Month: April 2015

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Comfortable

I think I might have mentioned it once or twice of the winter that the Isla casa didn’t have a comfortable spot for relaxation since both the bed and sofa were hard.

As some of you may have noticed, I have a somewhat leaner profile than when I first started blogging. It might have also been quite obvious that I am an apple shape, with all my weight concentrated in the abdomen area. To get a semblance of a waist, I had to lose weight everywhere else first. The end result was knobby knees, hips, shoulders, and buttocks that desperately need not just padding, but also springiness.

Working this winter was pretty much agonizing. Even after adding a cushion to the computer chair I bought, it wasn’t enough. It felt like I was sitting on daggers, hence why I had such a hard time focusing for long stretches of time. The gals on my weight loss support forum told me to look for a doughnut cushion so that the bones would not press on anything, but I couldn’t find one in Maz.

After so much pain during the day, work was finally done and my only options for relaxing were the sofa, which didn’t have a single soft spot, or the bed, which was barely better. I was okay leaning back on pillows, but not sitting up, and I had to learn to sleep on my back since there was too much pressure on my knees, hips, and shoulders on my side and I would wake up with bruises.

So I spent most of the evening last night at the desk on the computer doing emails and answering blog comments until my behind had firmly enough of all the abuse (the truck seat is no longer comfortable either) and I was tired anyway. So I went to bed and…

OH.

It was like sinking into heaven. The mattress was thick and had lots of give. I could roll over without all my knobby bits hitting a hard surface. For the first time in months, I was comfortable and not hurting. It’s amazing the things that the human body can get used to, isn’t it? Pain just became my new normal and I used walking to get out as many kinks as possible.

The room was quite dark and quiet and I fell asleep very fast. I woke up around 4:00 absolutely frozen, though, so I turned on the heat and went back to my comfy nest. I’m going to have to pull the flannel pajamas out of the truck and repack my overnight bag since I didn’t think to take into consideration cold nights when I was sorting my clothes.

It’s also quite cool this morning, so I threw a cardi on over my sundress to schlep down to the office for coffee (still very decent). I’m finishing up my breakfast, I need to get started on my work. I don’t plan to get far tonight and it will likely be a sleep in the truck night. After much deliberation, I have decided to skip Las Cruces and am heading for Truth or Consequences, as accommodation there is cheaper. Bu until I hear about work, there are no motels in my future, so I’m in no hurry to get there.

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One Thing to Be Said About Nogales…

Nogales is a very good transition point for coming into and out of Mexico. American stores and prices, Spanish language. I checked into the motel, bought lunch, and did my grocery shopping all in Spanish. I was greeted in Spanish in all three locales and my accent was not sufficient to get a switch to English. I know people who would have been quite put upon by this, but I’m not ready to go back to English, so this suited me just fine. It’s nice to know that even over here, my Spanish is good enough.

The grocery store was a bit of a shock in terms of the price of some things, especially dairy. I thought the baked goods were expensive, but 0.59USD for a croissant is about 9MXN, what I’d pay at Panamá’s. The produce was lackluster, like I found it to be at the supermarkets in Mexico, but there was more variety.  I spent about 8USD and didn’t find that it went that far, one bagel, one banana, one apple, and three protein packs (cubed cheese and ham with nuts), even though I would have been pleased with the haul back in November.

It’s 8PM Maz time right now and I’m fading fast, so I’m going to get to have a snack and get to bed so I can get up at a decent hour tomorrow and get some work done. I still don’t know where I’m going, but I’m too tired to do any research, so hopefully I’ll have an hour to do that in the morning.

Just one last note, IT’S BLOODY COLD OUT THERE TONIGHT.

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Adios, Mexico — or San Carlos to Nogales, AZ

I left the motel just past nine this morning and decided to drive into San Carlos for fuel since I was running on fumes and wasn’t certain when I’d encounter a Pemex on 15. I only had 800 pesos left and wasn’t sure what I was looking at for tolls, so I decided to take on just 500 pesos and then top up with the credit card if needed. It was 9:30 when I hit the open road and I hoped to be in Nogales by 4:00, 3:00 local time

I saw this weird truck (RV?) as I was getting on the road. From the front and side, it looks like a UPS-type truck.

I saw this weird truck (RV?) as I was getting on the road. From the front and side, it looks like a UPS-type truck.

The first part of the day went by fast. By the time I was just shy of Hermosillo, my coffee had caught up with me and I really needed a bathroom. I pulled into the first Oxxo I saw, grabbed a coffee, paid for with my last 13 pesos of change, and only then learned that they didn’t have a bathroom. I was told to try the Pemex at the next corner.

So I did. The bathroom was inside an Extra convenience store and the cost was five pesos. I used it and then went to the cash to let them know that I was going to have to pay the five pesos with a 100 peso note. The lady looked at me funny and said, “Didn’t you just fill up with fuel?” I answered in the affirmative and she said no charge. Before y’all judge me, not only did the bathroom not have paper, soap, running water at the taps, or seats, IT DIDN’T HAVE A DOOR. I think I get a pass on this one!

Hermosillo was still under construction, but the detour wasn’t too bad, except for the nearly Quebec-sized potholes along one short stretch.

Goodbye ocean/coast, hello desert!

Goodbye ocean/coast, hello desert!

Before I knew it, The Big Military Checkpoint just before Santa Ana was upon me. 18-wheelers were backed up several kilometres, but there was almost no lineup for cars. The guy ahead of me had Arizona plates, was asked what appeared to be about dozen questions, and was instructed to pull over.

I pulled up and was greeted in clear Spanish. We had the following exchange:

-“Where are you coming from?”
-“San Carlos.”
-“San Carlos! And where are you going?”
-“Nogales.”
-“Nogales!” Then something I didn’t catch.
-“Could you please repeat that?”
-This time I sort of got one word, “trae,” which I vaguely thought means carry. It actually means bring, so he was saying, “What are you bringing with you?”
-“You want to know what I have with me?”
-“Yes.”
-“Clothes and household things.”
-“Okay. Go ahead.”

So I did. Meanwhile, the guy who was ahead of me was being held at gunpoint while his vehicle was being searched!!!

I hit the E mark on the fuel tank just after the checkpoint, shocked that I’d made it that far. I can go quite some time on E without the you need gas now light coming on and having done nearly 300KM on a half tank already, I wasn’t stressed about running out of gas since the gas gods were obviously at work today. Can’t complain about my gas mileage so far!

I pulled into a rest area that had a Pemex and asked if they could take my credit card. The attendant asked me to show it to him and he said not a problem, but he’d have to run it through before pumping so I had to be sure about much I was putting in. Not a problem; this is just like pre-paying in Canada or the US. I then used the bathroom since I had a feeling it would be my last obvious opportunity before the border.

Driving through Santa Ana, I debated whether or not to stop for lunch and decided I wasn’t hungry. What a difference from when I came down, though, in that a) I wasn’t afraid to stop, and b) I saw tons of places I would have eaten at if I was hungry. When I came down, I didn’t know yet that the little roadside taco stands and such are okay to eat at.

Before leaving Mexico, you have to turn in your temporary vehicle import permit. Until this morning, I thought that meant having to go back into the immigration office/Banjercito and wait for ages to be served. But I got several comments that mentioned a booth and sure enough, there it was, well marked in advance for foreign-plated cars to get into the far right lane to turn in their permits. It was at most a five-minute wait to be served.

The attendant took my paperwork and then took photos of my license plate and a sticker on the inside of my door jamb that has the VIN number on it. She then scrapped the hologram off the windshield (leaving a nice mess), and that was that! Easy peasy. We’ll see how long it takes for the money to be returned to my credit card.

I’d checked the map before leaving this morning, so I knew to keep left when I hit Nogales. There was no signage for Nogales cuota or Mariposa Road or anything obvious to let you know the bypass was that way, just a sign in the other lane for Nogales downtown being that way.

I had to roll through the Mexican customs (nothing to do), then pay my last toll. Tolls today were 65 + 25 + 57 = 147 pesos, or about 12CAD.

Then, the border, and OMG. It was CHAOS. No lane markers, dozens of aggressive vendors, and tons of people weaving in and out trying to find the quickest path to the front of the line. I don’t think I could have handled it in an RV since signage for the RV lane was so slow to appear and I would have likely missed my turn for it. I arrived at 2:55 San Carlos time and just stayed in one spot, moving forward as I could. I got to the front of my imaginary line much more quickly than expected.

The customs official asked me for my plate type, which meant state because he didn’t realise he was holding a Canadian passport… He asked if I had any plants or produce and I said no. He said that they would have to check and to follow him to an inspection booth.

There, a very kind official promptly came over, asked me where I was coming from and where I was going, then informed me that I was being subject to an agricultural inspection. I made my declaration and then he said he had to go through all my stuff.

He had me open up the back, where I discovered that my tailgate isn’t opening again!!! WHAT?! He said that was okay, but I had to empty out everything and it was up to me to figure out how to do it without them needing to get a crowbar. I quickly replied that I never put the tailgate down while traveling and everything was packed to fit through the top (absolute truth). I began to pull out my bags and suitcases and crawled in to get the tote way at the back. I did not have to pull out the cot.

Let me pause here to say that I do NOT believe that emptying out the truck was an unreasonable request. Quite the contrary and I even packed for that eventuality making sure everything was containerized by category and that there were as few loose items as possible.

While I was getting my exercise, he was going through my bags and totes in the front and his partner was pulling off the lid off my tote from the back and just peering in before closing it.

I was then called over and the guy was holding up my chia seeds. My first thought, pardon the French, was “FUCK.” I declared them on the way down and was told that they were okay to bring across, so the thought of declaring them this way (not the same ones, I got more in Mexico) completely slipped my mind. I had declared no to seeds and was caught red handed. I told the guy all this and he said, “It’s okay, sweetie, but you got lucky that these are perfectly fine to bring across.” Yes, he called me ‘sweetie’!’

He then told me I could pack up and go. I just threw everything into the truck and took off. It was 3:24 when I was clear of customs, so the whole thing from arriving in line to being clear was just 29 minutes. Dang did it feel longer than that! But it was yet another very nice American border official (although his partner was rather Canadian in her business only, I don’t know how to smile attitude).

From the border, it was just a few minutes to the Motel 6, where I arrived just shy of four San Carlos time, or three local time!

Contessa wondered why I’m staying Nogales, and her question makes absolute sense to anyone who has been to Nogales. The answer is that any other options are too far away today and I really don’t feel like driving any further. It’s not like being in an RV and being able to pull over outside the city. Moreover, I have work to do in the morning and I knew that the rooms here would be clean, well suited to work with a proper desk, and with good wifi.

The rate was lower than in November, $42 with the taxes, so with the exchange rate about $50, same in CDN as in November. I asked for a room in the back, thinking it would be quieter, and got free wifi in exchange for giving them my email address. I am getting TelCel service, so I’m using up my Banda Ancha and Saldo Regalo, then will use the wifi.

After checking in with everyone, I went off in search of US cash and food. 100USD was 120CAD, OUCH. Because of the exchange rate being as bad as it is and my planning to be on the road for a full month, I am being mercilessly tight with my budget and am on a very strict spending schedule. I do have reserves for true emergencies, but otherwise, I have exactly as much as I anticipate gas and lodging will be, with about 10USD per day for food, however I want to spend that, and a little bit for incidentals and outings not covered by my Interagency pass.

I really don’t want to get home flat broke and am not on vacation the way I was in October. I am just trying to avoid getting home while it’s still cold and want you all to be prepared for the very likely eventuality that if the roads are passable through the mountains, I am going to decide to just get home already and start shooting north very fast. Vicki, I am still coming to visit if I choose to do this!

The good news is that I am a quarter of the way home already and even with the exchange rate, I’m now on inexpensive gas AND my gas mileage is greatly improved. I budgeted 1,000CAD for fuel. I knew that that was outrageous and that it shouldn’t be much more than 600 or 700CAD, but with the way I was burning through fuel on the way down, I wanted to be prepared. I spent 171CAD on the first quarter of my trip home at about 1.20CAD per litre. Arizona is at about 0.80CAD per litre right now, so I know that my fuel costs will be quite a bit less than 700CAD and nowhere nearly 1,000! I’ll have a better grasp on the number after I do another 1,000KM and I’ll be able to then release some funds back into the general budget for the end of the trip.

For food, I went to a restaurant I went to when I was here in November, ‘Panda Express’, which I think is a national chain. It’s American-Chinese food. I remembered being impressed by the crispy veggies and lean chicken, making for a decent and not too expensive takeaway option. I asked for one main course (grilled teriyaki chicken) and one side (steamed veggies), then accepted their offer to do half veggies, half chow mein (noodles) for the same price. The cost was about 6USD, which I thought was quite a good deal and the food was tasty and not too heavy. I really liked how tender crisp and generous the portion of broccoli, zucchini, celery, and carrots were and that it didn’t have that slimy coating veggies normally have at Chinese restaurants.

I’ll go down to Safeway in a bit and get a snack for tonight and something for breakfast. My only complaint about the rooms here is the lack of fridges and microwaves. I hope their coffee tomorrow will be as decent as it was in November so I don’t have to traipse all the way down to McDonald’s.

Checkout is noon tomorrow and then I will head east. I told clients I’ll be back at work Tuesday, so I’m hoping to get somewhere tomorrow where I’ll be able to get a decent weekly rate or that has super good nightly rates. I’m also considering not taking a motel and just working out of a library or something, but sleeping in my truck for a month is going to get old fast, so I wouldn’t mind starting the trip with one week at a motel and then roughing it for a bit. We shall see. Nothing is written in stone for the next four weeks, other than my visit to the South Dakota Black Hills!

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Tired in San Carlos

I know I went to bed too late last night, but that’s not the reason I didn’t get nearly enough sleep. When I come back down in November, I’m going to look for another overnighting option because this motel just doesn’t do it for me. There are bright lights shining into the rooms, which only have nearly useless vertical blinds over the windows. Moreover, with the rooms being backed up against a swamp, there are loads of loud biting insects. I’m rather itchy this morning!

I gave up on sleep around 6:30. Since there’s now an Oxxo practically next door, mustering up the energy to trek there for a coffee was easy. I got in as a gaggle of tourists came out with coffees and found none left for me. I asked them to put on a fresh pot for me and was told it would be about five minutes. I spent the time wandering the store look at the food options (nice looking sandwiches, 35 peso avocados (!!!), sugary ‘health’ bars, and cookies with real fruit filling caught my attention). The coffee making was very quick and I didn’t have time to wish that they’d just hurry up already. 🙂

I came in and started on the coffee with my croissant from yesterday. The tips were a bit stale, but the rest was still nice and soft and felt like a treat. No more bread for me till I get back to Mexico. Except for the odd hamburger, of course, without fries. 🙂

After much hemming and hawing, I decided to get a motel tonight, but almost feels like a waste of money since the only option even remotely within my budget in Nogales is the Motel 6. Now, this is would be a decent option in a quiet location: nice clean rooms and decent coffee in the morning. But it’s at a really busy intersection and loud. The next city kind of on my route that has motels (remember, I did this route in reverse in November and looked for non-online options, too) is the Benson area and the motels are more expensive. I didn’t have any more luck with Priceline than I did in November, when I got the best deal for the Motel 6 by showing up in person. But our dollars were almost at par then and now, well, they’re not, and $60 for a room is going to hurt. But I have a job to do tonight and tomorrow morning, so at least I’ll recoup that money within the first few days of May.

I wasn’t going to rush out of here this morning, but I just realised that I have to stop at MXN customs to get my deposit back for the truck, so the border stuff may end up taking hours and hours and it might therefore be a good idea to get going. It’s 7:45 now and I’m aiming to pull out by nineish. I’m not too stressed about the border in this direction. I have a feeling US Customs will see the decrepit pickup truck and assume it’s full of Mexicans, then be pleasantly surprised to encounter a Canadian gal heading home. 🙂

After Nogales, who knows. I was thinking of going to Las Cruces for a week, but I don’t know yet if I will. Reader Ed put together some possible itineraries for me (thank you again!) and I want to go over them again tonight.

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The Winter of My Dirty Feet

Sitting at Charly’s Rock tonight munching on my octopus tacos as I watched the Sea of Cortez, I was flooded with a feeling I couldn’t understand at first. It was overwhelming and I almost choked on it as tears welled up in my eyes and threatened to spill over. I took a deep breath to calm myself and then I knew what it was I was feeling.

If my life was a movie, there would have been a montage running backwards through the last seventeen years of my life ending with me sitting on a bench by Melrose Abbey in Scotland. The feeling was utter oneness with the universe and my place in it. Peace. A certainty that I am exactly where I am supposed to be and that my life is on track.

I’ve always felt that I was being prepared for something. Part of that something was my winter here in Mexico. So many little life lessons all added up to no significant culture shock and an ability to slip so easily into my Mexican routine. I’ve been wanting to come to Mexico for so long, but I was patient and went when going there felt like an inevitability, the most logical and sensible next step in my life.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be back at Isla this time in seven months. And there is little doubt that I’ll have Mexican residency within the next few years and citizenship within the next decade.

The thing about travel, truly living in a new place instead of just vacationing there, is that it expands your horizons and refashions your worldview. I remember taking a train to Mountainview, California, eight years ago, my first time being in a warm climate, and having a life altering revelation. I didn’t have to keep trying to enjoy winter and cold weather. I could choose something else because there were other options!

Just because I was born in Canada does not mean that I am forced to accept its climate or culture of apathy or exorbitant cost of living. The whole world is open to me and I can choose to live in a climate where I am healthier. Rather than bemoan the status quo and lack of desire to grow as a people, I can choose to live somewhere that is growing into ‘first world’ status and choosing its own path that honours the past while shaping an exciting future. Or I can choose to live outside the first world because I know I can be very happy with very little as long as I have good internet… and just about anywhere in the world has better internet than Canada anyway. And then, there’s my income, barely enough to eke out an existence in Canada, yet sufficient to live well in less developed countries. I might not love what I do, but I love the freedom of schedule it affords me and when I can live somewhere like Mexico where that money buys me a lot of freedom, it really makes me feel stupid to have ever considered giving it all up for a ‘real’ job in Canada.

The life education I gained in the last several years was costly and now I need to focus on paying it all back. I’m grateful that Mexico is relatively close by and will provide me with the stimulation I need I until I can afford to take off and explore the far reaches of our world. I’m also thankful that I found a sliver of Canada that is calling me back, a piece of property that I love and where I don’t feel that my values are compromised. Haven is a blessing and I can honestly say that sad as I am to leave Mexico tomorrow, I am happy to be heading home.

Just think of what lies ahead for me; nearly six months of good weather under the bright blue skies of my beloved Prairies while knowing that my life now is a nearly eternal summer and that I do not have to dread the coming winter. I’ll have a brief spell of cold before I can leave and, soon enough, my feet will be getting reaccustomed to the grit of sand between the toes and forgetting what closed shoes feel like.

For the last seventeen years, this song has been a lament. Fond memories of my Scottish travels were marred by the failures that followed my great adventure across the pond.

Now, I can say, Caledonia, you were the best thing I ever had and I can finally remember you with only joy in my heart and not an ounce of regret.

¡Gracias, Mexico, y hasta noviembre!