CARRETERA (HIGHWAY) 200, MEXICO.

In late February of `06, my wife, Serena, and I, flew to Puerto Vallarta. There we rented a car and drove North around the loop and back to the city.

Not knowing where any car rentals were but realizing there had to be one at the airport, Serena, and I jumped on a bus that said airport and asked the driver, in my broken Spanish, “Caro renta. Renta auto.”

He seemed to understand what I meant and many blocks later he dropped us in front of one I had never heard of.

We went in and asked about prices and I hemmed and hawed, said I wanted to look further.

The lady told me that whatever price I found, come back, and she would match it.

Just a couple of blocks further along the street we found a Dollar rental.

After talking prices for awhile the young lady finally told us that if I went on line I could get a lower price.

That evening I went to an internet café and booked a car.

I tried Dollar and found it confusing on the types of cars that are available.

I tried National because I have a card with them.

I couldn’t get the card number to work though I had confirmed it with them before I left home.

I went back to Dollar and tried to book a compact with no air.

They suggested an upgrade for 50 cents a day more. So I said OK, just to see what I would get.

They gave me an intermediate with automatic and air, so I agreed.

The next morning I took the bus, not quite the right one, as it took a long detour up into the hills. I sat back and enjoyed the scenic tour.

Eventually he returned to the main highway and I got off. Looking around I realized I was only a block from the Dollar rental.

However, I was at the wrong rental.

I was at the one I had been in the day before but it wasn't the one where I had booked the rental over the internet.

There are several Dollars in town and I chose the wrong one from the list on the computer.

`No problemo', as they say in paradise.

They had the car brought over from the other location.

I rented a fairly new Dodge Stratus, with only 78K on the odometer but from the body you would swear it was 780K. There wasn't a panel anywhere that didn't have scratches or dents.

After picking up Serena at the hotel we headed North. We had to stop and get gas, it was only 1/4 full.

In Mexico you don’t fill the tank up when you return a car, you fill it to where it was when you got it.

Gas in Mexico was about 1/2 the price of Vancouver.

We had planned to spend a night or two along the way but the car had a warning light on the dash so we went back to have it checked out.

These are some of the pictures I took, through the windshield, along Highway 200.

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OK, these pictures aren’t of Highway 200. They are along the road from Bucerias, West, to Punta Mita.

North West of Puerto Vallarta in the State of Nayarit.

SOMEWHERE NEAR PUNTA LAS CARGADAS	NORTHERN COAST OF BAHIA DE BANDERAS

VIEW POINT AHEAD.	THE SIGN SAYS NO TRESPASSING BUT THE GATE IS OPEN

Just west of Manzanilla we stopped on a point overlooking the ocean. Below us we could see a lovely beach with many people.

Later we went down and walked along the beach.

Just before Sayulita we stopped at a road stand and bought some oranges and Serena had a coconut cut open and she drank all the milk.

Then she had it split open and the meat carved out but the meat was too thin for our liking so we left it.

Back at the start of the loop we returned over the route to the beach we had seen.

SERENA OVERLOOKS A BEAUTIFUL BEACH FULL OF CANADIANS	THE PARKING LOT, WAS ABOUT 1/2 FULL. 18 VEHICLES; PICKUPS, AND 3 MOTORCYCLES WITH QUEBEC PLATES, 10 VEHICLES WITH ONTARIO PLATES, ONE PLATE FROM B. C., ONE FROM ALBERTA, ONE FROM MICHIGAN, ONE FROM WASHINGTON, AND LOTS OF RENTALS, PROBABLY CANADIANS

There was no hotel or cabanas so we just walked along the beach for awhile then headed back to town.

The wind was picking up and though we toured through Bucerias and Manzanilla I wanted to get back to town and question the car rental about a light that was on the dash.

After much searching we were directed to the Dollar out by the airport where their mechanic informed me it was just a light problem, nothing wrong with the brakes.

I didn’t believe him but he assured me it was OK to drive it.

I told him, “Ok, I’ll drive it, if it falls apart it’s not my car”

He and his boss just laughed.

We headed North out of town again.

I had seen a sign when we were coming in and I wanted to check it out. We found the sign again and took a rough dirt road, a long way, down to the beach.

The name of the beach is Playa Boca de Tomates, or Beach of the Mouth of the Tomatos.

We had a lovely supper, on the beach and enjoyed a fantastic sunset. Pictures of the restaurant and beach are in my story of Puerto Vallarta.

We spent the night in PV and then headed South the next day.

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CARRETERA 200
SOUTH FROM PUERTO VALLARTA

	THE TOLL WAY. THE MAN SAID THERE ISN’T A FREE ROAD AROUND IT.

`6/3/05 COSTALEGRE MEXICO I took four pictures of the above cliff, joined them together to get this. I sent the 4 pictures to a lab, had them enhanced, darkened and printed, then had the print framed for my wall. Cost me a bundle but sure looks nice.

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Serena didn’t want to eat here, it looked unclean. It took the lady a long time to prepare them but they were excellent and really cheap.

There is no bathroom, you have to climb under the barbwire fence and hide in the tall grass.

	THERE ARE SOME SHARP CURVES AND STEEP HILLS ON THIS SECTION.

I THOUGHT THIS LOOKED FAMILIAR	THIS IS THE JUNCTION WHERE THE BUS STOPS. THE ROAD TO THE WEST GOES TO PLAYA AZUL

When I took the bus from Manzanillo to Zhiuatanejo it stopped at this junction rather than take the extra 3 Km. into Playa Azul.

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CARRETERA 200
NORTH INTO PUERTO VALLARTA

PUERTO VALLARTA IN THE DISTANCE

In 2007, our wives not wishing to accompany us, Paul and I drove from Zihuatanejo to Huatulco, then East to Oaxaca, West to Taxco, and North and West to Zihuatanejo. It was a long arduous journey, 2,500 Km. of twisty, steep hills. The ladies would not have enjoyed the hours sitting in the back seat.

These are just a few of the several hundred pictures that I shot out the side window, while Paul was driving.

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CARRETERA 200
ZIHUATANEJO TO ACAPULCO

WHICH CAME FIRST, THE TOPE OR THE VENDORS? MOST PLACES IN MEXICO CALL SPEED BUMPS TOPES

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CARRETERA 200
ACAPULCO TO PUERTO ESCONDIDO

ONCE OUT OF ACAPULCO YOU WILL HIT A TOLL BOOTH I BELIEVE YOU COULD MISS THE TOLL BY GOING STRAIGHT SOUTH, PAST THE AIRPORT, THEN CONNECT TO THE FREEWAY	THE WOODEN ROOFS UNDER THE BRIDGE ARE DRYING SHEDS FOR LAUNDRY
THE STATE OF GURRERO IS NOTED FOR THE AMOUNT OF GARBAGE ALONG SIDE THEIR HIGHWAYS	SAN MARCOS
	WHERE WE HAD AN EXCELLENT LUNCH, ON THE HIGHWAY, JUST NORTH OF THE ARCHWAY
	REMINDS ME OF CHINA, WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT, SO DOES THE LAUNDRY
THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF RIVERS SOUTH OF ACAPULCO MOST OF THEM SEEM TO SUPPORT A LAUNDRY BUSINESS
	FARMERS NEAR PRINCE GEORGE WISH THEY COULD GET THAT MANY BALES PER ACRE
	LEAVING GUERRERO, ENTERING OAXACA JUST LIKE IN CANADA, WHEN THE HIGHWAY GOES FROM ONE PROVINCE TO THE NEXT THE ROAD SURFACE CHANGES
THE STATE OF OAXACA IS NOTED FOR THE LACK OF GARBAGE ALONG SIDE THEIR HIGHWAYS	MOST PLACES IN MEXICO CALL SPEED BUMPS `TOPES' IN OAXACA THEY CALL THEM `REDUCTORS'
	LA CIUDAD DE PINOTEDA NACIONAL (I BELIEVE)
ONE OF THE MORE ELABORATE ROADSIDE MEMORIALS I OFTEN WONDER, HOW MANY PEOPLE GET KILLED, STOPPING ALONG A BUSY HIGHWAY TO PUT UP A MEMORIAL FOR THEIR LOVED ONES. MAYBE THAT IS WHY SOME LOCATIONS HAVE MORE THAN ONE CROSS
	WE HAD PLANNED TO SPEND THE NIGHT HERE WE FOUND LAGUNA MANIALTEPEC, BUT NOT THE RESORT, THAT WE HAD READ ABOUT ON THE INTERNET

So we carried on to Puerto Escondido for the night.

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CARRETERA 200
PUERTO ESCONDIDO TO PUERTO ANGEL

IT SEEMED THAT EVERY TOWN WE WENT THROUGH HAD A LEAST ONE CARNIVAL RIDE
SAN ISIDRO

I have no pictures, for the next few kilometers, of Hwy. 200 becasue we took the loop through Puerto Angel.

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CARRETERA 200
PUERTO ANGEL TO HUATULCO

	HERE WE LEAVE CARRETERA 200 TO GO TO THE BEACHES OF HUATULCO

END

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