Monday, November 9, 2015

Last days in Baja and going to Mainland (29th October to 8th November)


Last days in Baja and going to Mainland (29th October to 8th November)

On October 29th, the pain from our bug bites got better so we decided we don’t want to wait another two days in La Paz for our friends so we decided to go back north to another beach called Tecalote to spend two nights there. What a beautiful beach and it was for free. We went for a walk and enjoyed a nice sunset and met some very nice people from the US and Canada who spend the winter at that beach http://www.playaeltecolote.com/.

On October 30th we woke up to another beautiful day had a nice breakfast and then went for a walk came back to the camper and saw a German MB expedition vehicle. We talked to them when they came by and Werner, Tina and us had a great time this evening made a fire and had dinner smoked cigars together until Jack Daniels showed up and then Roberts memory got a little shady.

 
Impressions from Playa Tecolote:













On October 31th we had to leave our new friends and went back to La Paz to meet Alfredo and Andreas who came from Monterrey to visit us. We had rented a place close to the Malecon so we did not have to walk too much to explore the town. We had dinner and some good laughs this evening.

 

November 1st All of us went for a boat trip to snorkel with seals. After some issues with the tour guide with whom we booked the trip, he organized another company to take us to Isla Espiritu Santo. The only thing we did not see were the whale sharks. We had done this tour in 2012 and it was awesome. The sea was rough but after 2 hours we reached our destination, went in the water and had a lot of fun with the seals. The guide told us not to touch the seals but they did not get the message so they picked on us while we were in the water. It was so much fun. Unfortunately the battery on the underwater camera died so we only have limited amount of pictures. Afterwards we had a nice lunch on a beautify beach and then went back to La Paz. A really nice day it was !!! After dinner we went to the local Day of the Death celebration, which is one of the most popular events in Mexico. Alfredo thought he met his former live family J
 
La Paz with Andreas and Alfredo:



























November 2nd We got up had breakfast in a really nice place and then it was already time to say good bye to our friends because for us it was time to catch the ferry to Mazatlan. On the way we had to stock up on beer and find a place to dump black/grey water. After everything was done we went to the harbor to go through security and get our ticket. We still had to wait 2 hours until we were able to get our rig on top of the boat. They insisted to go backwards which was quite a challenge and I felt stupid because 40 ton trucks had no issue with it.

The boat was not full so we had enough space for the slide out which was nice. We than watched the sunset, had dinner, met nice truck drivers who invited us to their home, and retired early to bed.
 
On the way to mainland La Paz to Mazatlan:


















November 3rd. We got to Mazatlan at about 8am, went through 2 inspections and drove to the RV park in town. I should mention that at the first inspection I thought the officer was asking me for gum and I wanted to offer him some but he did not want it. He let me go but then I realized that he was actually asking me for guns…..  I had to laugh ….. it’s Mexico…

We went to town in the afternoon and had a nice meal right on the beach. Very nice. http://www.ontheroadin.com/mar-rosa-rv-park/

Mazatlan:




 


November 4th I should mention that the heat and the humidity was really bad in Mazatlan so it was time to head into the mountains. Next destination Durango…. We choose the paid highway which was 3 times the price of a car because we have a dully. We drove uphill until ……. we had to pass a Semi who was on the emergency lane and decided to pull right in our path… the middle lane was blocked so we had no place to go so we had our first accident. Our rig only suffered some scratches but the semi lost his mirror. We stopped in good faith that it was his fault but ….. he denied responsibility and called the Federales (Cops). We called our insurance company and waited 2 hours. First the cop showed up, listened to our story then to his which was backed up by an ambulance standing behind him ( assisting him) but did not control the traffic. Of course it was all our fault because we passed a vehicle who was on the emergency lane. Funny enough, while the cop tells us that we were passed by several cars doing the same thing. Next thing was that we would not protocol the accident if we pay the driver in cash for the accident but we insisted to wait for the insurance guy. He showed up 30 min later and then everything was done in less the 20 min. We accepted the guild and the insurance accepted to pay… the cop said good bye and we continued to Durango. Now the problem was that we would arrive after dark  and there was no RV park in that city. After driving around for 2 hours, getting diesel (don’t ask about the fuel consumption) and asking locals for a secure place we got the tip to check with the fire department (Bomberos ) so we drove there (Walmart did not seem to be save ) and these guys were nice enough to let us stay on the premise for the night. There is no more security you can ask for J

On the way from Mazatlan to Durango:









November 5th We got up early packed up and started to drive to Zacatecas. It was kind of sad not to have seen anything of Durango. It looked like a really nice town when we drove through. Don’t know why we were in a hurry to continue south…. I guess we wanted to make sure that we would not drive at night since that road is not save. We arrived after a little over 3 hours which was nice for about 200 miles and checked into a hotel who accepted RV’s http://www.ontheroadin.com/motel-de-bosque/ . We stayed next to the VIP entrance on a parking lot and next to us was the station of the federales. That is what I call secure J We went to town, which is the oldest mining town in central America and has a lot of Spanish influence. We had lunch, went to the Mask Museum and enjoyed watching the locals strolling through town, shopping, working, etc. A really relaxing place with a great atmosphere!

 
November 6th We slept in, did our things on the internet called family and explored the city. We took a swiss cable car to a small mountain, enjoyed sightseeing on a beautiful sunny day and had some drinks in a small bar (cantina) in town………   We really liked Zacatecas!
 
Impressions from Zacatecas:








































On November 7th we got up early and drove to our next colonial stop, Aguascalientes, a bigger and more industrialized town. We got a place at another Hotel http://www.ontheroadin.com/best-western-medrano-hotel/  who offer RV spots as well, set in a beautiful lush garden with all different kind of fruit trees. When we arrived we saw an expedition vehicle, an MAN with Swiss license plates. 30 minutes later Kurt and Michelle came by to say hi, and we started to exchange travel stories. They are on the road since over 4 years and started in Argentina. In the afternoon we went into town, which has maintained its laid back flair, and has so many churches you barley can count. We visited the cathedral and the National Museum of death, Mexican favorite topic, especially in November. The artist who invented the Catrina’s ( skeleton women dressed nicely, with scary faces) Posada, was born in Aguascalientes, so they really celebrate everything around death.

We had some beers and dinner in a small restaurant in one of the many small streets which are full of bars and restaurants. People are sitting outside enjoying the weekend.

Once we got back to our truck we took our chairs out and had a nice long chat with Kurt and Michelle… time passed quick and we went to bed fairly late.

 
On November 8th, we initially had planned to continue to Guanajuato, but we enjoyed the place so much and decided to stay another night. That’s really freedom if you can decide, when and where you go every day. We went back into town, visited some more churches, walked around watching the families enjoying Sunday. In the afternoon we went to the Festival de Cathrinas, a famous festival all around the Cathrinas and Death altars, combined with a fair with lots of food and items to purchase. In the evening we wanted to do housekeeping but got to talk to a US/Mexican couple from AZ, who had come to visit family in town. They had done a lot of traveling in their live and had interesting stories to share.

Enjoying Aguascalientes: