Once again, we have chosen the road less travelled. This time it was less travelled by overlanders like ourselves.
When we made the leap to go to mainland Mexico, we decided to bypass the touristy Pacific Coast. We weren’t interested in the resorts or the crowds. We wanted to see Aztec and Mayan ruins, swim in the Cenotes of the Yucatan and visit the colorful markets of Guatemala. And find weather a wee bit warmer than December in Baja.
When our ferry docked in Mazatlan, we chose to head due east up the mountain to Durango and the high plateau and then follow it southeast toward Mexico City. This bypassed the coast and got us up into the highlands quickly (remember the drive on Mex 40/The Devil’s Backbone in the previous blog.)
Once we left Durango, this route took us directly across the heartland of Mexico, an area very few turísticos visit. I think we may have passed one overlander during our 500 mile drive through the cities, ranches, farms, and industrial areas that make up Mexico’s high plateau.
As most of you know, this is not our usual mode of travel, 3 long days of big cities, fast roads and a lot of traffic, but we are glad we did it. It gave us a glimpse into another side of Mexico that few tourists see.
