San Carlos Nuevo Guaymas

As I approached San Carlos / Guaymas, the road became more highway-like and things felt more urban.  I did not have an actual destination, so that made it a little difficult to know when I arrived.  I stopped at the San Carlos sign with a view of the distinctive peaks of Tetakawi.  In 2016, I sailed into this area aboard Summer.  We first arrived in Playa Algodones, looking to Tetakawi from the north.  In Rita, we were arriving from the other side – but the peaks are unmistakable and it was fun to be arriving to something somewhat familiar.  It was afternoon and I didn’t want to do a lot of touring around, I just wanted to figure out where were spending the night and maybe walk around a little bit.  I headed to Playa San Francisco, which was listed on my iOverlander app as having good spots to stay, and of course it was free.

There are actually several parking areas to Playa SF.  I stopped at one with a huge, wide open parking area right on the beach.  I stopped and walked around. It was beautiful and the view was lovely, but it felt too exposed to me and I did not feel comfortable parking overnight there.  I checked the map and found another area farther south that seemed more suitable. It also had a huge, wide open parking area, but it was not right on the beach -there were several sandy paths you could drive down, with lots of scrubby bushes and trees to the dunes.  I found a nice spot that felt cozy, it was behind a dune, so not really a view of the sea, but it was more protected from the wind and just a few hundred steps to the water.   I was only about a mile from a main area with shops and restaurants.  I settled in a little bit and decided to walk down the beach to a burger and craft beer restaurant called Turquesa/ Burgers Rrey.  I hadn’t really eaten out in weeks – I was kind of excited.

It was a beautiful walk down the beach as the sun was setting behind Tetakawi.  It was still early when I arrived at the restaurant, so it was practically empty.  I got a table outside where I could see the water and order a burger with basket of poutine fries and a flight of beer.  It was an incredibly satisfying and enjoyable.  Felt kind of fun to be back in “civilization”.   There was no dessert available at the restaurant, but the server told me there was an ice cream place a bit farther down the road.  I got to a cute coffee shop with pastries before I made it as far as the ice cream.  I got a slice of carrot cake to bring back to Rita.  I walked back along the road, there was a decent sidewalk and safety did not seem an issue.  Rita was waiting patiently for me in her sandy hidey-hole.

It was decidedly warmer and far less windy than up in Puerto Libertad.  I was so glad I decided to come down here.  I tried forgoing the heater the first night. It wasn’t TERRIBLY cold, but it was still a bit chillier than I feel comfortable dealing with.  If I have to wear a whole lot of clothing inside my own home, that is pretty annoying and uncomfortable to me.  I love it when it’s toasty enough to just hang out in a long t-shirt y nada mas!  I decided I would just have to resign myself to maintaining and dealing with the heater, and keeping the diesel tanks full.

I kicked into high gear – starting to suss out everything in the area. I needed to do laundry, find a mechanic, get groceries, find water, I needed cash, I needed diesel… I wanted a massage, a pedicure, and maybe some friends to hang out with! I know I was putting a lot of pressure on this place, but I had a good feeling about it.  There is a super helpful Facebook group here, where I have been able to learn an awful lot of things. People seem kind and helpful and I am liking the vibe of the area - even the gringos here

The spot here in San Carlos is great but it feels more utilitarian and it’s right on the beach where a lot of people are coming and going. It doesn’t feel remote at all and not very private, but it is a great location for getting things done in town, and it truly is a beautiful beach. I went to the Super Ley grocery store chain to check out the food shopping situation and see if they had an ATM. I know from experience that the Ley’s are not usually the best grocery store, but it was the only one I’d seen in town so far.  I’d rather find the smaller establishments, but it’s good to check everything out. I was able to back Rita into a spot near the building, with her back end hanging over the walkway, so she fit into the lot.  There was a good ATM in the store, which was a huge relief.  Since Rita was parked so nicely, I decided to leave her put and walk around a bit to scope out some other things

I realized I was STARVING.  There were touristy restaurants along the main street, none of them appealing, and many not open, or empty, so I kind of gave up. I walked down to the laundry shop– their per kilo rate was like 4x any I’ve ever paid for laundry service in Mexico! I was desperate for clean laundry – nothing since before Christmas!  Also, they promised if I came the next morning I could get it back the same day, which was huge, because I only have one set of sheets (who’s idea was THAT?!).  On the walk back to Rita, I passed a plain building with an Antojitos sign and no other info, and a dirty plastic magnetic curtain type doorway. I decided to poke my head in there. Jackpot! It was a crowded and bustling little restaurant. Not a gringo in sight.  I ordered a chilaquiles plate with egg. It was huge, delicious and well-priced (around $6US). So far all the beans I’ve tried in Sonora have a smoky flavor to them. I’m not sure if that’s ‘their thing’ up here or what?  They aren’t bad, but I would probably prefer non-smoky.

With a full belly, finally, and a few things sorted out, I hit the road out to Guaymas. I had been in contact with the owner of an organic shop and I wanted to see what they had and hopefully find a lot of things I needed. Finding these kind of shops everywhere I travel is kind of my hobby. And I love to support them.  I hopped back on the highway to head down the short way to Guaymas.  Rita needed some diesel, so we hopped off at a Pemex on the way.  I still could not bring myself to fill up Rita, she was pretty low, so I at least got her to half a tank.  In the conversion of pesos to dollars and liters to gallons, diesel here runs over $5/gallon – California prices!  I wasn’t planning on any long hauls anytime soon, so I figured that would hold us a while. I got to chatting with the woman pumping (you are not allowed to pump yourself in Mexico) and she said the mechanic shop next to the Pemex was a good one, and could work on Rita.  I went and spoke with a mechanic, he looked over a few things, then brought me to his boss to see about getting a estimate on some basics (oil change, transmission fluid, and finding the leak). We talked, I put their number in What’s App and sent a message, and the guy said he would send me a quote.  We shook hands and I walked away, saying to myself “I’m never going to hear from him”. And of course I did not. It’s a very strange thing I’ve experienced again and again, many times and in many situations, people often don’t want to tell you how much something costs.

I continued on to the HOF (Healthy Organic Fit) Market -it was quite easy to find and I was able to park in front.  The owner was a super nice guy and it was fun to learn about how he started the business, and I hadn’t realized it was only a month old.  He and his wife had been on vacation in Mexico City and noticed a number of these kinds of shops. When he later lost his job, they thought ‘why not try opening a business like this in Guaymas?”  It was a great looking shop with lots of Mexican made products, many I was already familiar with.  Unfortunately, Rita is still very well stocked, and there wasn’t much that I needed.  I got some great stuff and talked about some of my other favorite brands/companies that I like in Mexico.  He ordered me some nutritional yeast and said he was interested in contacting some of the other brands to increase their offerings.  I gave him some ideas for getting more people to know about his shop. I love to see businesses like this succeed!  I shared a picture of my purchase to the San Carlos FB group.

I decided I wanted to do something fun on the weekend, non-work or project related, and I was really feeling like meeting people.  I also had been thinking a lot about the kind of people I wanted to attract into my life, and setting intentions to spend my time with people and events that are healthy, positive and soul-affirming.  I saw an ad for a Temazcal ceremony (Mexican sweat lodge) and sound bath. The event spot was billed as a ‘glamping’ establishment, but it seemed like a really nice place and I thought maybe I could meet some people I might be in tune with. It was out at a tiny town called La Manga, a little to the north – seemed like another potentially nice area to hunker down a bit.

I connected with the people organizing the event and secured a spot.  I was to meet Ramon in the morning, outside the Super Ley (grocery store) to pay. While the venue charges people for camping, they said I was welcome to park on the premises overnight without paying extra (since I didn’t need to use any of their facilities).  That was a relief (the temazcal was not exactly underpriced). I was excited to have put this plan into motion.

I had to bring my laundry in, finally. The situation was getting desperate.  I managed to lug all 12 kilos of laundry into the shop, it was ridiculously expensive, but I was unable to find any place else at that time and they promised to have it back by the afternoon.  With that done, I drove down to a closeby beach, where I could park with a view of the sea, and get some work done.

I got a call that the laundry was done earlier than expected, so when I finished my work for the day, I headed back over to get it.  Since it was Friday, and early enough, I decided that I would head out and spend the night somewhere around La Manga, and then I would be closeby for the Temazcal. I stopped to top off my heater diesel. That whole rigamarole was made far easier by the station attendant who did all the heavy lifting for me. Sweet! I definitely rounded up my cash payment to him.

It was not a very long drive, around 6 miles, but it was quite a drive, with dramatic scenery, narrow, rough roads and some nostalgia as I went past places I had been around 8 years ago when we were here on the sailboat.  The village of La Manga was very rustic and cute, with a number of restaurants on the beach.  I mistakenly thought if I drove through the village I would come to places I could park on the beach.  The roads were all dirt and very rough, so I creeped through the village and out the other end – where the road just got rougher and rougher and narrow and steep.  The road split and I kept right, I could see I was going up to some kind of hill, and the road coming back from the hill looked like something I did not want to drive on.  Then I realized the road heading up hill in front of me also looked impassable for Rita.  I considered driving in reverse back down.  I was in a bit of a pickle and I was getting a bit nervous.  It seemed my best option was to back up into an uphill area that seemed clear enough to get into.  I had to make a 3 (or 4) point turn – being extra careful on the forward going as to not drive off the edge of the dropoff.  It was scary, but I did pause to snap a picture of the view!

Finally turned around, I ambled slowly back down to the village. I wasn’t sure what to do, I couldn’t figure out where the beach camping areas I’d heard of were. The village seemed to be quite busy with restaurants and fishing and structures on the beach.  There were no places I could imagine staying comfortably with Rita for the night.  I also realized I was starving.  I pulled in behind a cute restaurant with seating overlooking the beach. Parking there for the night seemed appealing, I wondered if I could sweet-talk my way into being allowed to do that?  I went and ordered a fish plate on the waiter’s recommendation. I ate a ton of chips and salsa while I waited for my fish. I took in the few and talked with a boisterous little girl who was having a ball running around the restaurant. Finally, a plate with two whole fish arrived.  A ton of food!  It was so fresh and delicious! I spent some time studying the map and realized there was another road in the middle of town that went to the right, taking you around the backside of that giant hill, and that’s where La Manga II and III could be found.  On the way there, I would pass by the road to ÉTER (ether), the temazcal spot.

Feeling renewed by my fish feast, I didn’t even bother to see about parking there for the night. I was ready to find that beach spot I heard about!  The road was pretty rough, but not the worst we’ve been on.  When I arrived at La Manga II, it was beautiful with the dramatic peaks surrounding it and the very dry, cracked mud road paralleling the backside of the beach.  It was horrific to drive on, however. I ended up backing into a little spot at the beginning. I could walk around and scope out other potential spots.  I decided to stay right where I was, it was all looking quite sketchy and unpleasant to dangerous driving.  I walked out onto the beach and immediately met the sweetest dogs who hung out with me for sunset.

Back in Rita, I had a mountain of clean laundry to deal with, a bed to make, etc.  Since I had such a big, late lunch, I didn’t need to worry about making food.  I got the heater going and got Rita all squared away.  I had a feeling the sunrise behind the mountains could potentially be quite amazing.  I was up and out walking the dunes and onto the beach ridiculously early.  Not sure what I was thinking. It was beautiful, brisk and the sunrise was meh.  I enjoyed the day at home, and in the mid-afternoon I headed over to see where I could park in Éter.  Even thought it was super close by, it was still a whole process to get Rita road-ready and rock-n-roll our way through the rough roads.   When I arrived, the gates were locked and there was no one there. I sent a message and then just hung out at home until Ramon and Mariana showed up. It was a short wait, and I was soon angling my way inside, up against the wall that surrounds the compound.

I felt a little awkward and shy, not really sure what I should do.  I walked around the grounds – no other guests were there and I had no idea how many were coming or what to expect.  It was a beautiful compound – little tents for glamping, spaces for regular tents, a big palapa in the middle with a kitchen and a beautiful brick oven. The temazcal was in the back, Ramon was working to prepare it for the ceremony.   The views of the bay were gorgeous from there as well.  I decided to hang out in Rita and wait and see what happens next.  I am not often shy in social situations, but I have had a habit of putting myself into situations where I feel awkward, uncertain, make a bit uncomfortable.  It seems like it had been a while since I did something like that, but the familiar feelings of ‘what if no one wants to talk to me?’ ‘what if no one else shows up?’ ‘what if it’s all annoying gringos?’ (oddly, the possibility of being the ONLY gringo is not something that rattles me!).

People began showing up, a number of cars wedging themselves in, and squeezing past Rita.  I finally came out to sit in the palapa and watch the goings-on.  There was a group of about 7 young women, all wearing leggings and setting up tents.  Other people were wandering in – it seemed like it was going to be a very big event all of a sudden.  Then I found out the women setting up tents were just camping for the night and planning to go out super early on a big hike.

It seemed like mostly Mexicans and a healthy dose of gringos, as well.  I spotted one couple who arrived in a pick-up truck.  Definitely gringos, I watched as they walked towards me – the man said in Spanish that it was their first time here and he wanted to know where to go. I guess I looked like I worked there or something.  I said it was my first time, too, and pointed them to Ramon.  The man went off to help Ramon, so I figured I would ask the woman where she was from.  She proudly said “New Hampshire!” I practically yelled “GET OUT!!!!”  Her eyes got wide, until I explained I had grown up there, too… so of course Vicky and I were instant friends.   The woman leading the ceremony arrived and began setting up for the sound healing in a palapa next to the temazcal.  People were milling about and talking.  I began chatting with Mariana, who volunteers to help Ramon with Éter, and I instantly adored her.  She has such positive, sweet energy.  I was starting to feel really happy that I was meeting exactly the kind of people I was hoping to meet at an event like this.  I was listening to people chat in both Spanish and English and understanding it all.  I still marvel at being able to do that, it feels like it took me forever. And I know I still struggle with some understanding, especially when people talk fast.

The woman leading the event was named (nicknamed) Wera (meaning white woman) and for a second I thought she was, she spoke perfect Spanish and English. I had to listen hard until I heard a few things in her English that let me know she was actually Mexican.  It was a beautiful ceremony, mostly in Spanish.  One of the things I was actually most looking forward to was being HOT, I felt like I’ve had a chill for far too long and I was excited about sweating!  Btu I was also nervous about getting TOO hot and passing out or something…I ended up entering so I was in the less hot/near the door part of the circular cement hut.  Wera explained the rocks, which had been foraged from the surrounding hills, and heating in the fire outside, were our ancestors and every time more rocks were brought into the building, we sung a beautiful song welcoming our abuelas (grandmothers).  When the door was closed and the room filled with steam and pitch darkness, it was a really intense sensory experience.  Unfortunately for me, it did not actually get hot! My poor butt cheeks were cold the entire time…. I did get steamy and moist, but it was from the steam off the rocks and not from actually sweating.   When the ceremony was over and we filed out, I ran back to Rita to change into warm clothes for the following sound bath.  Unfortunately, I didn’t dress quite warm enough and should’ve brought a blanket. It was so cold out and I was so freezing the entire time, it was very hard to enjoy the full effects of the sound bath. It was beautiful though. I lay on my yoga mat, hugging my knees to my chest and trying not to shiver.  I was grateful to be there, even though freezing.  Toward the end, all I could think about was making popcorn, for some reason.    When the beautiful gong sounds, singing bowls, bells concluded, we were invited to draw a card from the spirit deck.  People were talking and sharing.  I went and picked a card.  I squinted and struggled to see it by the dim candle light.  I could not make anything out.  I went and turned my phone flashlight on it, and still, without my glasses, I could not read it. I asked Mariana for help.  As she read aloud “Clear Vision” we both started cracking up.

People were saying goodbyes and leaving.  I got Vicky’s number (NH) and we planned to meet up again soon. She and Rick offered me water from the house they were renting in town. That was so sweet!

I still could not stop thinking about popcorn, with butter and nutritional yeast. I ran into Rita and cooked up a huge batch.  I brought it out to the palapa and shared it with Mariana and Ramon. They also had oranges to share.  We talked with Wera and her friend as they were packing up to go. She told me about her place in Obregon – Reiki, massage and other offerings she has.  I’ve not been to Obregon and was thinking it would be great to take a trip out there and see it. There’s a river and she said we could go kayaking.  I was excited to visit until I realized it is outside of the ‘free zone’ that I am allowed to be in with Rita. Such a bummer.   The camping women had made a (Thai?) noodle dish and left some for Ramon. He asked if I could heat it up for him in Rita.  We talked for a while in Rita, about how Éter has been his dream and how he’s been working the last 2 years to bring it to fruition.  I told him he needs a website…my dream is to build him one in exchange for being able to stay there in Rita for stretches of time.  We planned to discuss this more the next day.    There were a lot of barking dogs and I didn’t sleep great.  When I came to in the morning, the entire place seemed deserted.  I didn’t realize Ramon and Mariana had left to bring the women up to their hike.   I had a craving for French toast, and some perfect bread from HOF market to make it with.  I invited Ramon and Mariana and he said he would return in an hour.  Only Mariana came back, and we got to talk more while I was cooking and we ate in the palapa with the gorgeous view and sunshine.  When Ramon returned with all the hiking women and a bunch of other people arrived too. There was a flurry of activity and chaos.  Ramon ate his French toast while running around.  Then suddenly everyone was leaving and Ramon said I could stay longer, but to be sure to lock the gate when I left.  It was all a bit confusing, I thought we were going to talk more, but it was put off to later.  I was planning to go to Ramon’s house in San Carlos to fill Rita with water – as he offered that to me as well.  People are super sweet about offering water, I never even bring it up!

I was planning to spend the night out at La Manga again, so I left Éter shortly after everyone else, and went back to my spot in the scrub and cracked ground between the beach and the mountains.

The next morning I headed back to San Carlos. We took it very slow on the dirt roads, back through the village of La Manga and back out to the main road – which is slow and winding.  I went to Ramon’s house – he was out but Mariana helped me get the hose set up and ready to fill Rita’s tanks.  Something somehow happened to my hose and it now leaks pretty badly at the connection.  I gave up and undid the whole operation.  Getting a new hose was now on my “To Do” list.

I went and parked for the day at the more open Playa San Francisco lot, which is a bit closer to town.  I was able to work for a bit.  When I finished I thought it was a good idea to walk to the ferreteria (hardware store) to get a new hose.  Not sure why I thought that was a good idea, but it was a much longer walk than I thought, and even longer carrying a heavy hose on my back, to return.   There is a Thrifty ice cream shop along the way, and I promised myself I could have an ice cream on the way back.  I spotted a local ice cream shop farther up, so I decided to try that one.  I don’t know what went wrong, I may not have gotten the flavor I asked for or something, but it was THE WORST ICE CREAM I’ve ever had in my entire life.  I don’t even know what the flavor was, but it was full of unidentifiable chewy lumps.  It was so disgusting I couldn’t even eat it. I was so traumatized that I ended up stopping back at Thrifty, dumping the ice cream off my waffle cone into the trash, and ordering a dish and putting it in my cone.

When I finally made it back to Rita, I was done.  Ready to hunker down for the night.  We drove over to my ‘hidey hole’ at the other Playa San Francisco lot, out in the dunes for the night.

I saw Jose, the man who lives in a tent encampment he built on a dune, not far down from where I like to stay.  He cleans up the beach every afternoon, pick up trash left by beach-goers. He had a new dog, very cute dalmatian mix.  He was so proud of his pup, and said that he didn’t have a name yet! He said I could think of a name.  I chose Sparky.  Jose is a sweet guy, I’m not sure how much of what he tells me is true (that he owns the land he is living on? That he paid $100 US for Sparky? Pretty sure neither of those are true).   After the first day we met on the beach, I woke up the next morning to a gift outside my door. I was pretty sure it was from him.  It was, and when he saw how much I liked it, he brought me an even bigger and heavier one the next night.  I told him I had no place for it, it was too heavy and it would break…but he insisted I take it.  I have since installed it in Ramon’s front entry way, it looks great there!  I gave Jose some scraps for Sparky and a solar light that I’d been struggling to install in the front of Rita. It kept falling down and was kind of annoying me.  He has no electricity in his camp, so I thought it would come in handy.  He absolutely loved it!

Mariana and I went for a bike ride early one morning – it was great to get out and see the hills and all the potential biking trails.  I’m looking forward to biking more.

I felt like I had a lot to figure out and places to find and things to do. Getting Rita an oil change and figuring out why she is leaking transmission fluid, and then doing something about the horrific shaking and rumbling on dirt roads – were my top priority projects.Sometimes it feels overwhelming when everything is new and you don’t know where to find things or what’s good and what’s not.  It’s a process of getting to know a new place.  But I feel like I am going to be here for a while, and I’ve met some really great people and am quickly figuring a lot of things out!