|
If your time is limited, fly. If you have a single destination for a quick vacation, fly. If you're allergic to adventure, fly. Flights into Veracruz airport are frequent and reasonably priced. Call a good travel agent and get a non-stop from Houston or a connection through Mexico City from just about anywhere. But an airplane is most assuredly not the only option.
Mexico has a superb ground transportation system. People who have made lengthy stays in Mexico know this quite well, especially if they have explored some of the out-of-the-way spots. The problem has been interfacing with this transportation system from the US side of the border. But in recent years, you may have noticed a number of deluxe motorcoaches cruising down the interstate with Spanish-language logos painted on the side. If you've tried to get information about this alternative, you've probably found a paucity. So, I've taken camera and keyboard in hand and gathered information on some of the lines stopping in Austin, Texas. Pricing seems pretty uniform with everyone priced in the $50.00 (US) range for a one-way to Monterrey.
|
 The "pick of the litter" of bus services out of Austin seems to be Autobuses Americanos. Their modern, clean, stand-alone terminal is in East Austin, just north of Town Lake, on Airport Boulevard. They offer frequent departures on spotless late-model busses. The staff is friendly.Departures to Monterrey are at 10:50 am (with service through to Durango); 11:01 am (service through to Guadalajara}; 11:45 am; 12:45 pm; 7:15 pm (with service through to Mexico City); 9:15 pm; 12:45am; and 1:15 am.
 |
I used this bus line for a trip into Mexico on September 17, 2006. From the agent at Calentanos to the bus driver, I could not have asked for friendlier, more courteous service. The bus itself was very clean; the on-board bathroom sanitary and not particularly malodorous as those things go. So what's the downside? Why are these rides cheaper than Autobuses Americanos and Turimex?
Well, problem number one is that these busses are only slightly roomier than a Greyhound.
That said, will I ride Bejucos again? You bet!
On my return trip at the end of September, I had the priveledge of riding an incredibly comfortable Ejecutivo class buss from the line Turimex International. Their terminus in Austin has moved recently from El Dorado Meat Market on Airport Boulevard. Even though the new location is a bit further from my house, it's just as well they've moved. The folks at El Dorado seemed a little uncomfortable when I was snapping pictures and asking questions. The folks at the new spot adjoining the Chevron gas station at 2300 East Ben White (Highway 71) seem much more cooperative and intent on helping their clients. The shop in the Chevron is called Novedades y Regalos Anita's. The store manager with whom I spoke was named Jose Al Faro, and with his illuminating information about travel in Mexico, he lived up to his name, which means roughly "Joe of the Lighthouse."
Departures from Anita's are at 11:00am, noon, and midnight.
Grupo Senda is a "De Lujo" class of busses. The seats on these vehicles are roomier than those in the First Class cabin of a jetliner. The seats recline dramatically and there is a special shelf for your legs.
I rode Grupo Senda from Linares to Tampico on the way down and then from Mexico, DF back to Austin on the way back. The busses featured separate restrooms for men and for women. The movies alternated between overdubbed and sub-titled.
Conveniently, Grupo Senda has ticket counters in the Mexico City North and in
the Monterrey Centros de Camionetas, avoiding those scrambles from minor
to major bus stations.
For those of us needing to connect from Central Mexico to the Eastern Mexico
carriers, like ADO and AU, Grupo Senda offers a number of busses from
Monterrey to Tampico and a few from Linares to Tampico.
They have an informative website at gruposenda.com, but I have thus far been unable to make the reservations section work on busses crossing the international border.
You can reach the Austin office of Grupo Senda by calling (512)707-1115.
Just north of Town Lake on Interstate 35, right next to the old Roy's Taxi headquarters, sits an old blue-trimed grey frame house with a big sign reading "Salidas Diarias a Monterrey". This is the stop for Transportes G. Rodriguez. Any evening at 11:00 pm you can board their bus and debark in Monterrey between 5:00 am and 6:00 am the next morning. The busses feature climate control, TV, Video, bathroom, and stereo sound. This is the line to use if you're a frequent travelor; they offer a free ticket if you purchase five round-trip or ten one-way fares.
Just south of the 51st Street overpass on I-35, accross from the Robert Mueller airport redevelopment, sits what was once a gas station. Above the building rears a gaudy, crudely-lettered sign, red letters on yellow background, reading Transportes Juventino Rosas. This waiting room is the polar opposite of the slick Autobuses Americanos operation described above. But despite its uninviting appearance, it does have daily departures to Laredo, Monterrey, and San Luis Potosi. Bus leaves at 8:00 pm.
On the northbound service road of I-35, between the 38th Street overpass and the
Dean Keaton underpass, lies the Austin terminal for
Tornado bus company. The waiting room is comfortable and the
staff professional. Their daily departures are at 1:00 pm.
