The Cardinal Rule

Stage 14: Chacala, Nayarit – La Perula, Jalisco
May 20 – 21, 2013
4 hours, No Tolls

Never Drive After Dark!

Once again, I found myself on the verge of breaking my cardinal travel rule – Never Drive After Dark!

I had hoped to drive from Chacala to Playa Maruata, a tortuga sanctuary on the Michoacan Coast. In truth, the 7+ hour drive also broke my rule of never driving more than 5-6 hours per day. I would have been ok if I didn’t have to make a pit-stop in Las Varas to have my car window replaced. The lunchtime siesta here in Mexico is no joke. Most places of business close up for 1-3 hours at lunch, my auto window shop was no exception. I arrived at 1:00 and was sent away, partly because they were closed for siesta and partly because the replacement window would not be arriving until 2:00. So, I did what any sane person would do, I went in search of food and a cold beer, something that I’m generally exceptional at!

This day was no exception. I found a cute little mariscos (seafood) joint and had a delicious burrito de camarones. Yes, contrary to popular belief they do serve burritos in Mexico, but they are not recognizable to someone raised on forearm-sized SF Mission Burritos aka Food Logs. It was tasty for sure, but it was mostly flour tortilla. I was curious about their ceviche so the waitress/chef gave me a taste of here ceviche de camarones. It was incredible! I realized that tacos and ceviche tostadas are the way to go here in Mexico.

The day’s drive took me through Puerta Vallarta and down the Costa Alegre, and it was a very happy and cheerful coast! I probably should have stayed in Puerta Vallarta, but I wasn’t up for a “big city”. Little did I know that I would be returning for an extended month-long stay nearly ten years later. But that is a tail for a different day.

But today I want to talk about the Cardinal Rule: Never Drive After Dark
While your mind probably races to banditos and cartels, the truth is that they are generally the least of your concerns. And why, exactly, should you not drive after dark?

Road Conditions
Unless you are on a cuota (toll road), the roads and highways are almost always very narrow and the shoulders rarely extend beyond a few inches. Guardrails? They don’t need no stinking guardrails. Ramps, curves, and corners are more often off-camber than properly angled. The potholes are legendary and you never know when one will swallow you whole. When traversing arroyos, the pavement is generally washed away replaced by a rocky and pitted creek-bed.

Road Construction
Road construction is common down here, but the highway department can be a little lax about safety. I’ve seen roads just stop, dropping off 3’-5’ with nary a sign or rail. The sites are rarely lit up and very little, if any, advance notice is given. They even use their hand gestures and caution flags differently, waving them by the top two corners rather than with a handle. It can be very confusing.

Beware of Topes aka Speed Bumps
Back in California I had a friend who would gun it every time he saw a speed bump, saying it smoothed out the bump. While this might be true stateside, and for washboard-rich dirt roads, Mexican topes are a bump of a different color. They are generally big and brutal and guaranteed to scrape the bottom of any car except the most lifted of four-wheel drive vehicles. You will be greeted by one, or a series of, topes every time you drive through a town, and there is almost always a llantera (tire repair shop) directly in front of the tope. Sometimes they are marked, sometimes not. Sometimes individuals create topes in front of their homes to slow drivers down. I counted more than 90 topes on the 130-mile drive from San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque.

Turn Off Your Directional!
It is common practice in Mexico, especially with big trucks, to turn on their driver-side directional if it is safe to pass. But do proceed with caution. Too many times, I’ve encountered drivers passing on blind curves and rises.

Fill Your Gas Tank Early and Often.
You don’t always know when or when the next gas will be so rather than running on empty, I suggest you run on full.

Use the Toilet Early and Often.
Again, you never know when a restroom will be available. Always carry tissue, the toilet might have an attendent selling bits of TP for a few pesos, there might be TP, but more often than not you will have to drip dry if you don’t provide your own TP.

Beware of Living Creatures
Most importantly, keep your eyes open for the scariest of road hazards: dogs, goats, sheep, cows, and people wandering along the side of the road, or worse, wandering en masse across the road. I’ve seen herds of goats trotting down the highway with naught but a shepherd dog herding them back through the fence; random herds of cattle; a multitude of dead dogs, cows, and horses lying by the side of the road; and with the narrow/non-existent shoulders, I’ve encountered broken-down cars half into the lane. Happily, Mexican drivers are great about slapping on their hazard lights when the slightest concern is up the road, giving everyone plenty of advance warning.

Banditos and Cartels
While not terribly common, people have been accosted by bad people when driving at night. I’ve also heard of people breaking down and flatting while driving at night and being assaulted. The tire puncture might not have been completely accidental. Worldwide, there are poor and desperate people who turn to crime and Mexico is not different.

As a solo woman traveling with a dog, I preferred to be safe rather than sorry.

Back to Playa La Perula

Happily, we pulled off the main road and into La Perula with enough time to find a cute little hotel and hit the beach for a beautiful sunset stroll. La Perula, while sweet, but there isn’t much there so I was excited to hit the road in the morning in search of my perfect beach retreat.