To the Arctic Ocean via the Dalton Road

[geovalue]

We said good bye to Baja and are now in Mazatlan.

Good bye Baja
We took the TMC ferry rather than the Baja Ferry which saved us a significant amount of money. The TMC ferry is a cargo ferry and so we could also sleep in the camper while making the 17 hour journey across the ocean. It was a bit noisy but I loved the gently rocking of the ship as we crossed.

TMC Cargo Ferry
On board the ferry we traveled with fellow overlanders Roger and Mirjam from Switzerland who are also heading for Argentina

Overlanders heading for Mazatlan
It was a pretty tight squeeze but we were comfortable and our tickets included supper and breakfast with all fellow truckers

Can you spot the bikes on our camper
We are looking forward to our travels across Mexico
Safe travels all

 

[ccarm]

What a fantastic trip report so far. I love the beautiful country that you are getting to experience. The pictures of the ocean and beaches are stunning.

 

[geovalue]

What a fantastic trip report so far. I love the beautiful country that you are getting to experience. The pictures of the ocean and beaches are stunning.

Thanks for the comment. We have now left the Pacific Ocean and are heading east across Mexico. We said goodbye to Mazatlan and arrived in Guadalajara this afternoon.

Sad to say good bye

The road was excellent as we took the toll road. However the campsite here is empty, there are no tourists just us. It is quite sad as the locals tell us that many campsite will close this year which is not good news for overlanders.
Tomorrow we heading to explore the historical district of Guadalajara should be fascinating

The view from our camper last night a farewell sunset over the ocean

Safe travels all

 

[CanuckMariner/Nomad]

Too bad Janet/Tom, as you missed all the little towns/villages on the coast road. Tons of beautiful beaches, great camping and food. Hope you catch these on your way back north.

South of Guadalajara is Ajijic a small town with retired expats on the north shore of Laguna Chapala. Easy to get around I have some friends who live there. Let me know if you need their contact info will email it to you.:costumed-smiley-007

 

[geovalue]

Too bad Janet/Tom, as you missed all the little towns/villages on the coast road. Tons of beautiful beaches, great camping and food. Hope you catch these on your way back north.

South of Guadalajara is Ajijic a small town with retired expats on the north shore of Laguna Chapala. Easy to get around I have some friends who live there. Let me know if you need their contact info will email it to you.:costumed-smiley-007

Thanks yes we have had to make many choices of what to see as we travel but decided we wanted to see some of the Mexican culture, colonial cities etc. There is just so much to see in Mexico we will definitely have to come back one to explore more of the amazing country

 

[geovalue]

We are now in San Miguel de Allende and have great internet so it is a good time to catch up on blogs etc

A Restaurant that cooks in the "engine" of an old car and they made great hamburgers


We have updated our final blog from Baja and one of the highlights was the humpback whales we saw off the coast of Todos Santos, they were amazing

http://www.adventurouspirits.com/a-whale-of-a-time-in-mexico/

Tom also made a summary of our journey across Baja from the time we entered Mexico, if you want to see the whales and of course the incredible deep dive Tom had to do to recover his money this is it.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCDSLD5KIFw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCDSLD5KIFw[/ame]

There is a very different feel on mainland Mexico compared to Baja. After heading inland we stopped at Guadalajara where we planned to spend a few days. But there was an edgy feeling with lots of police and military around during the day

Tom in Guadalajara on Tuesday morning.

That night we heard the explosions and gunfire and wondered how close the action was to us and decided we would leave. Next day the headlines read

"Guadalajara Erupts in Violence"
http://guadalajarareporter.com/news-mainmenu-82/guadalajara/28337-guadalajara-erupts-in-violence-.html

We had to change our route and decided to head through Guadalajara and then out west heading for Leon. We actually had to get to the bridge before turning west. But we were fine and once we got to Guanajuato we relaxed and enjoyed this stunningly beautiful city
Safe travels all

 

[SafariPacific]

Mainland Mexico definately has a different feel than Baja.

Glad to hear you guys are safe in Guanajuato. Great town.

 

[geovalue]

We are finally ready to enter Mexico City, which we will do tomorrow. We plan to park the truck just north of the city and then take a bus to the train station and hopefully get on the right train to Mexico city and then take the subway to a hotel.

We have loved the colonial cities especially Guanajuato and even San Miguel de Allende was charming. But our highlight to date was hiking up the mountains in Michoacan to see the Monarch Butterflies. It was a grunt of a hike due to the steepness and altitude but well worth it. It was incredible, it is estimated over 150 million butterflies make their way to Mexico from Canada and Northern USA each year. With no GPS I cant even begin to imagine how they find their way here. Makes our journey seem so simple and easy.

We have updated our website
http://www.adventurouspirits.com/exploring-colonial-cities-guadalajara-guanajuato-san-miguel-de-allende/

I will try update some photos but we dont have great internet access
Safe travels all

 

[geovalue]

Guanajuato City a UNESCO site and truly beautiful

Balloon Sellers in San Miguel de Allende

Monarch Butterfly

Millions and millions of butterflies take flight

Start planning everyone you have to see Guanajuato and the Monarch butterflies

 

[SafariPacific]

We are finally ready to enter Mexico City, which we will do tomorrow. We plan to park the truck just north of the city and then take a bus to the train station and hopefully get on the right train to Mexico city and then take the subway to a hotel.

Good idea taking the bus. Lots of good things to see in Mexico City I hear. Be careful not to get on the loop highway around greater Mexico City. There's a limitation on who can drive on the highways for traffic control. I got a ticked for that, $500 USD, because I didn't have a Mexican license plate starting with the allowed number/letter combo for the day.

Great photos so far! Keep them coming and enjoy the city.

 

[geovalue]

We survived Mexico city, and it was amazing. Although we knew it was built on a lake we had no idea it was sinking. What strikes one is the lack of skyscrapers in a city with over 20 million people and yes the air pollution is horrible. Traffic is quite restricted so we left our truck north of the city and took a hotel for several days. Our highlight for the area was the Teotihuacan ruins which are just north of Mexico city. But the city is vibrating and a mosaic of colour, cultures, music, traditions and beliefs.

Tom admiring the Sun Pyramid before hiking to the top.

We have posted a video of our journey from Baja across to mainland Mexico on the TMC ferry, which incidentally was a 1/3 cheaper than crossing by Baja Ferries. The video is of our experiences in some colonial cities of Mexico.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBAyTnkO-5U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBAyTnkO-5U[/ame]

We are now just south of Veracruz and will most probably be going into Belize next week.

Safe travels all

 

[geovalue]

We spent the day planning our route through Central America and searching the web for overlanders who are ahead of us. It is always helpful to gather information of travellers who are ahead of us. We have managed to update our blog of our impressions of Mexico City, certainly worth a trip although would not recommend driving into Mexico City. It is a fascinating city quite unlike other major cities in the world, it has a beat of its very own.

http://www.adventurouspirits.com/mexico-city-and-teotihuacan/

Puebla City

Safe travels all

 

[geovalue]

We have finally reached the border of Belize and will be crossing the border today. We are leaving Mexico after traveling for nearly 2 months when our original plan was only be in Mexico for 2 weeks, well so much for that plan!. Mexico is certainly a diverse and fascinating country. there is just so much to see. Despite what the media says, we did not have any challenges or issues ok so that is not really true I still cant speak Spanish, man it is hard to learn a language at my age. Our last stop was the Palenque Mayan Ruins which are fantastic, well worth a visit.

Safe travels all

 

[idaxj97]

WOW:Wow1: what a awsome trip stay safe and most of all have fun.

 

[haven]

"nearly 2 months when our original plan was only be in Mexico for 2 weeks"

A great example of why the best travel plans are flexible. When you don't have a fixed schedule, you can take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

Thanks for your great web site, http://www.adventurouspirits.com/