El Viaje...SoB*

Lunes 10 – Miercoles 12 Sep 2012.  Another night with restless sleep. Monday morning we arose at 5:30am, as we want to be at the border about 7am. We asked last night about how to find the border crossing from here. Take bridge #2 we were told. And where might that be? Just go straight down I-35 at the front of our hotel. It will end and continue as a street leading right to the bridge and you cannot miss it. We had gassed up the night before, so we were as ready as could be. Dan is now more nervous about things since Carmen does not speak Spanish yet, so it all now falls to him to interpret all the signs and directions, plus maneuver the car defensively thru Nuevo Laredo traffic. (He actually hasn't driven in Mexico since a one day jaunt down to Ensenada in Baja California, part of a cross country road trip with high school friends the summer after graduation.) We had re-read all our info (printed from web forum posts made by other ex-pats) the night before about where to go and what to do once across. Hoping to follow it exactly so as not to be shot at. Carmen checked with the motel desk clerk when she turned in the keycard, and learned there was a US$3 toll to cross the bridge (which will be our last use of US money for a while). Off we drive to see what mexperiences await. *SoB – south of the border

Sure enough, after handing over our bridge toll, signage begins in Spanish – giant signs across the road to tell us which lane to get into. We immediately had to choose the proper lane to be in. Do we have anything to declare? The car is full after all, but most of it's just “stuff,” with nothing of any significant value. Maybe we have to declare the cats? Decided to get in the “Nothing to Declare” lane. At this point you can get a green light which allows you to just continue on, or you can get the red light which means you pull over into the open garage area and customs officials have the option to ask you to remove everything out of the car for inspection. Booya, we got the green light! Must admit that the officials could have chosen to relieve us of some items, or levy a small duty on us. Guess there were just too many others passing thru with loaded pickups, vans or small trailers to bother with just a sedan.

We followed the big blue signs as told to do in our info from the web. A large sign across the road said to make a U turn (retorno) to the left. We knew that at some point we had to go back under the bridge that we crossed over to get to the buildings where our passport & visa would be inspected, and where we'd get our permit to bring the car into the country. Turned out that after the U turn, we discovered there were two roads paralleling each other, and we had taken the closest, and wrong, one – it was not going under the bridge but into the city. Consider that there are policemen with rifles all over the place...now what? Shortly there was no traffic, no police at the moment, and a possible U turn spot. Dan whipped around, going over the previously traveled road expecting to hear sirens. Again we were lucky. Got on to the correct road and in a minute or so we were in front of the correct building. Pulled left into the parking lot only to discover we were in the bus lot. Got back out and drove a few paces to the correct lot. This was the one time that we had to leave kitties in the car with rolled up windows. Was a bit after 7AM and the sun had not heated things up yet. Oh thank you Lord.

We both walked up the flight of steps into the long building. Papers in hand. Dan asked the first person he saw in the first of close to 100 offices along the one wall, just where to go. Everyone else at this spot was filling out FMM visa forms. The man assured us that we did not need one. We did not really believe him, but could find no forms to fill out, so we went to the window he sent us to. No line here, where the young lady looked at our documents to make sure that we had all the correct items and the perquisite number of copies. Then next to another window where there was a line. Waited quite awhile as no one else seemed to have all their papers together like we thought we did. Meanwhile shift change was happening. Over and over. There would be at any time one to five clerks to wait on us. The clerks would just take off and turn people over to another clerk, in the middle of processing them. Now we noticed, of course, that everyone else had those FMM visas we had seen earlier. We knew of course that on an airplane even citizens of Mexico had to fill out this form for re-entry. What could we do – just stand in line.

Finally our turn came. New surge of nervousness. Dan hands the fellow our paperwork. We indeed had everything we needed. It took about 45 minutes to process us here. The temporary vehicle importation permit, with an official decal which is adhered to the front windshield, is tied to our No Inmigrante visa, which expires next July. The visa gets renewed yearly, in Córdoba, for the next five years, at which point we can apply for Inmigrante status or start another five year No Inmigrante series. All this means is that we have only a one year permit for the car. We assume there must also be a way to renew the car permit each July, hopefully not involving a trip back to a border station. Since then Frank has told us that there is a law where vehicle renewal is not necessary as long as we have the long term visas, provided we have a copy of the appropriate law with the papers in the vehicle to prove this fact to an adamant traffic cop. Dan was handed all the papers, and paid the US$300 fee for a 2006 vehicle, charged to our Mastercard. Discovered his name was spelled wrong, so all the papers had to be done again. Thank heavens we checked everything before leaving the window. Availed ourselves of the free restrooms there, then back to our car. Very happy with our decal to stick on our windshield. Found kitties in good shape. The car interior had not gotten hot. And no, we never needed the FMM document, our plastic visa card showing that we were residents was enough.

Now, two hours have passed since we crossed bridge #2, and its time to leave this parking lot and continue on to the animal/plant inspection point, and then the later interior check point south of the city. Dan told Carmen to look at our printed directions. Oh no, I don't need to she says. You go to the further end of this parking lot and turn left. Positive. Good. So off we go and we are getting more and more puzzled, since we both remembered that there was supposed to be very little traffic on a bypass route, yet here we are on city streets in rush hour Hmm. OK, Carmen read the papers another time. Oops! We should have turned right out of the last buildings instead of left. We certainly did not want to backtrack, and we both felt that we were going the right direction – so on we went. About half an hour out of town we saw a plant-animal inspection station sign. However, we couldn't see a building to go with the sign, so the cats got into the country without anyone seeing their paperwork. On we drove, now about twenty minutes south of the city, where sure enough – here was the interior check point. We of course stopped at the barrier where many security guards stood about, and again choose the nothing to declare line. Remember the red/green light? We got a green light again – so on Dan drove. Now he has only driven maybe 45 minutes of his 2.5 hours since we left the US, so far. He did however have to talk to everyone for us. Carmen told him to pull over at the soonest possible place, which happened as we got onto the toll road (cuota) a bit past the inspection station. She would consider all his talking & dealing with the officials as part of his driving shift time. Now wasn't that nice of Carmen?

We had read that this part of the drive south of the border, between Nuevo Laredo and San Luis Potosí was the most trying of our journey – hills and curves. No sooner did Carmen mention the nice straight road when boom! Talk about high steep climbs and sharp curves. The road was a divided toll road and in excellent shape – but WOW it was difficult. Very glad to have that part of the trip over with. Getting gas was no problem, as Pemex stations (prices just a bit less than currently in the US) are spotted frequently along the route. Thereafter we came into beautiful green covered landscapes. Pleasant drive and we just ate what we had of our car food. Late that afternoon we made our planned stopping point, Matehuala. Dan noted that this town's name is a sort of syllable reversal/change of how Guatemala may be pronounced. (“Matewala”--”Watemala”)

We exited the cuota highway and drove in on the business route, so we could check out the town. Carmen watched for topes, speed bumps that are an effective obstacle keeping local traffic to low speeds. Dan had a list of motels here, and a map of town printed from Google Earth. Saw the inexpensive Capri north of the town center that some have recommended—it looked a little seedy. Then we passed the spacious Midway Inn Las Palmas, the place many ex-pats stay. We ended up staying at a lovely motel, the Parador Don Juan just south of the gateway arch in Matehuala, where the manager, who had worked in the US at one time, said of course we could take our cats inside with us. Big room, lots of hot water, air-conditioner, and very clean, for MX$400 per night (about US$30), one quarter of the price we would have paid at Las Palmas (and, would they have allowed the cats?). There was a fried chicken restaurant a few doors down and the food was scrumptious. Note that we could have made the travel thru Mexico in two days, but the days would have been a bit long and it would have taken us thru the last mountain range, with the dramatic drop into western Veracruz, after dark. Did not want that. We were happy with the shorter days of driving, and no urgency about being off the roads before dark, or wondering if we could find a room in the late evening.

Started this Tuesday morning out fresh as could be. Snacked along the way with car food. Saw lots of goats being herded, and also cattle tied or guarded along the road and in median strip. No land being wasted. Several more signs for plant-animal inspection stations, but no visible stations themselves. We realized by now these were for transporters of farm products going across the state borders—surely they wouldn't be interested in the two felines. After leaving Matehuala we headed south, noting the roads off to Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende, and past Querétaro and San Juan del Rio, and shortly thereafter we picked up the Arco Norte (the new bypass route that skirts to the north of Mexico City). Here we got the second rain of the trip, quick deluges, intermittent for a little more than an hour. We had a bit of sporadic rain in the States, and we had used that time to listen to a recorded book on a set of four CDs. We had discovered that it was not possible to hear the book well enough when we had the windows opened, which was most of the trip. So the book was relegated to rainy stretches and the few times we had the air conditioner on. We finished the book on today's run. Today we planned to be on the bypass for just a short time, as Tula would be our stopping point in the evening. By the time we got near there however, it just seemed too early to stop.

We took another look at the road atlas and decided to complete the Arco and drive on a bit farther to Cholula.. We had spent a night there with Judy, Tammy & Jason, when we visited the pyramid there. One of the largest in Mexico, and only a wee bit has been excavated. Cholula is a smaller town just west of Puebla, a large colonial city where we knew there would be a problem finding reasonably priced lodgings, to say nothing of having the cats with us. We drove into the west side of town and of course did not know the town at all. Dan had not been prepared to visit here, and did not have maps printed or scoped out the hotel scene—we just hope we'd get into the area where we had stayed once before. Wandered about a bit on narrow cobbled streets, and finally saw the pyramid off to our right, towering above town. Drove a bit farther east til we almost passed a possibility, which proved to be the “SuperMotel,” a quick right turn thru the portal and we were in, obviously, a “no tell motel.”

How interesting—the price list on the wall had a MX$150 special for five hours, and a 12 hour rate for MX$200. You pay for your room which includes a garage which you drive into and then the garage door is locked behind you. From there you go into your room. In some of these facilities, they are rented by the hour--the five hour limit told us we were dealing with, perhaps, one small step above the hourly type. Dan spoke to the attendant and asked where the office was. We assume that usually the attendant would be the only one you'd see, paying her cash, no registration, no names, etc. Dan explained to the man in the office that we wouldn't leave until the following morning, and he offered us a rate of MX$280 (US$21) for 24 hours use of the facilities. Drove around again until the attendant waved us towards one of the rooms, collected our pesos, then pressed her remote to slide the door closed behind the car. They didn't notice the cat kennels, and of course once we were shut in, who could tell? It was quite an experience for us. Kitties loved all the different levels in the room, which was equipped with marble accoutrements, a bedside toilet paper dispenser, rubber liners under the clean sheets and pillow cases, huge bath towels, a bidet in the bathroom and free porn on five channels of the TV. We wondered why there was no mirror on the ceiling. Would have been almost elegant if the carpet had been in better shape. Once you leave this place you do not get back in, so we ate cold pork & beans with crackers for supper. I guess we could have ordered take-out off the printed menu in the room (replete with the back illustrating sex toys one could buy),delivered right to the room. There was even a little “air lock” type cabinet on the front wall, so that anything one ordered could be paid for and passed thru without any faces being revealed.

Wednesday morning has arrived, our last day of driving. Now you understand, we have never been in one of these hotels before. Should be easy to get out. However it took us some time to figure out how to operate the garage door opener. It proved to be a button on the wall near the entrance that we had taken for the doorbell. We had been worried that we might not be able to take the cats into lodgings here south of the border, as few Mexicans travel with pets, and few hotels will accommodate them. But we lucked out, and in a pinch in the future will not be reticent to drive into one of those interesting motels surrounded by high walls and equipped with individual garages. As we left, a red pickup entered. The women in the passenger seat was scrunched down, bent over and had her hands covering most of her face. Wonder what she thought of the folks driving out not trying to hide their identities at all?

A note here on the toll roads. The entire trip in Mexico cost about US$85 in tolls, a quarter of which was on the new Arco Norte. The cost was well worth it to us, as these highways are very safe, good roads, equipped with passing lanes, where we could maintain a better than 60mph rate for the most part. (Except for that tropical downpour Tuesday that cut visibility to almost zero and the speed to match, for a short time.) Every several kilometers there are pull-offs for repairs, a supply of radiator water, and occasionally an emergency telephone. On the Arco Norte we were given a plastic card to carry with us and to pay when we got off. All the other cuota routes had periodic toll booths that varied in cost. We could have made most of the trip on libre roads, free to travel on, but they would have been thru all the pueblitos, towns and cities, and the trip would have taken much longer due to local traffic, pedestrians on the road, topes, etc.

Again Dan studied the map and discovered there was a bypass around the south side of Puebla. We have been on buses thru Puebla and the traffic is horrendous. We needed gas right away, since we are still not letting our tank get below half. We were unsure how to get onto the peripheral bypass (periferico), since the signing was strange to us. We inquired at the gas station, and the only periferico the young attendant knew of was the one around the north of the city. We did not believe his directions, taking us back north and west, so on we drove in the direction we had headed, found the entrance ramp to the correct highway and proceeded easily most of the way around the city. Then Molly, the voice of our GPS, told us to make a turn. [Dan just realized that in Spanish, this name would be pronounced as “Moh-ye-yee” so he will hereinafter spell it as “Mali” which is pronounced the same in both languages.] She could be very insistent. When we were obviously in a new construction area, as this was, we were usually right to ignore her and follow the road signs. But, we are suspicious that here on the SE side of Puebla we should of listened to her. We ended up on narrow busy streets for awhile, with lots of unmarked topes. A cautious look to the cars up the road going over the bumps usually gave us enough warning. We were heavily loaded, and only a couple times did we hit on the frame between the sets of wheels. Did finally get back on the toll road which runs between Puebla and the port city Veracruz on the Gulf coast. Dan drove til we got near the mountain pass dropping from La Esperanza into western Veracruz state. Then Carmen took over because Dan wanted to take pictures. We happily cruised along, stopping for special views of the overwhelmingly green, mountainous landscape and the snow-covered Pico de Orizaba (18,000 + ft high) north of the highway. When we were most of the way down on the east side of the pass, traffic came to a standstill in both lanes. The cause was road resurfacing, and we spent an extra hour here inching forward. On the valley floor traffic opened up and we cruised past Rio Blanco and Orizaba without a hitch.

We took the cuota right to the edge of Fortín, and paid the final MX$10 toll on the exit ramp down into our new hometown. Stopped by the Super Ahorros grocery store for some produce and bakery goods. Drove on to our blue house, Casa Azuledos. Was so very good to be at the end of the journey. We could not have asked for a better trip. Guess it was simply meant to be.