Travel Route Suggestions-going from the US to Playa by Car

[cvchief]

You're really lucky nothing happened to you. The really horrible choice to keep going could have easily ended up in your deaths, all the vehicles and murdered people after the first car were victims of chace that they met the Zetas or whomever it was, that could have so easily been how you ended up. I hope you look back at that as the wrong choice, you should have followed your first hunch and turned around and went to a safe location to wait it out. Wthe the freshness of what you were seeing it's a miracle you didn't end up running right up on them.

That makes the assumption they were ahead of you. He could have just as easily passed them as he approached the first scene. And where is this 'safe location' exactly? Speed equals distance equals safety in my book.

And as long as you don't get killed it makes a heck of a "No s$%^ there were were...." story to tell in a bar. Who wouldn't buy you the next round?

---------- Post added August 18th, 2014 at 01:54 PM ----------

And on the bright side, decapitation tells you they were sending a message not just randomly robbing people so if you aren't a witness, you are probably ok.

 

[El Graduado]

You're really lucky nothing happened to you.

Yeah, I have had a charmed life. That sight of the Zetas' left-overs was not nearly as scary as the actual encounters I have had with members of FARC in the Darien Province of Panama and Ronnie Brunswick's "Jungle Commandos" in Suriname.

Seeing as how I'm here to tell the tale, I can't agree it was the wrong decision. It was just one of a couple that could have led to the same result.

 

[Karibelle]

Mike, unless you were the one in the car, I'd say you're unqualified to judge the decisions made. Having made that drive, I've got to commend El Graduado on the ability to make ANY decision whilst his butt was clenched as tight as I'm sure it was. I know when we did it the first time, I was very happy for the time spent wedged into the middle of the army convoy.

---------- Post added August 18th, 2014 at 03:55 PM ----------

And once you cross into Mexico, the "auto hotel" is your friend... they're notable as tryst locations, but you can stay overnight, and they normally have a garage to pull your vehicle into, close the door, then enter the room. Safe and sound, and hidden from the outside world. Most larger towns will have these on the outskirts, marked as an auto hotel, or perhaps a "love hotel" or something.

There are also a couple of Best Westerns along the way, for something familiar.

 

[Mike]

Yeah, I have had a charmed life. That sight of the Zetas' left-overs was not nearly as scary as the actual encounters I have had with members of FARC in the Darien Province of Panama and Ronnie Brunswick's "Jungle Commandos" in Suriname.

Seeing as how I'm here to tell the tale, I can't agree it was the wrong decision. It was just one of a couple that could have led to the same result.

I think it's more than luck or being charmed, you did a lot right. First lesson you learn in dealing with situations like that is to stop and think, 10 seconds of processing the information in front of you can make the difference between life and death, discussion of the situation with another person even briefly increases your chances greatly of survival, and you did all of that the first time, very good survival instincts, good gut more than luck. You made really good choices and had the right voice in your head that told you to turn around get the hell out of there when you did the u-turn and turned around. Not a totally bad idea to follow the two trucks from a distance to use them to probe the situation when you returned, but you lost your mind and ignored all your good processing and instincts when you then blew past them and took off through the carnage again. Regardless no doubt those precious minutes that you were delayed doing the U-turn and slow return which let time pass and created distance as the bad guys moved ahead on the road most likely saved your lives. That was a crazy experience, just glad you didn't end up like the others driving up on them and being gunned down in the process. Made me sweaty just reading about it. Cannot imagine being un-armed driving in Mexico and being forced to be a helpless victim when so much crazy stuff like this exists.

---------- Post added August 18th, 2014 at 04:48 PM ----------

That makes the assumption they were ahead of you. He could have just as easily passed them as he approached the first scene. And where is this 'safe location' exactly?.

Definitely back the way you came. If he got there with no harm, the safe way is to exit the way he got there. The unknown was ahead not behind.

 

[cvchief]

Definitely back the way you came. If he got there with no harm, the safe way is to exit the way he got there. The unknown was ahead not behind.

"Oh, crap Miguel, those gringos we just passed are going to find the Festival de cabezas we left before we get out of here and they are driving so fast we will never catch them. "

"Not to worry, the dumb gringo just turned around and are coming back at us. Go with the AK. We just won't cut their heads off so they don't put us on CNN."

We know from his report forward was A-OK. Backwards, who knows? Those kind of assumptions might get you killed. You have no idea where the gunmen are. Just because they didn't shoot you on the way in doesn't mean they aren't there. How do you know what order the individual scenes occurred maybe he drove from freshest to oldest?

Of course, you might be right about driving armed and not feeling like a helpless victim. Of course the guy with the AKs ambushing you will probably still have the advantage, but you will feel better until then.

 

[halocline]

I used to drive through northern Mexico fairly regularly and I'm almost ready to start doing so again. It's not so much the drug violence (which is highly sensationalized) but the resulting evacuation of law enforcement and subsequent petty crime against tourists. It's on the decline, thankfully. Many of my Mexican friends are really tired of the strain the drug wars have put on their lives.

There's a movie about two women fleeing different situations, but traveling together by car, from Tijuana to Cancun. It's a must-see for anyone adventurous enough to consider driving from Nuevo Laredo (or Matamoros) to Playa. I forget what it's called, but it's a Mexican movie.

I would definitely stop in Xalapa to see the Olmec heads and get a decent coffee.

 

[Mike]

"Oh, crap Miguel, those gringos we just passed are going to find the Festival de cabezas we left before we get out of here and they are driving so fast we will never catch them. "

"Not to worry, the dumb gringo just turned around and are coming back at us. Go with the AK. We just won't cut their heads off so they don't put us on CNN."

That's internet fantasy talk not reality. There are proven, established protocols to increase the odds in your favor in a dangerous situation, and then there is coming up with every odd ball exception to the rule, but there is a reason it's called "exception to the rule", the rules are what keep you alive more often then the exceptions to them. The rules increase the odds in your favor, they are tried and true protocols not luck.

Police, swat teams, special forces, they follow established tried and true and tested protocols 'rules' that increase the odds in their favor, they don't rely on luck.

 

[Lopez116]

So much easier to just get on a plane.

 

[MMM]

Police, swat teams, special forces, they follow established tried and true and tested protocols 'rules' that increase the odds in their favor, they don't rely on luck.

Chief, you probably don't know anything about police protocols. Or do you?

 

[cvchief]

Chief, you probably don't know anything about police protocols. Or do you?

A thing or two, maybe. None of them seem to rely on assuming anything is safe. Actually, a core tenant is do the unexpected to avoid the bad guy guessing your move. If as Mike says retreating is the 'standard protocol' then clearly that is the WORST idea. (On the other hand, I never actually read a protocol for driving up on a stack of heads along the roadway, let alone one about turning around. If you have a reference I would be happy to read it. Police and SERT don't really train for it. Maybe the SF community has a 'retreat upon finding heads policy'? ) I would probably have stopped for pictures. NO ONE would expect that. Besides, think about it, why would they be hanging around their pile of heads. I mean the army might drive by or something. That's just dumb.

I mean if I was beheading people and I wanted to kill more people, I would probably wait on one side. I could fix a marg and some tongue tacos and wait. When someone drives by heading for my heads, I could sit down the marg, get my ak checked and get in my spot. Then when they turn around and come racing back as expected, light em up. SO much easier than staying alert the whole time. Always pick the escape route, cover it and flush the sheep. Let 'em come to you. That is hunting 101. You don't have to be an elite tactical operator to know that. EG would have gotten away from me as he did the unexpected.

When weak attack, when strong retreat, etc, etc.