Mexico!

Mexico!

This morning I woke up to the sound of crashing waves pounding the beach on the coast of Mazatlan. The sun was shinning and the view from our 11th story balcony was spectacular; a small island and some fishing boats off in the distance. It's May 1st and our fourth day in Mexico, but let me start from the beginning.

After visiting some friends in Albuquerque, NM we headed to Tucson, AZ staying with a old high school friend and positioning ourselves for an easy drive to Nogales where we could cross the border the next morning. The day had finally come to head into Mexico, we were excited and ready to "begin" the adventure. About two hours drive down 19 and we were at the border town of Nogales, not knowing what to expect we pushed on, the wall and Mexican houses in our sight over on the next hill. We stopped at the check point and to our surprise we were just waved on through. With a smile and a sense of ease we continued down the streets of Nogales, through the traffic and hustle and bustle of the town. We did it! We were riding our motorcycles in Mexico. The excitement turned quickly a harsh realization about 10 km down the road when I noticed my registration was going to expire in 4 days and I wouldn't be able to get my visa and stamps at the immigration office. Deciding it was best to sort it all out back in the states, we turned around and made it back to the border, where to my surprise it was pretty easy to return even though we had only been in Mexico for a few hours.Suspicious to say the least. Back in Tucson I sorted out my papers, and a couple days later we were back at the border, feeling confident all would go smoothly the second time around. It did and we pushed south to Hermosillo, where we had a Couch Surfing contact and her family family waiting for us. All to say, the first days in Mexico were definitely an adventure. From Hermosillo we drove to Obergon, through 100+ degree deserts, small villages and towns, asking about hotel prices and the best place to find tacos using the little Spanish we're learning, continuing on through Los Mochis, finally making it to the coast. Two nights ago we found a small coast town, with the sun getting low in the sky we decided to drive around and look for a hotel or a place to camp. The town had an eerie feel to it as most of the houses appeared to be empty or abandoned. There was one main paved road that ran parallel to the beach with smaller dirt roads making up a grid. Most of the houses were fairly modern and pretty nice, almost as if the city ran out of money and people just left it all behind. Every once in a while there would be a house that someone was living in so we road further down to investigate. At the very end of the road we came across a property that appeared to be a hotel and after looking around the owner found us and we asked about camping on the back lawn. The vibe became more relaxed as we walked around, seeing the kids playing in the pool and the friendly dogs gave us a sense of safety and we decided it would be a great place to set up camp for the night. We soon realized it was just fine as the hotel workers went about their duties and a few guests sat by the pool and beach. It was our first time setting up camp and we couldn't have chosen a better place. After watching the sun set on the beach, a true feeling of relaxation set in and it felt like the first time I could truly enjoy the beauty of Mexico. I fell asleep to the sound of waves, the wind in the palms and a million stars shining down on me.

Most of the riding we've been doing so far has been through desert. Only recently has the landscape changed to farm land, rolling hills and now of course the coast with the beach life and cooler temperatures. In between the larger cities are beautiful little towns, some only lasting for five or six streets. The locals always watch as our bikes roll by and some return our waves. There are farm animals everywhere, we even passed a goat walking down the highway yesterday. Tractors and field workers are a common site as well as school children in uniform and men resting in the shade of a roadside tree. The people are friendly and the food is delicious. Mazatlan, the city were I'm currently writing from is the first city I truly love. It has a wonderful mix of culture, amazing architecture and of course beautiful coastal views. It feel like a true working city and although today is a Mexican holiday, the streets below me are still busy and the beaches are full of joggers and couples relaxing by the water. Last night we got to walk around the old city square and enjoy a delicious meal, sitting outside in the cool night air. Live music and voices of people walking by mixed with the occasional taxi and radio of passing cars. I'm trying to soak it all in as best I can. There is so much to see and experience and it's nice to be off the bikes were I don't have to focus most of my attention to the road and riding. I will definitely be back to Mazatlan one day!

As much as I'd like to spend a week here the journey must continue. Soon we'll be taking off, heading to Puerto Vallarta and then zig zagging a bit into the mountains and back to the coast before crossing into Guatemala. It's a surreal feeling to be riding in a new country and even though it's only been a few days it's starting to feel like this is all happening.