mexico!

vagabunda said:

[font=Times New Roman]I'm a 30 year old woman who has perviously been cycle touring alone in Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. I had a fabulous time and would like to return to Latin america for more cycling, possibly to mexico. However, many people have said to me that this country is considerably more dangerous than many other Latin American countries. I was wondering if anyone has any previous experience cycling there, and if so any advice? I guess I want to know if I'm being naive and foolish to expect to be able to cycle there alone as a woman.[/font]

I've ridden in Mexico twice. Once 20 years ago around Puerto Vallarta. The drivers were fine. The roads narrow, well paved and hilly. An excellent vacation.

The next time was in November 2005 around Puerto Penasco. Twice I was forced off the road. Like when an oncoming car (a truck the second time) crossed over the center line of the highway into the lane where I was riding on the extreme shoulder. I had the choice between going into the ditch or singing with the angels.

I talked to a couple of cyclists in Mazatlan who had ridden from Vancouver Canada. They said they did well stopping in some villages. In others they were terrified of the residents.

i spent around 3 weeks bike touring in northern mexico when i was 18 (a long time ago now). except for coming down with a fever in the desert and waking up with ants biting most of me, it was a blast and i had no problems at all. ( i'm a guy, by the way). after that, i've never cycled in mexico again, but i spent about 2 1/2 years all told during my early to mid 20's, traveling by bus or hitch hiking. in that time, i had 2 scary encounters. once in michoacan (alone) and once in guerrero (with another guy). fortunately, push did not come to shove.

you sound like you've got plenty of experience traveling alone, so i'd say that as long as you use your common sense, you'd probably be ok. there are places in the u.s. where i would avoid going alone, and in that respect mexico is no different. traveling in mexico can sometimes be a real challenge, but mainly through sudden inconveniences: strains stop, buses are canceled, roads get washed out. that sort of thing. the main danger for a cyclist, as wayne noted, would be the many narrow mountain roads.

Hey thanks guys for the info and encouragement. Every bit helps! Currently making plans....