Our First Day in Mexico

We got to the Mexican border at 9:00 am not knowing what to expect. We drove through the two narrow lanes designated for passage. As we drove through, we saw the proverbial green (or red) light. Thankfully we got the green “Pase” light and continued to drive. No one was around or asked for papers. This concerned us a little bit, but we kept on driving. Almost 12 miles later we saw the “Aduano” where we would get our visas stamped, and register our car. Now this was more like what we expected at the border....clearly cdesigned for long lines. Fortunately we were only third in line to have our visas checked and the car registration area had a large number of windows, so we went directly to register. The process was very smooth.

Going back to when we crossed the border, Andrew made the comment that the moment we crossed the border, we saw what the rest of the world was like. The change is instantaneous. Driving itself was actually no different than in the States but the environment clearly was different.

As we continued on our way, we became fascinated by the many differences – differences from what we're used to in the US, but very similar to Ajijic, which was still 1,700 miles away. Obviously everything was in Spanish and we were challenged to try to understand the signs in Spanish, and not translate first – a difficult habit to overcome.

As we had planned our route, we were to drive primarily on the toll roads, or cuoto. They are actually very decent highways, sometimes 2 lanes, and sometimes four lanes with a median strip in between. The biggest challenge is that in the state of Sonora there are no shoulders and there is a significant drop off on either side. Not a problem until attempting to pass a semi-trailer! The traffic is slowed in each little village by "topes" (big speed bumps). Not sure if the purpose is more to slow traffic, or to give the villagers a chance to sell stuff, but both happen at the topes.

We had been warned that gas stations are far and few between and that we should never drive with less than half a tank. We found that the largest separation between gas stations (the state run Pemex stations) was like 30 miles The stations are very clean and have an OXXO market at each, which is like the 7/11’s that we are accustomed to.

At the first Pemex station we stopped at for gas, we wanted to eat lunch. Rather than getting something familiar at OXXO, we saw a little stand with tables next to it serving “Mariscos” or sea food. We had the most delicious cold shell fish soup we have ever eaten. It had shrimp, octopus and conch in it. Yes, as in the conch shell. We are not sure what else was in it, but it really hit the spot.

As we were driving, Andrew was taking pictures and ended up taking more than 200. We have included a small sample of these pictures so that you can see what the countryside is like. Obviously it starts out looking like Southern Arizona, and goes through different types of desert, with the greatest variation being in the vegetation. (In one section it seemed that the vegetation was ROCKS) It was interesting to observe how that changed as we progressed. We looked for the subtle beauty of the desert as small shrubs and manzanita turned to Seguaro, palms and jacaranda.

One of the most interesting things was the Federales stopping trucks every once in a while to check on shipment of contraband. We saw maybe three places where trucks were stopped going North. The line of trucks easily exceeded two or three miles as they thoroughly inspected each truck. In fact, at one stop we saw a guy having to unload his entire truck! Fortunately going South with US plates, we were never delayed.

We wanted to get as far as possible the first day, so we put in over 500 miles. We ended up in a beach town called Guasave that was a couple of miles off the main highway. We are pretty sure we were the only gringos in this town. The adventure now was to find a hotel. We drove up and down trying to follow directions we were given, and seeing nothing that looked like a hotel. Having the road suddenly end didn't help either. We went back to where we started from, and finally we saw one as we were passing close to the center of town. From the pictures you can see the hotel we chose. It was actually a nice hotel by "small Mexican town" standards, and the manager/owner was very nice. There was locked parking for our car across the street. After checking in we wanted to get something to eat. Nancy didn’t feel well and just wanted to go to bed, so Andrew and Walt went out looking. It turns out that all the restaurants were closed already and it was only 8:00 pm. However, right across the street from the hotel was a friendly couple with a grill and two tables on the sidewalk. Turns out it was a taco stand. These were the most incredible tacos we have ever eaten. They were absolutely wonderful. When we were paying we offered the lady a tip and at first she refused saying that she hadn't actually served us. We love this country already!!

Now, we are sure some may wonder why we would pick a hotel like we did and just eat from small stands at the side of the road. We are sure that some people worry about becoming ill from local food. Of course we are careful, but we are determined to feel the true vibe of Mexico and what better way to do it than get totally immersed. We knew from the beginning that God has a plan for us and wants us in Mexico. He has already revealed some of that plan in the form of a Bible study we will be leading as soon as we get settled, teaching such subjects as “What does the Bible really say” and “Who is this Jesus anyway”. We are excited about those opportunities. As we are obedient to God’s plan for our lives, we know He will take care of us because He has promised to. So we move forward knowing that we are in His Hands. Including our stomachs.

As Andrew said at the end of the day, “we have accomplished the most difficult tasks the first day into Mexico – getting across the border, getting the car registered, traveling the furthest distance, and finding our first Mexican hotel”. What an adventure, and we are looking forward to even more!

Here is a small collection of the many pictures Andrew took.