On Mainland Mexico

Beach at Sayulita (40k north of PV)


Trucks backing onto ferry


With Maria for desayuno

Which way do we go from here?

January 19/05

I’m feeling better today. I didn’t eat hardly anything yesterday after, what I believe was food poisoning of some sort. Back to the Mexican breakfast today… omelette with mushrooms, refried beans, salsa and tortillas.

Dave finally got all the paperwork taken care of and we are on the ferry to Mazatlan. We paid and extra $25. (split 4 ways) for a spacious cabin (Turista). There are 4 bunk beds, table, bench seating and a sink with hot and cold water. The toilets and showers are in the hall and are shared with other turista cabins. Two meals are included in the fair. There was a choice of chicken or beef for supper and scramble eggs with ham, potatoes and refried beans for breakfast.

Watching the ferry load was entertaining. We parked the bikes on the loading ramp beside a fellow with a typical cube van offering hot and cold food snacks and drinks. From here we could observe the loading process. The ferries here load and unload from the same ramp at the stern of the vessel. This of course means that 4 (or more) wheeled vehicles must either back onto the ferry or back off. The load of vehicles is primarily trucks. Backing a semi with an additional trailer into the ferry must take some skill! Once on the ferry, some crew helped us tie down the bikes and unload our gear. The vehicle deck is locked once the passengers are in the passenger area. We were told that all we left in the vehicle deck was secure. We should have packed a small bag with items we needed on the boat. As it was, we seemed to need something from every bag on the bike and we hauled it all to our cabin. Even though by some standards, we don’t have much, it is damn heavy to hall from one end of the boat to the other.

We waited to load until we were signalled. We loaded last. Another motorcycle advantage. . . Last on - first off. We should get a good start when the ferry docks in the morning.

Gotta run… Dave and Jen are waiting for us the bar. There is karaoke and Jen wants us to put on our shirts and sing “La Camisa Negra”. (Jamie and Karla will understand this… more later for the rest of you readers.)

January 20/06

The Karaoke was a bust. Most of the bars patrons were truck drivers and like us they didn’t want to partake in the singsong.

We are currently sitting on the balcony of a small hotel at Playa Novillero (Hotel Pacifico)“oohing and awing” over the sunset. We rode through old Mazatlan but intentionally by passed the newer beach hotel area (seen one, seen them all). We stopped by a small park and bought a couple of coconuts off a street vendor. He chopped off the tops and handed them to us with straws inserted. When we finished the milk he swang the machete a few more times and handed us back half a coconut with the meat diced. It was very sweet and the meat was much softer that the coconuts we are used to.

The ride today was very nice. Essentially through coastal plains and rolling hills filled with small orchards and farms. The farms seemed to be growing a variety of vegetables and fruits. A nice change from the desert of the Baja. The roads here are similar. We stuck to 2 lane highways. For those with a map, we were on Hwy 15 but from what we observed there are two Hwy 15s. One is a toll road the other is free. We rode the free one

to Acaponeta and through Tecuala to the coast. The hotel is at the end of this road at Playa Novillero.

The driving here is interesting. The way I see it is that there are some rules but for the most part they are ignored. By observation one picks up the way things are done. Someone always wants to pass you, no matter what speed you are doing. You have to keep one eye on your mirror and when someone is on your tail it is common practise to signal a left turn to indicate to the driver behind you that you know that he is there and it is OK to pass. If this occurs, the driver wanting to pass with likely pull out to pass regardless of whether or not he can see far enough ahead to ensure a safe pass. I have been using a hand signal (with discretion) to accomplish the same thing.

In town, signage is minimal. One way streets are common but not always marked. I have been the wrong way down a one way street twice now and have learned to be cautious.

Riding on a motorcycle is actually an advantage again when it come to traffic. MCs like ours are instantly recognized as “not from here” and often we are given the benefit of the doubt. Tourists in cars would not have the same advantage. All the kids and many locals in the small towns wave to us as well and often we are approached when stopped.

Time for supper… catch you later.

Supper was fun. On the way to find a restaurant we noticed some ladies laughing and dancing in the street. With Dave’s lead we quickly joined in the festivities. As we were about to leave they asked us if we were looking for something to eat. One of the dancing ladies was the owner of the restaurant next door and after a bit of “show and tell” we figured out what to order… cinco quesadilla y tres tortas con cuatro cervezas. (a little Spanish lesson for you, if you care to look it up) It was all good. We even have a date with Maria for desayuno (breakfast) at 8 am. manana.

We have learned that the maps here are no different than anywhere else… they are not always accurate. If possible we ask a local about our planned route. Tonight we were told that the road we were planning to take is impassable so we head back to the highway to reach Sayulita tomorrow (40 K north of Puerto Vallarta). We are hoping to hook up with Dave and Sue Bannatyne (they live behind us in Fernie) who are wintering in Sayulita.

January 21/06

After a breakfast we back racked to Hwy 15 and headed south for Sayulita. It was a great ride through winding roads. The roads are busy with traffic. Mexico has a busy bus system and the buses are king of the road. Constant attention to the traffic around you is essential. You cannot believe where and when drivers will attempt to pass. Some drivers seem to value passing the car ahead much more than life itself! About the halfway point we turned off Hwy 15 west to the coast. A beautiful narrow paved road. Tight winding turns through increasingly lust vegetation… fruit farms and palm groves. We stopped for lunch in San Blas. From here we followed Hwy 200. to Sayulita. This is the coastal road that we will probably follow nearly all the way to Guatamala.

Sayulita is described in our guide book as a “sleepy fishing village known for great surfing”. That was in 2002. It is no longer sleepy. It is another booming tourist town.

We knew that there were 3 campgrounds and Dave and Sue where in one of them. After a couple of inquiries we found our way to the most likely one and luckily enough as we rode up to the entrance Dave was walking by. Unfortunately for us, the camp was full but we found space at the next one, just down the beach. Of course busy town equals higher prices. We paid 300 pesos ($30) for a camp stop for two tents, 5 bucks less than we paid for a hotel room the night before. We expect that prices will decrease once we are further south.

We planned to cover 250 Kilometres per day on this trip. We thought that would be a leisurely day but it is about all we can and still have time to sight see. We are planning to get an early start tomorrow and put on a few extra miles. We must be out of Mexico by 1:30 pm on Feb.1… That is when our Mexican vehicle insurance runs out.

While we are travelling Ben (our chubby Lab) is vacationing at "Club Bob". He aslo has had an outing to Rocky Mountain House. To keep us informed of his travels he has also started a blog. Check it out at http://benhide.blogspot.com/

January 23/06

Rested a day and we are ready to head out on the road again. Just finishing breakfast in Sayulita.