Leaving Oaxaca
 

Leaving Oaxaca

For what it's worth: yesterday afternoon (10/29) the route from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel, Mex 175 was blockaded by armed locals around the halfway point. Don't know what it was about, nor if it's ongoing or already a distant memory.

There was a little dirt bypass track being used by cars and light trucks, but it was beginning to get pretty chewed up already when I took it. From my perspective it was fine on a loaded KLR, though on the downgrades I was loosing braking traction trying to evade others who wanted to go more slowly than I.

Not saying this is anything serious, merely that you might want to check it out before traveling that route if you're using your own transport.

Oh, and the Pemex at the intersection of Mex 175 and the coast road was out of gasolina. If you're cutting it close, it'd probably be wise to fill up earlier.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Mark

Last March 15th the same blocade was set up when I rode to Puerto Angel,
I rode to the front of the line and talked to some of them and took one of their pamphlets and then within 2 minutes one of the older men gave me the go ahead to ride on through.
Then the ride was great because there was no traffic after the blocade!
seems like they are trying to get the Government to put some money into their area, my spanish is not great but enough to be respectful and this went a long way into alowing me to pass. Talked to a swiss couple later who said it was not set up early in the day.
Cal

Glad to hear it. I was actually on my way past the mile-long line of trucks and others, intending to see if I could do the same as you, but a group of truckers flagged me down and told me that was not a good idea. My Spanish is almost non-existant, but they were pretty clear that the combination of guns and a motorcycle would make my life very difficult. I figured local knowlege is better than no knowlege, and took the bypass track.

Heads up on this route. Before setting off on Mex 175 between Oaxaca and Pto Angel ask the local constabularies ( by that I mean the PFP, the Policia Federal Preventiva which are equivalent to the highway patrol, recognizable by the black Dodge Chargers with white doors bearing PFP initials, they should have current info) or truckers coming from the direction you are planning to travel if there are such roadblock protests going on. They may be sporadic, intermittent events.
There is an excellent, albeit somewhat longer, paved alternative if you wish-- take Mex 131 to/from Peurto Escondido ,then just run down the coast on Mex 200 to PA. This excellent and equally curvacious and scenic road joins Mex 175 about 16km south of Oaxaca south of Coyotepec
Depending on where specifically you mean by "around the halfway point" there may also be another escape route back to Mex 131 , but this is a rather long unpaved (?) crossover from Miahuatlan west to San Gabriel Mixtepec. But if you are adventure tourinhg per KLR it may be just your cup of tea.
But ,as you stated , you resolved the problem by simply following oyher traffic on a local detour. This is usually the simlest way.