 Complete
Guide for Do-It-Yourself Planning and Driving Through Mexico and Central
America
| By Audrey Pritchard
(Contributor), Raymond E. Pritchard, Chris Howard (Editor). |
Mark McMahon, drove a four wheel
drive from Tucson, Arizona all the way to the tip of South America. He's
not the first to do it, but his reports of the trip are extremely inspiring
and were featured on the website EscapeArtist.com. He took his time,
stopped where he wanted, and sometimes spent months exploring and photographing
just one nation before proceeding to another. In short, he made driving
the Pan American Highway the adventure of a lifetime, and took him almost
four very exciting and adventure-filled years to complete his journey.
Arizona to Patagonia is a major undertaking.  Surprisingly,
as extremely impressive as that distance is, (over 6,000 miles as the crow
flies, and more than double that figure when traveling circuitously along
some the oddest highways and conditions imaginable) the trip from Arizona
to Patagonia doesn't represent the complete Pan American highway - - and
that is because the Pan American highway is said to start at Fairbanks,
Alaska, not Tucson, Arizona. The Pan-American Highway system is as of this
writing mostly complete and extends from Fairbanks to Quellón, Chile
in South America, though no route is officially defined in Canada and the
United States. The Pan-American Highway passes through many diverse climates
and ecological types, from dense jungles to cold mountain passes. Since
the highway passes through many countries, it is far from uniform. The
most famous section of the Pan-American Highway which is the part covered
in this report, is the Inter-American Highway, being the section
between the United States and the Panama Canal.
Mark McMahon and others who made
the entire trip from the US border to the tip of South America are an inspiration
to the rest of us. But we don't have to make the entire trip.
The
Inter-American Highway between the United States and the Panama
Canal covers some magnificient country filled with Mayan ruins, pristine
beaches, mountain peaks and tropical forests. This report will tell you
how to make that trip. Look at this photograph of the Carribean Coast of
Honduras to get an idea of the kind of country you'll be passing through. |
"
The updated eBook version of this guide is the must have guide for
anyone
who
is thinking of driving through Mexico to Central America."
|
 Mexico,
Belize, Guatemala and Honduras -
The ancient stone buildings in southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala
always fascinate everyone who sees them. Often, in television specials
for example, the Maya are discussed as if they no longer exist. "What happened
to this culture?" is the classic rhetorical question. I want to start off
by saying that the Maya, the name for a large heterogeneous group of related
cultures in Mesoamerica, are very much alive and mostly well. Although
the ancient Maya made many notable achievements-including rubberized rain
clothing, barkless dogs, stingless honey bees, a most accurate calendar,
a unique counting system including the concept of zero, and an excellent
set of astronomical observations, it is the buildings that remain for all
to see and to be amazed by. Mayan Ruins are the truly astounding
evidence of a long lasting, dynamic cultural tradition. The monuments paid
tribute to the rulers of the past, and inscriptions inside are concerned
with dynasties and conquests, alliance and raids. Some 10 square miles
of central Tikal have been mapped revealing over 3000 separate constructions:
Huge stones brought down by the rivers of the south coast served as the
raw material for the carving of gigantic sculptures that have been found
in this region. |
|
Best routes to take.
Maps.
Border crossings - what to expect.
Practical Spanish phrases for situations you will
encounter.
En route sightseeing.
Details of actual trips and much more useful information...
|
| Adventures That Will
Create A Lifetime Of Memories |
| The Pan-American
Highway - An Opportunity To See Pre-Colombian History & History In
The Making |
 If
you happen to be behind a slow moving vehicle and are anxious to pass,
you might notice the driver turn on the left turn signal. He or she is
signaling that, in his or her opinion, it is safe to pass. As you do so,
it is considered courteous to honk a few times. Don’t be surprised, then,
if when you are passed the driver honks at you! It is a friendly gesture
intended to make sure you are aware of their passing and in no way should
this be seen as a sign of hostility as in, “Out of the road, pinche slowpoke!” |
|
|
The purpose of this
guidebook is to assist those wishing to drive to areas of Mexico and Central
America. The United States was a sleeping giant in the l9th century. The
railroads that were built across the country were the instrumental forces
in its development. Mexico and Central America are being awakened from
their slumber by the building of the Pan-American Highway.
In the future travel and a new ectourism
will stride hand in hand with industry to create exciting and explosive
new growth in this part of the world. This will lead to the development
of new tourist meccas for vacationing North Americans and others. Furthermore,
the present economy is forcing many retirees and senior citizens - living
on fixed incomes - to seek more affordable housing and life-styles. Just
like the birds facing the coming winter, they are turning to the South
in ever greater numbers.
The massive numbers of automobiles
in these countries assures proper road maintenance and complete service
stations. These new stations are being equipped with stateside Circle K-type
mini-marts and provide complete car care. |
The past history of the Aztec and Mayan
civilizations are here for us to rediscover. The greatest discovery we
have in store, are the lovely and fascinating peoples of Mexico and Central
America. With these things in mind, we have created this guidebook as an
aid, so you can step out better prepared to enjoy this historical part
of our Western Hemisphere. |
| DISCLAIMER - This guidebook is designed
to offer the experiences and information that, hopefully, will assist the
reader in preparing for and driving over the routes covered. It is sold
with the understanding that CaribPro.com Inc. EscapeArtist.com Inc., the
authors nor publisher cannot be responsible for any changes in laws, ratings,
conditions or prices as stated herein. It is strongly recommended that
the reader contact hotels and consulates before travelling to see if there
have been any significant changes in the data we have provided in this
book. - - CaribPro.com Inc, EscapeArtist.com Inc, the author and the publisher
specifically disclaim any loss or risk incurred as a result of the information
contained in this book, either directly or indirectly. |
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