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Mexico - Travel Guide
Description
Situated in South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico's climate and geography is very diverse. It has around 9,000km of coastline, high, rugged mountains, plateaus, low coastal plains and desert. It is home to an assortment of people and landscape, culture and tradition and is a Nation where affluence rubs shoulders with poverty.
Mexico¡¯s long and varied history, diversity of landscape and culture, astonishing temples and excellent food provides endless fascination to the traveller. Backpackers travel through Mexico in their thousands to soak up the unique ambience of this fascinating place, and it is becoming an increasingly popular package holiday destination.
With a population of over 100 million people, majestic Aztec Temples, Mayan ruins and more bird species than the U.S.A. and Canada combined, this colourful country offers all the excitement and culture you could dream of, in a landscape which varies from swamps and azure seas, to jungle, desert and lush, green valleys.
There are excellent diving sites all around the coast. Try to reserve some time to watch swallow-diving from the cliffs at Acapulco or to experience some of the best deep-sea fishing in the world. One of Mexico¡¯s many National Parks (Gray Whale National Park) is a recommended spot for whale and marine-life observation, or, if that is too tame for your adventurous nature, there is jet-skiing, parasailing, or travelling by kayak, jeep or on horseback.
The capital, Mexico City, although surrounded by shanty towns, holds the fascinating site of the Great Temple of the Aztecs and, as with all the other historical sites scattered throughout the country, there is a feeling of time stood still here. The nightlife in the cities (and most of the modern, well-equipped hotels) is as vibrant as the city itself and Mexican cuisine is exotic and delicious.
With average temperatures ranging from around 12C in the winter, up to around 36C in summer, the excellent weather helps to make this varied and exotically exciting country well worth a visit at any time of the year.
Driving Guide
Your full driving licence will be valid in Mexico, and it is advisable to carry it at all times, along with your passport. The speed limit on highways is generally 100km/h, while in the cities it varies between 40 and 60km/h and on the freeways it is 80km/h. When in urban areas, look out for the one-way streets - if the arrow is green, then the traffic in that street has priority; if the arrow is red, then vehicles should stop at the corner. Boulevards generally have four lanes in the same direction and a fifth in the opposite direction; this is reserved for public transport. Look out for the "topes" in and around cities: they are tall speed bumps which can do serious damage to the car if you drive excessively fast. Overtaking is one of the major causes of road accidents in Mexico, so be sure of yourself when you pull out. You should also know that there are few shoulders on the roads, so cars will have difficulty moving over for you. There are no reflective lines on the roads, so try to avoid long journeys at night. It is not unusual for drivers to encounter drunks or cows in the road. When purchasing petrol, you should know that credit cards are not acceptable. Unleaded petrol is called "sin plomo". In Mexico City, because of the pollution, there are strict limits on the number of cars on any particular day. Saturday and Sunday are fine, but if you want to visit the city during the week, please check on the legal requirements when you get to the country. Do NOT drink and drive.