There were bandits every where ~ I drove from Los Angeles to Guatemala in a 1966 VW Typ III Squareback I'd bought from a junkyard then rebuilt...

When I applied for my travel visas I was told it's not safe to travel in Mexico nor any place South of there.....

During my time in Guatemala General Lucas threw a military coup and deposed the elected presidente .

Interesting times to say the least .

Mostly I enjoyed it, Mexico is beautiful but they really take the stupid macho attitude to foolish extremes .

Guatemala was very friendly in the basic citizens, less so the government types .

All in all a very good learning experience .

I should have ridden the Harley home but it spun a cam bearing when I tried so I sold it and left shortly after the coup .

Lots and lots of adventures there ~ I was passing a bus on a blind hill when the rear tire went flat ~ they have no break down lanes there, only a 5" drop off to the dirt shoulder ~ I'm still not sure how I crossed in front of the bus and off the road to the edge of the jungle without crashing...

Then I had to remove the rear wheel and walk a few miles to a Texaco station I remembered passing, they sold me a tire patching kit I still have for $1.50 , I used a big screw driver and the handle of my big water pump pliers to lever the tire off and back on again...

My farm repairs came in handy that day .

Another time coming back from the volcano and lake Atitlan (?SP?) as I was going 'round a hair pin corner full tilt boogie a bus came down hill in my lane ~ I left the road in fourth gear, lucky for me there was a big patch of gravel to stop in .

I nearly pissed my self that time .

The militia guys who cut off me in my VW far into the jungle with wifey and her parents on board, I gave them the finger and they pointed a machine gun at me ~ again I drove directly off the road into the jungle .

Stupid kid doing stupid things....

As a competent Mechanic I made friends every where I went .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I had a Honda 400/4 when I was in Hi Skool-sweet bike.
I went to Tijuana a few times but that's about my extent of Mexico travel. One of my co workers went on a do it your self vacation and got kidnaped on a fishing trip and thrown in jail with no papers.

__________________
Tony H
W111 280SE 3.5 Coupe
Manual transmission

Past cars:
Porsche 914 2.0
'64 Jaguar XKE Roadster
'57 Oval Window VW
'71 Toyota Hilux Pickup Truck-Dad bought new
'73 Toyota Celica GT

I hitched hiked from bay area to guadalajara and stayed 6 months as a 17 year old runaway. Snuck into interior, and worked for federalis at their dmv for american cars impound lot

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I'd like to add that I really do like Mexico, I went there often all through the 1980's and 1990's, when the drug cartels got too far out of hand I quit .

Tijuana is hardly a good reference point, like any border town it's full of problems .

I too got hijacked by the Tijuana cops, they caught me going down a back street and tried to squeeze me for $, I said no, they said 'we'll just have to go to the municipalidad and talk to the Seargant then' ~

"Good idea, I'm looking forward to talking to him" .

'Oh well then, maybe next time you'll drive safer in Mexico, you can go about your business now' .

When I made an illegal and dangerous left turn in San Felipe early one Sunday morning, the old cop who braved me said the same B.S. like so I asked if maybe he'd do me a favor and pay my fine at the end of his shift as I wanted to go South and the municipalidad was North ?...... at this point I pulled out about $4 in pesos, he looked me in the eye and said "that'll be fine, enjoy your vsist and DRIVE MORE CAREFULLY ".

How you do what you do often changes everything .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I dream all the time going back and seeing my friends. I would not be afraid to rent a home in jalisco

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

Well Nate ;

Some years back I took my then 17Y.O. son to New England on my '72 BMW R75/5 SWB Motocycle, we had the whale of a time riding 'round for two weeks but as they say 'you can't go back ' ~ it's never the same .

Keep your memories, they're precious .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

How true. A lot of the small coastal towns we used to visit are nothing like they used to be. Mendocino comes to mind. Last few times we went it was overrun by "Earthy People" and pot heads.

__________________
Tony H
W111 280SE 3.5 Coupe
Manual transmission

Past cars:
Porsche 914 2.0
'64 Jaguar XKE Roadster
'57 Oval Window VW
'71 Toyota Hilux Pickup Truck-Dad bought new
'73 Toyota Celica GT

I remember picking blue berries by the ocean , no one else there, no one said boo....

Moms told me I could eat as much as I wanted as long as I filled that pail....

I also miss the little lobster shacks in the middle of nowhere ~ just a tiny wooden shack with some old picnic tables...

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

always wanted to see maine, and fish lobster's from rocks with treble hooks. Will OFF work on black flies?

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

when I went to Mexico, I wanted to see Particiuan the volcano that grew in the farmer's corn patch. always wanted to see one. But never knew jackson Miss. were i lived for a time, was a caldera

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I don't remember anything being much use against those damned black flies .

I remember the volcano in Guatemala, I cooked chicken in one of it's vents in Lago Amatitlan

Don't sweat the black flies, just go later in the season, not early Spring .

Maine is an interesting place, even now .

I have a brother who lives in Waldoboro, Me.

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better