Looking at the maps we have (there are three of them and they all show different points of interest along our coastal route), today’s route would take us through at least one (but up to three) cities starting with Tampico/Ciudad Madero about 80km south of our starting point. Once we were through the morning bustle of Manuel, a typical midsize highway town with at least one hundred “Super Mini” stores in a row, we got on to our first major highway, Mex 80D; two lanes in each direction and a speed limit of 110kmh. Cruising at an easy 90kmh (about 55mph) we made our way into Tampico.
Ok, listen up. We will now have Mexican ciudad driving 101. Find the route of least resistance along the (now four lanes in each direction) road by whatever means necessary. Ok class is done. Basically it’s mayhem as there are often no lines on the road, no one obeys the speed limit, and changing three lanes at a time with no turn signal is standard practice. Add in the buses which stop or pull out whenever, the regular doses of speed bumps (which trucks and buses take at no more than 2mph) and policia occifers on foot seeming to pull people over at random, and you are right in our shoes.
Today brought us our first toll roads starting with two around Tampico and another just south at a key bridge. All said and done we paid setenta y uno pesos (about $7 US) para viaje.
The roads toward Tuxpan and Poza Rica took us into the green hills with the road becoming extremely narrow at times with plants and grasses growing out into the roadways. Another thing that seem to be growing (and doing quite well I must say) are potholes. These roads are littered with them and everyone, from both directions, is trying to dodge them. Have your thumb ready on that high beam button in case that truck swerving into your lane doesn’t notice you coming!
After our experience of the early morning scene in Tampico, we decided to avoid Tuxpan and took the inland route (Mex 127) south to Poza Rica which is near our destination of Papantla; a mountainside town just a few kilometers from the ruins of El Tajin. Mex 127 is a road full of its own challenges. Besides the road being in a constant state of repair (or destruction), it is the hilly transport route of smoke spewing transport trucks overfilled with the fruits of the current harvest: oranges. Anytime we approached such a truck, we made sure to make a quick pass as the air quality behind them and the risk of being hit by flying oranges were not things either of us wanted to deal with.
In one of the small towns we came to along Mex 127 we encountered a military roadblock. We had seen a few of these on the northbound lanes over the past two days, but none on the southbound. There were about a half dozen guards in army fatigues at the checkpoint with one of them waving vehicles either through or to the side for a complete stop and search. James got the wave through, I got the wave to the side. This is about the time when any of the Spanish language that I have picked up or that has come back to me from my past studies went right out the window, as did the name of the place we were headed for the night. After no clear response from me to several surely simple questions about where I was going, etc… they motioned to the cases on the bike and for me to open them. As they searched through my things, another guard came over extending his hand asking:
“are you from Ustados Unidos? In clear English.
“Yes yes yes” I responded shaking his hand and smiling.
“And where are you going?”
“To Cosa Rica, no wait Rosa Rica…uh errr”
“Costa Rica?”
“No, well yes eventually”
“OK, you’re all set”
“!Gracias!” I exclaimed as I closed up my cases
With a big wave I rode away up the side of the road to where James was waiting for me nervous as hell, not wanting to turn around to see what was happening to me but looking through sweaty eyes in his rear view mirror for any signs of life. If only I could have been wearing a giant sombrero and a red, white and blue USA t-shirt at that moment.
Upon our arrival in Papantla, we carried right through town following the signs for El Tajin thinking it would be pretty great to wake up by the ruins tomorrow. Turns out El Tajin closes a 6pm so that’s not an option. We took a bread and queso break in the entrance area and decided to look elsewhere for a place to sleep.
We continued along the road away from El Tajin hoping to find a dead end back road up a hill with a place to pitch the tent for the night. Turns out that’s too many requirements for a campsite so we decided to go back to Papantla to get ourselves a room at Hotel Totonacapan a few blocks downhill from el zocalo (the town center park). For 400 pesos (about $40US) we have a clean two bed room, bathroom, air conditioning and a TV all to ourselves and most important: a place to put the bikes for the night.
Ok, first we take showers, then we go find us some cerveza…. ZZZZZ.
I guess no cerveza tonight.
-Colin
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