Headed On An Adventure to Mexico and Canada - Part 1 - August 2 & 3, 2024

I was in need of a vacation from the jungles of Belize, and visiting Canada has been on my mind for the last few months. I thought I might add a small Mexican adventure to my vacation.

August 2
A Mexican adventure: I had to walk out of the jungle this morning at 6 AM to catch a bus to Mexico. Normally I would have ridden out on my bike. But for security reasons, any trips longer than a day are kept secret, and I can’t keep my bike out in the open for no good reason. I was surprised how long I had to wait for a bus headed north from the Boom cut-off and the bus I caught definitely had mechanical issues. On the way to Orange Walk, I saw that cyber truck drive by that various newsgroups had recently posted on Facebook about since it’s arrival to Belize the other month.

My road is getting a little wet & muddy

I learned that the way to get into Mexico by bus is to take the bus to Corozal and then catch a minivan taxi that parks directly in front of the Rotary Club sign for $5. The taxi was already waiting and ready to reach the border as soon as I was seated. There was the usual $20 USD exit fee leaving Belize. Belize Immigration had a glitch to work out as the passport I was leaving with was not the one I entered with back in 2021. I caught another taxi to the Mexican border and then to the ADO bus station in Chetumal costing me $350 pesos ($19 USD) (he charged me $50 pesos more for delays I endured at Mexican customs). Purchasing my ticket, walking to the closest bank ATM that wouldn’t accept my card, walking back to the bus station, purchasing a Subway sandwich, using the washroom, and getting on a 2:30 PM bus to Villahermosa, I didn’t have two minutes to even catch my breath. This bus ticket cost me $1,075 pesos ($58 USD). Of course, I get stuck sitting beside one of those people who think it’s cool to play short reels on their phone. And when he got bored with his phone, he fell into a snoring slumber. I’m sure his mother loves him very much.

ADO – the only way to travel in Mexico

After the bus got rolling, there seemed to be on-and-off rain all day. My window view was quite foggy. I also drifted off to sleep fairly quickly for a couple of hours. I arrived in Villahermosa at 11:15 PM. If I recall, I had $700 pesos in my pocket this morning from my 2019-21 bike ride. I would have preferred to have at least $1,000. I made a mental note of that.

Searching for hotels, my third hotel (2 minutes walk from the bus station) was $550 pesos ($30 USD). I was getting ripped off for $50 pesos ($3 USD), but at least the toilet had a seat. Overall, today went about as smoothly as could be.

Score – a toilet seat, except the toilet is turned the wrong way

August 3
A Mexican adventure: I woke up shortly after 7 AM, and my morning did not go very efficiently. I arrived at the bus station shortly after 8 AM. I have now realized that the ticket line moves very slowly at all ADO station line-ups, and I also realized that bus seats sell out. The earliest bus I could catch to Poza Rica was at 12:30 PM for $1,719 pesos ($92 USD) – crap (to having to wait until 12:30 departure time). Villahermosa is not exactly a happening city with anything really that close when you are carrying a backpack. Even McDonald’s was not worth the walk. What I should have done was figure out my plans last night and purchase an earlier departing bus ticket last night. Lesson learned.

After messing on the phone for a while, I realized that sitting at the bus station for four hours was stupid. I started wandering the streets and discovered two cathedrals. The first one was Parroquia de ls Santa Cruz and eventually came across Parish of the Holy Cross. I thought I had everything planned out, to use the washroom and grab a sub at Subway, except Subway decided to close right before lunch to repair one of two entrance doors. What grief. It was probably my one and only opportunity to have a meal today. Then, I discovered the washroom was closed, but I could use a single bathroom with a growing lineup. My morning had just turned inside out.

Parroquia de ls Santa Cruz

Today’s bus had its air conditioning on very low, which was a shock and very pleasant. Generally, ADO buses run their A/C on extra high. I think one of the things I appreciate about this bus ride through Mexico is seeing all the big trucks. Belize has trucks for sure, but very few and mostly on the verge of breaking down. I miss driving a truck. Sitting in a bus at the same height almost feels like I am back in a truck.

I had forgotten about all the random immigration checkpoints out this way from the time I bussed it from Belize to Canada over a decade ago. Today, we had four checkpoints, and they always want to look at my passport. In the evening, we got stuck in what I assume was construction traffic for hours. I should have only bought a ticket as far as Veracruz today.

Villahermosa

I arrived in Poza Rica at 1:30 AM. I found a hotel for $200 pesos ($11 USD). Now, this is my kind of Mexico. Unfortunately, it had no wifi or toilet seat. Learning from yesterday’s mistake, I returned to the bus station to figure out tomorrow’s bus ticket. That’s where my decision to figure this out even after 2 AM paid off big time. Arriving in Poza Rica, I discovered that this bus station is on the outskirts in a fairly industrial area. Not somewhere you want to spend your Sundays with limited bus service.

Villahermosa

It turns out ADO didn’t really offer much of any bus departures tomorrow, and I was directed to a competitor bus company station next door with limited options. I wanted to go only as far as Ciudad Victoria, but as far as I could understand, my only option was a 6:30 AM departure to Monterrey bus ticket for $1,841 pesos ($99 USD). This would mean another long day and another day without food. It was now almost 2:30 AM in the morning, and I was now purchasing a 6:30 AM bus ticket and I never ate all day. I set my alarm for 5:30 AM. I am sure glad my hotel was only $200 pesos.