Home again, home again

From 2011 To 2012 Season

Thursday afternoon around 3pm we finally arrived back at the boat. The drive down from Nogales may be all the adventure we will need for this season but we are ready to start the 2011 cruising season.

From 2011 To 2012 Season

Crossing the border in Nogales was very uneventful until we got on the city streets. We had to dodge potholes, avoid deep trenches, and try and merge three lanes of traffic into one. Our idea was to cross the border early to avoid a backup but failed to think about the morning rush hour in Mexico. And there were no traffic signs in English! So while Rog was doing everything possible to avoid running into anything I was busy looking for the turn off for Auto Importation and Visa location. I knew it was 21 kilometers down the road but our car does not record kilometers so Rog kept driving until we finally saw the necessary building.

Before you can import the car you have to have a travel visa just like the kind you get when you fly into Mexico. Filling out the form was not the problem, paying the fee became very time consuming. At our early hour in the morning there was only one teller accepting fees for the visa as well as the car import so you can guess how long we waited patiently to make sure we entered Mexico legally.

Once out of Nogalas the drive to Navojoa was was uneventful. The landscape changed by the mile with cactus becomming scrub brush and streams with no water flowing. We used the toll road and found little traffic to slow us down, however we did drive at the speed limit all the way. Getting a ticket was not the type of adventure we wanted.

From 2011 To 2012 Season

In Mazatlan we stayed at El CID Marina and Hotel where we have brought the boat many times so we knew we would enjoy a good nights sleep. Again we left early in the morning and ran into commute traffic as well as a major detour. It was a nightmare trying to navigate back roads with everyone trying to edge in front of the other cars but we got through it thank goodness.

The roads in Mexico had been four lanes for the most part until we arrived in Tepic. We had heard from Garry Dobson that this last section of the trip was a bit difficult. He did not understate what we were about to experience! From Tepic to Bucerias we had two lanes of hair rising turns and breath taking views all the time trying to watch out for those daredevil drivers that think they can pass on curves or hills. We navigated the section successfully and arrived at Paradise Village without a hitch. Now it is time to unload the car!