Days 18-21: Yuma to Mazatlan

The drive to Mazatlan was eventful. Not so much early on, but last night was a bear.

We went from Yuma to Tucson on Sunday. Easy drive. Pretty scenery. Tucson does some nice designs on some of the bridges and overpasses.

In Tucson, we got our Inter-Americas Drivers Licenses, got the oil changed in the truck, did laundry, and picked up a few odds and ends for the trip (like a soldering iron because a connection is coming loose in one of the tablets).  In the process, we did cruise the Miracle Mile, even though the whitewalls are on inside! (Listen to Billy Joel, "Still Rock and Roll To Me")

Crossing the border was easy. We could have driven right on over this one, too, but we made it a point to stop since we’re going past that 20 km buffer zone. We bought our tourist visa and asked about getting the permit, but they said we couldn’t do that until the 21 km checkpoint. So, we got back in the truck and drove through Nogales. Nothing intimidating or scary on either side of the border. Just a very festive and welcoming attitude on the Mexico side. Artwork on the overpasses, statues, and Blockbuster is still in business.

There were several of these random pieces in the median in the middle of nowhere. They are all the same dancing Indian. I was never ready when it came up, so this was the best shot I could get of it. I tried to get some good shots of the countryside, but the sun was in the way, making it a bit difficult to get a decent shot at 70 MPH. There is a Saguaro forest that I was looking forward to. I think we saw the beginning and end of it, but we made a wrong turn and drove through town instead of bypassing Magdalena. We’re learning a little more about navigating in Mexico now.

We stopped Monday night in Hermosillo. We splurged on a 600 peso room in a villa off the road because we had only snacked out of the cooler all the way down, and we were hungry. This place had an attached restaurant that looked (and was) very good. Bruce is still having some trouble chewing, and the meats were so tender that he could eat a good hearty meal without causing any pain. It was called the San Martin, and it’s right on 15. Excellent room and excellent restaurant. Hermosillo is a really neat town. The main drag is well groomed and well maintained

There is very little litter on the road and signs up discouraging littering. I believe there is a fine for littering, but not everybody cares. On the way further south on Tuesday, the jerk in front of us decided to throw his ice cream wrapper out the window.

We found Waldo in Obregon!

Finally made it back to the Pacific Ocean. I’m not sure what town it was, but that water was a welcome site to me!

In Navojoa, we stopped at the bank to exchange some more pesos. The girl at the bank didn’t speak English, and we had some moments where we didn’t quite connect, but at the end, she complimented my Spanish. Yeah, I just bragged on myself. Nobody ever seriously accused me of being modest! We decided to check out McDonald’s while here. I like to see if the Big Mac is consistent across different countries. The only country I’ve tasted a difference in so far has been Saudi Arabia. This one tasted like a Big Mac just about anywhere else. This was the first time Bruce tried eating a sandwich. It kinda worked. He got one bite as a normal Big Mac. Then, he split it into two Little Macs. It was slow going, but he did well with his Little Macs and fries. I liked this statue. I think it was coming into Navojoa. We also found the Hotel California, but decided not to check in. (Two old R&R songs so far in one post!! But, do tell me I don't need to give the reference for this one!)

There are lots of paintings on the sides of the hills. Statues toted up on them doesn’t appear to be so common, though. This one was the first we noticed. It was too far away to be able to get a decent shot of at 70 MPH on a bumpy road.

Beautiful sky leading up to sunset, too.

We decided it was getting dark and we weren’t going to make it to Mazatlan last night, so we got off the highway and headed to Culiacan for the night. Just a few km on that road, some punks on an overpass threw a rock down. Thankfully, it didn’t hit the windshield or my bumper sticker window. It did put a hole in the back window on the passenger side. The rock bounced off, but glass sprayed all over the cab of the truck. Nobody was hurt at all, thankfully. We believe it was a couple of teenaged kids because they rode their bikes onto the road we were on and stayed just past the ramp watching us while we were taping the window up. Then they rode their bicycles past us with their headlights off (as if we couldn’t see them in the dusk), and turned their headlights on after they passed us. They were sitting on the side of the road watching us when we drove past them going on to the hotel.

I want to be clear. This is not a reflection on Mexico. We just happened to be the ones under the overpass when the rock was thrown while we were in Mexico. This happens in Nashville, Tampa, and other places, too. There was a time while I was living in Nashville that it was “all the rage” in the juvenile delinquent circles. It didn’t stop until a brick went through an old man’s windshield and killed him, if I remember correctly. This was back when Chrissy was a baby. I drove those roads back then and was just lucky I didn’t get hit at that time.

Huge shout out to the good folks on the Expats Living in Mexico Facebook group! Having trouble getting in touch with the insurance company and not knowing if we needed a police report, so I posted for help. One person on there (and I’ll refrain from naming you for your privacy) actually called the number for me and posted that the number works. (Great! Now, I have to get with Movistar to find out why my phone’s not working.). Not only did this person let me know the number works, but also got alternative numbers for me and let me know that I don’t need a police report. Just contact them and they’ll send an adjuster to me. Since I don’t have to worry about a police report, and Google says they have an office in Mazatlan, I’ll just pop in when we get there (and swing by Movistar, too)!

Which we finally did (get to Mazatlan). The hotel we were planning to stay in didn’t have a garage (and that window’s already just taped on), so we checked around until we found one that did. We got settled in for a bit, and went for dinner…

And drinks! Bruce has a Margarita and I have a Bahama Mama.

Day 17: Tijuana to San Diego Zoo to Yuma

Finally back on the road! Yay! We decided to head out early this morning, use our fast pass to cross the border into the US without having to sit in all that traffic, have a nice leisurely breakfast, and then get to the zoo about when it opened. Yeah, right.

We slept in till six o’clock, which doesn’t sound late until you remember we have to cross the border into the US from Mexico. That’s okay. We have the fast pass from the dentist, right? Right.

Bruce slept with his dentures out for the first time last night. The dentist had given him immediate dentures which he was supposed to keep in to help control swelling. Dr. Miyano said it was okay to leave them out overnight if he wants to now, but he doesn’t have to. He wanted to try it, so he left them out all night. He had a little added swelling overnight, and that made it difficult to get the denture in and caused some pain. Not massive pain, but pain nonetheless. That’s a good start. (Sarcasm again). So, we got the truck loaded, checked out of the hotel, and on the way.

I had downloaded a new navigation program, Maps.me, for use when we didn’t have signal. When we were at the dentist’s office yesterday, I marked the dentist’s office and have a map for how to get the “Servicios Medicos” lane from the dental office. All is good. Until the first turn on the map – onto a road that’s closed. But we made it back on the Avenida Rapida and headed in the proper direction. We never did find for sure where we were supposed to enter for the Servicios Medico. We saw the lane and we found the sign directing us what lane to be in, but we just couldn’t find a way around those Jersey barriers! So, on to the regular border crossing. It really wasn’t so bad. We were only in line for about 45 minutes. It was cute, though. Some people thought blowing their horns would be effective. Musta been some Ecuadoreans in line!

So, we get up to the border guard, and I’m trying to pull up new directions to the zoo. Bruce hands him our passports, and right off the bat, the border guard says, “Can you get off the phone until I’m done.” Strike one.  So, he asks the normal questions – where we went, how long we were there, the purpose of the trip, and are we bringing anything back with us. Bruce says, “Just my teeth.” Strike two. It was clear he was considering pulling us into the secondary inspection area, but we recovered. We declared Bruce’s prophylactic antibiotics and NSAIDS the doc gave him for pain (which he’s saving for migraines). I mentioned that we were supposed to take the Servicios  Medico lane and pointed to our pass sitting on the dash, and he glanced into the back of the truck and let us go.

We had a nice breakfast at a Denny’s in Chula Vista, and headed on to the zoo. Only one more set of wrong directions, which wasn’t bad. (Think I'll try another nav program) We saw the Mile of Cars in Chula Vista. There is one little shopping center (I think two relatively small buildings) that didn’t belong, but the car dealers have to have somewhere to have lunch! This shot is at the end of it. I had no clue we were hitting it, so the camera wasn't ready until we had passed the first sign.

Everything they say about the San Diego Zoo and its awesomeness is true. The enclosures didn’t all necessarily lend themselves to awesome pictures, though some do. The important thing is that the animals are provided with room and appropriate habitat materials, socialization, and enrichment activities.  The animals that are generally active in the wild were active. Monkeys were playing with each other and their enrichment materials. I’ve seen some good habitats, but these were the best.  The only improvement suggestion I could make would be to set up the trails so that you don’t need to make a choice of which exhibit to see unless you want to backtrack. It could have just been the way paths we took, though, so… Enjoy some shots from the zoo and a video of one of the giant pandas!

 Polar bear enjoying his pumpkin.

This little girl was having a blast shaking that hay down on herself!

California condor numbers in the wild are up, and show that they are now successfully breeding in the wild again!

The future encounter animals are socialized with dogs (of course, only where appropriate).

The walkways were generally tree-lined and comfortable except for certain areas around food courts

She looks like me when I eat!!

These arctic foxes were playing keep away with just one of these baskets. They were romping all over that enclosure!

"How did I end up on the skyride??"

Some views from the skyride

After the zoo, we headed to Arizona. I love these rock mountains. Bruce says they built those mountains one rock at a time. I kept waiting for one of them to get up and start walking, like that comic book super hero.

And, we’re in Yuma. We’ll spend tomorrow just taking care of some laundry and picking up some odds and ends. Monday, we’ll get our new Inter-Americas Driving Licenses, and head back to Mexico!

Days 11 - 16: Still Healing in Tijuana, But Now Ready to Go

So, we've spent the rest of this week waiting for Bruce to heal up on his dental work and getting the finishing touches. We went back to the dentist on Monday thinking he was going to get his upper plate adjusted, some fillings, and the partial bottoms. Instead, they hadn't taken impression of the bottoms, yet. It's all good, though. They did the fillings on the lower teeth he's keeping and took the impressions. We were supposed to go get his lowers put in on Wednesday, but the dentist's office called before we left to tell us they weren't ready. So Thursday - and at the end of this post. We've been moved to a room further down the hall from the bar, and we don't even hear them anymore! And, hotel management has been really nice and accomodating to us.

Somebody asked in a comment before what the hotel rooms look like in Tijuana. We're not paying 5-star prices, but this is our room that we pay 580 pesos a night for (about 36 USD), including tax. It includes free wifi, cable TV (in Spanish), and no surcharge for room service. Much better than some of the hotels we've stayed in in some places in the states for more than twice or even three times the price!

We're not in downtown Tijuana, but out in one of the barios, away from the tourist traffic. This is some of the stuff around us.

The front of the hotel (Hotel Astor - I highly recommend it, but don't get room 140!)

The church up on the hill makes me think of Rio.

There's a lovely park with a water slide just down the street.

The entrepreneur set up on the corner

A building we passed while we weren't quite sure where we were

And the local Walmart Supercenter (which was on the way to KFC for some papas pure for the one who is having difficulty chewing!)  Notice the Office Depot just behind it. There's a Costco and Home Depot here, too! Plus Burger King, TGI Fridays, Chilis, McDonalds, and IHOP. And, you can't miss the 7-Eleven on just about every corner. And, those are just the ones we've gone past in our limited trips around here, while Bruce hasn't really felt like moving around much. For a wild and dangerous border town, Tijuana reminds me a lot of Anytown, USA!

I did take one day while Bruce was healing and left him alone so I could do some sightseeing and tourist stuff. Since I wanted to do tourist stuff, where else could I go besides Avenida Revolucion! And, yes -- I did the cheezy picture on the painted donkey. I did choose the donkey that was well fed, well taken care of and appeared happy. She's a little filly, and she wanted ineractions with people. She had good food in her bin, and her owners had water stashed for her that they brought out periodically. Instead of standing with her head down when she wasn't being photographed, she was braying at folks, seeming to ask for attention. She snuggled her head up against me and acted like many of my own spoiled-rotten horses used to do. She didn't like it when they moved her head into position, but if she was left alone, she was quite happy to smile for the camera!

Mario (the owner) wanted to come back to Ecuador with me. He suggested that I not eat the seafood on the street here, but that Bruce maybe could. Jaja!!

Avenida Revolucion is definitely a tourist trap. Notice the ponchos with NFL team logos! Loads of pharmacies on the street.

The arch was neat - including the big screen TV so nobody missed the soccer match!

There are some neat statues along the avenida, too.

And the theater/opera house is lovely!

Well, they called just before we were getting ready to leave to tell us Bruce's bottom teeth weren't ready again. So, that was a wasted day. The day had gone on too long for us to really be able to do anything else, so we just stayed in the room. Got up this morning (Thursday) preparing for another day of waiting. Bianca called from the dentist's office to tell us they were ready!! Yay!! We had to hurry and get ready to go, because Sylvia in Jim's office called and said Sara was on her way to pick us up.

We got there, and Dr. HM was ready for us. He just took Bruce right on back and started working on him. In the meantime, I got a Fast Pass for crossing the border! (Kinda like Disney, I think!!) It's supposed to send us through faster lanes without much traffic (so bypassing a few hours potentially). We'll see tomorrow. We plan to leave early in the morning and take in that zoo we missed for the rain!! Then, we'll be on our way.

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for. BRUCE WITH TEETH!!

He's gotten so used to not opening his mouth when he smiles, I had to tell him to open it so we could see his teeth! I have lots of shots like this:

And, here is the whole team: Jim (the facilitator who showed up the first and last days), Bruce (of course), Dr. HM (the awesome dentist), Alex (the doctor's assistant), Bianca (the doctor's other assistant), and Sara (our driver while we were here). Anybody who wants Dr. HM's contact info, just let me know. We fully recommend him, as did the countless other people (mostly from the US) who were in and out of the office while we were there. We talked to many patients and didn't hear a single complaint. Many of them have been coming from relatively significant distances (such as Northern California, not just across the border in San Diego) to get their dental care from Dr. HM, and I can definitely understand why.