill from my pocket, and offered him one hundred pesos. Santiago demanded, “I’ll take them all.” So 170 pesos lighter we got back in the car, hearing Santiago’s loud laughs, directed at his partner, us, and anyone else on the crowded street within earshot.
But I think we got the last laugh. Santiago certainly assumed that we were going to stay at his suggested hotel, and in fact we drove off in that direction with he and his sidekick watching. He had probably called not for a tow truck, but the hotel, and advised that we’d be coming by, and confirmed the amount of his commission for the referral. Otherwise, he probably would have demanded a bigger bribe. Of course we did not want to stay anywhere he suggested. We were concerned that overnight our belongings might be snatched from the car. We decided it would not be prudent to stay in Acayucan at all, so we high-tailed it out of Dodge, and drove a further 2 ½ hours, during the night, until bedding down in the city of Orizaba.
Alvin Starkman received his Masters in Social Anthropology in 1978. After teaching for a few years he attended Osgoode Hall Law School, thereafter embarking upon a successful career as a litigator until 2004. Alvin, a good-standing member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, now resides with his wife Arlene in Oaxaca, Mexico, where he writes, leads small group tours to the villages, markets, ruins and other sights, is a consultant to documentary film companies, and operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ), providing the comfort and service of lodging in a Oaxaca hotel, with the personal touch of a small country inn.
Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas & Palenque driving tour remains copyright of the author titosarah, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.
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]]>Driving a car in Oaxaca has always been dangerous, be it using your own or a rental vehicle (see my earlier article entitled Driving in Oaxaca: Rules of the Road). But with a dramatic change in the law respecting obtaining a driver’s license, it’s now more precarious, and scary, than ever.
Until recently, to obtain a license you had to either take a written test, or pay a small bribe to avoid having to do so. In either case there was no road test and no eye examination. But now the state has done away with virtually all licensing requirements relating to safety: no written test, no road test, no eye test. The new law is advertized as “more secure.” However, the fact of the matter is that drivers, passengers and pedestrians are much less secure on the roads, curbs and sidewalks.
As long as you’re at least 18 years of age you can apply for licensing for two, three or five years. For the longest period, the cost of obtaining a license to drive a car or light truck is 552 pesos (about $42 USD using early 2009, exchange rates). Add a further 66 pesos ($5) and you can obtain a chauffeur’s license, enabling you to drive a tractor trailer. And with a payment of only 375 pesos ($30), you’re off on your Harley Davidson roaming the roads for a half a decade.
Those 16 and 17 years old must produce an original certificate confirming that they’ve taken a driver training course, but naturally producing such a document has nothing to do with how you’ve performed on the road while taking your lessons. If you can’t afford the lessons, or if your road skills are so bad that driving instructors refuse to teach you out of sheer fear for their own lives, all you have to do is wait that extra year or two, until your eighteenth birthday, and then there are virtually no hoops to jump through.
The requirements with which you must comply are:
1) You must be able to sign your name, which of course does not preclude placing your mark (i.e. an “X”) instead;
2) You must produce proof of residence, such as a water, phone or hydro bill;
3) You must have identification in the form of a voter registration card, or in the case of non-Mexicans, a visa and passport;
4) You must have the name and minimal contact information for a next of kin;
5) You must provide fingerprints of all of your digits, but it’s not clear if this requirement means that those missing one or more fingers simply have to ink up those, if any, that they have;
6) You must be able to pose for a photo.
It appears that if you are legally blind, you can still be licensed. You are simply asked if you need eyeglasses to drive, with no mention of the nature or strength of prescription. It appears that you must be able to speak so as to enable you to comply with the fourth requirement noted above, but if you bring along a piece of paper with the name and contact information of your next of kin, or attend with someone assisting you who can speak, this possible prerequisite may not apply at all. And of course if you read lips when being addressed by the application officer, the ability to hear becomes irrelevant. It appears that you must have at least one arm, or portion thereof enabling you to sign, but there is no suggestion that you must have a lower limb.
So why is it so dangerous for those of us driving in Oaxaca with years of experience and not a single traffic violation on our record? Think about it; the lane to your left could be occupied by a fully licensed sixteen-year-old blind youth who has rarely been behind the wheel or even a passenger in a car, trying to make a right hand turn in his three ton cube van, all the while oblivious to you honking your horn in sheer fright.
Alvin Starkman has a Masters in anthropology and law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Now a resident of Oaxaca, Alvin writes, takes couples and families to the sights, and owns Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ), a unique Oaxaca bed and breakfast experience, providing Oaxaca accommodations which combine the comfort and service of Oaxaca hotels with the personal touch of quaint country inn style lodging.
Should I rent a car in Oaxaca? remains copyright of the author titosarah, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.
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]]>On my first trip to Huatulco in 1991, part of a driving tour throughout much of the country, the town was is its infancy, only recently having been created by FONATUR, the federal government tourism branch. Apart from a Sherarton and Club Maeva, there was little more, and the Zócalo consisted of just a few shops. It seemed all too contrived for my liking…and furthermore the highway to get there we fondly remembered as the “vomit trail.” Now, with improvements to Highway 190, even those who have been resisting getting behind the wheel in Oaxaca can take an enjoyable trip to the coast in a rental, kids and all, without so much as a map in hand, avoiding the loathed Mexican traffic, and soaking up all that Huatulco has to offer. Both the drive and the town are at times criticized in favor of respectively, flying or busing, and Puerto Escondido. Huatulco has a great deal to offer, distinct from its sister town up the coast. The drive itself can be informative in terms of presenting a range of climates and cultural adaptations, and rather pleasant if you opt for the longer route on the better highway.
THE DRIVE
Leaving bright and early in the morning makes the 6 hour ride more doable, since you can end up on the beach early in the afternoon while at the same time take in some wonderful scenery and a diversity of local culture en route. Just head out towards Mitla, take the well-marked Highway 190 cutoff to the mezcal capital of Matatlan, and continue to the coast, towards Salina Cruz, following the signs right into Huatulco. The highway, while consisting of perhaps a couple of hours of curves and switchbacks, is very smooth with wide shoulders and clear markings. It straightens out before reaching the coast, and then eventually, after you’ve been rejuvenated by driving on flat curveless open road, has some further “easy” bends. Pemex stations, while not in abundance, are well-placed along the route, so that as long as you leave with at least a half a tank, you won’t run into a fuel shortage.
You’ll have an opportunity to witness the changes in vegetation, beginning with short mixed brush and candelabra, nopal and other cactus, followed by denser forest, then becoming more tropical in nature with coastal palms, mangroves, etc. You’ll traverse two major maguey growing areas, early on in approaching Matatlan, and a couple of hours into the trip in the mountainous region, the entire route flecked to some extent with agave.
Stop periodically for a short break, have a light lunch or snack, speak to the local inhabitants and continue the trek. Along the coastal highway, see what vendors are offering for sale as you slow down to pass over the topes, and don’t forget to stop for fresh, cool, coconut juice. You’ll stop once to pay a 25 peso toll. You’ll drive through a couple of military checkpoints, and in all likelihood will simply be waved through. Regardless, they’re there to protect us all, keeping a look-out for drug-runners, and to a lesser extent arms traffickers.
If you are traveling with children, while knowing that the beach is not too far off should help to keep them in check, before departing buy a few inexpensive CDs or cassettes for the road…the 100 pesos or so will seem like a bargain once you need them. Another easy way to keep the kids occupied is to play the “spotting game.” Have them count and keep track of the number of soaring birds of prey, donkeys alongside the road, fields of agave under cultivation, or even how many times they see the words “Comedor” or “Miscelánea.”
THE TOWN
In the course of building up Huatulco with its multitude of hotels, both luxury and more middle-of-the-road, came the golf courses, wide palmed boulevards, air-conditioned mall with 4 screen Cineplex-type theatre complex and all the other facilities deemed necessary in order to “sell” a man-made oasis in the midst of one of the poorest states in the Republic. Hence years ago there developed a stark distinction between this Miami Beach style of vacation spot and the “authentic” Mexico up the coast.
What we find today is very different…from this unique urbanization process developed a sociological phenomenon which has dramatically transformed the town, resulting in a “the best of both worlds” resort. As Huatulco was being built (and continuing today), there came the need to service the “imported” local population of predominantly building trades and tourism personnel. We therefore find hotels of a more modest nature, the produce and meat market, and a wide diversity of retail, service and government health and welfare establishments. With the influx of people to provide these goods and services came their families, and thus further needs to be met.
The result has been the creation of a micro-society not unlike what we find right here in our state capital, complete with a meshing of regional cultures. A major difference is that all this has developed over a period of about only 25 years.
So what then are the implications for the tourist wanting a respite on the coast for three days? There is now the diversity of hotel qualities that previously was non-existent, with many away from the beach and close to the Zócalo. Within blocks of the Zócalo you can find not only shops and services designed to attract the tourist dollar, but also what the local population requires for its day-to-day living. Since this populace has now, a generation later, become more diverse in age and socio-economic level, the range of offerings which benefit tourists has correspondingly increased. We find much more so than previously, a resort town with establishments frequented by both tourists and local inhabitants alike, making for a much less “artificial” ambience. What caters to tourists must also cater to non-tourists, and vice versa, to make the marketplace work to its potential. Prices must reflect this developing reality. Hence, as we recently learned, for example, four can dine deliciously on a bountiful array of the freshest of seafood, including appetizers and three rounds of drinks, for 850 pesos; during the “off” season (if not at other times depending on your level of negotiating skill), notwithstanding a stated hotel rate of 1200 pesos, a couple can end up with a junior suite including breakfast, for 450 pesos.
The range of tourist products and services together with indigenous cultural traditions found in other resort towns which developed more naturally and slowly, has fast arrived in Huatulco…and for the traveler, arriving can be more than half the experience. After that first anxiety-free drive, the rest of Mexico, cities and all, might no longer seem all that frightening from behind the wheel.
Alvin Starkman received his Masters in Social Anthropology in 1978. After teaching for a few years he attended Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, thereafter embarking upon a career as a litigator until 2004. Alvin now resides in Oaxaca, where he writes, leads small group tours to the villages, markets, ruins and other sites, is a consultant to film production companies, and operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.oaxacadream.com) .
OAXACA TO HUATULCO remains copyright of the author titosarah, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.
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]]>Travelers to the state of Oaxaca frequently inquire about the drive from the City of Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido and other coastal destinations, expressing concerns about the length of the trip, quality of the highways, and the overall advisability of driving versus flying or bussing. This essay speaks to the doubts tourists might have regarding the journey using their own or a rental vehicle.
We’ve driven the three main routes on a number of occasions over the past several years, at different times of the year. I’ve written elsewhere about highway 190 to Huatulco. That road, the easiest to navigate, takes you at least a couple of hours out of your way, south, and is therefore not the most advisable unless of course you plan to visit Salina Cruz or Huatulco anyway. By contrast, highway 175 through Pochutla, and then north on highway 200 to Oaxaca, takes about 6 hours (I tend to drive fast, and stop about 3 times during a trip) and is the most interesting and a relatively easy drive. Highway 131 is the most direct and quickest route, albeit with its downsides.
I will provide details of the 175 route driving to Puerto, and 131 by way of return route, in terms of what to expect regarding landscapes, towns and villages, and highway characteristics. A schedule of times and distances between particular towns appears as an appendix, providing a quick-and-easy summary of road conditions for each segment of the journey. However, for this trip we stopped more than usual along 131, so keep in mind that without any lengthy stops it should take about an hour less.
PREMIMINARY ADVICE
Sixteen years of traveling these routes have been incident free, attributable in part to following four simple rules:
1) Drive only during daytime. While the roads are paved and generally good, and in fact many of the bridges are freshly painted white, lighting is an issue. More importantly, there’s much more of a risk when driving at night of encountering inebriated drivers and pedestrians, and animals.
2) Start out with a full tank of gas. While there are gas stations en route, and signs advertising mechanics and gasoline along the roadways, by not having to make a stop to fill up, you have an opportunity to make other stops along the way, more productive than stopping to simply top up. The trip to the coast takes well less than a tank of gas.
3) While stating the obvious, make sure you’ve had the mechanical fitness, and oil and water levels of the car checked before leaving. Brakes, tires and steering are the most important for negotiating the portions of highway with mountain switchbacks.
4) Regardless of time of year, take a jacket, sweater or sweatshirt since you’ll be climbing to about 9,000 feet on route 175. If you tend to be susceptible to motion sickness, take along anti-nausea medication.
ROUTE 175
Oaxaca to Ocotlan: Takes about 40 minutes, initially with urban sprawl out of the city, and then gently rolling hills with a few strong curves, vegetation predominantly agave and corn under cultivation. Passes by the villages producing black pottery (San Bartolo Coyotepec), alebrijes (San Martin Tilcajete), and cotton textiles (Santo Tomas Jalieza). In Ocotlan, noted for its Friday market, you’ll find clay painted figures of the Aguilar sisters, the workshop of knife maker Angel Aguilar, and tributes to artist Rodolfo Morales…his home and foundation, mural at the municipal offices, and museum featuring his and earlier works.
Ocotlan to Ejutla: Takes about 25 minutes, with long easy straight-aways and occasional curves and gentle hills. Once again agave and some corn, with a number of outcrops of carriso (river reed used for making ceilings, roofs and fences). Known for its Thursday market, with sale of animal skins. You can easily avoid going into Ejutla by taking the well-marked bypass.
Ejutla to Mihuatlan: Takes about 35 minutes, with more pronounced curves and hills, and easy-to-navigate peaks and valleys through similar vegetation and some mixed brush. Good idea to take your Dramamine or Gravol about 15 minutes into this portion of the trip. While there is no specific bypass, it’s not necessary to enter the main downtown section of town. Just keep going straight and the highway takes you out of the city.
Mihuatlan to San Jose del Pacífico: Takes about 50 minutes. Leaving Mihuatlan you’ll see the impressive mountain range in front of you, which you quickly begin to climb. You’ll note the temperature change quite readily, as you witness the dramatic change in vegetation. In addition to deciduous trees including scrub oak, you’ll see an abundance of conifers, mainly pine. The agave changes from espadín under cultivation, to very different and impressive wild varieties along the side of the road, growing from rock outcrops, some reaching an immense size, with stock (chiote) shooting up from its core dwarfing many of the surrounding trees. This segment of the trip, and the next with descent to Pochutla, are characterized predominantly by significant mountain switchbacks. You’ll see roadside eateries, booths with alebrijes for sale, and small cottage-industry lumber and firewood producers. San Jose del Pacífico is noted for the sale of locally harvested hallucinogenic mushrooms, in particular during the rainy season, and therefore you’ll come across roadside workshops selling hand-made wooden mushrooms as well as other hand-crafted products. You can rent a cabin if you wish to break up the trip and spend the night. Clean accommodations, with private bath, start at about 300 pesos. There’s well-marked signage alongside the highway. Some are more modern and advertise satellite TV and other facilities. There are a few restaurants, grocery stores, bakery, etc. It’s a relaxing way to spend a few hours, perhaps hiking up the dirt roads where most residents tend to live.
San Jose del Pacífico to Pochutla: You’ll continue to climb for about another 10 minutes until you reach El Manzanal, then begin the descent. This portion of the trip takes about two hours and 25 minutes. The ride down is initially quite gradual, and then more pronounced once you reach San Miguel Suchixtepec, a picturesque village with large impressive church, and homes strung out along a few hilly mountain roads. You’ll begin to detect another significant temperature change, depending on the facing of the portion of mountain you are descending relative to the sun. At different portions of the stretch you’ll pass by a couple of waterfalls and three or four smaller rivulets spilling across the highway, goats and donkeys, home construction of wood, pine cones on the roadway, brilliant orange flowered bromeliads, wild orchids, large expanses of boston-like ferns, and perhaps one or two patches of fog. For several kilometers you’ll encounter a sweet smell similar to that of maple syrup. Because of the steep descent, you may even detect the smell of burning rubber, but don’t worry, it’s likely a truck up ahead having brake problems. At about four hours into the trip you’ll begin to hear tropical insect and bird sounds and calls, and see bananas and sugar cane under cultivation and for sale, with coffee and honey also offered at roadside stands. On the approach to Pochutla the roadway will then gradually straighten out, with curves much easier to navigate. Tropical grasses predominate the roadside landscapes. An indication that you’re getting closer with be blown sand encroaching part of the roadway, and finally a sign stating “Iguana Hunting Prohibited.” A short while later you’ll see the sign pointing to the right for the Puerto Escondido bypass.
Pochutla to Puerto Escondido: Takes about an hour. Highway 175 ends at a “Y”, so veer to the right and you’re on highway 200, following along the Pacific. However, you won’t be able to see the ocean for about 40 minutes. You’ll pass by the exit to Puerto Ángel, Mazunte and Zipolite. The entire final leg of the trip is basically straight and flat. For the last half hour or so you’ll see mango, papaya and coconut under cultivation.
ROUTE 131
Aside from the fact that this route should be quicker than 175, and is about 50 km shorter, there are other differences to note, in addition to similarities:
1) While 175 is predominantly a single ascent, and then descent, 131 consists of several hills and valleys which must be negotiated, on a couple of occasions arriving in a town at the bottom of a valley, and then again beginning to climb. This may contribute to the roller-coaster effect on your stomach.
2) The road quality is inferior on 131, in particular for about an hour in the approach to San Gabriel Mixtepec and thereafter, with potholes, poor attempts to repave, etc. However, until around the end of 2006 it was far worse. Now there are long stretches of fresh, new tar, and improvements continue.
3) Immediately upon leaving Puerto you begin an ascent, so there is no gradual departure from the tropical climate.
4) Much of the vegetation found on 175 is the same along 131, although it is less defined, in part because you do not climb to same altitude as on 175, and there are really no significant micro-climates which manifest in extremes of vegetation and particular commercial enterprise. Waterfalls are abundant, and landscapes are impressive, perhaps less so than on the other highway. There is much more livestock along the sides of the roadway than on route 175, predominantly donkeys and mules, so be a bit more vigilant.
Puerto Escondido to San Gabriel Mixtepec: Takes about an hour, with switchbacks and the climb commencing almost immediately. Take your meds as you leave the coast. As suggested earlier, there are peaks and valleys along this portion of the route. The patchwork of road repairs becomes apparent rather readily. Roadside coconut stands predominate initially. You’ll then begin to welcome the maple essence, in fact off and on for three or four hours as your journey continues. The village is quaint, with grocery stores, a major pharmacy and several restaurants.
San Gabriel Mixtepec to Cerro del Vidrio: This portion of the trip, just over an hour, is a net incline, not without several ascents and descents of mountain passes. At km 55 you’ll pass the exit to a well-known coffee plantation, Finca Las Nieves. Just before arriving at Cerro del Vidrio you’ll start a gradual descent, arriving in the town after about 10 minutes. This is where traffic turns off to go to Juquila (about a 45 minute detour), famous for the appearance of the Virgin of Juquila. Cerro del Vidrio developed much more rapidly once Oaxacans began making pilgrimages to Juquila. In fact along the entire 131 route you’ll see vehicles with gladioli tacked onto the front on either side of the license plate, along with a framed image of the virgin. Right at the turn-off you’ll encounter several vendors of fruit and memelitas filled with beans.
Cerro del Vidrio to San Pedro Juchatengo: Takes about 40 minutes, and terminates at the bottom of the largest valley you’ll encounter. Switchbacks. Upon arrival you’ll begin to see corn under cultivation, as well as some agave. The town boasts swimming in El Rio de Las Flores, as well as an ecological preserve.
San Pedro Juchatengo to Sola de Vega: You’ll continue negotiating strong switchbacks, initially following along the banks of the river, then deviating, and finally climbing until the pinnacle, “El Mirador,” where a small restaurant, rest stop and mezcal outlet are situate. You will have already begun to notice three different types of agave under cultivation, for mezcal production. You’ll then descend to Sola de Vega, arriving after about an hour and twenty minutes, now encountering some corn, and even banana trees. Sola de Vega is noted for its mezcal, and historically for its occupation by the French during colonial times.
Sola de Vega to Oaxaca: This final leg of the trip takes just under two hours, initially marked by climbing, albeit much easier to navigate, and then again peaks and valleys, much softer than during the first couple of hours of the return route. At km 181 you’ll see the cutoff to San Sebastián de Las Grutas, 13 km off to the left, where there are a series of caves you can hike. By km 190 the road will have straightened out, and for the balance of the trip, another 60 kilometers, there will be rolling straight-aways, the agave fields diminishing in number as corn becomes the predominate crop, with outcrops of carriso, some cactus under cultivation, and roadside stands selling sugar cane. By now the temperature will have risen and stabilized at typical Oaxaca valley climate. Your approach to the city will be marked by the same urban sprawl as when you left.
CONCLUSION
I highly recommend driving these routes. Consider taking an extra day so you can stop at some of the sites and villages, perhaps at a couple of mezcal operations, or just to get out of the car and take a stroll. Spending one overnight will help you to get a feel for rural Oaxaca, and add immeasurably to the totality of your vacation. San Jose del Pacífico gets my vote since it’s seemingly a bit more geared to ecotourism than the other towns and villages en route, although there are other quaint, interesting stopovers, where tourists don’t normally stop for the night, which might lead to even a more interesting sojourn. .
APPENDIX
ROUTE 175
Oaxaca to Octotlán, 40 min and 33 km; Ocotlán to Ejutla, 25 min and 25 km;
Ejutla to Mihuatlán, 38 min and 40 km; Mihuatlán to San Jose del Pacífico, 50 min and 36 km; San Jose del Pacífico to Pochutla, 145 min and 100 km; Pochutla to Puerto Escondido, 55 min and 69 km.
ROUTE 131
Puerto Escondido to San Gabriel Mixtepec, 60 min and 42 km; San Gabriel Mixtepec to Cerro del Vidrio, 70 min and 38 km; Cerro del Vidrio to San Pedro Juchatengo, 40 min and 24 km; San Pedro Juchatengo to Sola de Vega, 80 min and 50 km; Sola de Vega to Oaxaca, 120 min and 93 km.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages.
THE DRIVE FROM OAXACA TO PUERTO ESCONDIDO remains copyright of the author titosarah, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.
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]]>Give one example of an oxymoron. You guessed it. But just when you think you’re comfortable driving in this city, apparently without hardfast or enforced regulations, there you are, transito (a traffic cop) waving you over, giving you a ticket, removing your license plate or towing your vehicle. Watching and learning what other drivers do does not provide any comfort or assurance that you won’t end up paying a fine, perhaps with your car having vanished, or being honked at by other motorists. All I can do is offer some understanding and explanation, and the rest is up to you.
Let’s start with the premise that this particular local government employee isn’t paid all that well, and therefore has limited “resources,” in the multiple sense of the word. I’ve been told he earns about 6,000 pesos per month, and also that he earns about 2,000 pesos per month and relies on making the balance of his wages “on the street.” Keep this is mind, or search for your own statistics. One thing for sure is that he probably earns less than the average Oaxacan (about 65,000 pesos annually according to most recent statistics)…not like the law enforcement officers we know who retire in their fifties with good pensions to then start a second career in the security field.
I’m convinced that no one knows the traffic laws and that whatever is being enforced is done so haphazardly or on a whim. The point is that even when you think you’re doing the right thing or know the law, you may still be pulled over, fined or bear the wrath of irate motorists. What follows is a smattering of assistance for would-be Oaxacan drivers, constituting acceptable driving practices, not necessarily the law…nor what will keep you out of trouble. But over the past fifteen years I’ve only been pulled over three times…once for a u-turn in a major intersection, another time for driving without plates, and recently for simply not knowing what to do in the middle of a weird-looking intersection with even stranger traffic signals (to date not a single fine).
Keep in mind that frequently lanes aren’t clearly or at all marked, and lights aren’t always working, at least for one direction of traffic. When you see two or more transito directing in an intersection, do not assume that they’re working in unison. I recently saw one officer clipping his fingernails while apparently directing traffic. If it’s sunny and hot, a lone officer might seem invisible, and your only indication he’s around will be the sound of his whistle blowing…he’ll be out of the intersection, watching and directing traffic from under the awning of the building on the corner, in the shade.
WHO HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY?
Many intersections don’t have yield or stop signs, or lights. Most up and down big streets have the right of way, as do most major cross streets, but it’s a matter of learning over time which street is which, what constitutes a big or major one, and even once you’ve done so, being cautious upon entering every intersection because you don’t know if the other guy knows. At traffic lights, green has the right of way, but not immediately. You’re probably accustomed to driving in a jurisdiction where there’s a delay of a second or two between the other driver getting the red, and you getting the green. No so in Oaxaca. Before proceeding, edge out carefully to see how many drivers will be speeding through the red. They say that semáforos (traffic lights) are suggestive only, so at times there will be drivers stopping and then proceeding through a red. Though illegal, this is not an uncommon or unaccepted practice…it just happens, and I bet those going through reds in this context get into less accidents than drivers proceeding immediately upon seeing a green, or those going through unmarked intersections.
TURNING
You’re not supposed to turn right on a red after stopping if it’s safe to do so, unless there’s a sign with an arrow. Breach this one and you’ll be honked at more than for going straight through a red! Sometimes right lanes are reserved for right turns only, so watch for them, or understand why the guy behind you is honking when you obey the red light…there’s probably a green arrow somewhere telling you to turn right. The car on your left might also want to turn right. Regarding left turns, the same holds true. But more often there will be two or three lanes of traffic wanting to turn left, including you…but before making your left turn, ensure the driver to your left also plans to turn left, and not go straight. Buses seem to be allowed to turn whichever way they want from whichever lane they’re in, and because they’re bigger than you, be careful, if you can see them through their exhaust. Unless you plan to turn, the safest place to be and to avoid angry motorists is the middle lanes. On occasion you might even happen upon a far right lane reserved for left hand turns! But wait. Beginning in May, 2006, road “improvements” on the main east-west thoroughfare in the city, Niños Héroes de Chapúltepec, started to reach completion. Instead of there being the usual left hand turn lanes, we now have, a block before an intersection, traffic signals directing you to veer to the far left hand side of the roadway, cutting across oncoming traffic lanes. Then, when you reach the intersection where you want to turn left, there are additional traffic lights. It’s hard to explain the concept, the chaos and the danger to both drivers and pedestrians. Think of it as driving along a North American roadway, and then all of a sudden you have to become a British driver, but just for a block and a turn. The government placed officers at these new intersections to familiarize drivers with these new lanes, which is admirable…but these instructors of insanity are now gone, after the powers who be decided that Oaxacans are now familiar with the grid pattern, so what happens to non-Oaxacan drivers, such as tourists. Will Hertz now double its insurance premiums?
PARKING
You’ll learn to double park, even though you loathe those who do so and create the traffic backlogs. Sometimes tranisto blows his whistle, sometimes he starts giving you a ticket, or removing your plate, and sometimes he does nothing. Pick your spots, keep a passenger in your car who knows where to find you, and be quick. The vehicle you’re blocking will on balance be patient, since the driver was probably double parking an hour earlier. When parking close to a corner, the key is to do so on a street where cars can only turn in the other direction so there’s no chance of you getting clipped. You’re not supposed to do it, but most often it’s overlooked. However, if you’re close to the corner of a street onto which bus traffic turns, watch out because the bus won’t be able to make the turn, and transito will do whatever he can to remove your vehicle. Don’t worry much about barely making it into a parking spot, because Oaxacans seem to have a knack for getting out of small spaces. Watch for driveways since sometimes they’re pretty hard to see. In parking lots, take note of early closing hours.
SPEEDING
I don’t know the city speed limits, nor do the vast majority of Oaxacans. Topes (speed bumps) will dictate your speed, as will the driver behind you. Regarding the former, sometimes they’re marked and sometimes they’re not. Notice the number of repair shops for tires and springs, and signs for alignment and balancing. Attack the topes slowly, and if possible on an angle. Highways often have speed limits marked, but gauge your speed as you would in the city. While the toll-road warns of radar in operation, the only place I’ve ever seen it is on the road from Acapulco to Mexico City. However, you can be pulled over without radar, the fine is very stiff, you’d better have cash on hand, and recall that there’s no presumption of innocence.
AND REMEMBER
In Oaxaca to get a drivers’ license there is no road test or eye exam. You either take a written test or pay someone a bit of money, a very common practice.
Alvin Starkman received his Masters in Social Anthropology in 1978. After teaching for a few years he attended Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, thereafter embarking upon a career as a litigator until 2004. Alvin now resides in Oaxaca, where he writes, leads small group tours to the villages, markets, ruins and other sites, is a consultant to film production companies, and operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.oaxacadream.com) .
RULES OF THE ROAD IN THE CITY OF OAXACA remains copyright of the author titosarah, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.
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]]>It can take as little as 4.5 hours and be traffic and problem free, but just as easily you can be met with congestion and road repairs, extending the trip to six hours or more. On the other hand you can elect to increase the length of your journey by taking in a few select sites and some interesting scenery, including a snow-capped volcano near Puebla and another peak near the Orizaba / Córdoba cut-off.
The first leg of the trip is from Mexico City to Puebla. The main problem you will likely face is leaving the nation’s capital, along a thoroughfare known as Zaragoza. Unless you happen to be starting out very early, or late at night, there will be congestion, so much so that vendors of soft drinks and water, snacks, freezees, and an array of other foodstuffs, will be walking ever so slowly, meandering through the lines of stopped traffic, plying their products. And therefore, arriving at Puebla can take anywhere from one to three hours, the latter applying particularly during extended rush hours and on the weekends. The name of the game is patience, plain and simple. And if you’re picking up a rental car at the airport, ask your attendant to draw a map, and regardless of its quality, at every opportunity ask other motorists and pedestrians how and when to turn onto Zaragoza. Once on this “highway” your only difficulty will be getting off of it. To give you an even clearer picture of the congestion on Zaragoza, in 2004, while driving a three ton cub van on the roadway, the police wanted to pull us over (for who knows what reason), the cruiser several vehicles back with siren blaring. We elected to simply ignore the command and continue, hoping the traffic would never allow the police to catch up and they would eventually give up. It worked.
Virtually the entire roadway from Mexico City to Oaxaca is well-marked and -paved toll road. Signage is large and clearly lettered. However, a few key pointers are in order. You want to be where it says “cuota” and not “libre,” the former being the toll road and the latter the much slower, single lane highway. “Autopista” is invariably the toll road. En route to Puebla you’ll see signs directing you to the city, and then from Puebla, the signage will indicate Oaxaca. The highways are either two lanes each way, a lane and a half, or a single lane. However, custom dictates that cars going slower move to the right and onto the paved shoulder when they see you coming, so regardless of the type of highway, most of the time you should be able to go at the speed to which you are accustomed. There are, however exceptions as with any rule. Sometimes, for example, large tractor trailers are too wide to move over enough to let you pass. But when they see that the roadway ahead is clear, they’ll put on the left-hand signal, telling you it’s okay to pass on the left … assuming you trust them. A solid center line tends to be suggestive only and you’ll quickly learn that with cars moving over to the right for you, you can pass notwithstanding the solid line … except when there’s a significant curve, peak or valley up ahead. There are many gas stations along the entire route, most of which now have “The Italian Coffee Company” franchises alongside, with clean washrooms. Credit cards are generally accepted for filling up, and now as well at the many toll booths … except when the system has broken down.
Leaving Mexico City you’ll pass through a number of stretches of comedors along each side of the highway. You’ll gradually ascend, through a number of easy curves, leaving the smog of the valley behind. The scenery is nothing special, but the ease with which you’ll be able to negotiate the curves at a reasonable speed will more than make up for the non-descript landscapes. The curves and valleys will become more dramatic, to the extent that there will be a red line on the pavement demarcating how vehicles with failing brakes should proceed, leading them off the pavement and onto a roadway ending at a soft a embankment of straw.
You will see at least a couple of exits to downtown Puebla, marked as “Puebla Centro.” Puebla makes for a great stopover for a day or two, if you’re in no great rush to get to Oaxaca. It’s large and sprawling, but the downtown core is quaint, small and full of interesting shops, crafts, restaurants and clean, inexpensive hotels. Within a couple of blocks of the zócalo are good hotels, an extensive pedestrian walkway with many shops, and Los Sapos, a few streets filled with crafts, antiques and collectibles. Arrive on a weekend and there’s an open air marketplace. On Sunday there’s an even larger series of temporary stalls selling crafts, plants, etc, two blocks down. In the same area is the area known as Parián, and the Barrio de Artista, both not to be missed. Of course there are nearby ruins and other sites, but for a brief stopover it’s the downtown that’s the “must see.” For a splurge spend the night at Mesón Sacristía (written up in a coffee table book about the 1,000 best inns in The Americas) in Los Sapos. For economy, stay at Palas or Palace, on 2 Oriente, a block from the zócalo and about four blocks from Los Sapos.
The drive from Puebla to Oaxaca, without stopping other that for a couple of pit stops, takes about three and a half hours. However, during 2007 and at least well into 2008 there are two or three road construction sites which will slow you down. Again, be patient, turn off your engine, and see what the vendors have to offer. And at the toll booths there will be even more offerings, from uniquely Poblano sweets known as camotes, to wholewheat tortillas, to puppies. Two lanes become one and a half, as you approach the turn-off to the right to continue on to Tehuacan and Oaxaca. You’ll see the breathtaking snow-capped peak as you look ahead towards Orizába (but don’t take that road or you’ll end up in Veracruz).
Next there are two recommended stops, unless you also want to spend time at Tehuacan. The first is at the onyx / marble village of San Antonio Texcala. Take the second Tehuacan exit (after the Tehuacan toll booth), onto highway 125 leading to Huajuapan. After 6 km you’ll arrive at the village, with five or more factory outlets where you can by almost anything into which these stones can be shaped --- tequila sets, plates, sinks, lamps, tables, bowls, boxes, unicorns, fish, hash pipes, and of course a number of diverse ornaments with religious imagery. Prices are about half of what you’ll pay elsewhere.
Next is the Museo de Agua, or water museum, actually a misnomer because it is so much more. Take the well-marked next exit after your return to the autopista, for Sangabriel and Chilac. There will also be signage for the museum. You’ll be given a tour (in Spanish) in the main building, and of the outside surrounding landscapes. You’ll learn how progress is being made to teach villagers in desolate regions where water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to conserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm culture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth.
In terms of the land and townscapes, near Tehuacan you’ll see long narrow white-topped buildings where poultry is produced and then trucked throughout the state of Puebla and further abroad. There will be a couple of locations demarcated as stops for tourists to pull over and appreciate and photograph the deep valleys and high mountaintops. Long well-marked expansion bridges serve to showcase the valleys and mountains. You’ll pass over a geological fault. There will be several kilometers of impressive “telephone pole” cactus. Close to the approach to Oaxaca you’ll see vendors on each side of the highway selling brightly colored miniature wooden trucks.
The last toll booth is called Huitzo. About 15 - 20 minutes further you’ll approach Oaxaca. A few minutes after entering the city, you’ll be given two opportunities to turn to the left (one of the signs is difficult to interpret), but unless you’ve been provided with specific instructions to get to your hotel or B & B, and know it’s in a northern suburb, best is to just keep driving straight, eventually entering onto a one-way street which will lead you to the core of the downtown area and the zócalo.
Until 1995 when the toll road opened all the way from the capital to Oaxaca, for much of the route you were required to travel along secondary roads and highways, pretty well doubling the length of the drive. Now you have the benefit of a much shorter and definitely a safe trip along quality well-marked pavement, with the added feature of the option of getting off the main highway and venturing into some villages to take in additional sites, scenery and local culture. The only cautionary note is to not drive outside of any major urban center, and in particular on the highways or even toll roads, at night, unless absolutely necessary. Lighting tends to be lacking or insufficient, and laws regarding impaired driving are rarely enforced.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages.
MEXICO CITY TO OAXACA remains copyright of the author titosarah, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.
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