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johang

Sep 23, 2010, 7:52 AM

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Driving South from Nogales

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As snowbirds start to plan their trip south many of them will be considering the Nogales to Puerto Vallarta route. With all the bad press lately I though it appropriate to get some feedback from people who have driven it recently and people who have driven it many many times. Also included are this week's Canadian upgraded warning and the most recent US warning. Details here.

Johan....If we all do a little we can do a lot. Visit our little corner of paradise at the Jaltemba Jalapeño.

(This post was edited by johang on Sep 23, 2010, 7:53 AM)

bournemouth

Sep 23, 2010, 10:01 AM

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Re: [johang] Driving South from Nogales

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We just returned from Tucson this week. Our trip up and back were uneventful - one State Police stop in Sinaloa on the way up on a Sunday. There were many more stops on the southbound lanes that day but they were not there when we drove back last Monday. The State Police in Sinaloa were very present, picking up speeders between the state line with Sonora and Mazatlan - we did not see many on the Mazatlan-Tepic stretch. Local police present, picking up speeders, on the Tepic periferico.

We saw a large number of army vehicles heading north at Tequila, apparently going on a mission as there were trucks with their baggage and a first aid vehicle also.

There are warnings on Sonoran websites about mordida shakedowns in Hermosillo, on the periferico - we did not encounter that but were slower than usual, just because it seemed a good idea.

We drove only in daylight hours and did not feel uncomfortable. Just to be safe, I did keep the vehicle documents and insurance papers in my purse, rather than leaving them in the glove box - however, that may have been a false sense of security!

The toll booths in Sonora and part of Sinaloa are only accepting pesos - which would appear to have something to do with the inability to deposit dollars in bank accounts. There is an ATM at the customs check point, just south of the toll booth on the periferico around Nogales, which you get to using the Mariposa Road truck route exit. People could stop there for pesos if they don't have any.

In fact, we encountered less blocks than in the past and were a little suprised but grateful nevertheless. The road from Mazatlan airport to Villa Union is being rebuilt and is in shocking shape at the moment. All the traffic is on one side of the road, there is no road surface and it was huge potholes and lots of mud - no fun at all.

(This post was edited by bournemouth on Sep 23, 2010, 10:04 AM)

johang

Sep 25, 2010, 9:51 AM

Post #3 of 3 (3309 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Driving South from Nogales

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I have pulled together links to a number of discussions across the web so that everyone can benefit from reports like yours bournemouth. Check it out here:
http://jaltembajalapeno.com/...-to-puerto-vallarta/

Johan....If we all do a little we can do a lot. Visit our little corner of paradise at the Jaltemba Jalapeño.