Day 1 in Mexico

After driving four days through the United States, I reached Tucson and was a little preoccupied about crossing the Mexican border.   I stayed on another day in the U.S. because I felt I needed a rest and to prepare more; get papers photocopied, go through my van,etc. 

The drive to the border was an hour from Tucson and the desert was stunning.  Huge Suaritas  (those typical cliche looking Arizona cacti) rose up from the flat desert as well as other really cool bushes with amazing protrusions; it was hard to keep my eyes on the road.  It was so cool to have driven through the Sonoran desert, and also to have touched on the Mojave desert and probably lots of other geographical interest points I haven't learned about yet.  The geography was really and truly stunning.

And on the way to Mexico it was also very pretty.  I crossed the border without ceremony. There was another sort of pass through with people and shovels and trucks and I just drove through it, too.  Then the highway took me to a toll booth where I paid $3.00 for something. Then a parking lot came up, for people who needed auto import permits.  This was the immigration part of "the border" but there were no signs and nothing looming or official like I'm used to in Canada.  In Canada or the US, you can't miss the border, which is of course, the whole point.

I jumped through the hoops necessary and an hour later, I was back in the car with my proper papers, import sticker, and the phone number from the man from the government bank "Bancomer" who is the  "line-up helper" informing people about what they needed and making them feel better for having to wait so long.  I didn't ask for his number, but he gave it to me anyway, just in case I wanted to go out with him when I came back through the border.  ha.  There is something just so Mexican about that.  And of course, I graciously took the paper with his number on it and wished him a good day.

The interesting thing about this moment in Mexico, with the people and the line-ups, was this fragrance in the air that completely took me back to the last time I was in Mexico.  I hadn't even known I had missed it until I smelled it again, and I still don't even know exactly what it is.  I think it's the hair pomade the men use.  It is just so so lovely and it floats about the air subtly whenever there is a group of people.  Very typical and a little thing that made me smile as I was standing there taking it all in.

I got in my van and wound my way towards the now official border crossing where you either get a red or a green light and I didn't see anybody.  I noticed my light was green and said "'pase" so I did, but it was like everybody was on a coffee break.  There wasn't even anyone with which to avoid eye contact!  Nobody looked at me or my dog.  So, off I went and kept on going, never to be stopped, until I reached the next state of Sinoloya, where a man checked my car import paper, looked at my drivers license, told me I was beautiful ("Que guapa!") and bid me adios.

Leaving Canada

I Packed up my stuff, and drove to Vancouver with Maddie as co-pilot at the end of the day.  It was nice and quiet on the road and all I could think was, wow, the roads are so nice here!  They have nice white lines, big shoulders, no potholes and good signage.  It won't be like this in Mexico!  I cranked my psych trance tunes on my ipod and before I knew it I was getting french fries at McDonalds in Hope.  I let Maddie out for a walk and as always I was overwhelmed with that fabulous smell of pine trees, fresh mountain air and cedars.  There is something so fabulously Canadian about the smell of wet pine forest.  It makes my heart ache.  I inhaled big breaths of it, so I could store it away for later.  I am already starting to miss my country and I haven't left yet.  

Not much longer till I was downtown Vancouver where my dear sweet friend welcomed me.  Maddie and I got to be city girls for a few days and it was really very nice.  I hadn't ever really spend a lot of time in Vancouver, so it was really enjoyable and so close to every amenity.  Maddie got used to being urban and pooping on top of the grates around which cities jail their trees. One of the greatest pleasures I enjoyed was picking up her business in my plastic baggie and walking one block to toss it in the garbage in front of the provincial law courts. I fantasized about smearing it on some lawyers, but well, that was just a fun thought and made me smile! ha.

I got to see some beautiful waterfalls on a Sunday up near Squamish and soon I was off to visit Victoria for a bit and stay with another wonderful friend of many years.  It was awesome and I really got to see Victoria with fresh eyes.  It's a fabulous city.  In fact both Vancouver and Victoria were sunny and most of the time I was there and I was impressed with many aspects of these two cities.

So the journey to this point was very fun and relaxing and then I left the country on a ferry to Port Angeles, WA.  It was another lovely sunny day and I drove to Portland where I stayed with another friend who I hadn't seen in years and years.  He treated me royaly and showed me his city, of which he's very proud.  I was also impressed a lot with Portland.  So pretty.

The drive to Sacramento was long, but there I met my old buddy I'd met in Mexico who had come the hour from S.Francisco to grab dinner with me.  This traveling thing is alright, especially when you can visit with people you know and haven't seen in a while.  But I knew that this was the last stop where I would know anyone.  Next day would be Mojave, and then Tucson.  Then I'd be out of the USA.  It was Thanksgiving weekend and getting out of Sacremento was challenging.  The I-5 was backed up for an hour, and finally I got off it and took another road, through farms, but it was better than being parked on the interstate.  It all worked out in the end.

There was some spectacular and stunning scenery on my solo voyage to the south; but also several very rainy moments while driving in Arizona.  Like I'd never seen before.  Fine except when it's dark and there's construction with no lines or lights and the only thing I could see was the taillights of some one in front of me.  Wow, that was challenge and I felt like I was in a video game!  But I got to Tucson and it all turned out well.  The Motel 6 is an amazing chain of motels; all close to the highway, all take pets, and have internet access.  Couldn't complain for less than 40/night.  Maddie loves motel/hotels; she is so glad to get out of the van, for one, and then she knows we can relax, so she snuggles the bed, rubbing her nose along the covers and snorting and pawing.  I love that. 

Tying up lose ends

I have been back in Canada for three months, working at getting back to Mexico.  I just caught the loveliness of summer in the Okanagan and was able to swim in the lake with my very good friend Aja, who is a cat person but loves my dog Maddie.  I reconnected with friends and enjoyed some good visits.   But mostly, I'm back to sort out things so I can leave again.   This includes: sorting and chucking many possessions, putting the things I want to keep in my other most wonderful friend's basement in Armstrong, selling my cherished Honda Civic, searching for and buying a vehicle to take me to Mexico and tying up lose ends, getting divorce papers in order, etc. Fast forward to the middle of November: It took awhile, but it all got done and when I was actually all ready to go, I started getting those butterflies in my stomach.  What helped was having friends at many stages in the process, so it became a voyage of many small steps.

I couldn't have done it nearly as well without help from dear friends like Jeff, Christine, Liz, Aja, Lisa, Javier, Alan, Ron, James, Rob, Jonathan, and of course, my mom.   I am so blessed.

So this next section of blogging will be my RETURN to mexico and the journey continued.  I have Maddie with me, and my Toyota Sienna and places I want to see!