Is Mexico Safe?

[BobLoblaw]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Be real careful with that "I took out my phone camera" line of thinking these days.
First, you might just get a cop who is having a bad hair day and he'll get really encabronado with you to the point where the entire thing is going to escalate way beyond your ability to comprehend. And it will happen fast. Think it through.
How would a cop in the USA like it if you took out your cell phone when he stopped you? The answer to that depends on many factors, the cop, the local protocol, the state protocol, etc... Some don't care, some do. Do you really want to putz around and find out?
Second, and more seriously, not everyone in Mexico likes to smile for the camera these days due to the climate of narco violence and this is often directed at cops and soldiers.
Don't even think about taking pictures or video of soldiers working at a traffic stop. Sure, some might not mind, but that is highly unlikely and they wear balaclavas specifically so they cannot be identified.
They have no idea who you are or what you are doing or going to do with any video or pictures, their lives and the lives of their families and relatives depends very heavily on how well they keep their identities unknown.
Yes, local transit cops don't wear balaclavas, however, in some areas the military are doing all the policing and sometimes that includes the transito work, too.

It all boils down to why you were stopped.

If you broke the law by speeding, pulling a U-turn in front of a no u-turn sign, ran a red light, etc... expect the punishment. It's Mexico, not Disneyland. Do you automatically expect a US cop to let you off for this sort of thing?
I doubt it. You take your licks and you rely on the good nature of the cop if they have one and you hope for the best.
You don't start protesting, reach for your cell phone camera, threaten to call an embassy, etc... You behave yourself because you know there are consequences. Same goes for Mexico. Many times, if you are polite and can play the ignorant gringo part well enough, they will simply let you go with a warning, no different from back in the USA or wherever you are from.

If you got stopped for no valid reason and the cop is trying to extort money from you, that is when you dig in and start to play your cards carefully and with skill. Think of the "call the embassy" or "reach for the cell phone" cards as, at best, a non-face card in the poker game and nowhere near being an ace. The presentation of a license you can afford to lose, is a bluff move that often works depending on the cop and your poker face, you never bet more than you can afford to lose, do you?

Your results may vary, but pulling out a camera is not the greatest idea these days.

The reason a cop will take your plate is because they can if they are not satisfied with your license and your registration. They will often do that because they know the threat of that will get you reaching for your wallet pretty damn quick because you likely won't want to travel very far without the plate and you won't be getting into another country without one unless you are heading home. They also know you will have no idea where to find the plate later that day at shift change when it gets handed in and it then ends up in the office where you pay the fines which will likely be nowhere near the local police station if the state is running the transitos and not the municipality. Do you know if the state runs the local transitos or whether the municipality runs the local transitos? You likely don't know that, so you are already at a disadvantage.

Just my opinion. I've been through this many, many times. The good news is that, the more you play the game, the better you get, and the more local knowledge you have of where places are located for paying fines, how much the fines actually are (they vary widely and many are much more expensive now than you can imagine), where you have to go to report things, etc... will help a lot. Most states and municipalities have the same basic set-up, and often, there is quite a distance between various points of interest in the whole game.

Probably why I don't have problems, I can do that naturally Also I think it helps being an old man. Use rivets for your licence plate

[MikeMike]

Maybe "ignorant" is a little harsh, let's say "innocent".
Though I imagine many people here lost their "innocence" some time ago.
Like back around when the earth cooled...LOL!

[Aarono2]

Originally Posted by alpiner84

Easily the best advice I was given on this thread before my trip: bring licenses you don't care about. To that end, I carried two AAA International Licenses (crappy little paper booklets), then my real license (which was kept in a hidden pocket and never emerged). I never paid a single bribe or fine in 10,000 miles. I was pulled over three times, for two of which I legitimately broke the law, and then there were the innumerable checkpoints. There was only a mild amount of smiling/sweet talking/playing dumb. But mostly, I think it was those crappy paper licenses that no one in their right mind would consider valuable. HUGE thanks to that bit of thread-advice!

So how would one go about getting a temp license?
Cheers

[SchizzMan]

Originally Posted by Aarono2

So how would one go about getting a temp license?
Cheers

Go to your friendly local DMV and request a new license. Invalidates the one in your wallet but you won't care when you surrender it to some tránsito curbside.

Or, get the AAA international DL.

Or, use that high-tech copier you've been making 20's with and copy your DL then laminate, a la Tricepilot.

Red loctite on the plate bolts.

[SchizzMan]

How I think I look with a moustache



How college co-eds see me

[tricepilot]

^

[MikeMike]

You know, Schizz, those co-eds just ain't hearing that soundtrack wakka chikka wakka chikka music loop when they see that 'stach. LOL!

[SchizzMan]

Why not? I can hear it.

Must be tinitus.

[MikeMike]

Tinitus?

Nah, they are deaf to it because they are dazzled by the shag, the suede, and the polyester.

[MikeMike]

On a serious note, anyone riding through Alamo earlier today would have seen the remains of a really bad traffic accident.
Bus vs. Truck head on. 43 dead at last count and 19 severely injured. It was a real mess up there, judging by what is moving through the press right now. Happened before dawn, around 4:30am.

[tricepilot]

Trailer came loose and hit the bus.

Wire reports say the truck driver fled the scene

[MikeS]

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

Had the good fortune of riding a steep section just after a D6 with a ripper had it's way with it.

The road out of Bato to Creel was that way when we came out of the canyon on the way north to the border. The new road is under construction, and the old road was covered with rubble and rock for 2 plus hours. We sat around and waited. In order to re-open the current road, two cats pushed the rest of the rock off the old road and down the canyon. We got to ride out on the just re-opened road.

Like you described, there is plenty of rough and steep road around the canyons, which gets to some really remote and beautiful places. I need a lighter bike next trip, KLX250 or XT250 are in my sights, finances willing.

[SoosCreek]

Originally Posted by MikeS

Rode it twice a few weeks ago on a F650 thumper. There are steep sections, ruts and such. No polvo to speak of. There was a grader crew on the Bato side the first time through. Good ride for a 650cc or lighter!

Myself and Iowa did the road from Urique to Bato last week (15th) but don't know if we did the "new" one or the old one. Sure did not look new and it was pretty damn difficult. It went directly up after crossing the river from the south side of Urique. There was a sign at about 6500 feet that said Ureique or Batopolis and there were 3 roads. We came from Urique so we knew where that road went. the sign pointed to Bato so we knew where that went, but we could not figure out where the road that came up to the sign goes...



I had a 12GSs and Iowa a GSA and he did it like a champ. I managed to crash a few times. The RR will explain. I did not have the right tires and/or skill.

We had planned to take the new road but did not have a GPS route for it.

Can any help clarify what and where the new and old road are? Here is my Spot tracks. the gap is when the batteries died. We started in Cerocahui, went up to Mesa de Arturo, down to Urique and then over the mountain to Batopilas.

[SoosCreek]

Originally Posted by MikeS

The road out of Bato to Creel was that way when we came out of the canyon on the way north to the border. The new road is under construction, and the old road was covered with rubble and rock for 2 plus hours. We sat around and waited. In order to re-open the current road, two cats pushed the rest of the rock off the old road and down the canyon. We got to ride out on the just re-opened road.

Like you described, there is plenty of rough and steep road around the canyons, which gets to some really remote and beautiful places. I need a lighter bike next trip, KLX250 or XT250 are in my sights, finances willing.

t

Same story for us but we only waited for about 45 minutes. What I really wanted to know is what their plan is for the next 200-400 of down elevation and the new paved road. Must going to be a steep curvy "S" or something or they are going take out a whole lot of mountain....

[Arte]

Originally Posted by Sjoerd Bakker

There are a number of roads shown in Guia Roji through the mountain region and if you were in Huejuquilla you were at least in a town on the route that I took.
My ride started from Fresnillo where the hotel clerk asked if I was taking the direct route to Tepic. Well, no I had no plan like that(nor ANY plan) and did not know one existed. So I asked for more details and he explained that there was a good road across the sierras"directly" to Tepic. Well alright ! that was the route for me ,something new to explore.
As he described it it was good, paved and only a short bit of gravel and I should be in Tepic in 8 hours of riding.Heard that sort of estimate before!
So I asked around some more.
To make a short story, I wound up going soutthwest from Fresnillo on Mex 44 ,no haste slow ,side trips into farming sideroads and villages , spent the night in Valparaiso. Next morning left Valparaiso carried on to Huejuquilla el Alto, from there followed the state highway soutwest into the altiplano-canyons-mesas wiiiiiide valleys-eroded scarps-plates -mountains to SanJuan Capistrano and Canoas where the road turned more southerly running along the top of one of the huge mesa ridges WOW scenery all the time..
Then came the gravel section, only about 22km long and quite good road , only a few rough rutted spots.Nothing at all as bad as the road west from Chinipas!- I could do it in the Focus without damage. Of course this was the remaining steepest bit of road farthest from either end climbing with many twists and turns and which still needs to be reconstructed and that work is going on as we speak progressing from the south end.
Spent a night in Jesus Maria NAY, in Hotel el Buen Pastor ( the founders folks had too much religion on the brain) the Friday before they were having a big doo with Nayars showing up in costume.
From JM it was again up into spectacular mesa and canyons country to Mesa de Nayar and then came the front range of the mountains view across everything to the coast , descent to tropical climate and Estacion Ruiz ,east of Mex 15. This was still about 30km north of Tepic close enough
.But WOW and double WOW a great road.
Beside Fresnillo and Valparaiso Hotels are found also in Huejuquilla, San Juan Capistrano, and eco-cabins at Canoas. and in Estacion Ruiz , so there is no need to panic as long as you time it to be in one of these places before sunset.
And anyone who does the trip in 8 hours(if that is possible) is riding way too fast to be enjoying any of the scenert

I just did the same route back on past Jan.

I have done it 3 times, the 2nd time, all the road was pure dirt from Canoas up to Venados (near Estacion Ruiz). I really miss that dirt road.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=761431

Arte