Stage Two - San Francisco, California to Mexico City, Mexico
November 2, 1995 - January 6, 1996
Date: November 2 -8 1995 (Mexico)
Crossing the border into Mexico does indeed represent a new stage of our trip. Gone are many of the familiar conveniences of North American Society. With the exceptions of the larger cities, we leave the McDonalds, etc. behind us. Small entiendas (shops) and corner taco stands are now the norm. I must say, I have looked forward to this moment. Now the adventure begins.
Traveling to me is not knowing what the next curve in the road will bring. Everything you see and experience is different. Your life is not structured around routines, it becomes the experiences you encounter around the next curve in the road.
There are many things different about Mexico. As my travel log progresses your will find out about some of them. The first and most important principal about traveling in Mexico - is patience. Don't expect people who provide services to be in a hurry. It's a fact, accept it and just relax. We were not in Mexico ten minutes and we were waiting in a line. When we got to the front of line to pay for our vehicle stickers, they ran out of stickers. Someone had to jump in their car and drive downtown and pick up some more. It seems hard to believe that they could run out by noon, but they did. The office had no air conditioning and was 85 degrees outside. Just Relax!! Eventually the stickers came and we headed down the road.
We crossed the border in a small town in Southern Arizona. The town was called Lukeville. Just before we got to the border we went through the town of Why. Yes that is a real town in Arizona. I stopped for a picture - why not! If you're looking on the map for it - it's just down the road from Ajo. Its pretty dry and desert like in this part of Arizona. The arid terrain continues into much of Northern Mexico.
Chad and I traveled with my Mom from San Diego. She was driving her motor home and pulling a small car. The weight of her car and age of the motor home kept her speed to just faster than a snails pace. We decided to proceed faster and drive to Mazatlan ahead of her. Yes, I know the rule is to "just relax", but we hadn't officially accepted that principal yet. Usually it takes a day or two.
Chad and I drove into the night after leaving my Mom near Santa Anna. Yes, into the night. Again we were breaking another Mexico principal. Never drive at night! Fortunately, the roads were toll roads and we had the luxury of four lanes with little or no cattle roaming on them. The roads have improved tremendously since Kathy and I traveled back in the late 70's. I can't say it's safe to drive a night, but on the toll roads it's less dangerous.
Arriving in Mazatlan, we were ready for the beach. We found my Mom's campground and did some body surfing on the ocean waves. It felt great. Mazatlan is known for its beaches and harbor. The ferry from the Baja of California arrives here and many fishing boats (especially shrimp) can be found in the harbor.
Chad and I set up camp and checked out the surrounding area. We cooked a gourmet hot dog meal in the van. I couldn't wait to go out for dinner to start enjoying real Mexican food. As soon as my Mom showed up (the next day) we started eating out. Lots of good restaurants in Mazatlan. Check out Senior Frogs. Good food and certainly lots of people getting quite inebriated. Even Chad with his Pepsi's had a good time.
Chad and I spent four days in Mazatlan working on our tans and just relaxing. I think I finally came to grips with that Mexican principal #1 - just relax. We went to a Mexican Fiesta and saw a nice fireworks display. It was at the Playa Mazatlan Hotel. Anna (my Mom) knows one of the waiters and we got front row seats.
Chad and I also went to the main market downtown. This is the market where Mexicans with lower income levels would shop. This is the type of market that I remembered shopping at when I previously traveled in Mexico. Now they have shopping centers and Mazatlan is even getting a Wal Mart store. The old market still attracts many people and sells fresh goods even meats. I think for many North Americans the sight of unrefrigerated meat hanging on hooks or placed out in the open (flies included) gives their stomach a few loop de loops. I find the whole market a great place to see Mexicans in action. Most things have prices listed - but bartering is still expected. You can get just about anything you need at the central market. Here you can smell what you are buying.
I spent some time checking on direct access phones for calling back to Canada. In order to send information on the internet, you must use a direct line (no operator). This is a problem in Mexico. I checked at the hotels, long distance phone company (larga distancia) and even the Canadian Consulate. No luck every thing goes through an operator. I hope to research other possibilities when I get back to Canada.
Our days in Mazatlan went by quickly.; Our tans (Chad was slightly red!) were starting to give us that "so you have been south look". We made arrangements to store the VW at the bullring. Yes that's right the local bullring. The people that own the campground where my Mom spends 5 months of the year also own the bullring. They agreed to let me store it there behind an enclosed fence next to the grounds keeper. It wasn't directly inside the actual bullring. The bull fights begin on December 25th. I hope to be back in later December to pick it up and keep moving south.
Date: December 27 - January 6 1995/96 (Mexico)
Hey, we are back in Mexico. This time I have the whole family in tow. Kathy and Lindsey have joined our trip as they did when they met Chad and I in Edmonton, Alberta. The temperature and scenery are very different here compared to Alberta, Canada.
We camped with my Mom at her campsite on the beach. She had friends (Jerry and Suzie Dahms) who were camping with her for two months. They are retired school teachers from San Diego. Great people who are good friends of my mothers. Jerry helps my Mom with many fix up projects on her motor home.
The VW had weathered its stay in the bullring quite well. Jerry and my Mom had washed it off and we moved into our humble quarters. Four people sleeping in the VW requires considerable cooperation. Living and personal space is limited. You must be organized and patient to survive. Other than a few "you are bugging me" moments - we all got along.
Our time was spent at the pool and walking the beach. Lindsey always wants to collect sea shells. We haul them back to Canada to be deposited in a drawer then eventually the garbage. We don't talk about the garbage part - every shell is too precious. Kathy and I spent time organizing and preparing the VW for its next leg - the trip to Mexico City.
On New Year's Eve we all went to a restaurant to celebrate the arrival of 1996. There were about 12 people in our group. We enjoyed the evening and especially the fireworks display on the beach. The display lasted for twenty minutes and we had champagne to cap off the night. I think Chad and Lindsey enjoyed themselves and will always look back on their Mexican New Year's Eve celebration.
Road to Mexico City
We headed out early to drive to Guadalajara. After saying our good byes and thank yous - the VW was on its way south again. The drive to Mexico City would take two days. We were all anxious to see our friends, the Amezcuas, in Mexico City. Troy was a former camper who also lived with us for one year. He became Chad's big brother and taught him how to waterski.
The drive to Mexico City was very enjoyable. We got off the autopista (toll road) and traveled on the old highway. The road conditions were rough at times but he scenery and sights along the way were worth the bumps and slower pace. The countryside from Guadalajara to Mexico City is known for its tequila production. The hillsides are filled with rows of Algarve plants. These light bluish, cactus looking plants are what tequila is made from. We stopped at a tequila store in one of the small towns along the way.
We arrived at Mexico City around 5:00 PM. Traffic is extremely bad in this city - one of the worlds largest population centers. It didn't help that our car insurance company would not cover us for accidents in Mexico City. I was just a little nervous as we tried to make our way to the Amezcuas. I have driven in many cities around the world - my advice is take a cab.
Our visit with the Amezcuas was one of the highlights of our time in Mexico. Seeing Troy again, meeting his wife, Denise, for the first time, and spending time with his family was nice for all the Barrs family. Troy's dad, Carlos, was so accommodating to us. He has such a great perspective on life. I enjoy being around him.
We also went to Cuernavaca, to visit with the Lozanos. Angel, their son, was a camper in 1995. We spent the day with them and got a chance to see Mrs. Lozanos private school. Her husband built the school (he is a contractor) and she is the director. It is a very nice facility. They have a beautiful home on the outskirts of Cuernavaca. I would highly recommend Cuernavaca to others traveling in Mexico. The climate (smog free - not like Mexico City) is ideal and many people retire here or commute to Mexico City to work.
We left the VW at the Amezcuas home. Their subdivision has a security gate and security guards (complete with machine guns). You have to be very careful in Mexico City. There are many poor people and car thefts and robberies are a way of life. It doesn't help when your car insurance policies excludes travel in this city. Chad and I will return in late April to continue our travels south. I plan on leaving the city on a Sunday - the best day for traffic in any big city.
Posts from this trip.
I want to say this is the road from hell but I know we have many more miles to go. This winding, hairpin filled road traverses the top of the Sierra de Juarez Mountain. Several times we drove in and out of the clouds. In one spot we came upon a serious truck accident that had traffic backed up. There were mangos and papayas all over the place. I'm not sure the driver made it.
What lied ahead of me was 1,100 kms of grueling and hot driving. The road ahead was through the Atacama Desert - one of the driest place on the earth. The landscape looked baked and tortured from the heat. Inside the van it was 105 degrees F (40 degrees C). I didn't dare turn the air conditioner on for fear of taxing the engine any more than it already was.
