How to Drive in Mexico: Get to Puerto Escondido and Vivo! Posted by Vivo Resorts on Fri, Sep 06, 2013

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How to Drive in Mexico: Get to Puerto Escondido and Vivo!

Posted by Vivo Resorts on Fri, Sep 06, 2013 @ 06:30 AM

  

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Making your way to Puerto Escondido and Vivo Resorts is half the fun of being there! Mexico is a country of striking landscapes and breathtaking natural beauty, and driving is one of the best ways to enjoy it. However, driving in Mexico may take some getting used to if you've never operated a vehicle outside Canada or the United States, as the driving culture is quite a bit different than what you might be used to. Be aware of some major differences in driving and auto insurance laws that may come into play during your journey.

Understanding the Local Highway InfrastructureRight now, construction of a major new highway is underway in Oaxaca. Known as the Puerto Escondido-Oaxaca highway, the project is nearing completion and will make getting to Puerto Escondido  easier than ever before. If you're thinking about investing in Oaxaca or Puerto Escondido real estate, the highway project may turn out to be a boon to your bottom line. It is expected to stimulate a great deal of economic growth in the region, which should also trigger significant appreciation in local real estate values. Given that Puerto Escondido is already experiencing double-digit year-over-year increases in property values, there is no telling just how high the market could climb once the highway is complete.

In the meantime, you can use several other existing, albeit more scenic, routes to get to Puerto Escondido:

• Highway 190. While this is not the most direct route to Puerto Escondido, many believe it is the easiest to navigate. If you don't mind a little sightseeing along the way, Highway 190 leads through Huatulco and Salina Cruz, both of which are well worth a visit.
• Highway 175 & Highway 200. Taking Highway 175 through Pochutla, then continuing north on Highway 200 to Oaxaca is a relatively easy drive and is more direct than taking Highway 190. This route also offers a number of interesting vistas and is a relatively easy drive.
• Highway 131. This is the most direct route between Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido, but you should be aware that road conditions are not the best and that the highway runs through mountainous terrain. While the highland views are impressive, you are also at heightened risk of encountering landslides, especially during the rainy season. If you choose to take this route, always be mindful of weather and road conditions.

Driving in Mexico: Practical Information and Tips
Generally speaking, drivers in Mexico and other Latin American countries are more aggressive and have a looser interpretation of the rules of the road. Here are some practical tips and pointers to keep in mind:

• Drivers tend to be very aggressive, and may not always use turn signals
• Always try to anticipate what others around you are going to do
• Do not turn left out of a parking lot; instead, always turn right and go around the block
• Avoid driving on Mexican highways at night if you're not comfortable with nighttime driving
• Expect a high volume of commercial traffic on Mexican highways
• A two-lane highway with paved shoulders is usually used as a four-lane highway; pull onto the shoulder to let passing drivers get past you
• Try to drive at the speed of the traffic around you; if you want to go slower, keep right

Combine caution with vigilance until you get used to driving in Mexico. It may take a period of adjustment at first, but within a few days, you should feel right at home on the roadways.

Bringing Your Vehicle into Mexico
First and most importantly, make sure that you have valid and current auto insurance coverage while driving in Mexico. If you are involved in an accident and you do not have proper insurance, you are subject to imprisonment if injury or property damage was caused. Check with your auto insurance provider to see if your present coverage will carry over to Mexico; if it won't, purchase additional coverage prior to your departure.

Your current and valid U.S. or Canadian driver's license is all you need to drive in Mexico, but you must be absolutely certain that it will not expire while you are away. You'll encounter problems with the authorities if you attempt to drive on an expired or invalid license. Also, you should always keep a copy of your passport in your vehicle with you as a secondary form of identification.

Learn Spanish, Links Great Links to Learn Spanish for FREE This is my collection of what I consider to be the best sites on the internet to learn Spanish, most of which are free. The links to resources and/or products that you actually have to pay for are ones that I have purchased or subscribed to myself. This list is far from complete,

Learn Spanish Links

Great Links to Learn Spanish for FREE

This is my collection of what I consider to be the best sites on the internet to learn Spanish, most of which are free.  The links to resources and/or products that you actually have to pay for are ones that I have purchased or subscribed to myself.   

This list is far from complete, and I'll continue to add more links as time permits, and as I continue to find more great resources.  There are literaly hundreds of sites to learn Spanish from on the internet, but I think these are the cream of the crop.

Enough chit-chat, here are the links, and ¡buena suerte!

Grammar

Dr Lemon's Grammar Notes

Fred Jehle - Spanish Verb Forms

This site is packed with verb conjugation charts, giving you not only the conjugations, but the English meaning of each conjugation as well.  If you need to see verb conjugations, this is the page you need to go to.


Video 

The Destinos

This is an online telenovela designed and produced by the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.  This is not your typical telenovela, but instead an amazing production with a great storyline, great acting and will keep you intrigued, all the while helping you learn Spanish.  This telenovela was specifically designed to teach you Spanish and entertain you.  Each chapter focuses on specific grammar topic.  There are 52 episodes, you won't be disappointed.

This site has been recently updated and looks great.  New learning material has been added to help you learn even more.

 University of Texas at Austin

This site has a huge collection of videos that are interviews of native Spanish speakers that cover a variety of topics and proficiency levels, from beginner to superior.  Each video has Spanish and English transcripts and an associated grammar lesson.  Without a doubt, this is a must see.

Language Media - Spanish Language by country

This site has a collection of homemade videos of Spanish speakers from the countries of Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Spain as they conduct their day-to-day business in the streets.  There are transcripts in both English and Spanish, and to my knowledge, none of the videos are scripted, they capture people speaking naturally in plain old everyday Spanish.  You definitely should take a look at this site.

La Casa Rojas Free Daily Spanish Video Classes


Don't miss this one. Señor Rojas has posted a series of great videos designed to teach you Spanish. These videos are very well done, another site you don't want to miss.

Lingus.Tv

Yet another fantastic video site, this contains numerous videos at different levels.  The vidoes are creative, funny and great learning tools.  The videos are downloadable, and transcripts are provided.

Free Audio Courses


FSI Spanish

Many people sell the FSI course for $100 or more, but the truth is this is a complete course that is in the public domain and available for download for FREE at the following sites:

Download from the official FSI website

Download from Spanish Dimensions

Download from FreeLanguageCourses

 - The download link is hard to see.  It's underneath the image of the FSI course in tiny letters.

I hate the fact people are making money off of a course that is absolutely free to the public.  DO NOT pay for this course.  If you can't find it anywhere else, contact me and I'll give it you.

Podcasts


Audiria

Another amazing site, completely free.  It's packed full of podcasts, all of which are 100% in Spanish, cover all sorts of topics - grammar, interviews, short stories and more.  There are transcripts, but again, everything is 100% Spanish.  This site can definitely take your Spanish to the next level.  If you're interested in Spanish from Spain, this site is for you.

They have material for all levels of Spanish learners.


Learn Spanish with the Independent from Cactus Language Learning

This site offers free learning Spanish podcasts with levels from beginner to advanced.   Here's the site description:

Cactus’ Language Minis is a Spanish podcast series, developed to offer easy learning on the go. It consists of seven levels, each with 10 downloadable podcast lessons and PDF workbooks, which take you from beginner through to advanced level. The Language Minis series is designed to help you increase your understanding of the Spanish language and equip you with language skills for use in everyday situations.

Personally I really like this site.  Did I mention these learning Spanish podcasts are free?


Q and A Spanish

This is another great site, totally free.  The podcasts answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.  Got a question?  Ask it at Q&A Spanish.  No question is too easy or too hard.  Just go to their Facebook page and ask away.

If you aren't going to this site and their Facebook page, you need to be.


Other stuff


Lyrics Training

Don't miss this site.  It's a really fun way to improve your Spanish listening skills by listening to music.  They have lots of songs rated from easy to advanced with a Karaoke mode that displays the lyrics as the song plays and a game mode that tests your listening ability.

Check out the site, it's a great way to improve your Spanish and it's lots of fun as well.


Paysites

SpanishPod101

You'll have to register for a free account, but they publish several new lessons a week.  You can download the audio for free, but you'll have to pay for the lesson notes.  Be sure to take advantage of their free trial.

If you decide to subscribe, the lessons are very good and they have a huge library of lessons for all levels.  I think a basic subscription is well worth the money.

 SpanishPod

Unlike the majority of the other links listed, this is actually a pay service, but well worth your hard earned cash.  They publish lessons almost everyday of various levels.  They've got a free 7 day trial, which I recommend.  For roughly $60/yr, you get access to their now huge library of lessons and videos.  I was a member of this site for several years, and if you're goal is to be fluent in the language, I strongly recommend this site.  I will say that if you are a nearly fluent speaker, then this site is probably not for you.  But for the rest of us, I consider this site to be invaluable.

Learning Spanish Like Crazy

Available by download, this is a great course that will have you speaking Spanish if you put your due diligence.  It has 3 levels that cover everything you need to know.  You search Google and/or Amazon for reviews.  Each level is available for download for roughly $97 each.

I highly recommend this course, it's what I used to learn Spanish. I own all three levels.

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3


Marcus Santa Maria

I purchased nearly every course or subscription service Santa Maria offers.  I highly recommend his material.  His philosophy is teaching you what you need to know to get you communicating effectively in the shortest amount of time possible.  Marcus has a talent for taking the most complicated Spanish and making it easy to understand.

Synergy Spanish

Learn how to speak Spanish

Orále wey, Sunday, September 8, 2013 When it comes to Mexican Spanish, you almost can't get any more Mexican 'than' this.

My Spanish Notes rodney.spanish@gmail.com via google.com	11:10 AM (11 hours ago)
to me

My Spanish Notes

---

Orále wey Posted: 08 Sep 2013 11:02 AM PDT When it comes to Mexican Spanish, you almost can't get any more Mexican this. No cabe duda (there's no doubt) that when you hear the word orále you're either speaking to a Mexican or speaking to someone who spends a lot of time with Mexicans. Back in the days when I had a tutor, almost every time we talked on the phone she would end the call with: Orále, chao or Orále, nos vemos  One day I decided to ask her about it, and she gave me a not so direct  answer (I got this type of answer a lot).  She said "It depends, it can mean a lot things".  Well, eventually everything started to make sense, but let's see if I can save you some heartache by telling you about the most common uses. Orále, chao Ok, bye Orále, nos vemos Ok, see you later Here are a few more examples: Te llamo despues Orále I'll call you later Ok ¿Quieres ir al cine? Orále, vamos Do you want to go to the movies? Ok, let's go Voy al super, ahorita vengo Orále I'm going to the store, I'll be right back Ok You can use it to tell someone to get the lead out. ¡Orále!, No tengo todo el día Hurry up, I don't have all day When you see something amazing, like a super cool car or a huge one punch knockout in a boxing match: ¡Ooooraleeee! Wow! You've really gotta drag it out to get the best effect. It can also mean cool, great or fantastic. Saqué un 100 en mi examen ¡Orále! I gotta 100 on my exam That's great ! You can use it for disbelief: Estoy saliendo con Selma Hayak Orále wey I'm going out with Selma Hayak Yeah right It's perfect for when someone surprises you with news you weren't expecting. Mi novia esta embarazada Orale wey! ¿Neta? My girlfriend is pregnant Seriously dude! Really? And lastly you can use as with the intention of "please, come on" Papa, préstame el coche, órale Dad, let me use the car, come on As you can see there a number of ways to use orále.  It's meaning changes based on context and more importantly your tone of voice. While I'm on the topic of Mexican Spanish, many people ask me "where did you learn all this stuff?"  Well, it's time to share my secrets. OK, I'm busted.  The truth is I don't have any secrets.  Most of my knowledge of Mexican slang and colloquialisms come from partying hard in the bars and streets of Mexico, from talking with my local Mexican friends and my old tutor.  But I did have some extra help along the way from some pretty good books. All of the books below are about Mexican Spanish and have been pretty useful.  I own them all.  In fact, I have a ton books about learning Spanish, it's an addiction.   Anyway, let's get on with it. Speaking Spanish Like a Native is really a great book, it's one of my favorites even though it took me a long to realize it.  It talks about greetings, goodbyes, partying, swearing, and all sorts of Spanish for situations you'll need that you probably haven't even thought of yet, like to refresh your memory, to put someone to the test, to be sick of, fed up, kill the mood, be in the same boat, and way too many others to mention.  And the good news a lot of this stuff is actually fairly neutral Spanish you can use with anyone. Spanish Lingo for the Savvy Gringo is another book dedicated to Mexican Spanish.  And again, even though it targets Mexican Spanish, a lot of it is pretty neutral.  It covers a variety of topics you don't see in other books like groceries, seafood, cooking, housing, housework, driving, the mechanic and a ton more, so if you're an ex-pat in Mexico this book may be what the doctor ordered. Mexican Slang plus Grafiti.  This book stands out in my mind for several reasons.  Right now the number one reason is because I know I bought it and I can't find it.  That makes me angry, but that's not your problem.  The other reason is because it's also a very good book.  With chapters like sex, drugs, rock and roll and party time, how can it not be a good book? Any one or all of those books will help you impress your friends and make you sound like you were born Mexican.  I've rambled on long enough, but I'll leave you with one more place you can go to learn Spanish in general, as well as Mexican Spanish. SpanishPod101.com - Learn Spanish with Free Podcasts I've rambled on enough, so I'll let you click on the link and check it out.  And yes, the podcasts are free, there's no catch involved.  I download them all the time and they help a lot.  It's good stuff.   But like any business, they are out to make a buck.  The podcasts are free, but PDF transcripts are not.  I will say the price is reasonable (maybe $60/yr for a basic subscription) and you get access to a huge library of Spanish lessons that have been built up over several years.  I've been a long time user and customer of that site.  What I find most impressive is it's the only site I've seen that has lessons on regional Spanish...Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and even Argentina. Orále pues, this has gone on too long.  Go try out what you just learned with your friends and have fun. ¡Hasta la próxima!

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Absolutely mind blow at how many people have already got involved with our campaign! http://prizeo.com/jacksgap 

10:10 AM - 7 Sep 2013