M.E.X.I.C.O.C.U.

Tuesday 16th April - Tuesday 23rd April

So this week was a bit of a blur. I had been looking forward to getting to mainland Mexico, or el interior, because a lot of people told me that Baja is not real Mexico. On the other hand, many of the same people also warned about dangerous parts to the interior, so I didn't know quite what to expect. My initial experience fell into the 'none of the above' category, and was a blur of great people, places, and parties - mainly thanks to couchsurfing. Before any of that though, we still had to get out of the water.

The whole hauling the boat out of the water thing was quite a spectacle. It was all cranes and harness, followed by struts and straps, and all of a sudden you are living on your boat again, just on land this time.

After packing my things, I bade Jay farewell, and rode of in search of my couchsurfing host in Guaymas. I was riding around the suburbs after dark, like I make a point of not doing usually, and I was struck by how safe it felt. People were everywhere, usually staring at the crazy foreigner, and it felt fine. Eventually I found the place I was looking for, met the inestimable Che, who was looking after the place in absence of its owner, and tucked in for the night. I spent the next couple of days resting and enjoying having more than a metre square living space. Che was awesome company, and the CS home was tranquil, calming, and even a little magical. My main concern during my stay was the state of my bike. I had been super worried that the week of being splashed by waves and soaking in the salty Sea of Cortez was corroding away my trip. It turned out I needn't have worried, as the bike was fine, and was soon washed of its salt encrusting and ready to go.

Che! What's so funny??

La casa de Angelica

Farewells at the terminal: Che, me, Fatima, Patricia, y Luis Omar

Che invited me up to Hermosillo, to the couchsurfing reunion there, telling me the scene up there was pretty lively. Indeed it was. I spent two days up there drinking, dancing, chatting, and exploring the town with the local couchsurfers. I met some truly unforgettable people there. It was amazing, but exhausting. I came back down to Guaymas, for a couple of days, getting ready to ride again, and then made a spur of the moment decision to put the bike on a bus to Mazatlan, and book into a hostel for a few days.

In hindsight, I think the last couple of weeks hitching and surfing, living in very close quarters with people who were almost strangers, and having very little personal space, was just beginning to tell on me. I'm a person who needs a lot of personal space at the best of times. So when I realised the road ahead wasn't going to be an interesting to ride until Mazatlan, and hence that I was going to have to hitch-hike with the bike, I just thought screw it, show me the bus schedule. Buses on mainland Mexico are pretty cheap, and I was curious to see how hard it was to take my bike and gear on a bus. Mazatlan was where I was supposed to take the ferry to anyway, so I figured it was fair enough. Also, I had found a good hostel there, which is an unusual thing in northern Mexico.

As I sat on the bus, enjoying what I realised was the first 3 or 4 hrs to myself that I'd had in weeks, it occurred to me that I'd had the authentic experiences with locals I was after - albeit not in the way I had anticipated - and the only danger I had was of not getting enough sleep or time to myself!