Actual observations

[Wm_Elliot]

1. Garmin traffic works very well in Mexico - so far. In SLP now
2. Sirius satellite radio starts failing around SLP. I've done some searches and found numerous attestations that Sirius works all over Mexico... After speaking with customer service I can safely say for me at least it does not.
3. 57 northbound south of Saltillo still gets epic traffic jams - maybe even more so now.
4. I've seen more RV's on the road (all headed north) than I've seen for years. Easter week probably is driving the few RVers out this time.
5. My T-Mobile phone works better in Mexico than it does in the US.
6. I see people wearing masks still - restaurant staff and a surprising number of Nationals out and about. Thus far I have been instructed to wear a mask only at the government permit offices where quite a few of the staff didn't wear masks.
7. Police escorts are offered from N.Laredo to the 20 km checkpoint. There was no tail (drag) officers so any number of escorted vehicles could have been easily picked off with the point being none the wiser.
8. I see very few traditional gringo tourists in interior Mexico... Hardly any, in fact.
9. Gas and diesel prices are significantly lower near the border.

[Big_C]

We have spent the last 14 winters at Tres Amigos in a 40' Class A. Many of you know me as Contessa from the 5C'sQue Pasa. I have been writing a blog since 2010 which has been focused on travelling to Mexico. The park is very busy. According to the new manager ( David Perez ) there is a waitlist of 63 RV's. The Tres Amigos RV Park was full the season of 2022/2023. During that same time period at least 95% of the apartments and home rentals on Stone Island were occupied. Our understanding is that Mazatlan hotels were mostly occupied by tourists and nationals, close to 98% occupancy. RVing is alive and active. We also met many first timers driving into Mexico this past season. Things are changing.

[Wm_Elliot]

When we first started traveling in Mexico occasionally we'd go out to the road and watch the night time traffic - cars with families, all taking what we thought were crazy chances by driving after dark. Only a few vehicles had burnt out or missing lights. We soon tried driving at night too after weighing the risks. We'd leave Durango at 2am so we could get on the old Mexico 40 before the trucks did. On our return trip we'd leave Teacapan at 2am for the same reason - to get ahead of the truck traffic on Mex40 to Durango.
Here in Maine night driving in rural areas carries the risk of hitting a moose - which due to it's long legs (the mass of the body hurtles towards the windshield) and dark coloring (can't see them) can kill or cripple the car's occupants. On a motorcycle it's said that any critter one hits that is larger than one could eat in a single sitting can cause a crash. Deer are wild cards 24/7.
Anyhow, driving at night in Mexico carries risks that I can weigh against risks of heavy truck traffic during the day (double trailers in Mexico are 130 feet long counting the tractor). Mexico has changed hugely and night time travel - especially on toll roads - isn't as dangerous as it once was. Daytime driving in heavy traffic hurtling along over narrow and poorly striped roads, unsafe passes (on 200 between PV and Tepic one can either pass or be passed with equal risks of a crash) carries its own risks compared to nighttime travel. I prefer daytime driving, but there are occasions when nighttime driving works for me.

[moisheh]

When I was driving long haul I used to think Atlanta had the worst traffic of any city. But many Mexican cities are just as bad. In Hermosillo many workers go home for lunch. They drive like madmen. Get home and stuff something into their stomachs. Now it is time to get into your car and fight the traffic. It is nuts. They drive on the sidewalk
Go through red lights. It was much better when not that many people had cars. Hermosillo lacks parking for the number of vehicles on the road. Drivers double park There is no cure for this madness.

[playaboy]

Wm.Elliot wrote:
We wisely left Saltillo headed for Laredo at 3:30AM and passed tens of thousands of trucks parked along the road waiting for sunrise.

Nice write up. I love my travels around Mexico too.

I have to disagree with the above quote. Wisely?? I think "Lucky" is a more appropriate word. There is a reason all the truckers get off that route at night and it is not to sleep.

[Wm_Elliot]

Back home in cool and cloudy Maine after 36 days in Mexico where we drove approximately 4,000 miles. Nothing stolen or vandalized while the car was parked, no one cut off the catalytic converter as they do in the US. We met genuinely nice people, had wonderful and reasonably priced meals, and stayed in nice hotels with rooms that were still cleaned each day. God willing we'll return to Mexico next winter.
In Durango there is a campground attached to the San Juan balneario. We did use the hot springs there and found the hottest water we've ever experienced in Mexico there. We didn't check out the campground but assume it's serviceable. Having a place with hookups to spend the night near Durango benefits us on the east coast of the US on our way to the west coast of Mexico.
During the 24 years we've RVed or toured in Mexico the most striking changes is the traffic. The standard of living has improved in Mexico and many more Nationals own and drive cars than they did in 1999. That's great, I'm glad they are enjoying a better economy there.
The truck traffic though is incredible. We wisely left Saltillo headed for Laredo at 3:30AM and passed tens of thousands of trucks parked along the road waiting for sunrise. When those trucks got back on the road both route 85's (toll and free) would be very slow going. The same with 57 south of Saltillo - the truck traffic northbound at least can create miles of backed up traffic.
Not sure if we'll ever do RV camping again - our present trailer is a 1997, the tow vehicle 1993. On the road our rig would look like we were carnies on our way to the next state fair to set up the Tilt-a-Wheel. We could afford to replace both but RV camping in the US isn't what it was back in the day. Camping spontaneously at an area we like to visit generally requires a reservation now. Once at the campground folks tend to be leery of neighbors. The days of walking through the campground, being invited in for a beer or inviting others in for a beer have changed. Holiday Rambler, Airstream, and other RV brands I knew have either ceased operations or been bought by another company. Filling our tow vehicle with diesel would cost $200 rather than the $75 we were used to. It might cost $3,000 in diesel alone to drive round trip to Mazatlan from Maine. The cost of diesel alone in my case would pay for 20 nights at a nice hotel in Mexico.
In any event I'm so thankful we started RVing 40 years ago - it's very different now.

[R_S]

We have been rving Mexico for approx 20 years and have seen many changes. Presently we have leased a spot in Punta Cerritos, the rv park in North Mazatlan that burned a few years ago. We are enjoying having our own space and love the like minded community.Very few Americans mostly Canadians.There are a few spaces still available. We stay 4-5 months with a trip to the San Blas/Aticama area and into Ajijic (Roca Azul) to visit friends and enjoy the wonderful restaurants in Ajijic.
We are in our mid 70s and hope to continue rving Mexico into our 80s.

[Reisender]

Talleyho69 wrote:
So nice to hear that Zihua is on your list of places to visit. We'll make you a margarita when you come!

We had always thought that we would retire in Mazatlan, and looked at several places. We ended up meeting friends that we had met at Mar Rosa in Mazatlan at their home in Ajijic, and going from there. We had visited Zihuatanejo in 1985 and pretty much passed through. In 2008ish, we joined them at El Manglar RV park in Zihuatanejo. OMG. After about 10 years of always spending at least a couple of months in that area, we bought our home, and have been here full time for 6 years now. Amazing decision on our parts.

For us, it's all about the ocean. Except Sundays, when we have to water our gardens, we hit the beach with our now 3 weimaraners for an hour, then come back, hose and drop them off, paddle our SUP's, ocean swim and are home about 9ish. WHAT A LIFE!!!!!

Keep exploring. We liked SMA, but really liked other areas very close by more. But, they didn't have the ocean that calls us.

Keep us posted, please, as to your adventures and thoughts!

Thanks. Our old chihuahua is too old to live in a kennel or travel by air so we’ll wait until he crosses the rainbow bridge before we travel again without him. We are RVing on Vancouver island this summer. He still travels well in the car and loves camping. So many things for him to pee on. :).

We have camped at el manglar a couple times but that was 8 or 9 years ago. Maybe 10. Great spot.

Enjoy the beach for us. 🙂

[Talleyho69]

So nice to hear that Zihua is on your list of places to visit. We'll make you a margarita when you come!

We had always thought that we would retire in Mazatlan, and looked at several places. We ended up meeting friends that we had met at Mar Rosa in Mazatlan at their home in Ajijic, and going from there. We had visited Zihuatanejo in 1985 and pretty much passed through. In 2008ish, we joined them at El Manglar RV park in Zihuatanejo. OMG. After about 10 years of always spending at least a couple of months in that area, we bought our home, and have been here full time for 6 years now. Amazing decision on our parts.

For us, it's all about the ocean. Except Sundays, when we have to water our gardens, we hit the beach with our now 3 weimaraners for an hour, then come back, hose and drop them off, paddle our SUP's, ocean swim and are home about 9ish. WHAT A LIFE!!!!!

Keep exploring. We liked SMA, but really liked other areas very close by more. But, they didn't have the ocean that calls us.

Keep us posted, please, as to your adventures and thoughts!

[Reisender]

We spent a few weeks on Mazatlan last month. We flew in as we were meeting up with in-laws. We tried to get out on a local tour every few days. We visited little towns up in the mountains and got to see various artisans doing their thing. Mazatlan itself is too busy and noisy for us and their is a ton of construction making it worse. But we enjoyed the little towns and the beach and the food. We were a group of four with our own tour guide and we’re able to get into the local culture a bit like we always do.

Zihuat is still our go to although next year (or next time) it will probably San Miguel for a few weeks or so and we’ll be flying again. We still RV bit our tow vehicle is electric and the supercharger corridor from north to south on the pacific side is still very spotty. Someday. Probably after Tesla opens their new factory in Monterrey in 2025.

[Talleyho69]

That spot near Bucerias has been a trap for many many years. We got stopped there going south in about 1998 on Christmas Eve. We tried to wait him out, but because we were obviously headed into town he was going to take the license, so we paid him off, grudgingly. If we knew then what we know now, we would have let him take the license.

Zihuatanejo has two RV parks, and another in Ixtapa. The two parks in Zihuatanejo are very tough to get space in during the winter, the Ixtapa park always has room because it is out of town, but in a gorgeous spot on the beach. So obviously there are a number of US and Canadian RVer's still visiting. To get to the two parks in Zihuatanejo they have to drive right past our house. We saw a large 5th wheel go by yesterday, so they are still around.

[moisheh]

I am really enjoying Wm. Elliot's posts. We are still thinking of returning to Southern Mexico. We have lots of great memories of our trips. But now we would be looking through 80-year-old eyes. I have not read anything positive about Mexico in a long time. We would have to buy a second motorhome and I would not be very happy if we got halfway south and turned around Mixed feelings.

[Wm_Elliot]

We were recently in Bucerias. Local police were almost always parked in the breakdown lane at the north end of town - one monitoring northbound 200 traffic and the other southbound. When we left last week early Sunday morning one of them stopped us for driving 39 in a 36 zone. Traffic normally flows on this stretch at nearly 55 mph. The police officer said we would have to pay a fine Monday morning. This is about the 12th time I've been stopped by police in Mexico and the "trick" is not to offer a bribe. Police now usually will never directly ask for a bribe but they'll wait and attempt to frighten a driver into offering a bribe. My advice is to remain calm, polite, and wait. Usually they will give up and allow you to go.
Mazatlan tonight is hopping. Most hotels are booked. Mexico's economy has improved greatly - nationals now fill resort hotels and restaurants - it would be great to add US and Canadian tourist revenue, but as it appears now to me, at least in the cities we've visited this past month - that the hospitality industry isn't hurting too badly... except for Acapulco.

[obgraham]

I haven't Rv'd south of the border, but I have traveled a lot to many of the less prosperous countries in Central and South America. Never had a scary situation, enjoyed friendly locals most everywhere, despite my limited Spanish.
But I think the countries' inability to deal with corruption in the police and security forces has destroyed their tourist industry. Tourists, especially from North America, can bring in huge amounts of income, but people need to believe that the police and security folks will help them if need be, not fleece them and collude with the criminals.
The ordinary folks, in this case good hard working Mexican people, suffer twice: from the crooks, and from loss of their livelihood. Sad.

[qtla9111]

I see our rv sitting in the driveway and I'm not quite sure why there is no motivation to take it out anymore. It seems more of a hassle. We like rving in the U.S. more now than before.

The rvers we have had here at the house this year and those we met up with seemed to enjoy their time just as much as before and no one seemed to have any issues in terms of problems. I don't feel the same freedom as before to RV in Mexico. Maybe it's all in my head.

We're going to Spain for a month this summer. Who knows what's next?