I’ve been travelling quite a bit the last couple of months. I was in one place for a full year and I needed some travel, so off I went. Panama, for a little more Spanish, and back to Vancouver to visit the ones I love, and now in San Carlos Mexico where it is extraordinarily hot. The trip down was so interesting. To start with, I didn’t really want to go through the US, because of all the turmoil there, yet for both trips, I had little choice and went through SFO.
I travel solo most everywhere and safety is important to me. I am cautious by nature and I make sure the odds are in my favour. I do listen to the advice of locals, I read articles, I prepare myself as well as I can. In Panama I elected to go to a school in Panama city in an area reputed to be safe. At the school I was told to « stay on the bricks, you are safe on the bricks. » the streets of Casco Viejo are bricked. Past the bricks you are not always safe and alone at night as a woman and obviously a tourist, you are not safe. In the end I did venture off the bricks, in other safe areas and my travels were enriched by it. But for this trip, in this case there has been so much in the media and on fb about the troubles in the US, and so much about Mexico it’s hard not to be influenced. I have traveled to Mexico and around Mexico before and I have felt quite comfortable there. So I felt that the odds really were on my side in the journey.
San Carlos is somewhat remote, in that is a very small town, out of the way of main thoroughfares. The most economical way to get to San Carlos Mexico is to fly to Tucson AZ, and then take a bus from a bus station about 20 minutes away from the airport by taxi. One of the buses does do an almost direct route to Guaymas, Sonora, clearing customs at Nogales, and doing a quick stop in Hermosillo before going down to Guaymas. The last bit of the trip was by taxi to my hotel in San Carlos.
Although I was reluctant to go that way, I really had very little choice. The cost of getting to Hermosillo by air was not reasonable and I would have needed a bus anyways, or to rent a car somewhere along the way.
I was reluctant because of all the shootings in the USA. I had also heard, and for years, some unpleasant reports about going through Mexico by road, by night. Oh yes, did I mention that my last flight arrived in Tucson just as the sun set. It was dark by the time I retrieved my suitcase from the baggage claim and went looking for the taxi stands. It isn’t just the dark, it’s also that when arriving late, most employees are gone. Information was closed, most of the booths were closed as were the restaurants. Mostly though is the fact that there really is no one there to ask directions to. Eventually though, I did spot the taxi stands and headed across the street to find a taxi.
Reluctant, is just another way to say that I was worried about the outcome of this trip. I always try to arrive at destination by mid afternoon, to give myself plenty of time to find my way in daylight. This just couldn’t be arranged for this trip, so there I was. It was some consolation to have set up the location device on my phone so Nathalie could see where I was. At least, as long as I had my phone I could be found… or my phone could be found.
I didn’t even have to hail that taxi, he saw me coming and he was hailing me, the trunk was open already and my suitcase flung in the back while I hoped in. The taxi driver spoke with such a thick Spanish accent we spoke in Spanish… his flowed mine stumbled, but we understood each other. He knew the bus terminal, so no problem. This very kind man insisted on taking my suitcase inside and deposited it right in front of the wicket. There, Spanish flowed on, and the ticket on my phone turned into a paper ticket for the bus which was an hour away. The waiting room filled slowly with passengers going back to Mexico and little children sleeping. The bus finally arrived, I was handed a little bag of snacks and water for the trip and I went to my assigned seat. This Executivo bus was probably the most comfortable bus I have ever been on. I need not say just how pleasant and comfortable the trip was. I slept some, and read a bit, enjoyed my own snacks and drank my water. Customs at Nogales was uneventful. Our bags were unloaded, and put through the X-ray machine or whatever it is, and we picked them up on the other side. No one asked or looked at my passport except when my paper ticket was issued back in Tucson. And as that wasn’t a customs officer my passport was not stamped… am I even in Mexico now? Arrival in guaymas was accompanied by the sun rising over purple mountains, and we slipped into the bus terminal. It was too early there for the information booth, if there was one, to be opened, so I wandered about the station a bit to find the wifi password, and then went outside to find a taxi. About 20 mins later, one found me and drove me straight to my hotel, informing me that there are many Canadians in San Carlos!
There I was. End of the trip which went very well. I was safe all the way there. I am so glad I overrode my fears and worries, I enjoyed the voyage, the people I encountered and this new experience!
I guess with every trip I am a little more knowledgeable, a little more confident, with every trip I am glad I didn’t let my guard down, I did my research and always kept my wits about me. Also I trusted in a successful outcome because there are more kind people out there than the media would have us believe.
And loving it! A new experience for sure!
