Jonna gives good advice. Behave yourself and you will be safer than you would be in most American cities! In five and a half months last winter we never encountered one unsafe or uncomfortable situation. Like Jonna, we spent many nights on the road in Pemex stations and Soriana parking lots.
Take Military Checkpoints seriously. If you are not fluent in Spanish let them know immediately. They are, on the whole, eager young men who have had little contact with foreigners and they are equipped with very big guns. In most cases they just want to have a look in your rig to see how the "other half" lives. Be polite, smile and do everything they ask without hesitation. They all like Coke .
crandle wrote: Jonna gives good advice. Behave yourself and you will be safer than you would be in most American cities! In five and a half months last winter we never encountered one unsafe or uncomfortable situation. Like Jonna, we spent many nights on the road in Pemex stations and Soriana parking lots.
Take Military Checkpoints seriously. If you are not fluent in Spanish let them know immediately. They are, on the whole, eager young men who have had little contact with foreigners and they are equipped with very big guns. In most cases they just want to have a look in your rig to see how the "other half" lives. Be polite, smile and do everything they ask without hesitation. They all like Coke .
I love showing my rig to the soldiers. They always leave the trailer in amazement. I tell them that now they are easily had, used, 10 years old and imported from the U.S. for a small fee (especially now based on the gas prices and the lack of sales good deals are plentiful).
I had a rural policeman stop me at a checkpoint in Tamaulipas. After checking out the trailer, he said he just wanted to take a look as he as interested in camping.
Never a bad experience here. In fact, when I left for the gym this morning at 5:30a.m., they were leaving the area behind my house. I waved to them and they waved back. They are on the lookout for drug dealers and I salute them for the great job they have been doing here. This week, they siezed two quintas, tons of drugs and expensive cars and the crooks are in jail. If you have nothing to fear, they mean no harm. I appreciate their presence.
One thing you learn real early on is what a Tope is. The Mexicans have a very simple means of slowing down traffic. They build speed bumps in the middle of no where. You will only ignore them once. Some of the more creative tope builders have them so you need to down shift to get over them. I have had my rear jacks drag over some of them. You will find your first tope at the Mexican Border. Study it well!!! Most of them will have warning signs. The more creative ones will not. As is the case with most Mexican ways, usually it is done one way but sometimes another then again sometimes another method again. Just keeps you from dozing off.
Good description Dave! Some topes are painted a contrasting colour and some are not. Some really mean ones are simply pieces of tugboat size tow rope stretched across the road. If you have any loose teeth when you hit one of those, you will be looking for them on the floor after!
Topes are usually located in school zones etc. but they also hide them in the shadows of big trees. The best way to spot them is to look for the black skid marks on the road.
We had a funny experience at a Military Checkpoint. DW was asleep (MH) when we got to one during the morning. She awoke seeing a young soldier with weapon in the bedroom. They both laughed and the other soldier and I laughed. They were always very nice.
The Johnsons (incls a Bouvier, Lab, and Newfie)
Cedar Island, NC (Gateway to the Outbanks)
2008 Winnie Sightseer 35J
Our Mexico trip Blog
Some are also used by the local populace to pedal soft drinks, newspapers, fruit, you name it. They know you have to come to an almost complete stop to get across them so that's where they set up. They aren't waiting for just the tourist, they are there for the natives also.
Some of the charity orgs and schools use them for collecting donations. If children are involved, most of the time there will be a cop sitting there also, keeping them safe.
I usually keep some pesos handy for both the collections and the vendors, you never know when they might be selling something you want, and it doesn't hurt to spread a little good will by donating to the local schools for whatever they are collecting for that week.
Turtle & Toad, On the Road
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good deals are plentiful). 
They both laughed and the other soldier and I laughed. They were always very nice.
