I drove up to Akumal from Xcalak on July 22 - so I could spend my birthday in my favorite place in Mexico - Akumal. It's just a personal preference, I spent quite a bit of time in the area between there & Tulum way back in the 80's & 90's.
The area has certainly changed since then, and in my opinion, not for the better. It is now much more commercialized, crowded and expensive. Xcalak was like Tulum was back then - simple, not tourist oriented - more like I remembered Mexico to be. Ah well, progress !
Akumal was still a treat for me - memories , memories. Some of the same restaurants & dive shops are there - and, the beach side bar still makes, the best guacamole in Mexico, in my opinion. But, it was time to leave and I was not looking forward to the long days of driving ahead of me.
First day driving - lots of topes & road construction, still, before and after Escarcega, but, I did arrive in Palenque at about 4 PM. A total of 542 miles, by my odometer. I stayed at the Hotel Nututun Palenque, on the road out of town toward Agua Azul. It is about 3 -4 miles away & - it is on the left hand side of the road. There is another Hotel Palenque (autohotel or something) on the right hand side of the road - go by that for another 200 or so meters & there on the left is the hotel I stayed at. It is a place I stayed at before, situated right on a river & definitely worth the extra driving. Cost was approximately $70.00 US - rooms were clean, AC worked quietly & efficiently & the restaurant had delicious buffets or a la carte meals. They will accommodate requests - I wanted a cheeseburger, not on the menu, but they served up one of the best burgers in Mexico!
There is a pool, and - in the morning, you can hear Howler monkeys roaring off in the not too distance.
Next stop was Puebla - 481 miles away. This was a day of climbing from sea level to about 7200 feet in little over an hour. Not a pleasant day, with all the tractor trailers trying to make the climb. The road is mostly good & 2 lanes of traffic each way make for opportunities to pass, but it still was a long, tiring day behind the steering wheel. Since I arrived on a Sunday, traffic was not present, like the trip down, when I arrived on a week day. I stayed in the same hotel - Cityexpress,
right off route 57 - but tricky to find - there is a sign, make sure you stay to the left after taking the exit, or you will end up, like I did, on a dead end street !! There is no restaurant - but right across the street, there is a Taco Express & a Subway sandwich shop. This is a modern hotel, like in the states - AC was flawless, TV had a few English movies, internet was fine - obtain password at the desk.
Third stop was Matehuala, 426 miles away. When you drive from the south to Matehuala, take the exit at the toll both into the city, not the 1st exit indicating Matehuala - but, stop on the exit road & wait there for an attendant to collect the toll & unlock & lift the arm that extends across the road to the town. Drive on & go right until you see the overpass, not the 2 or 3 pedestrian crossings, the road. Go right at the overpass, there is a stop light there, until you see Las Palmas on the right hand side of the road. Restaurant has great food, AC was perfect, English TV channels & internet was fine. Cost was approximately $75.00 US. Car wash is about $7.00, depending on size of vehicle & by this time, your vehicle will be pretty dusty ! You will see a gentleman washing cars - just ask him the rate for your vehicle, he speaks quite good English & does a great job!
Last stop - Laredo Texas, about 335 miles away. Follow route 85, after Monterrey, you will see signs for International bridge II - follow signs through Nuevo Laredo. Sometimes the signs will indicate bridge I, (Puente I ) - but eventually, bridge II also. Don't forget to cancel permits & etc.
at the same building you stopped at, entering the country to obtain permits - go inside to return visa (Paso 1 ) . Outside, you will see a line of vehicles - that is where you return you vehicle permit. You can't miss it - it's the only line of autos in the area. Total time to return/cancel permits was - 5 minutes inside, 20 minutes outside. Once that is done, return back to the stop light, take a very sharp right , an U-turn, basically, toward the border crossing. I arrived there at 1:30 PM on a Monday, and was through customs by 2:05 PM ....... Not bad at all considering the traffic waiting to enter into the US. Avoid crossing back on a Friday, if at all possible, very long lines/wait .
Welcome back to the U.S. A !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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