As we left Tucson, AZ and headed south to Mexico the temperature continued to rise until we hit 104 degrees and our skin was permanently moist. It was hot and humid and the 6 hour drive seemed to take forever. As we crossed the unguarded border into Nogales, Mexico we were assaulted with the extreme differences. This was Jacks first experience in Mexico so the radio needed to be turned off as he experienced sensory overload from the traffic, the people and the chaos. There were no street lines hence the mass confusion as we drove fighting for a dusty lane and tried to stay on the right side of the road. People were selling puppies and newspapers while you waited at a traffic light. Store fronts and sidewalks were congested with colorful toys, flags, pinatas, t-shirts and other tourist paraphernalia. Within 15 minutes we could breath easy as we were through the madness and back on the Hwy I-15 that would lead us to San Carlos.
Mexico requires you register your car so we stopped to purchase the 180 day permit from a man who did not speak English or Spanish to us only passed us the necessary paperwork and requested $27.US. We were lucky the form was in English so no translation was needed.
We continued down the bare desert road only to pass the odd gas station - some open some closed. As we approach San Carlos we were overjoyed to see rolling green mountains, blue water, a yacht filled marina and no tourists. Traveling during September meant we had missed the summer crowd and the town was left to us and the locals. We stayed at Totonaka RV Park and it was directly across from the ocean. After setting up our tent and spreading out a bit we took a walk around the grounds to notice we were the only residents of the 140 sites. There were mango, grapefruit and lemon trees all of which we picked for some fruit salads. They had a medium sized pool, bathrooms complete with showers and laundry facilities - we were in paradise. The ocean was a fabulous indigo and the never ending sand stretched for miles and was speckled with loads of white shells. You could walk the beach for miles and see no one except the odd local tending to their beach home. As the day grew to a close we settled into a restalounge "Charly's Rock" for dinner and margaritas. First on the menu was an authentic taste of ceviche - an appetizer of chopped raw fish cooked/marinated in lime juice, cilantro, onions and tomatoes on top of a tortilla. Next, we moved on to some fish tacos and more margaritas. Our first evening in San Carlos, Mexico was superb. The moon rising over the mountains casting a warm glow on the Sea of Cortez, the warm air, the sounds of the Mariachi band, the odd cockroach (called a "Lobster" by the staff) and the never-ending margaritas set the ambiance. That was until 1:00 am when we woke to a huge tropical storm. Thunder and lightening so powerful it blew out an electrical pole and power line with a blast like a shotgun. The storms force collapsed the tent and we ran for cover spending the night in the car witnessing a complete tenting disaster. Everything was soaked and had to be strung out on the trees and bushes to dry out, even the camera. We were tired and cranky but were saved by the increasing sunlight stretching out across the sky.
After a day of drying out, biking to the Marina and walking on the beach we pitched the tent and gave it another go. Once again we endured another fierce storm. However, this time we toughed it out by holding the tent upright for 3 hours- we weren't going to be taken down a second night. We took turns holding the tent upright and Jack would run outside with a hammer every time the tent pegs came loose making the fly literally fly. It was another long, wet, disappointing night. Desperate weather called for desperate measures and our following nights were spent in a little room with a wonderful double bed. In hind sight we will select a room with air conditioning or at least a working fan as the room was quickly dubbed "the clay oven" by Jack.
Following a great night sleep we ventured out into cacti land driving along a dirt road that took us to another beautiful beach and a 5 Star hotel. We visited the hotel wishing our budget would allow for such accommodations when we noticed a pizza parlor at the end of the lobby. Mexican beer, pizza and a couple games of pool was a great exchange so we spent the afternoon hanging around. Driving around San Carlos was very diverse with the cacti fields, the green mountains at the edge of the Sea of Cortez and the pristine white yachts that line the marinas making it an eye candy experience. San Carlos is host to many tourists but also many wealthy nationals that come to stay in the 5 Star hotels. Before we left the RV park we exchanged pictures and email addresses with our host, Migel. Then headed to the neighboring city Guaymas to reload on groceries and gas.
Our next stop is north along the coast to another town on the Sea of Cortez, Puerto Penasco.
Mexico requires you register your car so we stopped to purchase the 180 day permit from a man who did not speak English or Spanish to us only passed us the necessary paperwork and requested $27.US. We were lucky the form was in English so no translation was needed.
We continued down the bare desert road only to pass the odd gas station - some open some closed. As we approach San Carlos we were overjoyed to see rolling green mountains, blue water, a yacht filled marina and no tourists. Traveling during September meant we had missed the summer crowd and the town was left to us and the locals. We stayed at Totonaka RV Park and it was directly across from the ocean. After setting up our tent and spreading out a bit we took a walk around the grounds to notice we were the only residents of the 140 sites. There were mango, grapefruit and lemon trees all of which we picked for some fruit salads. They had a medium sized pool, bathrooms complete with showers and laundry facilities - we were in paradise. The ocean was a fabulous indigo and the never ending sand stretched for miles and was speckled with loads of white shells. You could walk the beach for miles and see no one except the odd local tending to their beach home. As the day grew to a close we settled into a restalounge "Charly's Rock" for dinner and margaritas. First on the menu was an authentic taste of ceviche - an appetizer of chopped raw fish cooked/marinated in lime juice, cilantro, onions and tomatoes on top of a tortilla. Next, we moved on to some fish tacos and more margaritas. Our first evening in San Carlos, Mexico was superb. The moon rising over the mountains casting a warm glow on the Sea of Cortez, the warm air, the sounds of the Mariachi band, the odd cockroach (called a "Lobster" by the staff) and the never-ending margaritas set the ambiance. That was until 1:00 am when we woke to a huge tropical storm. Thunder and lightening so powerful it blew out an electrical pole and power line with a blast like a shotgun. The storms force collapsed the tent and we ran for cover spending the night in the car witnessing a complete tenting disaster. Everything was soaked and had to be strung out on the trees and bushes to dry out, even the camera. We were tired and cranky but were saved by the increasing sunlight stretching out across the sky.
After a day of drying out, biking to the Marina and walking on the beach we pitched the tent and gave it another go. Once again we endured another fierce storm. However, this time we toughed it out by holding the tent upright for 3 hours- we weren't going to be taken down a second night. We took turns holding the tent upright and Jack would run outside with a hammer every time the tent pegs came loose making the fly literally fly. It was another long, wet, disappointing night. Desperate weather called for desperate measures and our following nights were spent in a little room with a wonderful double bed. In hind sight we will select a room with air conditioning or at least a working fan as the room was quickly dubbed "the clay oven" by Jack.
Following a great night sleep we ventured out into cacti land driving along a dirt road that took us to another beautiful beach and a 5 Star hotel. We visited the hotel wishing our budget would allow for such accommodations when we noticed a pizza parlor at the end of the lobby. Mexican beer, pizza and a couple games of pool was a great exchange so we spent the afternoon hanging around. Driving around San Carlos was very diverse with the cacti fields, the green mountains at the edge of the Sea of Cortez and the pristine white yachts that line the marinas making it an eye candy experience. San Carlos is host to many tourists but also many wealthy nationals that come to stay in the 5 Star hotels. Before we left the RV park we exchanged pictures and email addresses with our host, Migel. Then headed to the neighboring city Guaymas to reload on groceries and gas.
Our next stop is north along the coast to another town on the Sea of Cortez, Puerto Penasco.
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