McAllen to Tulum
 

Hey friends

My husband and I are riding from McAllen around April 28th to Tulum. Anyone else headed on that route, Hwy 180? Any tips or anyone who wants to join?

Cheers
Sarah :D

Hi Sarah,

Are you staying direct on the highway the whole way or hoping to jump off for lots of little side trips? I can't join you guys, but I wish I was riding in Mexico! What tips are you looking for? Fun places to see or something else?

I live in Veracruz. The #180 is the absolute most boring and pothole filled piss poor stretch of highway in Mexico. There are much better alternatives where you'll see something instead of the back ends of semi trucks. You also might want to rethink your taking the stretch from Sota La Marina down to Tampico due to what has been happening there.
PM me if you want a good mountain ride route and details. I ride it all the time and have been for more than two decades on a weekly basis.
The 180 sucks.

Are you shipping the bikes to McAllen or just randomly decided to make that the entry point to Mexico.?
Since you are coming down from BC you would be better off to make the entry popint farther west in Mexico and then wander on to the Yucatan. Lots to see and enjoy.
Mex 180 is not really as bad as Mike makes it out to be , did parts of it again this winter and it was fine.Mike's just getting spoiled by all the fun twisty mountain roads he knows of just a bit farther inland.
He does have a point about certain types of activity which have happened in souther Tamaulipas recently, that should clear up eventually .
Book is on its way so read that and use it for some plan adjustment perhaps.

Hey MikeMike

We got similar advice from MotoHank. We're going to cross in Laredo instead and follow the road inland to Xilitla instead. Then start moving East toward Veracruz, then on to Palenque. We were told a good stop would be Santiago outside of Monterrey for an overnight break, since we'll already be on the road earlier than day in Texas. Do you guys agree?

Any other suggestions for the road that leads to Xilitla?

Hey Sjoerd

We're riding down from BC and decided to head more Easterly. As soon as I get the book I'll def see if there are any alterations but for now we're doing:

Uvalde TX to Santiago
Santiago to Xilitla
Xilitla to Veracruz
Veracruz to Palenque
Palenque to TBD

MotoHank has it correct.
Let me know if you want interesting and good riding on your approach to Veracruz and as you head south out of here.
The latest problems on the 180 are long delays and later lines of traffic due to protests and accidents.

Hey MikeMike

I'm really glad that we're avoiding the 180 after hearing so many crappy things about that route.

Would love to hear any suggestions you have for roads heading to Veracruz and thoughts you have for accoms too. Although I'm sure Sjoerd's book is going to have some good suggestions.

I do have a specific questions about Veracruz - have any of your guys been to services your BMW's at MotoPits?

Xilitla
 

When you mention Xilitla, I assume you will be visiting Los Pozas. For anyone else that has not heard of this amazing attraction, visit this website for a primer: Fondo Xilitla Read more about the artist Edward James here: Edward James - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I spent the night at the Posada James Xilitla, which is on the road just beyond Los Pozas and up the hill. Its a little pricey, depending on your budget. If you plan to make you funds go as far as possible in every situation, then it would be a splurge to stay there. Not out of reach, but everyone has a budget. The owners are very lovely people. The alternate option is to stay in the town of Xilitla, across the river and up the hill. When I travel I go back and forth. Mostly I'll stay in the cheapest place imaginable and every now and then I'll check into something more upscale. The bathroom in my room was unlike any I have ever seen (the room on the ground floor to the right when facing the front door.) Entering the shower meant stepping down into an indoor pool. It was off the hook. Price was in the $75 USD range. You'll have to contact them for current rates. The alternative is to find a backpacker hostel across the river, which is not far, just a completely different experience.

My photos and blog posting: http://www.petersride.com/2013/01/la...r-gardens.html

After visiting Los Pozas, I took a quick ride through Xilitla. The streets are a hoot, rather steep in places. When you find yourself at the bottom of one of the hills in the town, just go for it and don't stop till you are on level ground! Even if you have to go into an intersection a little, don't stop with your bike pointed up an extra steep hill. I made the mistake of stopping on a steep grade twice in other situation and in both cases I started sliding downwards. Not a fun moment. Chances are your bike(s) will be carrying too much stuff, which throws the weight to the back, leaving little traction on the front tire. If the hill is steep enough and a road surface that doesn't lend itself to good traction...sliding backwards happens and even worst you can start picking up speed as you slide backwards. But I digress. You are looking for tip of fun places to visit, not to re-live my personal flash backs.

Heading south of Xilitla, I headed for Pachuca. I clearly recall the most dangerous thing on the road, Bimbo bread mini-trucks. The drivers must be paid by the delivery stop, not by the hour. They drive as if they have a death wish. Yours not theirs. For the life of me I can't tell you exactly how I got to Panchuca, but I'm pretty sure I took 105. Yeah, it was 105. If you want to course through hours of mountain twisties, this is the road for you. Otherwise head east to Tuxpan and the coast. I can't tell you about the roads due east of Xilitla, leading to the coast. On my trip south in 2012 I was headed to Oaxaca and beyond, so going east at that point didn't make sense for me.

The thing about riding in the mountains in Mexico and most Latin countries, is that is takes a lot longer to get from point A to point B. Unless you are some kind of racer and enjoy riding on the edge all the time you will be taking corners slower because the corners are not designed for travel at 45-55 miles per hour. I found I was negotiating the turns much slower, 25-40 miles per hour. Then the distance between the next turn isn't that great. Ultimately you aren't burning up the road at high speed, so it takes longer to get to where you are thinking of spending the night. I rode with Colombians that were very talented and knew the mountains. We made good time, when they weren't waiting for me to catch up. You'll be new to the roads and there is a long list of unexpected things around the corner that require short stopping distance, if you know what I mean. Just some advice, based on how I travel and my personal experience. I would love to travel those the north eastern mountains of Mexico again and hope to one day soon.

After Pachuca I tried to skirt around Mexico City DF and failed. I had a good time there anyway.

Hey Peter

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. We will absolutely be taking it easy on those mountain roads. I had some crazy experiences in South East Asia and in Nicaragua that will hopefully have given me just enough of an idea of what we're in for when we hit these roads. But for sure it's going to take some getting used to.

I'm really looking forward to visiting Xilitla and soaking in all the crazy art. Your reccos for accoms are super helpful. If a place is really special we don't mind spending a bit extra for the experience (indoor pool shower whaaa? cool!). It's kind of a nice treat when most places will be on the cheap or in the hammock.

As for the steep hills in town - sounds interesting!! I'm not a fan of steep grades, so I might be more likely to walk around for that :)

Yep, Motopits is ok. Rafael Lago, the owner, is a friend of mine.
If need help translating or want to book something ahead of time, just let me know and I can help you out.
Sjoerd's guide has a good downtowm recommendation. If you want something suburban and more comfortabe try the Rivoli Select Hotel. Locally owned and operated and I can get you a very good discount on rooms and meals, they have a good restaurant and bar.
I have some suggestions I will post this weekend when I'm not riding or working.

Since Peter did such a nice job of covering Xilitla and Las Pozas allow me to fill in a bit about road east of there.
Xilitla is located on Mex 120 about. 25km west of Mex 85 junction. There are several state road connection east but it becomes mostly only hilly then floodplains and sugar , sugar .and ranches .. Rio Panuco flats to Tampico

Peter took Mex 105 which is easiest to get to by way of Mx 85 south t o
Tamazunchale and there the Mex 102 east across piedmont and then mountains
to pick up 105 south at Huejutla de Reyes all the way to Pachuca
, a great scenic road for sure.

If Tuxpan , VER is your goal then at Huejutla it is a short jog south and the n
East on Mex 102 . You will leave the actual mountains and travel a winding and scenic road in hills and dales with lots and lots of orange growing all the way to Alamo .Tuxpan requires a jog north or south on Mex 127 and then east.


Peter noted the steep street hazard, that is common in every mountain town you may visit.
The danger of sliding is multiplied greatly if there is the slightest rain or drizzle.
Do not ride into a narrow street downhill if you do not know where it leads because you may find yourself bouncing down a pedestrian staircase ! If you stop in time you will struggle to turn around and try to go back uphill.


The road Mex 85 south from Tamazunchale is also scenic and mountainous ,so choosing will be tough.
From Xilitla Mex 120 west. takes you to another kind of Mexico - Jalpan, deserts, the Sierra Gorda , the Bajio
. Your head will ache from trying to decide where to next.

Wow! So many options! I think in the interest of time, we might need to take the "easiest" route. We're trying to anticipate if we'll need to get service done in Ver, and want to be sure it doesn't keep us too long. Otherwise we'll look at doing service in Cancun.

The only 2 time sensitive parts of trip will be this section (we have to get to a wedding in Playa Del Carmen), then on our return - we need to be back in Vancouver by late May. Seriously tho, all your tips are so pro. We're really grateful for the insights! At some point I'll start a thread about the other half of our journey and pick your brains about that.

Thanks tons MikeMike! I will look for your post in the next few days.

the shower of power
 

It looks better in person, with the natural light coming in the window, but this is the only shot I have the shower in my room.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IPvrORe72g...SCN6130_01.JPG