Week 8, Nevada, Arizona (US), Mexico
25/7
Breakfasted with the 4 friends (Bijan, Luts, Didi and I (Loretta couldn't make it)). Pancakes again.
Then the final goodbye to Didi. She packed and we put her on the shuttle bus to the airport. Restof the day was household stuff and pool time.
Had dinner alone (since a long time) in a foodplaza somewhere on the strip.
Did some shopping, and now im going to publish week 7 of the blog. Have the hotel room for myself now.
Going to do an episode of fringe too. Tomorrow the rough life starts again. We even have cookgroup. Laterz...
Spend the rest of the evening in my room, publishing my blog.
26/7
Slept really good, showered, packed, helped Kerry with her luggage, made a sandwich and on our way now to the Mexican border. 3 nights of wildcamping ahead of us. Back to the rough life. Laterz...
Long drives, shopping for cookgroup, blathering heat, stops for cold drinks.
Found a wildcampspot, cooked (cold italian rice salad), put up tent. Then read the short messages Didi left for each of us. Well received i think.
Slept lousy, due to the heat that stayed in the ground. Must have been 45 degrees at least.
27/7
Rose at 6.15. Made breakfast and extra tea and coffee for the guys that changed 3 of our tires (one was worn down, due to bad alignment i guess).
On the way to Mexico now...
I should make more pictures....
Long drive, but passed customs at around 16.00. 21 K further we could show our passports and enter Mexico. Could?, yes could. And we should have. What happened?
In nomansland we found a nice campspot, near a small restaurant , where we could have some beers, food, etc. Luts wanted to treat us because he became a grandfather of a beautiful little boy. So, what could possibly go wrong? Well, rain went wrong. A lot of it. We were flooded away and all my sleeping gear and tent got soaked. Even the restaurant itself flooded.
Slept on the truc for a couple of ours.
28/7
Rose a t 6.00, packed everything (still wet). Restaurant owner made us omelets (I think he had a good night (financially that is)).
Waiting for the truc to leave, to cross the border, find a dry spot and dry all my gear.
You know, in 2 days we laugh about it... problem is, that will take another 48 hours.
Laterz...
Crossed the border at 9.00 ... going up and down, filling out forms, getting stamps in our passports, back to the first office ... in the most inefficient way. Perhaps it's revenge for Trumps wall idea as Kerry suggested.
Anyway, we're in Mexico ... i hope.
False hope ... the truck was registered as bus, and so Will had to go back to Nogales to make adjustments. Organizations don't run efficiently up here, so... we passed the time, along a highway drying our tents and sleeping bags. Been waiting for 1.5 hours now ..... pom, pom, pom...
And more drawbacks came... the truck could not be registered as a motorhome (we completely put up the kitchen and cooked a meal to prove it, but that was not enough prove; we even improvised a toilet) ...
... and so we need an special permit to enter the country more than 400 K (that's the free trade zone). Angry and frustrated (well, Will was, understandably) we entered Mexico 25 K or so, to find a nice little hotel. Slept in a real bed; luxury. We all sat at a long table in the front of the hotel, to drink away our sorrows.
Slept like a log though.
29/7
Rose at 7.20, packed and waiting for the rest to come over. Going to make me a salami sandwich now.
Well, lets see how far we come today...
We made it up to Gyamas, a harbor town. Checked into a cheap hotel, sharing rooms with Kareem, the youngster of the group. Nice bloke.
We got our pesos from an ATM, and we're about to go to the harbor to get something to eat and/or drink. Cerveza is an option... Corona, it will be... Laterz.
Well, so much for doing anything... really not much to do here. Strolled around the hood with Kareem, had a lemonade, and ate a perro caliente (hot dog).
Then the good news... Will and Laura managed to get the special permit.
So, we don't have to return to the border. Beers to celebrate (on our balcony, coz there are no public places here, we you can have alcohol (it's Mexico... WTF?).
Round 9.00 i went to my room to watch an episode of fringe (since ages). Slept good, despite a very loud aircon.
30/7
Rose at 7.15. Packed, no shop open, to get breakfast, so... let's go. 1 more night of wild camping, then 4 nights in Los Mochis. Laterz...
Drive to Los Mochis went ok. We had diner on the road (to get rid of all the food that would go bad; gave away quit a bit to some local). Arrived in this really nice hotel at 17.30 or so. At 19.30 we celebrated Kerrys birthday in the bar next door.
Shared a taco at a restaurant nearby, then a last beer at Kerrys room. Slept really well in a nice airconned room.
The rest of the group will go to the copper canyon for 2 days. I will stay behind here for a couple of days to have some time for myself.
31/7
6.00 the group came back... train was fully booked. ... but they will do another try tomorrow and our stay here wil be postponed with 1 more day. Like that!
So, at noon i weent to the bus terminal to find out about the busses going to the beach. It takes an hour to get there (the beach, not the terminal) and so at 2.15 i walked in the sun, had some great seafood, a nice salty swim and a Corona muy fria...
I think i know where i will be the next 3 days...
Took the 6pm bus back to Los Mochis, showered, had a taco con pollo, watched tv a had a good night sleep.
See you all next week...
Breakfasted with the 4 friends (Bijan, Luts, Didi and I (Loretta couldn't make it)). Pancakes again.
Then the final goodbye to Didi. She packed and we put her on the shuttle bus to the airport. Restof the day was household stuff and pool time.
Had dinner alone (since a long time) in a foodplaza somewhere on the strip.
Did some shopping, and now im going to publish week 7 of the blog. Have the hotel room for myself now.
Going to do an episode of fringe too. Tomorrow the rough life starts again. We even have cookgroup. Laterz...
Spend the rest of the evening in my room, publishing my blog.
26/7
Slept really good, showered, packed, helped Kerry with her luggage, made a sandwich and on our way now to the Mexican border. 3 nights of wildcamping ahead of us. Back to the rough life. Laterz...
Long drives, shopping for cookgroup, blathering heat, stops for cold drinks.
Found a wildcampspot, cooked (cold italian rice salad), put up tent. Then read the short messages Didi left for each of us. Well received i think.
Slept lousy, due to the heat that stayed in the ground. Must have been 45 degrees at least.
27/7
Rose at 6.15. Made breakfast and extra tea and coffee for the guys that changed 3 of our tires (one was worn down, due to bad alignment i guess).
On the way to Mexico now...
I should make more pictures....
Long drive, but passed customs at around 16.00. 21 K further we could show our passports and enter Mexico. Could?, yes could. And we should have. What happened?
In nomansland we found a nice campspot, near a small restaurant , where we could have some beers, food, etc. Luts wanted to treat us because he became a grandfather of a beautiful little boy. So, what could possibly go wrong? Well, rain went wrong. A lot of it. We were flooded away and all my sleeping gear and tent got soaked. Even the restaurant itself flooded.
 |
| Norman always keeps on smiling |
Slept on the truc for a couple of ours.
28/7
Rose a t 6.00, packed everything (still wet). Restaurant owner made us omelets (I think he had a good night (financially that is)).
Waiting for the truc to leave, to cross the border, find a dry spot and dry all my gear.
You know, in 2 days we laugh about it... problem is, that will take another 48 hours.
Laterz...
Crossed the border at 9.00 ... going up and down, filling out forms, getting stamps in our passports, back to the first office ... in the most inefficient way. Perhaps it's revenge for Trumps wall idea as Kerry suggested.
Anyway, we're in Mexico ... i hope.
False hope ... the truck was registered as bus, and so Will had to go back to Nogales to make adjustments. Organizations don't run efficiently up here, so... we passed the time, along a highway drying our tents and sleeping bags. Been waiting for 1.5 hours now ..... pom, pom, pom...
And more drawbacks came... the truck could not be registered as a motorhome (we completely put up the kitchen and cooked a meal to prove it, but that was not enough prove; we even improvised a toilet) ...
 |
| Bijan, tryout our improvised toilet |
... and so we need an special permit to enter the country more than 400 K (that's the free trade zone). Angry and frustrated (well, Will was, understandably) we entered Mexico 25 K or so, to find a nice little hotel. Slept in a real bed; luxury. We all sat at a long table in the front of the hotel, to drink away our sorrows.
Slept like a log though.
29/7
Rose at 7.20, packed and waiting for the rest to come over. Going to make me a salami sandwich now.
Well, lets see how far we come today...
We made it up to Gyamas, a harbor town. Checked into a cheap hotel, sharing rooms with Kareem, the youngster of the group. Nice bloke.
We got our pesos from an ATM, and we're about to go to the harbor to get something to eat and/or drink. Cerveza is an option... Corona, it will be... Laterz.
Well, so much for doing anything... really not much to do here. Strolled around the hood with Kareem, had a lemonade, and ate a perro caliente (hot dog).
Then the good news... Will and Laura managed to get the special permit.
So, we don't have to return to the border. Beers to celebrate (on our balcony, coz there are no public places here, we you can have alcohol (it's Mexico... WTF?).
Round 9.00 i went to my room to watch an episode of fringe (since ages). Slept good, despite a very loud aircon.
30/7
Rose at 7.15. Packed, no shop open, to get breakfast, so... let's go. 1 more night of wild camping, then 4 nights in Los Mochis. Laterz...
Drive to Los Mochis went ok. We had diner on the road (to get rid of all the food that would go bad; gave away quit a bit to some local). Arrived in this really nice hotel at 17.30 or so. At 19.30 we celebrated Kerrys birthday in the bar next door.
Shared a taco at a restaurant nearby, then a last beer at Kerrys room. Slept really well in a nice airconned room.
The rest of the group will go to the copper canyon for 2 days. I will stay behind here for a couple of days to have some time for myself.
31/7
6.00 the group came back... train was fully booked. ... but they will do another try tomorrow and our stay here wil be postponed with 1 more day. Like that!
So, at noon i weent to the bus terminal to find out about the busses going to the beach. It takes an hour to get there (the beach, not the terminal) and so at 2.15 i walked in the sun, had some great seafood, a nice salty swim and a Corona muy fria...
I think i know where i will be the next 3 days...
Took the 6pm bus back to Los Mochis, showered, had a taco con pollo, watched tv a had a good night sleep.
See you all next week...
Busy week Jan, enjoy your seaside break.
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