Who is Miguel de Unamuno?

Traveling from Albuquerque to San Miguel de Allende. Any advice?

• I will be driving from Albuquerque to San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico. It will be just me and another woman. I have never been to this part of Mexico and was looking for some advice on what cities we should stay in and where along the way we can fill up the gas tank. I understand there are stretches (like I-10 through western Texas) where there are little or no amenities. We are considering traveling from Albuquerque to Chihuahua in one day, Chihuahua to Aguascalientes the next day and then onto San Miguel de Allende on the 3rd day. Also it should be noted that I speak limited Spanish and my travel companion speaks no Spanish at all. We will be traveling to visit a friend in San Miguel and bringing a lot of ceramic artwork such as large vases with us. Neither of us have done a road trip through Mexico before although we have traveled by road through parts of the US. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

• Answer:

  Check with your car insurance provider, you probably won't be covered in Mexico. So you'll need Mexican car insurance--click the first link below. To get a Mexican Vehicle Permit, you'll need: Proof of car ownership Proof of American registration An affidavit from any lien holders authorizing temporary importation A valid American driver's license Proof of citizenship (like a passport) A credit card (they'll record the number and if you don't take the car back to the US, you'll be charged based on the value of the car. At the border you'll both need to get your Tourist Cards (unless you get them at a consulate before leaving). To get through all this red tape, it's sometime a good idea to spend a night on the US side of the border and get an early morning start in Mexico, because it's not a good idea to drive at night. There's only one kind of gas station in Mexico--Pemex (the state run oil company). they only take pesos, so get some during your border crossing process. Start looking for the next Pemex station when your gas tanks gets below half--that should give you enough leeway. If you do run out of gas or break down, pull off to the side of the road; raise your hood and wait for a Green Angel truck (there's a phone number in the second link below). The toll roads are fast but expensive. It may cost you about $100 (1000 pesos) getting to SMA, depending on where your border crossing is. And the toll booths don't take dollars either, so you'll need pesos for them too. When you're off the toll roads, keep a lookout for speed bumps called TOPES. There may be a sign saying "TOPES" or a sign that looks like two bumps--they're not fun to hit a high speed. MY question: Isn't taking pottery to Mexico like taking coal to Newcastle?