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| Mexico 2007 Well we finally made it! After a great deal of shall we, shan't we, we are now here in Mexico. Our border crossing went well, quite straightforward and  strange in that you cross into Mexico then travel several miles before completing the documentation and getting inspected. So we paid up, got our stickers and after a walk in, look around, walk to the back of the rig and then out quick inspection we were on our way. We had decided to cross at Nogales, Arizona. We understood it to be easy and it was. The night before we had spent at the Nogales WalMart which proved to be very convenient. It had a very good selection of goods which by all accounts is due to the many Mexican customers it gets. People cross the border for the day purely to shop there. It also meant that we were minutes from the border and, with nothing to pack up in the morning, we had an early start. Once into Mexico we found ourselves on a wide road  heading towards Hermosillio and then to San Carlos on the Gulf of California (west) coast. Our next encounter was a toll booth and here we paid 51 Mexican Pesos ($5) (2.75GBP). The road is called a cuota or toll road and for this payment it is a dual carriageway, four-lane road without any shoulders. This has the effect of making you concentrate more!! We arrived in San Carlos some 260 miles later. The campground we used is located in a quiet area and with the sea in sight. It offered us full hookup with 30amp electricity. Here we met up with Lynne and Gery, two RVW friends from Port Townsend, Washington, who agreed to travel in convoy with us to the Copper Canyon. We spent a few days here in San Carlos before the next drive south to Alamos. One of the best things here in San Carlos were the shrimp. Big, I'll say!!Alamos is a small colonial town with what turned out to be a wonderful new access road. We found our campground quite easily and headed off into town on foot. Walking can be just as much as experience as driving. Dodging the overhanging trees, odd pipes protruding from the ground, leaping over the holes in the sidewalk and climbing the two-foot high kerbs! Still it wouldn't do for the world to be the same everywhere! The town, quaint and feeling very Mexican with words written everywhere that you can't understand. I must take Spanish lessons before our next trip! Still, Hola and a point of the finger and we get by. The town has a fiesta on and we went into the town  square in the evening. The square is small but still locals and tourist alike promenade around it. We join in. We soon find out that one of the local events is for children to throw egg shells filled with confetti at each other and in due course, at us. The history or story behind this event we are not sure. Still it's all good fun! On one side of the square is a stage set up for the evening. It appears then that a contest to choose the Festival Queen begins when six ladies strut around as if in a beauty contest. Finally one is chosen and given the sash. At this point we notice an effigy of a man hung across the roadway and later we established was a symbol of various sins. Wondering what was to be his fate we waited. Then after a long monologue he was set on fire. Amazingly as the blaze grew there were still children running nearby and then, as we all jumped, we realised he had bangers inside him! Not quite something that would happen at home, but then we didn't understand all that was going on. We enjoyed Alamos; we felt it typified a small rural and old Colonial Mexican town and it gave us plenty of opportunity to practice our Spanish. The campground here was another plus in that we saw our first Cardinal (bird) sitting in the tree right next to the motorhome. What a beautiful coloured bird and as luck would have it we also saw a yellow Oriole. Sorry no pictures, you'll just have to take our word for it! After a few days its time to move on again, heading south again we make for EL Fuerte, our access point to the Copper Canyon. We heard  about a short cut from Mex 15 the main road, to El Fuerte which meant us not having to go through Los Mochis, a larger town. We studied the directions, which included doing a U-turn across the highway. Well anyone who has driving a long vehicle knows the significance of being able to do a U-turn. Well here goes and we set off to find this turning. We find it a do the U-turn, then the sign points to the right, we turn right. Then we're on a road that doesn't look correct and instantly it is one of those moments when you being to question, now did it indicate this way or was the turn further on? I'm sure you have been there. Well we decided it was wrong so we turned left into this side road through a housing area. Hmmm. this looks interesting. We follow it through turn again and find the road we thought was the right one. It wasn't - it was a dead end!! So back out onto the highway, we now have to do another U-turn, travel a short distance to do another U-turn - theone we did in the first place - and turn right down the road we went down originally because, yes, you've guessed it, it was the correct one after all. Well just another day driving in Mexico!!!We arrive in El Fuerte and find "Bill's" campground. Bill is an American who has been in Mexico for many years and his campground has 30amp with water and sewer. We arrange with him to leave our rig on his site whilst we travel on the El Pacifico railway through the Copper Canyon. The trip will take about a week. He arranges for a taxi to collect us in the morning and we get on the train travelling light with our rucksacks and trolley bag. Our experiences in the Copper Canyon will be in the next email. Before we came to Mexico we had spoken to lots of  people about travelling here. Many said it was dangerous, the roads are terrible, it's unsafe and so on. Well, I can say now from our personal experiences so far that they are wrong. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here, the people have been so nice, very friendly and so helpful. Language does not have to be a barrier. Yes, they have a different way of life, a different culture but they are surely happy people. It is a country that reminds us both of our travels in the Mediterranean countries of Europe. Houses that are unfinished, uneven sidewalks and plenty of sunshine. We are both glad that we didn't pay heed to the few who for their own reasons prefer not to venture here. Happy days and safe travels Di & Maggie (The Brits) Enjoying our Mexican Paradise |
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