Blowhole at the waterfront of Xcaret Park near Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Toluca on December 24th!

Friday, January 18, 2019

Travel day... Puebla to Oaxaca

I'm certain that Roy and Sue thank you all for the "get well soon" thoughts. And, it seems to be working. Sue is pretty much back to normal, and Roy is improving every day. I'm pretty sure they'll be ready to travel when I go to collect them on Saturday.

In the meantime, the rest of us did the fairly long drive to Oaxaca City yesterday.

We left Trailer Park Las Americas in Puebla on schedule at 8:30am.

Yesterday's drive, 369 kms (229 miles).

The plan was to get out of Puebla after most of the morning rush hour was over, and arrive in Oaxaca before the afternoon rush hour began! We did pretty well, but were still a little later arriving in Oaxaca than we would have liked. There were a couple of construction zones, and we were held up by slow moving vehicles a couple of times.

The worst stretch of road was the first 10 kms!

Lots of agriculture in the area east of Puebla.

Nicely maintained crops.

There's the Orizaba volcano, the highest point in Mexico at 18,500 ft.

Scenery along the way.

Overall, the toll road was in good condition.

With some beautiful scenery.

Looking back at where we came from.

There's some of the crew behind us.

Scenery along the way.

More scenery.

As we entered Oaxaca.

We got to the outskirts of Oaxaca at about 2:45pm, a little later than I would have liked. And, we had to drive right through the city. The route itself is fairly straightforward, but there are lots of traffic lights and topes.

A view of the city.

We were entertained at some of the traffic lights.

We passed by the fancy mosaic.

Ruth didn't take many photos of the traffic circus... too busy watching all the obstacles with me!

We pulled in to Oaxaca Campground at about 3:45pm and our hosts Kate and Del directed us to the sites. 

This was one of the three longest driving days on our route. We've got another one coming up when we leave here to get to Huatulco, and then another one towards the end of the trip.

Another place we want to visit while in Oaxaca is the http://vivoresorts.com/ in Puerto Escondido.

Today, we've got a minibus coming to pick us up and take us to some of the amazing Oaxacan artisan locations on the outskirts of the city.

7 comments:

  1. Guess we better post while it lets us! Nice to see farmland, mountains, and pretty scenery! Too funny the entertainment at the traffic lights!! ;-)

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    1. Thanks for commenting Connie and Barry, even when you don't we know you are following along. The scenery on this drive was beautiful. We are going to have to do it again sometime and stop in a little town along the way, the area looks perfect for hiking.

      We love the way people find to entertain the drivers as they sit at the traffic lights. There are some very ingenious people out there! :-)

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  2. It is interesting that I am just reading a book about Oaxaca and a couple of surfers who did some drug running from the mountains there. Kinda makes the book a little more interesting knowing you are there. Loving your trip so far. (the guys in the book are in jail now so don't get any ideas. lol)

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    1. No worries there Lorne, we have absolutely no intentions of ever doing something like that!

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  3. Kevin and Ruth - Thanks for your great blog. We are headed to Puebla/Oaxaca in a couple of weeks and plan to drive this route. Can you provide me with an idea of the road and how windy it is? My husband gets very car sick and trying to understand how bad it is. Are there many sections with lots of switchbacks? Any info on length of windy parts and how windy would be truly appreciated - thanks!

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    1. Compared to a lot of Mexico roads, we don't think that this route is that bad. But of course it all depends on your perspective. The worst part is probably about 10 or 15 kms right near the Puebla/Oaxaca border.

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  4. Thanks Kevin for the reply - i appreciate it.

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