Boondocking through Mexico & Central America

[Richard]

Thanks to everyone who's shared links to websites,  books, and video. I'm learning a lot about what to expect and this has given me many things to consider. By all means if anyone else wants to add to what's already been shared, please do!

[SternWake]

Plant a Madonna on your dashboard, and do not drive at night, and expect at army checkpoints to have automatic weapon wielding teenagers search your van, even going south. Pocketknives might disappear, or cost you some bribe money. They are more looking to see if you appear nervous, so try and act like teenagers with automatic weapons searching your van is an everyday occurrence.

A while ago I heard that fully blacked out windows on Vans was a reason to get pulled over In Tijuana and other cartel ruled towns. I always removed all my blackout materials when driving on the main highways, and never had an issue.

Not sure if that is still the case.

Speed limits might appear absurdly slow(KPH) in some towns. Obey them. They also have some weird rules on left turns across other lanes of traffic I never quite figured out.

The rule I broke a lot, travelling in Baja, was not to take anything down that one could not afford to lose. Been nearly a decade since my last trip down there. Crystal Meth had infiltrated the coastal fishing villages where I preferred to camp remote and mostly alone. My Mexican friends had turned into thieves and liars and I made a split decision after a scary episode to leave and never return.

I miss it. I never had any real issues, but some incidents with my 'friends' and their newly acquired drug habit scared the piss out of me. Same crap could happen on this side of the border, but I fear their Policia and Federales as much as the cartel's products and their minions.

Avoid wearing shorts in public except at the beach.
Do not refuse any gift, doing so is a big insult.
Try to avoid looking scraggly and unkempt, and smelly. They get disgusted at barefoot 'hippie' gringoes.
Respect their culture and their country even if you find it backward.

(This post was last modified: 10-01-2016, 08:41 PM by SternWake.)

[Cammalu]

It would be fun to go in a group.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Van Tramp spent a fair amount of time in Baja last winter.  Details here:

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/Thre...tures-2016

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Turns out that the Lonely Planet Guidebook people have forums devoted to asking and answering questions about countries or regions.  There's one for Mexico and one for the rest of Central America:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/welcome

[MrNoodly]

It would be fun to go in a group.

Not really, unless the majority are experienced in south of the border travel. A squad of noobs would be trouble waiting to happen.