A 30 hour driving trip in a small SUV, absolutely crammed full of stuff with a cargo carrier on the back and suitcases on the roof rack with 2 people and 2 cats is not so much fun.
Despite all the planning and preparation, we still managed to leave 8 hours behind schedule. Learned very quickly that suitcases strapped to the roof rack is not a great idea. The straps catch the wind at a certain speed (like 58 mph) and vibrate causing a very loud noise inside the car. So we drove slowly for 3 hours. We were supposed to spend the first travel night in Dallas but ended our day at the lovely Motel 6 in Emporia. Pet friendly, clean and efficient with nice staff. Dinner at Applebee’s on karaoke night was not as painful as it might sound. But would not my choice for entertainment.
Decided that we couldn’t afford to lose the stuff on the cargo carrier on the back of the car when we stopped so over the course of the drive I became an expert at strapping stuff down in the morning and the subsequent un-strapping at the end of the day. Also managed to stuff those 2 suitcases from the top of the car inside the car so we could at least travel the speed limit.
Day 2: About 6 hours of travel took us from Emporia to Dallas and pretty much set the routine for the rest of the trip. Unload the cats and cat stuff into the room, unstrap the stuff on the cargo carrier, carry it into the room. Have dinner. Sleep. Get up and do the same stuff in reverse order. Drive.
Day 3: Another 5 hours took us to Laredo. Unload, unstrap, carry in, eat, sleep. Again.
Day 4: Definitely the longest and hardest day. Arrived at the border bright and early. Crossed into Mexico without any problems other than a couple of circles getting on the right road to get to the right building. Since we have our temporary residence visas, we had to get some paperwork processed, buy Mexican insurance for the car, and get the car registered. We were prepared with all the right paperwork and copies (the Mexican government loves copies) and things didn’t take too long. Well, it didn’t seem like 2 hours but it was. Everyone was nice and my immersion into spanish started immediately as most folks didn’t speak very much english.
About 18 miles down the road is the real customs station with very serious looking people with very serious guns and elaborate vehicle scanning equipment. We were only asked to show passports and then they waved us on through.
At this point I fired up the GPS and plotted our destination in Guadalajara – the Intercontinental Presidente Hotel. I had decided early in the planning stages to spend some American Express miles and treat us to a really nice room in a 5 star hotel. That would only leave us a short (well, supposedly) 45 minute journey the following morning to our destination in Ajijic (Ah-hee-heek).
We had some printed directions from a local moving company but at some point during the day, they ceased to be making sense so we ended up relying on the Garmin for most of our 14 hour journey through the highways and byways of rural Mexico. Traveling by road in Mexico is very different from the US. In some place it is 4 lane divided highway with rest stops every so often and convenience stops (with McDonalds) along the way. Other parts are without hotels, motels or fast food opportunities along the way. There are a good number of Pemex stations (the national gasoline company) usually with a (sort of)convenience store and maybe a Subway. So while we didn’t run out of gas, the food situation was not so great later in the day.
In all the research I did about this part of the trip, people recommend that you not drive after dark. The reason usually cited is that there are stray animals (cows and goats) that may wander onto the roadways. So as darkness approached, I was a little wary but we certainly weren’t the only vehicles on the road. Lots of trucks and many cars continued on just like in the US. Didn’t see any wayward animals anywhere. Something not mentioned in any of my research is the utter lack of respect for any sort of speed limit. They are posted but it appears nobody cares. Primarily on the divided highways but some on the 2 lane roads, folks were doing in excess of 90 mph. Not that I would ever do that. Well, not much anyway.
Had a delicious dinner of cookies and diet coke. At 10 pm. While driving. by this time the cars were staring to get a bit fussy but some food and water seems to calm them down. Overall they were great travelers. Finally arrived in Guadalajara about 12:30 am. The only problem was the address for the hotel was listed as the intersection of 2 streets. Unfortunately, the Garmin requires and street number. So it dutifully delivered us to the right street and I had to choose which way. And I chose wrong. After driving for a bit we asked for some directions but they weren’t really helpful as they talked about landmarks that we didn’t know. Finally stopped at an OXXO, which is the equivalent of QT, and asked a taxi driver to show us the way. First time I’ve ever paid to not ride in a taxi. Nonetheless, he took us right there in about 10 minutes. And within 5 minutes of our arrival, the hotel sprung into action; helping us unload the cargo carrier, luggage and cats, parking the car and moving us to a fabulous room overlooking the city. Minutes later we were sound asleep.
Allowed ourselves the luxury of sleeping late followed by a fabulous buffet breakfast. Explored the area around the hotel a bit and had a very mediocre lunch at chili’s (the only place besides the hotel that had margaritas). Loaded up the car and cats and headed for our destination, the lakeside town of Ajijic. Took a few detours in Guadalajara but managed to arrive without any problems to the rental agency to pick up keys to our house. Pedro showed us to the house and where things were in the house and then left us to unload and get settled.
Whew. Made it safely with everyone intact. Glad we did it because I can’t imagine moving without all the stuff we brought but I think I would add some days if we have to do it again.
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