Table of Contents
Faces of Mexico
You need to know
- In winter the archaeological sites are open every day from 08:00 to 17:00 and until 18:00 in summer.
- The museums are generally closed on Mondays.
- The lunch time is from 14:00 to 15:00 or so.
- Be prudent in indigenous regions with photographs, it is often forbidden to photograph the people for religious beliefs reasons. Respect the customs and manners!
- The word Zocalo, is the term used to indicate the main square of the city.
Recommendations for driving
In Mexico, the road signs are generally the same as in Italy, but the indications are rather flimsy. The essential thing: to fill up with gasoline in the morning before leaving for anywhere.
Differences
- Traffic lights are located just after the intersection, which is not very obvious.
- In Mexico City, it is permissible to turn right also with a red light (or left, according to the direction of traffic), with all the necessary precautions.
- In Mexico right of way does not exist. The vehicle that is on the main road takes precedence. A vehicle that must pass a slowdown after the junction had to give way to others, who go straight will take precedence over who turns, with regard to roundabouts go there in “Mexican” way.
- In town the speed is 60km/hour and 80km/hour on road with high flow of traffic.
- On the highways, the speed is 110km/hour.
- Mexicans drivers, especially of the truck, use the courtesy to indicate with arrows the possibility of surpassing or potential hazards (four arrows). his is very useful on mountain roads with poor visibility!
Special precautions
On federal roads (those not subject to payment of tolls) you must pay particular attention:
- to eople on foot or bicycles (without position lights)
- to animals (cows, dogs, …) crossing or parked safely on the roads
- to slowdowns (tope in Spanish) that are numerous and generally bad or just highlighted. Welcome to the roller coaster!
- to never leave anything on vehicles parked in the street. If you visit a site, with the luggage full, it is recommended first to leave your car locked and in a secure park.
Roadside assistance
Highways, and touristy federal roads have a (ree service of mechanical assistance: the “green angels”, are easily recognizable by their green trucks bearing the logo of the Ministry of Tourism.
Our itinerary
Mexico City (Saturday 25/08/07)
Welcome to Mexico City, capital of the country, considered as the largest city in the world with its approximately 23 million inhabitants, all is well positioned at a high altitude, 2240m above sea level, this means that even in warmer periods in Mexico City the temperatures are very mild.
Mexico City (Sunday 26/08/07)
You can not see all of this huge city in a single day!
Mexico City often suffer from bad publicity even by tour operators. The tourist areas of the city and the districts themselves are not so dangerous as they say. However, it is better not to walk around the city wearing valuables and be careful.
The city traffic is very intense. When you do not know the city the best means of transport is by taxi. Taxis in front the hotels are recommended because the drivers are bilingual and can wait during your visits. Simply agree on a price before departure according to your itinerary.
To get an idea of how is the everyday live in Mexico City is absolutely necessary to use one of the many buses that “fly” in the city traffic. They are numerous and all crowded, the peculiarity is that there are not “stops”, wherever you find one, just make a sign and you can literally “jump” on board. To use the bus requires a fair amount of balance in order to remain standing, and a greater amount of agility and coordination for both go down and, above all, to go up (the brakes are used very little).
Teotihuacan (Monday 27/08/07)
For reasons of traffic you should visit Teotihuacan in the morning. For convenience, we endorsed one of the many taxi drivers affiliated with the hotel, and it was good.
As a first step took us to the place of a cooperative living by making Obsidian objects and multicolored fabrics made of cotton and agave. They shown us the working of obsidian, how to build cord from the agave and how to extract the Pulche, agave lymph, which can be drunk as it is slightly alcoholic (not bad after all).
Subsequently, the driver took us to the Pyramid of the Moon and he waited us at the end of the Way of the Dead, but only after making a long introduction to the site and having us hear the cry of an ancient extinct bird, a strange acoustic effect produced clapping in the middle of the squares of some archaeological sites (also at Chichen Itza).
Mexico City - Puebla (Wednesday 29/08/07)
After the largest urban area in the world, we wnet to the magnificent colonial cities, several pre-Hispanic sites (Aztec, Zapotec, Mixtec Maya), the stunning scenery and indigenous regions still preserving their traditions.
Oaxaca - Tuxtla Gutierrez (Saturday 01/09/07)
So far our journey has proceeded in mountain areas (Mexico City is located at 2240m above sea level), but this 550km shift has led us to the capital of Chiapas only 542m above sea level, the thermal shock was considerable and the humidity stifling when we crossed a vast wetland.
Tuxtla - San Cristobal De Las Casas (Sunday 02/09/07)
We entered into Chiapas.
San Cristobal - Palenque (Tuesday 04/09/07)
Be careful on this road which is full of curves, slippery and practically paved with “Topes” (bumps).
In this stage we did most unpleasant encounters, nothing to worry about, but we met groups of kids who tend ropes along the road, near the Topes (but not only) in order to stop the car and try to sell fruit or whatever.
Not worrying, but very sad, we have often been afraid to let them hurt as they surround the car.
Palenque - Yaxchilan - Bonampak (Wednesday 05/09/07)
For this hike it is imperative to have a chaffeur… get to Yaxchilan and Bonampak is a task for local people … you will be safer, but not without emotions.
Bring water down the road because there are not great places where to stop to drink.
This trip has occupied the entire day, but it was worth it.
We started early, the sun had not risen, we made the breakfast under a thatched hut in the faint light of dawn (we were the first).