Hola everybody:

Once again hope you're all well. Everybody who is in teaching must be looking forward to the Christmas break so the countdown is on. If you're in retail that's another story altogether so I hope the season is good.
Yes we will be leaving Melaque very soon but unlike Leaving Las Vegas we will leave with our livers intact although there has been a bit of beer drinking going on. Beer is still really cheap in Mexico. You can still get a beer for 10 to 12 pesos which is about 1 dollar. At the store we bought 8 beers of a new label for $6.00 so that was quite a bargain. Not to be outdone I did have the odd Pina Colada and Margarita as well. Although alcoholic beverages are generally cheap the price of food has risen considerably in Mexico. We did cook in our unit for a while but it's almost as expensive as going out and I couldn't find all the right ingredients so it was testing my culinary skills and becoming a pain. We have stuck to having breakfast instead which means we don't have to rush out and look for coffee. Most of the people in our unit have coffee outside on the stoop and shoot the breeze. We have been really lucky. The people there are really nice and fun, very laid back. Most will be staying in Melaque for months. One couple, from Quesnel, will be in Mexico for 6 months, it's their first time trying this out. It's unbelievable how many people from B.C. are here. Many come with R.V´s, huge ones, Quebec and Ontario also come with gigantic R.V's. It's hard to understand how they negotiate all those Mexican topes but they seem to do just fine. We've never seen a license plate from the Maritimes. Maritimes don't seem to have any bucks to travel. It's an assumption that I'm prepared to make.

Our time here has been mostly spent doing beach things. We drove to a couple of other beaches. One is called Tenacatita and the conditions there are quite lovely with crystal clear water, white sand and relatively small waves with hardly a person in sight. The expected tourists are just not showing up and it's really hurting a lot of the businesses here who rely so heavily on all those tourist dollars. Another beach we visited is called Playa de Cocodrillos. There is a lagoon as you approach the beach filled with, apparently, hundreds of crocodiles. We saw quite a few munching on big pieces of fish. There was a huge crocodile sunning herself by the shore. A person there told us that she was the mother of all the crocodiles in the lagoon. She did seem ancient and tired from all her labours. She had growths on her head which looked like hard calcium deposits and she could no longer see. Her age was estimated at around 100 but it's not a verifiable fact so to be taken with a grain of salt. The beach itself was lovely and, once again, mostly empty. It was many kilometres long. We wallked for about 6 kilometres and could have walked much further. There were many beautiful houses, on the beach and in the hills. They all belonged to gringos. Many Canadians have second homes in this area.

The other day we were in town eating ice cream opposite the local school. I'm always fascinated with what they do in schools wherever I travel. In French it's called ¨deformation professionelle¨. For those of you who don't speak French I will let you puzzle that one out. In any case it was the almost switch over time from morning classes to afternoon ones and the whole school was busy cleaning. They were sweeping, mopping, emptying out the garbage and generally doing all that our CUPE workers do. Public schools are perenially short of funds so parents routinely paint and repair what needs repairing to keep the schools going. We are very lucky indeed in Canada as much as like to bitch about the school system it still functions relatively well. Traveling does give you those kinds of perspectives which doesn't mean that I wouldn't keep fighting for our system to get even better. There is always room for improvement. Sunday we will be driving towards Puerto Vallarta and staying one night in the town of Guyabitos another Canadian hangout where we have never been. Then we will be driving back to Mazatlan where we hope to take the ferry, possibly Wednesday if there is room, to La Paz in Baja. The weather has been beautiful, generally sunny and hot every day so no complaints there. I went to the CBC website and found out that the governor general has allowed for Parliament to be suspended till January. Feel free to give me your perspective on that one, I have ideas of my own of course. That´s it for now. Hasta luego,

Josiane

Hola Everybody:
Once again hope you're all well. I'm combining these two trips together because I'm on a rented computer and it's always trickier to spend a lot of time composing messages and checking for messages.
Our trip to Patzcuaro worked out really well. We left on a Wednesday and came back to Chapala on a Friday. The weather was glorious as usual. We decided not to take the quota highway but try our luck instead on the "libre" road. Suffice it to say that it took us 7 and a half hours to cover a distance slightly under 300 kms. So yes it was a bit of a mistake and I lost count of how many topes we had to go through. Our car is holding up really well though so that's a definite plus. Patzcuaro is another one of those "pueblos magicos" and it's also in the state of Michoacan. Michoacan is a lot greener and prettier than the state of Jalisco. It's very pastoral with a lot of agriculture and the mountains look beautifully green not brown and arid like in Jalisco. The outskirts of Patzcuaro are nothing to write home about but the colonial centre is beautiful. It consists of one large plaza surrounded by trees and porticos with a huge fountain in the middle. The arches of the porticos lend a European flair and are very pleasing to the eyes. There are a lot of cafes where one can sit and people watch. We stayed in a really old (17th. century) building which retained all of it's ancient architectural flavour. Our room was huge, there was even a loft as well as a small balcony looking out onto the plaza. There is another smaller plaza not quite adjacent to the bigger plaza and that plaza is more animated because there is a huge permanent "mercado" labyrinthine in size. We didn't even get through all of it. We visited two very old churches as well as an old convent which now houses artisans and is called "the place of 11 courtyards". It did indeed have 11 courtyards. Artisans in Patzcuaro work in leather, wood, straw and enamel. We didn't buy anything except 4 little jumping straw frogs. Stan is always loathe to buy anything because we're running out of space where to put all the stuff in our basically tiny house. I don't disagree with him because if I did I would probably buy it anyways. We're not being very consumer oriented on this trip, not that we were ever frenetic but this time around there are only so many "cosas" one can buy.
Patzcuaro can get quite cold at night and in the early morning, a lot of people wore parkas. On Thursday we took a bus, a harrowing ride through very winding, narrow streets and headed to the lake. The lake itself is more polluted than the one in Chapala and much smaller. It too is filled with water hyacinths. We took a boat ride to the very famous island where day of the dead celebrations take place. Patzcuaro is famous for its day of the dead activities. The island is tiny and unbelievably crowded with the ugliest statue of this heroic general at the very top. The statue is huge and I mean huge. You can climb all the way to the top of his hand which is held up and there are murals all around and on the ceiling. Nothing exceptional in terms of the art work, style "naif" not much perspective but vivid nevertheless. It's hard to imagine so many people living in such a tight space. A great many of them have shops or restaurants where they are all selling the same basically mass produced things.
Coming back to Chapala we took the quota which was heavenly although we did have to cross Morelia and that was a bit stressful. Morelia is also a very famous colonial city but we weren't up to braving the traffic in a city of over half a million. We did see the huge cathedral from a safe distance so we will have to be content with that. The worse thing we saw driving was a huge semi-trailer truck passing another semi on a blind curve. It's strange how Mexicans can be so patient for some things but are incapable of showing any restraint on the road. They tail, they honck, they pass when there is absolutely no visibility, it's pretty freaky. Coming to Melaque on the "libre" all hairpin turns and blind spots a passenger bus passed us and two other cars in front of us on a blind curve. Honestly it's almost like they have a death wish. Of course there are some cautious drivers but they are few and far between.

O.K. so we're in Melaque now. Melaque is a relatively small, sleepy, funky beach town. We have a really cute two bedroom apt. All the apts. except for one, are rented to Canadians. Yes it's Canuck ville there but the people are all really nice and friendly, not stuffy in the least. Melaque is a little on the grubby side, roads aren't paved, there is garbage around, most hotels haven't been renovated in years, there are lots of shack dwellings, all in all it's a bit of a mess so you have to be a little "special" to really like it here. The town of Barra de Navidad which is at the other end of the bay is slightly more posh with cobblestone streets and more upscale restaurants, boutiques and hotels.
Life in Melaque consists of three things which all start with the letter S and not one of those words is SHIT! Haha...
Yes I'm talking sun, sea and sand, not too onerous a proposition when you consider the other S alternative: snow, slush, sleet. We're having a really good time here. The water is warm at about 70 degrees. There are lots of places to eat on the beach and you can just relax under one of the palapas with a beer in your hand. It's like one of those Corona commercials. In the mornings the beach is almost empy and it doesn't get very crowded in the afternoon either so it's perfect. We had a really cool experience the other day. It was around 11:00 and this flock of pelicans came swooping down following a whole bunch of small fish. These small fish were pursued by bigger fish. Stan was in the water trying to catch one with his bare hands, of course that didn't work. There were so many fish jumping that I was being hit on the legs by them, big and small. Wow, it was something to behold. Stan was in seventh heaven. He has tried his hand at fishing here but is finding it hard to throw the line out into the water. Apparently it takes some practice. Yesterday we went with some of the people in our building to a transvetite show in a seedy outdoor club where beer was plentiful. You bought the beer by the bucket, a dozen in a bucket and they served you little appetizers. The show was no Las Vegas but it was fun if incredibly loud. I´will post some pictures when we get to Baja California. It´s too hard right now to drag everything here. Hope there aren't too many mistakes. I was letting the Spanish confuse my English spelling, the last time. Love to hear from everybody. Please write once in a while.
Lots of love, Hasta luego,
Josiane

---

Hola everybody:

Once again hope you're all well and still enjoying my "dispatches". Last time I wrote we were in Mazatlan so I will pick it up from there. The trip from Mazatlan to Chapala was pretty uneventful except for the "quotas" which kept getting steeper and steeper while the distances kept getting shorter and shorter. We took a little detour via Tequila on a non paying highway and continued from there to Guadalajara. Not too much to say about Tequila an altogether unimpressive town except for the acres and acres of the distinctively blue green agave from which Tequila is made. There are many roadside stands where one can sample and buy Tequila but since Stan was driving we opted not to partake. Neither of us are great fans of Tequila straight so it wasn't that big a deal.The drive into Guadalajara itself was pretty harrowing. You almost have to have eyes in back of your head. Between the topes, the vibradors, the erratic driving, the buses, the pedestrians, the bikes, the stray dogs and whatever else you can think of let's just say it's no leisurely Sunday drive in the park. Thankfully I wasn't driving and I have to say Stan is doing a fantastic job. I would probably just park the car, if parking were available, and cry. I know it makes me a sissy but I'm strong in other ways. Those of you who really know me know that driving is not one of my forte.In any case we made it to Chapala in one piece. The apt. which I had booked was not available for the night although it was empty but there was nobody there to let us in. We strolled around and took in the sights. There were a lot of people about because we arrived the day before Dia de Los Muertos which is the Day of the Dead and is heavily celebrated. Chapala is a fair size town with a population of about 20,000 plus and it is the biggest town on the lake. There is a malecon which is a promenade along the lake. It's not big but it's very wide and pretty with houses, one hotel and a few restaurants on one side and then the lake. Further on there is a small plaza with a good size Cathedral and then a park filled with vendors. There is also a long pier and all the boats are tied further out on the lake. The boats are no longer used for fishing. They mostly ferry groups of people to a nearby island. The price is pretty expensive unless there are many of you. The lake is the best that it's ever been. For many years it was infested with lirios which are African water hyacinths. They had just taken over the lake and furthermore the lake level was really low. Over the last few years there has been more rain and the authorities have finally sprayed a compound which is toxic to lirios but not to fish. Apparently the lake is now safe to swim in but we haven't really tried it. I want to before we leave. Regarding the lirios it's still a bit of a losing battle. Like the proverbial you know who THEY WILL BE BACK. In fact they are already plotting and gaining ground as I'm typing these words.We found a hotel not far from our apt. with the auspicious name of Monte-Carlo. Actually the rooms were nothing special but the grounds were spectacular with some of the biggest trees I have ever seen, one was over two hundred years old and didn't feel organic when you touched it, that's how incredibly dense it was.In any case we were brutally awaken sometime around midnight by a band of merrymakers intent on pursuing their merrymaking which happened to be right below our room. We're talking LOUD with stereo blasting, loud voices and sporadic bursts of singing. We did put up with it for a while but then I stormed to the office and did my best pissed off gringa impersonation which seemed to work because it was suddenly quiet.....for half an hour. That's how long they were able to hold it in but hey you got to have some fun on Day of the DEAD, the DEAD can't hear if you're not loud enough. Believe me I think they heard. I will write more about the Day of the Dead celebration in my next installment. For now I will have to say Buenas Noches. Please feel free to reply or drop me an email. My inbox is looking pretty sad now that I'm no longer getting all those annoying Facebook messages. Lots of love,Josiane, mamita, hermana, amiga, tia (all my titles in Spanish)
Messenger wants to send you on a trip. Enter today. Hola everybody:Once again hope you're all well and still enjoying my "dispatches". Last time I wrote we were in Mazatlan so I will pick it up from there. The trip from Mazatlan to Chapala was pretty uneventful except for the "quotas" which kept getting steeper and steeper while the distances kept getting shorter and shorter. We took a little detour via Tequila on a non paying highway and continued from there to Guadalajara. Not too much to say about Tequila an altogether unimpressive town except for the acres and acres of the distinctively blue green agave from which Tequila is made. There are many roadside stands where one can sample and buy Tequila but since Stan was driving we opted not to partake. Neither of us are great fans of Tequila straight so it wasn't that big a deal.The drive into Guadalajara itself was pretty harrowing. You almost have to have eyes in back of your head. Between the topes, the vibradors, the erratic driving, the buses, the pedestrians, the bikes, the stray dogs and whatever else you can think of let's just say it's no leisurely Sunday drive in the park. Thankfully I wasn't driving and I have to say Stan is doing a fantastic job. I would probably just park the car, if parking were available, and cry. I know it makes me a sissy but I'm strong in other ways. Those of you who really know me know that driving is not one of my forte.In any case we made it to Chapala in one piece. The apt. which I had booked was not available for the night although it was empty but there was nobody there to let us in. We strolled around and took in the sights. There were a lot of people about because we arrived the day before Dia de Los Muertos which is the Day of the Dead and is heavily celebrated. Chapala is a fair size town with a population of about 20,000 plus and it is the biggest town on the lake. There is a malecon which is a promenade along the lake. It's not big but it's very wide and pretty with houses, one hotel and a few restaurants on one side and then the lake. Further on there is a small plaza with a good size Cathedral and then a park filled with vendors. There is also a long pier and all the boats are tied further out on the lake. The boats are no longer used for fishing. They mostly ferry groups of people to a nearby island. The price is pretty expensive unless there are many of you. The lake is the best that it's ever been. For many years it was infested with lirios which are African water hyacinths. They had just taken over the lake and furthermore the lake level was really low. Over the last few years there has been more rain and the authorities have finally sprayed a compound which is toxic to lirios but not to fish. Apparently the lake is now safe to swim in but we haven't really tried it. I want to before we leave. Regarding the lirios it's still a bit of a losing battle. Like the proverbial you know who THEY WILL BE BACK. In fact they are already plotting and gaining ground as I'm typing these words.We found a hotel not far from our apt. with the auspicious name of Monte-Carlo. Actually the rooms were nothing special but the grounds were spectacular with some of the biggest trees I have ever seen, one was over two hundred years old and didn't feel organic when you touched it, that's how incredibly dense it was.In any case we were brutally awaken sometime around midnight by a band of merrymakers intent on pursuing their merrymaking which happened to be right below our room. We're talking LOUD with stereo blasting, loud voices and sporadic bursts of singing. We did put up with it for a while but then I stormed to the office and did my best pissed off gringa impersonation which seemed to work because it was suddenly quiet.....for half an hour. That's how long they were able to hold it in but hey you got to have some fun on Day of the DEAD, the DEAD can't hear if you're not loud enough. Believe me I think they heard. I will write more about the Day of the Dead celebration in my next installment. For now I will have to say Buenas Noches. Please feel free to reply or drop me an email. My inbox is looking pretty sad now that I'm no longer getting all those annoying Facebook messages.

Josiane

Hola Everybody:

Hope you're all doing well. This is the second installment of our little odyssey, I'm slightly behind but I will catch up with where we are at some point. When I left off we were crossing at the "fake" Nogales crossing and heading for the real one. It did turn out to be a few kilometres away and somewhat innocuous looking but this time it was the real enchilada. We got our automatic 6 month stay so that wasn't a problem. The car was more of a concern although not a real serious one. It turns out that Mexicans really want to make sure that you exit in the car you came in, they don't want you selling it in Mexico, not sure why all the red tape when they don't seem to concern about some other stuff but each country is different. I relayed all the required information to a young lady who entered it all in the computer. It then appeared necessary to have copies of our registration and my driver's license in triplicate. Fortunately there was a very handy photocopying place on the premise, no problem with the organization there. I tried to return to the same window which was no occupied with someone else and was beckoned to go to another window. I had to go through the same thing again in terms of relaying the information which was then duly entered once more. I wanted to say "hey the other lady already filled all that in" but realized there was no point and so defeated by bureaucracy, not for the last time, I submitted. You have to put a little sticker on your car which verifies that you went through all the proper protocol. They didn't care about the Mexican insurance. Apparently very few Mexican drivers bother with that little formality which is why they routinely flee when accidents do occur and they are to blame. Don't quote me on that but other more reputable sources than I have said that that is indeed more often than not the case.When driving in Mexico you usually have two choices, free or paying. The paying system or "quota" as it's called in Spanish is very arbitrary. You can pay a small amount like $2.00 and go for a long distance or you can pay $10.00 and go for a short distance. We haven't quite figured it out yet and probably never will.One thing we did notice is that in some states you pay less money. For instance the least expensive was in the State of Sonora. Sonora is also the name of a huge desert, not particularly appealing which starts in Arizona and continues into Mexico. Those of few familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda will recognize the name and the importance of that desert. Pretty or not it contains many magical plants which I personally have never tried.I have to say that the desert does get prettier, greener on the Mexican side.Since the highways are pretty expensive they are virtually free of traffic except for trucks and the odd vehicle. Sometimes there are no gas stations for hundreds of kilometres so you have to make sure to always fill up when you hit the halfway mark. All the gas stations are Pemex and price is never advertised since it's the same everywhere. Pemex is state owned. You never pump your own gas. There are always attendants, usually male, although at one gas station the attendants were all female. That station also had a couple of armed guards and I'm not sure if it was the location or the attendants. Anyways they seemed to be having a great time joking with the girls.Directions to Hermosillo were pretty good and we finally ended our journey in Guyamas, population 120.000. We did get lost in downtown Guyamas and it was pretty frustrating for Stan who was tired and suffering from a cold. All that driving didn't help. We doubled back and found a beautiful, very old, stately hotel with huge grounds and a pool. It's not the busy season so they had a special on. It was right on the ocean and quite pretty with gorgeous flowers everywhere. This is long enough. I will end it for now and start again later on our way to Mazatlan.P.S. Stan wanted me to mention that we saw train loads and I mean train loads, hundreds of them carrying cargo from China in huge containers. This was in California and Arizona. They all arrive in huge container ships in Long Beach, California. By the way tomorrow is the grand opening of a Walmart in Chapala, at the top of the hill. Everybody is very excited about it. It's going to be madness at that intersection tomorrow. We won't be there that's for sure.Hasta Luego,Josiane

From: j_ochman@hotmail.comTo: bajagarth50@yahoo.ca; nissa_ochman@hotmail.com; nrisso@shaw.ca; a_sentieri@hotmail.com; mcowie@summer.com; amartin@summer.com; laurence.sentieri@gmail.com; mscharer@shaw.ca; jannacourtes@hotmail.com; msimpson@shaw.ca; pbutters@summer.comSubject: Mexico no. 2Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:26:13 -0800
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Hola Everybody:Hope you're all doing well. This is the second installment of our little odyssey, I'm slightly behind but I will catch up with where we are at some point. When I left off we were crossing at the "fake" Nogales crossing and heading for the real one. It did turn out to be a few kilometres away and somewhat innocuous looking but this time it was the real enchilada. We got our automatic 6 month stay so that wasn't a problem. The car was more of a concern although not a real serious one. It turns out that Mexicans really want to make sure that you exit in the car you came in, they don't want you selling it in Mexico, not sure why all the red tape when they don't seem to concern about some other stuff but each country is different. I relayed all the required information to a young lady who entered it all in the computer. It then appeared necessary to have copies of our registration and my driver's license in triplicate. Fortunately there was a very handy photocopying place on the premise, no problem with the organization there. I tried to return to the same window which was no occupied with someone else and was beckoned to go to another window. I had to go through the same thing again in terms of relaying the information which was then duly entered once more. I wanted to say "hey the other lady already filled all that in" but realized there was no point and so defeated by bureaucracy, not for the last time, I submitted. You have to put a little sticker on your car which verifies that you went through all the proper protocol. They didn't care about the Mexican insurance. Apparently very few Mexican drivers bother with that little formality which is why they routinely flee when accidents do occur and they are to blame. Don't quote me on that but other more reputable sources than I have said that that is indeed more often than not the case.When driving in Mexico you usually have two choices, free or paying. The paying system or "quota" as it's called in Spanish is very arbitrary. You can pay a small amount like $2.00 and go for a long distance or you can pay $10.00 and go for a short distance. We haven't quite figured it out yet and probably never will.One thing we did notice is that in some states you pay less money. For instance the least expensive was in the State of Sonora. Sonora is also the name of a huge desert, not particularly appealing which starts in Arizona and continues into Mexico. Those of few familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda will recognize the name and the importance of that desert. Pretty or not it contains many magical plants which I personally have never tried.I have to say that the desert does get prettier, greener on the Mexican side.Since the highways are pretty expensive they are virtually free of traffic except for trucks and the odd vehicle. Sometimes there are no gas stations for hundreds of kilometres so you have to make sure to always fill up when you hit the halfway mark. All the gas stations are Pemex and price is never advertised since it's the same everywhere. Pemex is state owned. You never pump your own gas. There are always attendants, usually male, although at one gas station the attendants were all female. That station also had a couple of armed guards and I'm not sure if it was the location or the attendants. Anyways they seemed to be having a great time joking with the girls.Directions to Hermosillo were pretty good and we finally ended our journey in Guyamas, population 120.000. We did get lost in downtown Guyamas and it was pretty frustrating for Stan who was tired and suffering from a cold. All that driving didn't help. We doubled back and found a beautiful, very old, stately hotel with huge grounds and a pool. It's not the busy season so they had a special on. It was right on the ocean and quite pretty with gorgeous flowers everywhere. This is long enough. I will end it for now and start again later on our way to Mazatlan.P.S. Stan wanted me to mention that we saw train loads and I mean train loads, hundreds of them carrying cargo from China in huge containers. This was in California and Arizona. They all arrive in huge container ships in Long Beach, California. By the way tomorrow is the grand opening of a Walmart in Chapala, at the top of the hill. Everybody is very excited about it. It's going to be madness at that intersection tomorrow. We won't be there that's for sure.Hasta Luego,Josiane

From: j_ochman@hotmail.comTo: bajagarth50@yahoo.ca; nissa_ochman@hotmail.com; nrisso@shaw.ca; a_sentieri@hotmail.com; mcowie@summer.com; amartin@summer.com; laurence.sentieri@gmail.com; mscharer@shaw.ca; jannacourtes@hotmail.com; msimpson@shaw.ca; pbutters@summer.comSubject: Mexico no. 2Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:26:13 -0800
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Hola Everybody:Hope you're all doing well. This is the second installment of our little odyssey, I'm slightly behind but I will catch up with where we are at some point. When I left off we were crossing at the "fake" Nogales crossing and heading for the real one. It did turn out to be a few kilometres away and somewhat innocuous looking but this time it was the real enchilada. We got our automatic 6 month stay so that wasn't a problem. The car was more of a concern although not a real serious one. It turns out that Mexicans really want to make sure that you exit in the car you came in, they don't want you selling it in Mexico, not sure why all the red tape when they don't seem to concern about some other stuff but each country is different. I relayed all the required information to a young lady who entered it all in the computer. It then appeared necessary to have copies of our registration and my driver's license in triplicate. Fortunately there was a very handy photocopying place on the premise, no problem with the organization there. I tried to return to the same window which was no occupied with someone else and was beckoned to go to another window. I had to go through the same thing again in terms of relaying the information which was then duly entered once more. I wanted to say "hey the other lady already filled all that in" but realized there was no point and so defeated by bureaucracy, not for the last time, I submitted. You have to put a little sticker on your car which verifies that you went through all the proper protocol. They didn't care about the Mexican insurance. Apparently very few Mexican drivers bother with that little formality which is why they routinely flee when accidents do occur and they are to blame. Don't quote me on that but other more reputable sources than I have said that that is indeed more often than not the case.When driving in Mexico you usually have two choices, free or paying. The paying system or "quota" as it's called in Spanish is very arbitrary. You can pay a small amount like $2.00 and go for a long distance or you can pay $10.00 and go for a short distance. We haven't quite figured it out yet and probably never will.One thing we did notice is that in some states you pay less money. For instance the least expensive was in the State of Sonora. Sonora is also the name of a huge desert, not particularly appealing which starts in Arizona and continues into Mexico. Those of few familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda will recognize the name and the importance of that desert. Pretty or not it contains many magical plants which I personally have never tried.I have to say that the desert does get prettier, greener on the Mexican side.Since the highways are pretty expensive they are virtually free of traffic except for trucks and the odd vehicle. Sometimes there are no gas stations for hundreds of kilometres so you have to make sure to always fill up when you hit the halfway mark. All the gas stations are Pemex and price is never advertised since it's the same everywhere. Pemex is state owned. You never pump your own gas. There are always attendants, usually male, although at one gas station the attendants were all female. That station also had a couple of armed guards and I'm not sure if it was the location or the attendants. Anyways they seemed to be having a great time joking with the girls.Directions to Hermosillo were pretty good and we finally ended our journey in Guyamas, population 120.000. We did get lost in downtown Guyamas and it was pretty frustrating for Stan who was tired and suffering from a cold. All that driving didn't help. We doubled back and found a beautiful, very old, stately hotel with huge grounds and a pool. It's not the busy season so they had a special on. It was right on the ocean and quite pretty with gorgeous flowers everywhere. This is long enough. I will end it for now and start again later on our way to Mazatlan.P.S. Stan wanted me to mention that we saw train loads and I mean train loads, hundreds of them carrying cargo from China in huge containers. This was in California and Arizona. They all arrive in huge container ships in Long Beach, California. By the way tomorrow is the grand opening of a Walmart in Chapala, at the top of the hill. Everybody is very excited about it. It's going to be madness at that intersection tomorrow. We won't be there that's for sure.Hasta Luego,Josiane

From: j_ochman@hotmail.comTo: bajagarth50@yahoo.ca; nissa_ochman@hotmail.com; nrisso@shaw.ca; a_sentieri@hotmail.com; mcowie@summer.com; amartin@summer.com; laurence.sentieri@gmail.com; mscharer@shaw.ca; jannacourtes@hotmail.com; msimpson@shaw.ca; pbutters@summer.comSubject: Mexico no. 2Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:26:13 -0800
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Hola Everybody:Hope you're all doing well. This is the second installment of our little odyssey, I'm slightly behind but I will catch up with where we are at some point. When I left off we were crossing at the "fake" Nogales crossing and heading for the real one. It did turn out to be a few kilometres away and somewhat innocuous looking but this time it was the real enchilada. We got our automatic 6 month stay so that wasn't a problem. The car was more of a concern although not a real serious one. It turns out that Mexicans really want to make sure that you exit in the car you came in, they don't want you selling it in Mexico, not sure why all the red tape when they don't seem to concern about some other stuff but each country is different. I relayed all the required information to a young lady who entered it all in the computer. It then appeared necessary to have copies of our registration and my driver's license in triplicate. Fortunately there was a very handy photocopying place on the premise, no problem with the organization there. I tried to return to the same window which was no occupied with someone else and was beckoned to go to another window. I had to go through the same thing again in terms of relaying the information which was then duly entered once more. I wanted to say "hey the other lady already filled all that in" but realized there was no point and so defeated by bureaucracy, not for the last time, I submitted. You have to put a little sticker on your car which verifies that you went through all the proper protocol. They didn't care about the Mexican insurance. Apparently very few Mexican drivers bother with that little formality which is why they routinely flee when accidents do occur and they are to blame. Don't quote me on that but other more reputable sources than I have said that that is indeed more often than not the case.When driving in Mexico you usually have two choices, free or paying. The paying system or "quota" as it's called in Spanish is very arbitrary. You can pay a small amount like $2.00 and go for a long distance or you can pay $10.00 and go for a short distance. We haven't quite figured it out yet and probably never will.One thing we did notice is that in some states you pay less money. For instance the least expensive was in the State of Sonora. Sonora is also the name of a huge desert, not particularly appealing which starts in Arizona and continues into Mexico. Those of few familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda will recognize the name and the importance of that desert. Pretty or not it contains many magical plants which I personally have never tried.I have to say that the desert does get prettier, greener on the Mexican side.Since the highways are pretty expensive they are virtually free of traffic except for trucks and the odd vehicle. Sometimes there are no gas stations for hundreds of kilometres so you have to make sure to always fill up when you hit the halfway mark. All the gas stations are Pemex and price is never advertised since it's the same everywhere. Pemex is state owned. You never pump your own gas. There are always attendants, usually male, although at one gas station the attendants were all female. That station also had a couple of armed guards and I'm not sure if it was the location or the attendants. Anyways they seemed to be having a great time joking with the girls.Directions to Hermosillo were pretty good and we finally ended our journey in Guyamas, population 120.000. We did get lost in downtown Guyamas and it was pretty frustrating for Stan who was tired and suffering from a cold. All that driving didn't help. We doubled back and found a beautiful, very old, stately hotel with huge grounds and a pool. It's not the busy season so they had a special on. It was right on the ocean and quite pretty with gorgeous flowers everywhere. This is long enough. I will end it for now and start again later on our way to Mazatlan.P.S. Stan wanted me to mention that we saw train loads and I mean train loads, hundreds of them carrying cargo from China in huge containers. This was in California and Arizona. They all arrive in huge container ships in Long Beach, California. By the way tomorrow is the grand opening of a Walmart in Chapala, at the top of the hill. Everybody is very excited about it. It's going to be madness at that intersection tomorrow. We won't be there that's for sure.Hasta Luego,Josiane

From: j_ochman@hotmail.comTo: bajagarth50@yahoo.ca; nissa_ochman@hotmail.com; nrisso@shaw.ca; a_sentieri@hotmail.com; mcowie@summer.com; amartin@summer.com; laurence.sentieri@gmail.com; mscharer@shaw.ca; jannacourtes@hotmail.com; msimpson@shaw.ca; pbutters@summer.comSubject: Mexico no. 2Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:26:13 -0800
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Hola Everybody:Hope you're all doing well. This is the second installment of our little odyssey, I'm slightly behind but I will catch up with where we are at some point. When I left off we were crossing at the "fake" Nogales crossing and heading for the real one. It did turn out to be a few kilometres away and somewhat innocuous looking but this time it was the real enchilada. We got our automatic 6 month stay so that wasn't a problem. The car was more of a concern although not a real serious one. It turns out that Mexicans really want to make sure that you exit in the car you came in, they don't want you selling it in Mexico, not sure why all the red tape when they don't seem to concern about some other stuff but each country is different. I relayed all the required information to a young lady who entered it all in the computer. It then appeared necessary to have copies of our registration and my driver's license in triplicate. Fortunately there was a very handy photocopying place on the premise, no problem with the organization there. I tried to return to the same window which was no occupied with someone else and was beckoned to go to another window. I had to go through the same thing again in terms of relaying the information which was then duly entered once more. I wanted to say "hey the other lady already filled all that in" but realized there was no point and so defeated by bureaucracy, not for the last time, I submitted. You have to put a little sticker on your car which verifies that you went through all the proper protocol. They didn't care about the Mexican insurance. Apparently very few Mexican drivers bother with that little formality which is why they routinely flee when accidents do occur and they are to blame. Don't quote me on that but other more reputable sources than I have said that that is indeed more often than not the case.When driving in Mexico you usually have two choices, free or paying. The paying system or "quota" as it's called in Spanish is very arbitrary. You can pay a small amount like $2.00 and go for a long distance or you can pay $10.00 and go for a short distance. We haven't quite figured it out yet and probably never will.One thing we did notice is that in some states you pay less money. For instance the least expensive was in the State of Sonora. Sonora is also the name of a huge desert, not particularly appealing which starts in Arizona and continues into Mexico. Those of few familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda will recognize the name and the importance of that desert. Pretty or not it contains many magical plants which I personally have never tried.I have to say that the desert does get prettier, greener on the Mexican side.Since the highways are pretty expensive they are virtually free of traffic except for trucks and the odd vehicle. Sometimes there are no gas stations for hundreds of kilometres so you have to make sure to always fill up when you hit the halfway mark. All the gas stations are Pemex and price is never advertised since it's the same everywhere. Pemex is state owned. You never pump your own gas. There are always attendants, usually male, although at one gas station the attendants were all female. That station also had a couple of armed guards and I'm not sure if it was the location or the attendants. Anyways they seemed to be having a great time joking with the girls.Directions to Hermosillo were pretty good and we finally ended our journey in Guyamas, population 120.000. We did get lost in downtown Guyamas and it was pretty frustrating for Stan who was tired and suffering from a cold. All that driving didn't help. We doubled back and found a beautiful, very old, stately hotel with huge grounds and a pool. It's not the busy season so they had a special on. It was right on the ocean and quite pretty with gorgeous flowers everywhere. This is long enough. I will end it for now and start again later on our way to Mazatlan.P.S. Stan wanted me to mention that we saw train loads and I mean train loads, hundreds of them carrying cargo from China in huge containers. This was in California and Arizona. They all arrive in huge container ships in Long Beach, California. By the way tomorrow is the grand opening of a Walmart in Chapala, at the top of the hill. Everybody is very excited about it. It's going to be madness at that intersection tomorrow. We won't be there that's for sure.Hasta Luego,Josiane

From: j_ochman@hotmail.comTo: bajagarth50@yahoo.ca; nissa_ochman@hotmail.com; nrisso@shaw.ca; a_sentieri@hotmail.com; mcowie@summer.com; amartin@summer.com; laurence.sentieri@gmail.com; mscharer@shaw.ca; jannacourtes@hotmail.com; msimpson@shaw.ca; pbutters@summer.comSubject: Mexico no. 2Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:26:13 -0800
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Hola Everybody:Hope you're all doing well. This is the second installment of our little odyssey, I'm slightly behind but I will catch up with where we are at some point. When I left off we were crossing at the "fake" Nogales crossing and heading for the real one. It did turn out to be a few kilometres away and somewhat innocuous looking but this time it was the real enchilada. We got our automatic 6 month stay so that wasn't a problem. The car was more of a concern although not a real serious one. It turns out that Mexicans really want to make sure that you exit in the car you came in, they don't want you selling it in Mexico, not sure why all the red tape when they don't seem to concern about some other stuff but each country is different. I relayed all the required information to a young lady who entered it all in the computer. It then appeared necessary to have copies of our registration and my driver's license in triplicate. Fortunately there was a very handy photocopying place on the premise, no problem with the organization there. I tried to return to the same window which was no occupied with someone else and was beckoned to go to another window. I had to go through the same thing again in terms of relaying the information which was then duly entered once more. I wanted to say "hey the other lady already filled all that in" but realized there was no point and so defeated by bureaucracy, not for the last time, I submitted. You have to put a little sticker on your car which verifies that you went through all the proper protocol. They didn't care about the Mexican insurance. Apparently very few Mexican drivers bother with that little formality which is why they routinely flee when accidents do occur and they are to blame. Don't quote me on that but other more reputable sources than I have said that that is indeed more often than not the case.When driving in Mexico you usually have two choices, free or paying. The paying system or "quota" as it's called in Spanish is very arbitrary. You can pay a small amount like $2.00 and go for a long distance or you can pay $10.00 and go for a short distance. We haven't quite figured it out yet and probably never will.One thing we did notice is that in some states you pay less money. For instance the least expensive was in the State of Sonora. Sonora is also the name of a huge desert, not particularly appealing which starts in Arizona and continues into Mexico. Those of few familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda will recognize the name and the importance of that desert. Pretty or not it contains many magical plants which I personally have never tried.I have to say that the desert does get prettier, greener on the Mexican side.Since the highways are pretty expensive they are virtually free of traffic except for trucks and the odd vehicle. Sometimes there are no gas stations for hundreds of kilometres so you have to make sure to always fill up when you hit the halfway mark. All the gas stations are Pemex and price is never advertised since it's the same everywhere. Pemex is state owned. You never pump your own gas. There are always attendants, usually male, although at one gas station the attendants were all female. That station also had a couple of armed guards and I'm not sure if it was the location or the attendants. Anyways they seemed to be having a great time joking with the girls.Directions to Hermosillo were pretty good and we finally ended our journey in Guyamas, population 120.000. We did get lost in downtown Guyamas and it was pretty frustrating for Stan who was tired and suffering from a cold. All that driving didn't help. We doubled back and found a beautiful, very old, stately hotel with huge grounds and a pool. It's not the busy season so they had a special on. It was right on the ocean and quite pretty with gorgeous flowers everywhere. This is long enough. I will end it for now and start again later on our way to Mazatlan.P.S. Stan wanted me to mention that we saw train loads and I mean train loads, hundreds of them carrying cargo from China in huge containers. This was in California and Arizona. They all arrive in huge container ships in Long Beach, California. By the way tomorrow is the grand opening of a Walmart in Chapala, at the top of the hill. Everybody is very excited about it. It's going to be madness at that intersection tomorrow. We won't be there that's for sure.Hasta Luego,Josiane