He was just a little guy about seven or eight, coming around the campsite selling trinkets. When I asked him in Spanish if he perhaps spoke English, he frowned briefly and then blurted, "No Eengleesh." In the same instant his chest puffed out, and pointing with an index finger at himself he emphatically stated, "Mayheecaano, Mayheecaano."

We were at the Playa Amor RV Park, about 14 kilometres south of San Blas, Mexico. It is a right pleasant spot, with the surf sloshing in only ten metres away. Nice and warm in January and only a half-day drive south into Puerto Vallarta. After years of thinking about it, and listening to American RVers warning how dangerous it was, we finally took the plunge. However, going alone still didn’t seem the thing to do, so another couple from Tapadera Estates took the lead and we followed along. (Travelling with two rigs together is recommended in case of a vehicle breakdown.)

Our education began at the US/Mexican border. Crossing south of Tucson at Nogales on December 15, 2000 we found southbound traffic quite heavy. If you plan to go to mainland Mexico for the winter, arrange to cross prior to mid-December, or after the New Year. Many Mexican expatriates working in the US all head home for the Christmas holidays. Things get very busy at the Customs office about 25 km south of the border.

Travelling into Mexico, you will require their vehicle insurance, which can be purchased here at home or in the US. Also, a tourist card ($27 Cdn) will be required for each person. Obtain this at a border town. Then, a temporary vehicle importation permit for each motorized vehicle is needed and only obtainable at the Mexican Customs office ($29.50). Next, you will need to have two of each document mentioned above, as well as the vehicle registration, your driver’s license and birth certificate. (Or a passport in lieu of.) A busy photocopy machine is available at Customs, but there is a line-up that will slow things down. However, despite having a photocopy of everything but our tourist card, waiting to copy it plus doing other documentation required slightly over an hour. But, do have two of everything in hand to expedite matters.

Now, without fluency in Spanish, all first-time RV visitors should have a copy of the book on Mexican Camping by Mike and Terri Church. Otherwise, it will be virtually impossible to locate suitable private RV parks. I am not aware of any Mexican state or public campsites. Though dated a bit, (according to a letter to The RV Times from Mike Church, Baja Book RVT 82 pg 22, the 2001 edition is on its way) the Church’s book is reasonably accurate, except for a single comment in one of the early chapters. In it a statement is made suggesting that the highways are not really any different than in the US. Yes, the divided four-lane Hwy. 15 is acceptably smooth, but the southbound two lanes are narrow and without shoulders until entering the wealthier state of Sinaloa near Culiacan. The northbound two lanes are better and have paved shoulders right through Sonora to the US border, probably more recent construction. Coming home is therefore more relaxing than going down. Four-lane Hwy. 15 has tollbooths every so often and the RVer should plan on approximately $400 for tolls for the round trip to Puerto Vallarta. For some stretches between cities, for example between Culiacan and Mazatlan, the old non-toll #15 is perfectly adequate. For those in a hurry, the expressway #15 will cost a sobering $50 one way between those two cities. Secondly, highways such as #54 to San Blas westward off #15 are adequate, but narrow, curvy and bumpy, so 60 to 70 km/h is advised. From Escuinapa de Hidalgo to Teacapan is slightly better. Even so, try not to meet a bus coming around a sharp curve.

Ah, Teacapan, a small seacoast village with a beautiful sandy beach in a bay. It’s a boondock spot where the charge is about $8.50 per day, and is terrific for swimming, relaxing and reading. There, like in most of the camping places we encountered, the clientele is 90 per cent Canadian, and 90 per cent of those were BCers. Clearly, Americans do not RV to Mexico in the same mass numbers as do Canadians.

For those who might be concerned about fuel stops, there is really no shortage of Pemex service stations with nice big parking areas all along the four-lane Hwy 15. Also, the cities and most larger towns have one or more supermarket grocery stores with a broad selection of foodstuffs. Food is generally less expensive than back at home. Diesel fuel was 74.3 cents per litre, while it was 59.9 per litre when we left Canada, and also when we returned in the spring. Almost everything else is very similar in price and Mexico is no longer the bargain it once was five to ten years ago. While there, the exchange rate hovered around six pesos to the Canadian dollar, but varied daily. The idea is not to exchange large sums at any one time. RV campsites on a daily basis ran from a low of $17 at Playa Amor to a high of $32.50 at the KOA Park just west of Puerto Vallarta. In downtown Mazatlan we paid $25.50 per day, so budget for at least $24 per day on average; unless you’re boondocking somewhere like Teacapan.

While the sites and experiences will keep you both occupied and entertained, a certain feeling of isolation can set in after a month or so for those who do not know Spanish. Newspapers in English were not available at any of the stores or specialty kiosks. (Perhaps the exclusive hotels carry a few for their guests.) Star-Choice TV, via their new satellite, was not on-stream until about late February 2001. Consequently, we were limited for the most part to fluctuating short-wave radio clarity for the CBC news at 4:30 p.m. local time on weekdays.

Travellers to Mexico have to realize that it is still a developing country. All services at RV parks, and elsewhere, may not function with the same regularity and efficiency as back home. On the other hand, I have difficulty imagining a car dealership in Canada sending a couple of mechanics out 45 km to an RV park to change a fuel pump in a truck. Yes, I saw it myself; they drained the full gas tank, took the pump off the Dodge V10 truck, put in the new pump and buckled it all together right on site. And the Mr. Morro RV Park manager (south of Guasave) arranged for us to contact their headquarters in town for an English-speaking employee who escorted us to a medical specialist. She explained our needs and stayed with us for most of the morning to ensure we also obtained the prescribed medications at pharmacies and return us safely to the city center. They are indeed a helpful and accommodating folk.

Anything we really disliked about the overall experience? Well yes. Those #!@+^*! topes (speed bumps) on the highway leading into all towns, villages and cities can easily catch one unawares. And yes, they can virtually jar your molars loose. Our Canadian speed bumps in shopping centers are mini-bumps by comparison.

So what is there to like? Well, the pleasant sunny weather and the attraction of the old city centres such as in Mazatlan. This seacoast city has its newer ‘Golden Zone’ strip for tourists and RVers, and the original downtown with narrow streets, markets, churches and an inexplicable charm. It was very relaxing to stroll through there. As well, Mazatlan has miles of beautiful sandy beaches, a lot of which are accessible to the public. As I recall, from the many articles on Mexico he used to write for The RV Times, this was Les Copan’s favourite city.

Puerto Vallarta (PV) is nice, but very jammed with traffic, and so the outlaying towns, villages and RV parks are recommended. From the village of Bucerias, a few kilometres west of PV, then northward through Sayulita, Lo de Marcos, Rincon de Guyabitos, to Penita de Jaltembo on Hwy. 200, you’ll find many RV parks and ample services for a winter stay. From any of these locations, occasional day trips into PV are readily possible. Beautiful sunny weather in the 22°C to 28°C range all winter is hard to beat.

Our second-favourite place is San Carlos, just a few kilometres north of Guaymas. Our travelling friends thought it too Americanized, but there are RV parks on the southern edge of old Guaymas city for those who insist on more local flavor (but our friends didn’t insist). Both places are nice with picturesque surrounding scenery.

Finally, the locals everywhere are entrepreneurial and readily recognize that RVers may want produce and items, or the RV washed today, and tomorrow too. So do be prepared to be awakened from a nap by a mid-afternoon rap on the door by someone young or old selling something of interest, needed or otherwise. After about the third ruined nap, you too may want learn enough Spanish to respond with "No Eengleesh," then point to your chest and emphatically exclaim "Mayheecaano, Mayheecaano, try again next year maybe."

But certainly, the total experience for the winter is well worth the price. I only wish it was located just a little bit closer to home. And so will you.