Our Next Trip South 2007
Nogales, Arizona - As soon as we passed south of Tucson, AZ the road signs listed distances in kilometers instead of miles. Seemed strange. We arrived in Nogales around mid-afternoon and found the same RV park we stayed in in 1978 - Mi Casa RV. It looked the same; some of the motorhomes there were old enough they might have been there in ’78.
We got an early start and arrived at the border around 7:30. For us Friday morning was a good time to cross - no lines - no waiting. All buildings are well marked and everything you need to make crossing easy is right there: a kiosk to make copies, a money exchange and an insurance broker.
You enter the first building where you show your passport and get your Tourist Card - maximum stay in Mexico is 180 days, but it can be renewed if needed. The official told us we needed copies of our passports and Tourist Cards for the vehicle permits. One set for each vehicle.
Right outside the door is a kiosk to make the copies 25 cents per copy. That done we went to get the vehicle permits. There was no problem with both the motorhome and jeep being in one person’s name. We needed to show the originals of the titles, registrations, passports, tourist cards and give them copies of everything.
For the motorhome we had to complete a declaration form for the aduanas listing in general the accessories and equipment in it i.e. TV, DVD, computers, air conditioning, microwaves, washer, tools etc. The permit for the motorhome is for 10 years and costs $50 US. Then we received a sticker to place in the windshield.
The permit for the jeep is good for only 180 days. The cost is $25 US and cannot be cash, it has to go on a credit card that is the same name as the vehicle owner. Also received a sticker for the windshield.
At the same window we paid $22 US each for our Tourist Cards.
We had already purchased insurance for both vehicles and had changed money in Nogales. So we were done and ready to go.
Pulled out of the parking lot and went through the booth and stopped for the inspection. The police man came in looked around for a couple of minutes spotted a Playboy magazine on the table and picked it up. When Bill told him he could have it he smiled, thanked us and wished us a good journey. Not a cupboard or drawer got opened.
The highway is a toll road and cost $25 US from the border to Hermosillo approximately 175 miles. Most of the road is divided highway, two lanes going each way. Some of it has wide shoulders, other parts of it have NO shoulders and in some places parts of the white line are missing. The lanes are narrower then what we are used to but trucks and busses passed us with no problem. More rather than less of the pavement was pretty rough. I asked Bill to rate the road and he said, “Using the standards of the US on a scale of 1 to 10 it would probably be a six. The worst thing part is the drop off where there is no shoulder. If you drop a wheel over you are in big trouble.” Passed by a couple of inspection points but were waved right through.
The web page is meant to be more for information then anything. The Travel Blog contains more daily living information.
Hermosillo - we found a brand new campground just before you get into Hermosillo. The Sonora RV Park - it’s only been open a couple of weeks. One site, the one we had had a 50 amp outlet. Fast and dependable Wi-Fi was available. The restrooms were clean. I would recommend it. As far as we know it is the only RV park in town. We spent some time driving around the city looking for a panaderia but couldn't find one as we really didn't want to get off the main roads and get lost. I remembered that the traffic south of the border was wild, but I had forgotten how wild. Now Las Vegas drivers look good. It didn't take Bill long to get back into the swing of it though. Sometimes I just close my eyes and hold on. In and around Hermosillo our cell phone worked - we use Verizon.
There are many many road signs for the driver along the highway. I've included a few of them with loose translations. I'll update them from time to time as I see more. So keep checking back.
Bahia Kino - left the next morning for short 75 mile drive to Bahia Kino right on the Gulf of California. The road there - Highway 16 - is a good road. The only problem you have to drive right through Hermosillo to get on it. Watch out for the other drivers! Once on it it was a nice ride, actually a better road than the toll road of yesterday. The highway is a little strange - there is the yellow center line and then on each side a dotted white line. Makes you think there are two lanes going each way. But there isn't - the outside lane is not a real lane too narrow for anything except a motorcycle. There are several RV parks in Bahia Kino. The ones right on the beach were full as it is Semana Santa - Spring Break. All have full hook ups but some only have 15 amps. We stayed at Kino Bay RV. It's at the very end of town across the street from the water. The spaces are large and easy to get in and out of. We have full hook ups with 50 amps and the park has Wi-Fi
(for me it comes and goes - though for Bill and Jeff it works perfectly.) One
strange thing about this park - the hookups are on the right side of the space so
all cords, hoses etc. have to be pulled under the motorhome to reach the
connections.
Glad we have long cords and hoses. Each space has a patio with a roof over it.
The bathrooms are very clean; the showers hot and entrance is only with a key.
We are adding chlorine (just household bleach) to the water and we have a water purification system in the kitchen. You add 2 drops of bleach for each liter of water. You can smell the chlorine - if it's too strong you added too much, if you can't smell it add more.
The cell phone doesn't work any where in this area.
When we first arrived here the beaches were almost empty. The main street, Mar de Cortez, through town was two-way traffic and there were only a few temporary food stands. Since yesterday the main street is now one-way heading towards where we are camped. The way back to Kino Viejo is a dirt road behind the town. Today, Good Friday, the beaches are jammed packed. Vendors selling everything from sun glasses to cotton candy walk back and forth. Some families have four or five tents and everything else they need to be self sufficient until Sunday when they return to Hermosillo. All the lots on both sides of the street that were empty now have tents, trucks and food stands crammed together on them. The smell of food cooking and the sound of music float in the air from sunrise till well after sunset.
When we first arrived I remarked on not seeing any police or soldiers with guns like we did in ’78. In the last two days their presence has mushroomed. There are fire trucks and ambulances parked along the street and police on bicycles, ATVs, cars and pick ups. All are extremely polite and helpful. Especially when we were going the wrong way on the one way street (that last time we used it was two way - there were no signs saying anything. I guess the town just knows it happens.)
We found an excellent restaurant Jorge’s - it is almost at the north end of the main street. They open at 9 a.m. and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and a mean margarita. It’s right on the beach and you can eat on the patio
We got an early start and arrived at the border around 7:30. For us Friday morning was a good time to cross - no lines - no waiting. All buildings are well marked and everything you need to make crossing easy is right there: a kiosk to make copies, a money exchange and an insurance broker.
You enter the first building where you show your passport and get your Tourist Card - maximum stay in Mexico is 180 days, but it can be renewed if needed. The official told us we needed copies of our passports and Tourist Cards for the vehicle permits. One set for each vehicle.
Right outside the door is a kiosk to make the copies 25 cents per copy. That done we went to get the vehicle permits. There was no problem with both the motorhome and jeep being in one person’s name. We needed to show the originals of the titles, registrations, passports, tourist cards and give them copies of everything.
For the motorhome we had to complete a declaration form for the aduanas listing in general the accessories and equipment in it i.e. TV, DVD, computers, air conditioning, microwaves, washer, tools etc. The permit for the motorhome is for 10 years and costs $50 US. Then we received a sticker to place in the windshield.
The permit for the jeep is good for only 180 days. The cost is $25 US and cannot be cash, it has to go on a credit card that is the same name as the vehicle owner. Also received a sticker for the windshield.
At the same window we paid $22 US each for our Tourist Cards.
We had already purchased insurance for both vehicles and had changed money in Nogales. So we were done and ready to go.
Pulled out of the parking lot and went through the booth and stopped for the inspection. The police man came in looked around for a couple of minutes spotted a Playboy magazine on the table and picked it up. When Bill told him he could have it he smiled, thanked us and wished us a good journey. Not a cupboard or drawer got opened.
The highway is a toll road and cost $25 US from the border to Hermosillo approximately 175 miles. Most of the road is divided highway, two lanes going each way. Some of it has wide shoulders, other parts of it have NO shoulders and in some places parts of the white line are missing. The lanes are narrower then what we are used to but trucks and busses passed us with no problem. More rather than less of the pavement was pretty rough. I asked Bill to rate the road and he said, “Using the standards of the US on a scale of 1 to 10 it would probably be a six. The worst thing part is the drop off where there is no shoulder. If you drop a wheel over you are in big trouble.” Passed by a couple of inspection points but were waved right through.
The web page is meant to be more for information then anything. The Travel Blog contains more daily living information.
Hermosillo - we found a brand new campground just before you get into Hermosillo. The Sonora RV Park - it’s only been open a couple of weeks. One site, the one we had had a 50 amp outlet. Fast and dependable Wi-Fi was available. The restrooms were clean. I would recommend it. As far as we know it is the only RV park in town. We spent some time driving around the city looking for a panaderia but couldn't find one as we really didn't want to get off the main roads and get lost. I remembered that the traffic south of the border was wild, but I had forgotten how wild. Now Las Vegas drivers look good. It didn't take Bill long to get back into the swing of it though. Sometimes I just close my eyes and hold on. In and around Hermosillo our cell phone worked - we use Verizon.
There are many many road signs for the driver along the highway. I've included a few of them with loose translations. I'll update them from time to time as I see more. So keep checking back.
Bahia Kino - left the next morning for short 75 mile drive to Bahia Kino right on the Gulf of California. The road there - Highway 16 - is a good road. The only problem you have to drive right through Hermosillo to get on it. Watch out for the other drivers! Once on it it was a nice ride, actually a better road than the toll road of yesterday. The highway is a little strange - there is the yellow center line and then on each side a dotted white line. Makes you think there are two lanes going each way. But there isn't - the outside lane is not a real lane too narrow for anything except a motorcycle. There are several RV parks in Bahia Kino. The ones right on the beach were full as it is Semana Santa - Spring Break. All have full hook ups but some only have 15 amps. We stayed at Kino Bay RV. It's at the very end of town across the street from the water. The spaces are large and easy to get in and out of. We have full hook ups with 50 amps and the park has Wi-Fi
(for me it comes and goes - though for Bill and Jeff it works perfectly.) One
strange thing about this park - the hookups are on the right side of the space so
all cords, hoses etc. have to be pulled under the motorhome to reach the
connections.
Glad we have long cords and hoses. Each space has a patio with a roof over it.
The bathrooms are very clean; the showers hot and entrance is only with a key.
We are adding chlorine (just household bleach) to the water and we have a water purification system in the kitchen. You add 2 drops of bleach for each liter of water. You can smell the chlorine - if it's too strong you added too much, if you can't smell it add more.
The cell phone doesn't work any where in this area.
When we first arrived here the beaches were almost empty. The main street, Mar de Cortez, through town was two-way traffic and there were only a few temporary food stands. Since yesterday the main street is now one-way heading towards where we are camped. The way back to Kino Viejo is a dirt road behind the town. Today, Good Friday, the beaches are jammed packed. Vendors selling everything from sun glasses to cotton candy walk back and forth. Some families have four or five tents and everything else they need to be self sufficient until Sunday when they return to Hermosillo. All the lots on both sides of the street that were empty now have tents, trucks and food stands crammed together on them. The smell of food cooking and the sound of music float in the air from sunrise till well after sunset.
When we first arrived I remarked on not seeing any police or soldiers with guns like we did in ’78. In the last two days their presence has mushroomed. There are fire trucks and ambulances parked along the street and police on bicycles, ATVs, cars and pick ups. All are extremely polite and helpful. Especially when we were going the wrong way on the one way street (that last time we used it was two way - there were no signs saying anything. I guess the town just knows it happens.)
We found an excellent restaurant Jorge’s - it is almost at the north end of the main street. They open at 9 a.m. and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and a mean margarita. It’s right on the beach and you can eat on the patio
Crossing the border from Nogales, AZ into Mexico was a plesant surprise. All paperwork was completed efficiently and without any problems.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
The states we visited in Mexico