BROWNSVILLE TO TAMPICO
After reading of and being
asked for driving tips on how to get from Brownsville TX. to Merida Mexico I
decided to compile what I hope is an accurate and useful
description.
To start with, I would
recommend two things.
First, purchase a GPS unit. I
like to recommend either Garmin or Magellan products because there are Mexican
maps available for those two brands at the BiciMaps website.
Second, purchase a good
Mexican road atlas like the one shown below. They are available
online.
ENTERING MEXICO FROM BROWNSVILLE TEXAS
From Brownsville head south on US highway
77 and cross the Veterans Bridge into Mexico. Once you have crossed the bridge
you will see the Mexican Immigration and Customs Checkpoints. Keep to the left
and enter the area where you will obtain your tourist visa and vehicle
importation paperwork. This is a simple map of that area.
Once you have parked your
vehicle, as shown, enter the immigration building. The first thing to do is turn
left and go to the Immigration counter to fill out your tourist forms and have
them stamped.
The next step is to go to the Banjercito and obtain
your temporary vehicle importation paperwork. You will need the vehicle’s
registration/ownership certificate, your passport, your drivers licence, the
tourist visa you just obtained and an international credit card like Visa or
Mastercard. If you had not already done so before leaving home, you will also
need photocopies of all of the above (except the credit cards of course).
Fortunately there are 2 photocopy booths in the building. The officers at
Banjercito will run your credit card in order to issue the paperwork, and
will instruct you on where to place the holographic sticker on the inside of
your windshield. (there will not be anything charged against the credit card, it
is merely a way for them to ensure that you will be returning the car to the USA
at some point)
Just a
side note. The car's ownership, the driver's licence and the credit card
must all be issued in the same name.
Once you have the vehicle
paperwork done you can then go outside and walk around the corner of the
building to the left and pay for your visa at one of the small bank branches
located there. If you are too early for the banks to be open, don't wait around
or worry. You can always pay for the tourist visa later at any
bank anywhere in Mexico. On our last trip down the officers at
Banjercito accepted the payment for the tourist visa right there where the car
paperwork was being done.
Once you have (or not) paid
for your tourist visa you simply drive out of the parking space and exit that
area. There may or may not be a “red light/green light” button to push before
being able to get out of the area. If you get a green light, just drive away. If
you get a red light, be prepared to have your vehicle
inspected.
Next step, getting out of Matamoros!!!
DRIVING THROUGH MATAMOROS AND GETTING OUT OF
TOWN
Once you
are out of the immigration area, you will automatically get onto a multi lane
street. Just follow the signs to Matamoros. After approximately 20 blocks you
will see the roadway between the lanes of traffic rise up into an
overpass on your left (This is the SECOND overpass on the left. Stay
on the ground lanes but get into the left lane. There is a traffic light at the
next intersection. You will want to make a left turn under the overpass, but
there are two options. The tight left turn will just put you onto the same road
going in the opposite direction...You don't want that. Make a gentle left turn
going on the far side of the cross street's median. There ARE signs indicating
"Ciudad de Victoria", which is your first general destination.
Once you have made the correct turn towards Ciudad de Victoria it
is a straight run on that road to get out of town. I would advise that the
navigator make a note of several "landmarks" on the left, such as the "Office
Max" store, the "Chrysler" dealership, etc. That way you can count down the
landmarks on the way home to be sure and find the correct turn-off to the
bridge.
The road you are on is Hwy 101/180 and it is a well maintained 2
lane highway with shoulders wide enough to drive on, making it a "virtual" 4
lane highway. The local custom on this stretch of road is to drive straddling
the dotted white line of the shoulder, moving to the right to let faster
vehicles pass easily. You will stay on this highway for approximately 3 hours or
293 km.
Speaking of local driving customs, I should mention one that seems
to be country wide. When driving the highways it is customary for slower
vehicles to pull towards the right side of the road and put on their left turn
signal. This is the way that they indicate to you that it is safe for you to
pass. This is a very useful gesture, especially on winding mountainous
roads. Just a couple of reminders however, other drivers have no idea of
how fast you can accelerate and be aware that many times the slower trucks are
slow because they are overburdened by towing double trailers. (These usually,
but not always have lettering on the back saying "Doble Remolque") The one thing
the left turn signal does well is let you know it is at least safe to stick your
nose out and have a look at the oncoming situation for yourself. The left turn
signal situation is reversed in cities, however. In cities, a left turn signal
means exactly what it does north of the
border .
At a point approximately 20 km before Victoria there is an exit
that you will take that is signposted "Tampico". After taking the exit you
approach the first of some of Mexico's strange exit procedures. You
will be reqired to take a right exit then curve left and wait for traffic to
clear before crossing the road and then following the signs to
Tampico.
This new
highway you are on has, as of the Spring of 2008, been upgraded to the same 2
lane with wide shoulders that the previous road was like, all the way into
Tampico. The only exceptions are through the towns of Gonzalez and Manuel, where
there are many potholes and topes (speed bumps). As you approach Gonzalez the
road takes a fairly sharp curve to the right and goes over railway tracks. Once
you get into Gonzalez you will need to make a left turn to head towards Manuel.
Once you approach Manuel just follow the main road over a bridge and through a
couple of curves. Just keep following the signs to Tampico and this leg of the
trip will go by quickly.
There is
a bypass around Tampico, but after trying it out, we found it to be just as much
of a hassle and just as time consuming as simply driving through the
city. Besides, we prefer to make Tampico our first overnight stay. The run
through Tampico is really not that difficult. As you approach Tampico from the
north just stay on the same street and watch for airport signs. You will
easily see the airport on your left as you drive by. After the airport try to
stay in the right hand lanes. After the airport there is a university on the
right. After the university start watching for signs to Tuxpan. The
road you are on is called Blvd. Adolfo Lopez Mateos and it makes a right turn a
few blocks past the University. (Hint, the majority of the local traffic will be
making the right hand turn also, so follow them.) Once you have made the right
turn watch for a forested area on your right. After that you will notice a flat
park-like area on the right also. In that park area, immediately after passing
under an overpass, there is a curving right turn that will take you up onto
the overpass, around and back over Lopez Mateos and to the bridge that leads
south out of town towards Tuxpan.
As I
mentioned earlier we prefer to stay overnight in a nice hotel in Tampico,
however, if you prefer to stay at a less expensive hotel there are several in
the first few miles south of Tampico. From what I have been told those run
around 200-400 pesos per night. The reason we prefer the nicer hotels in Tampico
is that they all provide underground or guarded parking. A reader has told me
that there is a brand new Hotel Bonnito on the right as you enter Tampico from
the north. It is pet friendly and the price is affordable at $60 U.S.
This first day has been the
shortest of the three days it will take you to get to Merida/Progreso and
it also involves some of the best roads. Tomorrow is a different story!!!