HASTA LA VISTA MEXICO!

            We headed for the coast.  Our route took us through the mountains and past fields of blue agave.  Tucked up in the rugged hills is the town of Tequila, the birthplace of its namesake liquor.  Our trip up the West Coast began at Playa de los Cocos, a beautiful wide beach on the Pacific Ocean.  We set up camp just a few feet from the surf amid coconut palms at the foot of a steep bluff. 

 We were not alone.  On this beach and the many others where we camped, there were Mexican families on vacation or a weekend outing.  They brought picnic lunches or bought from the many vendors who plied their goods from bicycles, motorcycles and small trucks.  Roving mariachis provided entertainment.

            Even on the coast, the mountains are not far away.  The flat coastal plains spread quickly to the foot of the Western Sierra Madres.  Tucked away in these rugged mountains are small communities.  Some date back to colonial times.  A few miles from our beachside camp at Hautobampito is the small artsy town of Alamos.  Many of its buildings were built during the 17th and 18th centuries.

 Its church is a magnet for art students who come to draw its doors and walls and domed roof.  Families gather in the square across from the church to play and socialize with friends.  The narrow cobblestone streets are lined with colorful shops and exquisite doors set in the brown adobe walls.

 Our final “beachside” camp was at San Carlos, just a couple of short days from the US.  San Carlos is “Mexico Lite.”  You can enjoy Mexican cuisine and music at the many restaurants and bars.  Most of the signs are in English and many people speak a flawless English.  The main streets are wide, smooth and clean.  Even the air seems different.  

            We felt like we were already back in the States.  San Carlos is more a retirement community for Norteamericanos than a Mexican village.  It is surrounded by sea and sand.  On the one side is the Sea of Cortez and on the other the Sonoran desert.  Just a few miles from the sea, the desert plains give way to raw mountains and rugged canyons that defy civilization.

            Our final night in Mexico was spent at Ana and Edgar’s Punta Vista RV Park.  Ana was having some health issues but Edgar was more than willing to spend some time with us.  He has led a colorful life.  In the Sixties, he traveled throughout Mexico with his Rock and Roll band.  He learned to speak English by singing American Rock and Roll.  It was while he was with the band that he met Ana who is from Mississippi.  He became a local hero when he rescued someone during a flash flood.  Sadly, he was injured in a motorcycle accident.  He wasn’t wearing a helmet and his head struck a concrete wall which caused brain damage.  The left side of his body is paralyzed.  He gets around amazingly well in spite of the handicap.  He and Ana have run the park since 1984.

            It was with a certain amount of sadness and an equal amount of relief that we bid goodbye to Mexico.  We spent over 6 weeks and traveled over 3300 miles in some of the most arresting scenery in the world.  We swam in the Pacific Ocean, met a lot of wonderful people and put to rest the myth that Americans harbor about Mexico.  We will miss the colorful and often whimsical ways that people decorate their homes.  We will miss the tropical flowers.

Of course, we aren’t home yet and still have lots to see.