2/12/09 – 2/14/09

Setting out from Puerto Vallarta we chose the toll road (Mex 200D) in order to drive along the coast and the lagoon to Cihuatlan, a sleepy scenic town on the beach.  Continuing south, we stopped in Barra de Navidad for a night.  Barra has an array of accommodations which are adequate and reasonable for being right on the beach.  It seems to be quite the party town.

The next morning we changed our southern direction and headed inland to the town of Colima.  Having suffered many earthquakes over the years, this colonial town always rebuilds in the original style which has preserved its lush quaint plazas and surrounding buildings.  The Hotel Merced on the west side of the Plaza Jardin Nunez provides clean rooms surrounding a courtyard with secured parking in the back.   We greatly enjoyed the quiet clean streets and garden atmosphere of the historic center of town.  Colima has a sophisticated charm (with virtually no tourists!) that is hard to beat.

From Colima City, we skirted the volcano and park driving north on Mex 54 Libre.  As we drive throughout Mexico we always are asking ourselves: toll road or free road?  Supposedly the Mexican government attempts to provide free alternatives to all the toll roads, but these are diverse in terms of conditions and signage. 

On Mex 15 from Nogales to outside San Blas, we tried both the free and toll roads, with varied success rates.  We took both the Magdalena de Kino and Guaymas bypasses around the tolls on the “libre” roads.  Since we had so much success, we attempted to bypass the tolls at Ciudad Obregon (without our trusty bypass guide in the Mexican Camping book by Mike and Terri Church).  With a lack of signage or directions, we ended up driving well into farmland, only to retreat to a circular pattern with the city before finally figuring out how to return to Mex 15.  After that experience, we stuck to the toll roads from Las Glorias to Mazatlan.  But soon we were back in the adventurous mood and found Mex 15 Libre from Mazatlan to Teacapan to be in great shape with no confusing turns or signs and few stops. 

As I mentioned earlier with Mex 200D, sometimes we choose the toll road for its route – to be closer to the coast or to travel through certain towns – but other times we choose the free road for these same reasons.  On our way north we chose Mex 54 Libre in order to see more of the countryside and to get a slower, more comprehensive view of Volcan Colima.  We also ran across an excellent example of why some vehicles may choose the toll road rather than the free road.  While the free road winds up and down the valley, the toll road has a large bridge spanning the same valley, saving not only time but some hairpin turns.

The toll road (Mex 54 Cuota)

The free road (Mex 54 Libre)

In spite of the hills and curves, we enjoyed the free road immensely for the views of the valleys and agricultural production.  The crops along the southern part of Mex 54 (Jalisco and Colima) are mainly agave and sugarcane, although we soon saw everything from blackberries to cabbage as we neared Guadalajara.  However, the free road also deteriorated significantly as we approached the city – were I to make this drive again, I would change to the toll road at Ciudad Guzman.

Blue agave production

Not wanting to get in the hectic traffic of Guadalajara, we set up “camp” in the RV section of Chimulco Aquatic park in Villa Corona which lies southeast of the city.  This excellent park has provided us a secure, quiet and fun place to stay while exploring the area – after two days, we committed to a full week and will detail both the water park and local town in another entry.