Dear Google,
We have been big fans of your maps and used them daily all over the world. In Mexico when Garmin gps wasn't up to the task, there you were, taking us to some pretty remote places. We got so comfortable that we started to trust you 100%. After our near death experience on the roads in Oaxaca, we have to say, we are considering breaking up with you. It's not us, it's you.
We left Oaxaca city quite motivated. 3-4 hours of driving and we would be at our stop for a few weeks, Puerto Escondido, a surfing hot spot mentioned by those 'in the know' along with places such as Hawaii for its consistent good wave.
We opened google maps with the three options to Puerto Escondido, selected automatically was the quickest of the three routes. All had their fair share of winding roads so we accepted you proposition of the route which was an hour shorter than the other two. We headed through the city and ended up again in twisting turning mountains with seemingly suicidal drivers over taking on blind corners and rises. By this stage this was nothing new to us. Topes, pot holes, uneven roads, oncoming trucks and cars, all par for the course in Mexico.
The route was beautiful, not a pleasant drive due to previously mention stresses, but nor was it the worst roads we had negotiated that week. We were happily following what seemed like a tour bus also heading for the beach. We happily followed him as he was a nice driver putting hazard lights on when he slowed for traffic obstacles. All was going to plan.
Then Google, you told us to turn right...... We questioned it for a moment, and double checked the entire route to the beach you had mapped out for us and, yes, this is what you had told us at the start of the day. This is where we were going to be 1 hour quicker.
The thing is, we were new to this area, we trusted you to tell us the best route, you've travelled these roads before in your little google cars and satellites.
What were you thinking?!? Were you bored with being the reliable map? Did you get tired in southern Mexico and ask someone to finish the mapping job for you? It's clear that no one in your office has ever driven this route or really zoomed in on google satellites to check it out.
We selected "car" in the choices for mode of transport, we didn't select "extreme 4x4 off road racing".
Google extream trucking button:
Crazily, I guess as you had been so reliable up until now, we turned right, when you told us to. We decided to stop following the responsible tour bus and take your suggestion. We got down into a town that seemed like they had rarely seen a foreigner considering the stares. In hindsight they were just staring at crazy people about to embark on an extreme drive!
We then realised that we had to go down a very steep dirt track to get to the route you had proposed. We were apprehensive at the look at this road, but as we had experienced in previous days, occasionally off roading is necessary and the best option to get where you are going. Also, there was a large Corona truck that had come up this steep hill and was making a delivery blocking the street. This delivery van gave us hope that if there are trucks going up and down this road, it must be ok.
We waited patiently for a moment for the delivery to finish and then we headed down this incredibly steep road, then there was a turn, not to a nice paved road but to what looked like a creek bed, even steeper than the last road. We looked up to where we had come from and realised that it was doubtful we could retrace our steps if necessary. That's when we saw a car (with lower clearance than us) coming up the steep creek bed. Hope reignited, we forged on in what would be the biggest mistake we would make that day.
After these two crazy roads, we found ourselves in the middle of jungle with a single dirt track. Contrary to the evidence stretching out before us, we blindly clung to the hope that this wouldn't be like this until the beach. Surely soon we will hit a a paved road again and be on our merry ways after all Google said we were only 2 hours off the beach! Surely, Google wouldn't send us on a dirt road as a quick route somewhere?!
The next 5 hours were some of the toughest and scariest of our trip so far. We had no choice but to just keep going as the roads got worse. With no way of turning back we just had to make it through. The roads were just horrific, from driving over very uneven rocky roads, to driving through shallow rivers.
Some of the road had edges that were sheer cliffs of 100m plus, sometimes both sides were cliffs. There were parts of the cliffs where half the road had been washed away forcing us to carefully navigate the narrow bit of the road still intact, all the while, fearing this too would collapse without warning.
We occasionally drove through towns that had residents amazed to see foreigners driving through. We had resigned ourself to the fact that we may have to rely on the kindness of some of these people for shelter if daylight or fuel ran low. We desperately hoped it would not come down to this.
Luckily we had just filled the tank at the last gas station so we were fairly confident we would have enough, just. In the five hours of this hellish ordeal, we saw one hand-painted sign selling gasoline. People along this route live hand to mouth, often subsistently, with the occasional day labourer finding work in the larger cities. They don't own cars, relying instead on the occasional overcrowded minivan or Toyota pickup, obliquitous in this part of the world. There were some delivery trucks going on this route too, very few, but still, how they do this route on a regular basis is amazing.
On a sheer cliff, we drove past people fixing one of the washed out parts of the road. They were pouring cement to ensure there was enough road to drive on. They stopped work so we could drive past them. We drove right through the setting cement, past road workers clearing rock slides, around donkeys, chickens, playing children, not knowing what was coming next. We were just waiting for the next corner to present an uncleared rock slide or a large fallen tree that would stop us in our tracks.
Amazingly enough after a hard slog on the rough roads, the small towns had maybe 20-30 metres of smooth dirt roads that they maintained, and what do they do? They add fucking topes! Are you kidding!?
As the hours passed, the stress, tiredness and general shittiness took its toll, we had to take breaks, get out and stretch our legs to stay alert on the dangerous roads. This time the dangers that were presented were not due to traffic, but cliffs, washed out roads, rocky uneven roads that at any moment could break an axel or puncture a tyre. These breaks gave us time to take pictures for your Google maps. As you can see, this is not a road to recommend as the shortest route anywhere, ever.
Somehow, just before dark, shooting out of the thick foliage of our jungle road we made it as per Google instructions, to a dirt track that lead to a town that had glorious cement roads. From there we turned onto highway 200, the same road that, had we followed the tour bus, we would have seen 3 hours earlier!
30 minutes later we were at our destination, a veritable surfers paradise on the Pacific Ocean, on the western coast of Mexico. Rosa had held up to a test that she should never have had to endure. She had some squeaks and noises that were not there before this horrible day. We hoped the dirt in her engine and joints would work their way out over the upcoming weeks.
So Google, please reconsider this route as no longer a car option on your maps. If you are sure to keep this route, may we suggest a thrill seekers button so people really know what they are getting themselves into.
Regards,
Sol and Skye
Where we are now.
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