To Mexico and Back

Last week we went to Mexico. Even though this year is a “road trip” year, we needed to take a little side trip to San Carlos to check on the boat, pick up/drop off a few things, do a couple little boat chores, inquire about our immigration documents and help to celebrate our friend, Linde’s, birthday.  

Leaving “Trudie” (the RV) in Amado, we hit the road early on Tuesday morning and, after an uneventful trip, arrived in San Carlos about six hours later. It is amazing how much faster the drive is when you aren’t pulling a trailer (or driving an RV).

Our first order of business was to check into a motel and unpack so we could then make the arrangements to have to boat moved into the work yard for a day.

Up & Down ladders: one reason cruisers hate being in the work yard.

The motel situation is a bit eclectic in San Carlos and runs the gamut from slum to uber-luxury. Most are overpriced but that is to be expected since it is a bit of a bedroom community for folks from Arizona, many of whom own condos or homes there. No matter where you stay, one thing is pretty much assured...there will almost always be beautiful landscaping. 

Pool & garden view from our room in the Best Western.

Kristen & Steve, who had recently stayed at the Best Western, warned us of extremely hard beds, but Patty has been there twice and loved the beds. Since we needed internet and it was walking distance to the beach we decided to give it a try. Arggh! The first night wasn’t too bad but upon waking from the second, it was clear that we would need to move if we were going to be able to drive 6 hours back to Amado.

Next stop, the Fiesta. This used to be a very upscale beachfront resort-type hotel. Not so anymore. 

Our room is on the left end, ground floor.

There is no TV, no internet, and no phone. No problem. We are used to not having TV, we have cellphones and could forgo internet for one night with no lasting effects. Unfortunately, these weren’t the only “issues”. The first thing we discovered was that the lighting situation left a bit to be desired. The main overhead light didn’t work (though the fan did). The fixture over the mirror in the bathroom had one low watt bulb…the other two were missing. 

The light over the shower consisted of a bare light bulb and open wires (yikes!). 

Each bed had a reading light above it. One didn’t work and the other pointed toward the ceiling. After a trip to the office, new light bulbs were installed in the overhead fixture so at least we could read. The curtains were 2 feet too short for the sliding door which didn’t lock from the inside. The air conditioner looked pretty iffy (ie: broken) but I tried it anyway and it was able to provide a secondary fan source. 

The water (cold only) was a trickle until after midnight. After that there was no water at all until the staff came in the next morning around 8:00. Fortunately, the bed was sleep-able (barely) and the view was spectacular. What was the price on these villa-esque accomodations you might ask? $85/night (USD). A bit steep all things considered. Perhaps that is why only 3 rooms were occupied?

The view from the room was very pretty.

On our first night in town we went to a birthday dinner for Linde at our favorite Italian Restaurant. Then we all walked down to Linde & Ken’s RV for cake and socializing. All but 3 of the people are cruisers so much of the conversation revolved around boats, weather, favorite destinations and plans for the upcoming season.

The next day Chris & I spent a few hours on the boat, followed by fish tacos and cervezas for lunch at JJ’s. It was good to see JJ & his family again. After lunch we collected Abby from her “sitter” (Linde) and took her to the beach for a run. 

Abby loves running on "La Playa".

That night was dinner with Ken & Linde.Our final morning was dedicated to getting our immigration status straightened out. We have FM3 cards (rather like registered alien status in the States) so we can enter/leave Mexico as often as we want and don’t need visas. Since FM3’s must be renewed each year, during the same month (no exceptions) and at the same office, and we wouldn’t be in Mexico next March it was a dilemma. The penalty for not renewing your FM3 timely is a hefty fine. Consequently, we needed to find out how to handle this problem. The agent at the IMN Office explained that we needed to stop at immigration on our way out of the country and return the FM3’s. Next year we should go to the Mexican Consulate in the States to get new documents issued. This is no easy task in Portland!

That afternoon Chris did a bit more boat work and bought some Arracharra Beef to take home with us while Linde, Janie & I spent the afternoon playing Baja Canasta. We finished the day with a delicious dinner of Salmon Chowder and Salad prepared by Janie.

Friday morning we were up early (the Fiesta bed was marginally better than the Best Western bed but still not wonderful). Went to Rosa’s for breakfast, gave the Abster one last run on the beach and hit the road. 

Pelicans having breakfast with Tetakawi Mountain in the distance.

When we arrived at Kilometer 21 (the immigration point just south of the border) we attempted to turn in the FM3’s as instructed. Oops! Wrong office! They wouldn’t take them and instructed us to go to the Immigration Office in Nogales. Grrrr. We were not in the mood to fight the Nogales traffic that day so waited until Monday, left the car on the U.S. side and walked into/out of Mexico to turn in the cards.

All alone at Bahia San Pedro in March.

At the moment we are back in Tucson. Being on the boat, even for a short time, made me a little sad that we won’t be cruising this year but Friday we’ll be land cruising to a new destination and new adventure once again.