Month: October 2015

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Stops by the Federales in Mexico

I’m replying to a comment Contessa made about my interaction with the Federales yesterday. In short, I described the in-depth and honest conversation we had with them and her comment implied that honesty is not the best policy with them. Hmm.

I took her comment to my two other Mexican experts, Chris, who has lived in Mexico a very, very long time, and Croft, who, thanks to a small RV, has spent many winters traveling through Mexico and getting close to the locals. In their reply, both advocated full disclosure in interactions with the Federales. Chris went so far as to remind me that if I get caught in a lie, I could have things confiscated, or worse, depending on the law being violated. He followed up with this :

Federales have a base salary of 36000 pesos a month and a university degree is required. They are only one step down from the military. Many of them speak English also, or at least to some degree. Here in the north I would bank on 75% that speak English well.
My hat goes off to those guys, they take the bullets and are back up for military and state police in some pretty big stand offs.
You’re in good shape with those guys.  We have two safety nets in Mexico, our boys in green and our men in blue.

I’m happy to know that I was right in answering the officer’s questions correctly yesterday and did not put myself into any danger.  I will continue to practice full honesty and knowledge of Spanish when interacting with all levels of Mexican authority unless, like today, something just feels ‘off.’

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A Grueling Driving Day (Or San Carlos to Guamúchil, Redux)

Today was a cautionary tale about keeping your driving days short in Mexico. In Canada and the US, I wouldn’t hesitate to plan a 1,000KM day if I was traveling on main highways, but more than 500KM at this time of year, when the days are short, is all I’d chance in Mexico. Still, I left San Carlos early enough this morning that I actually had a backup plan in case I wanted to push on to Culiacán since all I had on the table was a measly 450km and an 8AMish start time…

I took the libre through Guaymas to save myself a toll and pulled into a Pemex once I was free of the city, putting in $500 worth of fuel, which got me half a tank, so fuel prices are slightly better than last year.

After that, it was construction, construction, and more construction all the way to Ciudad Obregón. There, it was HUGE, vehicle destroying, potholes all through the city. I’m not exaggerating. I’ve only ever seen potholes that size on main roads in Quebec. Hit one of those and you’re not getting out with a tow truck and some major damage. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in a car low to the ground with no view of the obstacle course that lay ahead!

Once I finally made it through, it was construction, construction, and more construction all the way to Navojoa. Very slow speeds, too, since we were sharing the opposite driving lane. It was about 300KM to get there from San Carlos and it took over four hours to arrive. WHEW. The only stops I made were for toll booths and the Red Cross, who were collecting donations.

I learned another really important lesson today: if you think you need a bathroom, jump on the opportunity to use one even if you’re planning to use one only about 20KM away in case you encounter construction, traffic, a billion red lights, and a really bad accident resulting in a detour along the way…

Needless to say, I was very happy to reach the Soriana in Navojoa! I had lunch there, a really good slice of pizza, and then I picked up a new pump for my water bottle since I don’t like the style that comes with the casita and I wanted a spare for home anyway.

I was really parched by this point, having already downed the 2L of water of cold water I had with me and only infernal-temperature water left. I looked in the Soriana coolers to see if they had Electrolit, but struck out. Thankfully, the Oxxo across the street had some that was icy cold and I drained a whole container in just a few gulps! It did the trick, and I followed it up with a cold bottle of water over the next hour. I’m glad I was introduced to that stuff last year. No matter how much water I drink, it’s hard to stay hydrated in this climate.

I had one stop shortly after Navojoa by what I think is the major crimes unit and I didn’t ‘like’ this guy. He just made the hairs on my nape prickle. I gave him vague answers in broken Spanish and was finally sent on my way.

I saw a couple of things today that made we wish I had a navigator who could take pictures for me, or a driver so that I could take the pictures myself! One of them was a clever ad for a limeade drink that said, “Limón y nada.” “Lime and nothing” sounds like the Spanish for “limeade”, the product, and also insinuates that the product is all natural.

Another thing I saw that absolutely delighted me was a rather long stretch of road with a bunch of goats eating the weeds along the shoulder! They were not impeding traffic, just having a buffet. There was so many of them!

Finally, I saw the first signs announcing Maz! Home stretch! And speaking of Maz, it was SO GOOD to finally hit the Sinaloa roads. They weren’t great by any means, but much better than those in Sonora!

It was a tough driving day, very technical, but not stressful, not even when I was driving through the big city traffic. I’m a better defensive driver than I would have thought and definitely getting comfortable driving in this country.

My ETA to Guamúchil had started off as 1PM, but had stretched to 3:30PM as I approached the off ramp to the Culiacán libre. I was beyond done for the day! I found the motel from last year without any trouble, but they insisted on $700 when I only paid $550 last year. I wasn’t going to quibble over 12CAD. The rooms are still rather shabby, but clean, and I recognise the value they offer for the price, like access to the pool and a bottle of cold water waiting in the fridge! Speaking of the pool, I was in it minutes after arriving. 🙂

I’m off to have dinner. Early by Mexican time, but late by my body clock. 😀

Home tomorrow. I can’t believe it!

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Peaceful Morning

I really debated whether or not to come back to Totonaka and decided to give them once last chance. After the night I just had, they won’t be seeing me again. There are so many other hotels in San Carlos that surely I can find something else that is more suitable. I know the rate here is pretty cheap (about 30USD right now), but the rooms aren’t great and I’m sure better value can be found, even if it means spending a few more pesos. There’s only a stained towel in the bathroom, the bedsheets are cigarette burned, the place feels like it’s only surface cleaned, and the bed is rock hard. At least, there’s a fridge. Oh, and the WiFi is unusable. I could handle all of that for the rate, especially since I brought in my mattress topper (which made a huge difference), but this back row of rooms is apparently party central for San Carlos. I was woken up on and off during the night to squealing tires, very loud music, and other general rowdiness. I deserve a good night’s sleep after and ahead of border crossing day and this motel isn’t the place where I can get that.

Even though it was a night of broken sleep, I still woke up really early, having gone to bed really early. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open last night! In fact, as those of you on Facebook know, I ended up going to Los Arbolitos for a nightcap and bowl of soup just to stretch out my evening! BTW, adding sliced avocado to hot soup is genius. It was the second time I’ve done it and I love it! The avocado dissolves and makes the soup creamy. Yum!

Of course, the morning is now very quiet and peaceful… Guess all the partyers are sleeping in.

I walked down to the Oxxo for coffee, happy that I don’t have to schlep all the way across town for that anymore. Oxxo definitely has a ‘refill’ rate for hot drinks if you bring your own cup (I saw the clerk pick it on the computer) and their rates are not consistent from store to store. My coffee today was $13 rather than $12.50 (a 0.04CAD difference). It is also my best Oxxo coffee ever. Yum!

I have about six hours of driving ahead of me today, not counting any potential stops for coffees and baños and it’s 7:30, so I’ll be heading out soonnish. I can’t believe I’ll be home on Isla tomorrow afternoon! I don’t even know if the house is going to be ready for me. After having such a hard time getting hold of my landlady last year, I told her in July that if she doesn’t hear from me again, I’ll be arriving at 2PMish on November 1st and wouldn’t be contacting her again. So I’m prepared for the scenario that she forgot I was coming and that the house won’t be ready. Not a big deal if that’s the case since I seriously doubt she rented it out to anyone else. The plan would be to let her know I’m on site, then go have a beer and late lunch on the beach while she scrambles. 🙂 All will be revealed soon enough. I am just going to be glad to be home, even if I have to wait a few hours to gain access. Living out of a suitcase is exhausting!

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Garmin Nuvi 2559LMT

I bought my first GPS when I hit the road in 2008. A few years later, it was badly outdated. Updating the unit from a Mac was impossible at the time and the update was nearly the same cost as buying a new unit. My newer unit had 2011 maps, which I managed to update before leaving last year, with the cost being much less than for a newer unit. But it only gave me Canada and the US. For Mexico, I used an app on my phone. I hated using the phone for navigation. It was so much more clumsy than my GPS, the screen was smaller, and the POI database was seriously lacking. So I decided to go back to a dedicated GPS this fall because I knew I’d enjoy my travels through Mexico a lot more if I had a decent navigator along.

Of course, my first thought was to update my 2011 unit, but I wasn’t sure if the purchase of the lifetime update for North America maps, the recommended update for my unit, would actually include Mexico. I fired off an email to Garmin and they got back to me in less than 15 minutes! Wow! As it turns out, their units can only be updated with the maps they come preloaded with. So, no, it would not be possible to add Mexico to my 2011 unit. Only their ‘Advanced’ series comes with Mexico maps.

So I had a gander at those and discovered a model that has not just North America (US, Canada, Mexico, and some Caribbean countries), but also Europe, all with unlimited lifetime updates! It’s the Garmin Nuvi 2559LMT. Because they now come with lifetime updates, GPSes are much pricier units. So it made sense to go all out and get the model that will serve me for the rest of my life, not just the near future, even if the cost made me blanche a bit!

I priced the units and found absolutely no variation, not even at Costco, and the USD price converts exactly to the CAD. So for convenience’s sake, I bought mine on Amazon.

This new GPS has proven itself to be to my old model what the Enterprise D was to the original Enterprise. I can’t believe the new array of features! They were a little overwhelming at first and I’m still trying to figure out some things, but the pros really outweigh the cons. I like that I can plan a route with multiple stops since I could only do one extra stop with the old unit. Very good for the day when you’re headed for a motel, but need to stop at Panera’s, Cabela’s, and the Apple Store without going too far out of your way! I really love how you get the nearest fuel, rest area, and restaurants right on the navigation screen. I used that a lot while driving down.

Another really neat feature is that the GPS knows what traffic lies ahead. As I was going into Denver, it actually told me that I was going to have to slow down in so many miles and then be stuck at a standstill for so many minutes. And it was accurate! I also liked how it chimed to warn me that I was entering a school zone, so I’d better slow down! Another neat feature is that if I exceeded the speed limit, the current speed would get a red background.

Now that I’m in Mexico, I’m really testing it. It’s been very accurate about telling me when I’m coming up to a Pemex and an official rest area, but I haven’t yet really asked it for directions. POI information doesn’t seem as good as in Canada and the US. It didn’t recognize Panama’s bakery at all or the address I gave it for the TelCel store I originally wanted (but it did recognize the BMW dealership). It is quite accurate at knowing what the current speed limit is, a feature I use a lot in the US. Its Spanish pronunciation is terrible and disappointing.

The Garmin Nuvi 2559LMT is proving itself to be a great traveling companion. I look forward to trying it out in Europe in the nearish future!

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What a Difference a Year Makes (Or Nogales to San Carlos, Redux)

I am very amused (but touched!) by the comments I got last night and this morning attempting to destress me about the border crossing today. If, on a scale of one to ten, one is driving from Haven to Assiniboia and ten is that bad feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that I should not hit the road, I was at a solid three last night and this morning. As a point of comparison, I’m at a two most travel mornings, unless I’m going to hit big city traffic (Montreal usually warrants an eight) or my budget is too tight to truly absorb something unexpected. I’d say I was at a seven last year. So I really wasn’t stressed out about today. 🙂

I tried to delay bedtime so I wouldn’t be up insanely early today, but I was out by 8:30 and awake around 4:40. *sighs* But I was in no rush, so I dozed until about 5:45 (how luxurious!). I’d done most of my packing last night, so I had just a few things to do this morning. I brought a load down to the truck, then went to the restaurant for breakfast. It was enchilada casserole with refried beans again, which suited me just fine. I also had fruit salad and just one cup of coffee since my bladder hates me! 😀

I’d filled out the comment card and it said to please drop it off at the front desk rather than leave it in the room, so I did that after leaving $5 for housekeeping as well as a very tidy room. Having done housekeeping myself, I know the feeling of dread as you enter a room that someone has been living in for several days without having had any service and the joy of getting a decent tip anyway.

By the time I got fuel, topped off the truck oil, did one last pit stop, and hit the road, it was about 7:05, ten minutes earlier than last year. There was no one at the American post, so I just drove through. Then, I got the green light at the first checkpoint! So far, so good! The first toll hadn’t changed, still $52 (all prices in pesos from this point forward!).

Kilometre 21 was a bit busier than last year and a real cautionary tale of doing some research when going to a foreign country and to never, ever, ever take anything for granted no matter how long you’ve been there! The woman ahead of me had a resident visa (or something like that) that she was supposed to have turned in when she left Mexico, but didn’t. They didn’t want to let her back in. It was ugly. As for the couple behind me, they are permanent residents and tried to bring in a US-plated vehicle, which is illegal. That was ugly, too. And then the people behind them were very impatient and complaining about the ‘bitchy’ immigration officer just doing her job. *sighs*

I got to the head of the queue in less than ten minutes and filled in my FMM. The officer gave it a once over, compared it to my passport, asked me how long I was staying in Mexico, and sent me off to Banjercito to pay, reminding me (still in Spanish) to come back and have the form stamped. I remembered to stop to have a copy of the form made, then got in line for payment. Remembering what Contessa told me last year, I paid for my vehicle import at the same time, rather than returning to immigration to have the form stamped, then going back to Banjercito for the vehicle stuff. Saved me a heap of time!

I did the whole TIP thing in Spanish without any problems. I think the only hiccup was that I wasn’t allowed to pay for the TIP itself (not the deposit) in pesos, only USD or with my Visa. Weird because I was allowed to pay my FMM fee in pesos. Anyway, nothing to be concerned about! The process felt very quick and easy and not at all convoluted like it did last year, since Contessa saved me those extra steps (thanks!).

Once the TIP was sorted out, I went back to immigration to have my FMM stamped. The officer now had other people helping her. She looked at me and said that she’d be a moment and made a slashing motion across her throat to show they were swamped. I told her I wasn’t in any hurry and the grateful smile she gave me made my day! Another gal ended up taking my FMM and dang was her Spanish fast. All I caught as she handed me back my receipt was ‘pide.’ Since that means ask/request/demand, I’m fairly certain she was telling me to hang onto it in case I’m asked for it…

I went back to the truck to put my holograma on my windshield and grab the wet wipes I had forgotten to put in my purse. There was a window washer trying to get some business (and some folks being absurdly rude to him — what is wrong with everyone?!). I called him over and had him give my windows a good cleaning while I went to the bathroom. This year, there was an attendant and paper, so I had to leave a tip.

So I was back on the road by, oh, 8:30ish, I believe, a little earlier than last year. I think I was there a total of forty minutes, tops.

I hit the road and within a couple of kilometres, I encountered my first of four narco (I’m assuming) checkpoints of the day. I was asked where I was coming from and going, the guy peeked through my topper window, and then I was on my way. Not more than two minutes later, I encountered the second checkpoint…

This one was very much like getting the red light last year. The first person I spoke to asked the same questions as I’d answered at the previous checkpoint, then I was told to pull over to an inspection area so they could check the back of my truck.

After a few minutes of wait, an officer came to ask me the same questions again, as well as how long am I planning to be in Maz, where am I stopping tonight and the name of the hotel, what I’m carrying, and more. He went over my FMM receipt, examined my holograma (first time I’ve had it checked), and requested my passport, as well as opening up the back and poking through my things.

This was absolutely fine as I have nothing to hide, but the interview was quite in depth and the man did not speak English. How the heck do non-Spanish speaking people get through situations like that?! My comprehension is definitely better than it was last year, especially since I’ve figured out that I don’t have to understand every word to understand what is being said to me. I still consider it miraculous when I’m asked a question, I give an answer, and it is what they want to hear!

After this, I was finally able to get some miles under me. It was a little chilly and drizzly, so that meant that I was in the mood for another coffee. I pulled into an Oxxo sometime before Magdalena and learned that you get charged for their smallest size of coffee if you have your own cup!

Sometime later, my coffee had been processed, so I pulled into a Pemex to use the bathroom. It had paper and soap, wow! I am thinking of starting a Bathrooms of Mexico website for the ladies. 😀 I left a tip here since I wasn’t a customer.

If you remember last year, I didn’t stop once between KM 21 and San Carlos, so we’re at two stops already for today. 🙂 The next stop I wanted to make was in Hermosillo to get my phone set up. Research told me to stay on the route through town to reach a Centro de Atencion a Clientes (full service store) next to the BMW dealership, but just a block or two after the turn off for the sort of bypass, I passed a different Centro de Atencion a Clientes! I did a U-turn, circled the block until I found parking, and headed inside.

This was so much easier than last year. For one thing, I knew what I needed and had an idea of the questions I was going to be asked. I registered at the entrance, saying that I needed a new Amigo SIM card for my phone and was sent immediately to a customer service associate. She processed me efficiently and her supervisor came by to tell me that there has been a huge change in the last year and I can call the US and Canada at the same rate as local calls. WOW! I do want to say that the standard Amigo rate sucks, so I’m still going to be favouring Skype! She got my order started, then sent me to the payment window.

There, I finally understood why I couldn’t do the internet refill in addition to the SIM card purchase at the same time — you need your phone number to do that and you don’t get a phone number till you have a SIM card. I paid my $149 and then went back to the first lady so she could activate my service. It took a few tries (ie. reboots) for my stupid phone to accept the SIM and I had to reiterate that, yes, I’ve used this phone with a TelCel SIM before. I’ll be so glad to upgrade my phone when I get home! But she finally got it working. Then, I went back to the payment window to buy 3GB of bandwidth good for one month ($400). That done, I sat down on a bench in the store to send the ALTO30 message to activate the discounted rate for data service and make sure I had service by checking in on Facebook. 🙂 Done, and easy peasy to boot!

It was only about an hour more to San Carlos, so I didn’t make any more stops, except for two more narco checkpoints, where I was just waved through. I pulled into Totonaka around 1:45. They didn’t have a cheap ($400) room available for me, so I had to take the $500 room that is identical, except that is has a TV…

I was ready for lunch by this point, so I headed across the street to Charly’s Rock for octopus tacos and beer. Two musicians asked me if I wanted to buy a song and I said yes! They serenaded me with a beautiful love song for several minutes and asked for $50. Very lovely!

My meal was excellent, of course, as was the view. It was supposed to be rainy in San Carlos this afternoon, but my luck continues and it was super hot and sunny. I just love this stop so much. It really is like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia, or being dropped into colourized Oz!

After lunch, I walked to the Ley to get something to munch on tonight and for breakfast tomorrow, settling on a bag of bagels with some cream cheese since they didn’t have any savoury single bakery items. I had looked for a bakery while driving through Hermosillo, but didn’t see one. Anyway, bread and cheese are so cheap here that even if I don’t get through it all, there won’t be that much waste, financially speaking.

Finally, I got an ice cream for the walk back. 🙂

It’s so good to be back in Mexico! I can’t believe what a difference a year (and six months in this country) makes. I was comfortable on the drive down today, just as at ease as I am when traveling through the US and Canada, and feeling perfectly safe to stop when I needed to, as well as recognizing where to stop to do what I needed. Also, being comfortable with the currency really helps!

It’s now 4:30 and I’m rather beat. I think I need to accept that I’m on this super early morning schedule, completely wiped by late afternoon, and that this is fine as long as I get stuff done earlier in the day!

The only thing I need to do tomorrow is get to Guamúchil, so I don’t anticipate an early start, no matter what time I wake up. Then again, there is a pool at the other end… 🙂