Musings, Observations, and Opinions of a First Time Mexico Traveler
The Trip
As a 19 year resident of Tucson I had never even been to the Mexican border. In July of 2009 I learned that an oldies rock n’ roll band (the Retro Rockets) that I follow was going to play on the beach in San Carlos. I decided to go. And, contrary to everyone’s suggestions and advice for my first trip into Mexico, I drove alone in a new car. As might be expected, I had an auto accident. This trip was the middle of August and my next trip will be Thanksgiving weekend. I will be returning at least twice a year in the future.
The Destination and Accommodations
Wow! My original plans were for four days only. Within two hours of arriving I changed my plans to stay for eight days. I stayed at Posada Condominiums and that was a very important element in my enjoyment of San Carlos. I sat on my patio each morning and had my coffee. After coffee I would walk about 25 yards and be in the water. I had a fully functional kitchen stocked with dishes and coffee maker. The condo staff was very friendly and helpful. The General Manager and his wife even went to the police station with me to serve as interpreters/advocates in the auto accident issue. About 70 yards away was a bar and restaurant- La Palapa Griega- that was a very pleasant place with helpful staff to enjoy the beach from. Their food was an interesting blend of Greek and Mexican. Every time I purchased an item I was pleasantly surprised by the price. Everywhere I went shopping I found the same low prices and very friendly people.
Almost every type of water recreation you can imagine is available. My November trip will be shorter than the 8 days of this trip but I hope to include snorkeling and maybe a dinner cruise on the Hattie Annie. The views of and from the coastline are beyond description. Take a good camera. Although I didn’t get to go out on a boat I saw a lot of wildlife. It is just amazing to be standing about 40 feet out in the water and have fish swimming around your legs. One morning while I was having coffee on my patio I got a picture of dolphins swimming along the beach right in front of the condo. In 8 days I tried many different food establishments and, while some stood out, they all served very good food and had friendly staff. I even drank the water and had no problems.
The Borders
The Mexican Border crossing was very simple. I chose to drive through the border in Nogales for the experience. I stopped and got my tourist permit. The bank where I was supposed to pay for the permit was closed so the gentleman at the permit counter told me to “not worry about it”. On my way out I learned that the solution is to pay for it on the way out-very simple process. US Customs was a different matter. Had I packed all of my fragiles in cardboard they wouldn’t have been an issue. As I started getting close to the gate I thought for sure I was on my way now because I surely can’t fit anyone’s profile of a criminal. Surprise! They sent me to a side gate, escorted me to a waiting room and searched my vehicle. After they finished (there was nothing that they could have been interested in) I was walking out with the agent and he got distracted by another person. A young man standing close to me told me that they ran a dog through my vehicle several times and went through all off the contents. I commented that I had no idea why they would do this and he told me that my vehicle looked like a “drug dealer’s car”. Oh well. I had some pottery that was just wrapped in newspaper and plastic and they damaged the only one I bought for myself. No big deal – next time they will be in cardboard.
Oh Yeah-The Wreck
No big deal. Do what you are supposed to do and everything will be fine. San Carlos has some “business access” roads off of the main road that work very well. The right lane of the two lane is used for travel and parking. I was headed to dinner one evening and shortly after getting on the access road I found both lanes blocked. The occupants of the two vehicles were carrying on a conversation through their vehicle windows. I stopped to wait while they palavered in the middle of the road. I had just been there about 30 seconds when a vehicle slammed into the rear of my vehicle and knocked me into the vehicle parked in the driving only lane. Very quickly there were police everywhere and what appeared to be total chaos ensued. Everything was actually handled pretty well in spite of the appearance of chaos. I had two meeting at the police station with officers, drivers, and insurance adjusters. Just for the record, the person who actually was the root cause of the accident (one parked in the driving lane) was an American from Colorado and not a local. The insurance company gave me a report with the phone number of a US adjuster to handle the claim and, so far, everything is going just like it is supposed to. They have authorized the Toyota dealer that sold me the car to repair it. If you buy your Mexico insurance and respect the cultural differences it is not that difficult to deal with an accident. I did learn one thing of value that will dictate how I do things for future trips. I bought my original Mexico insurance online through AAA – bad idea! I extended my stay by four days so Sunday night at midnight I ran out of coverage. I sent e-mails to AAA well into Sunday evening to try and extend the policy but they were no help. First thing Monday morning I went on a mission to find more insurance-Posada’s management to the rescue again. They gave me names of two agents including one for Mapfre and I purchased another four day policy from them. It took them about 7-8 minutes to do the policy and get me out the door. The agent (Guillermo Iberri) was also very helpful after the accident. He said that in the future all I have to do is e-mail him the info and he will do the policy and provide whatever support he can. (www.mapfre.com), (memoiberri@hotmail.com), (memoiberri@prodigy.net.mx). That will be my solution for future trips.
Safety
As evidenced by the fact that my first trip into Mexico was 250 miles across the border, by myself, and in a new vehicle, I was never concerned about safety. My eight days in Sonora only reinforced my lack of concern over safety issues. Respect the laws and culture, be observant, and don’t get stupid, and you will be safe. The people are very friendly, gracious, and helpful-try to fit in.
