Bus Life in San Carlos / Guaymas

Aside from figuring out where to buy food, get water and finding the best places to pass the nights, my critical project was finding a mechanic. Rita needed an oil change and was also leaking transmission fluid.  I had posted on the San Carlos FB page looking for referrals. I had collected a number of options, as well as random friend requests and messages from people who wanted to be helpful.  I began contacting mechanics, understanding all too well this was going to be a process.  One woman contacted me and sent me several messages and even called me – she sent me the name and number of a mechanic she said was very good.  It turns out she thought my situation was more critical than it was (which made it all way less weird how much effort she was putting in to talk with me).  She also spoke excellent English and let me know she was available for any other support I might need.  Lupita was very sweet, and it seemed like she was interested in meeting, so I suggested me get lunch sometime and I could ask her all kinds of questions about the area and where to find what.

I had already lined up a meeting with another mechanic before I contacted Lupita’s recommendation.  Gerardo came out to the beach where I was parked, which was very convenient.  He looked Rita over and we discussed what I needed.  He said he would get back to me with a quote on the work.  I messaged him some more information and he said he would send me the quote the next day.  I never heard from him again.   I contacted Fernando, the diesel mechanic Lupita had recommended.  He also came out to my location to check out Rita. He spent over an hour looking her over, taking things off, getting underneath and really checking out the transmission.  He told me the transmission leak was not anything serious, it was a gasket that needed to be replaced and the rest of the transmission looked very clean.  He even figured out that the tube where you add the fluid, which is the same place the dipstick for the transmission goes (and it’s like 4 feet long…) was loose and the vibrations and flopping around is likely what caused some o-rings the gasket to fail.  The dipstick had always been like that and no one ever said it was bad, but it did always seem strange to me it was just loose like that.  I told him I had purchased all the motor oil I needed, so he wouldn’t need to add that to my quote.  He said ‘dejame verlo’ (let me see it).  I opened the back and proudly pulled out one of the gallon jugs I had purchased in Silver City, NM (thinking I would save money, because things like that are never cheaper here).  I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that it said 5W-40 instead of 15W-40, which is what Rita needed.  Apparently, the fact it was on sale clouded my vision and I saw a 15 instead of a 5  (and it was super early in the morning when I bought it, and I am an idiot when I get up too early) so it is possible, without my glasses, I saw a 15 instead of just a 5?  I was very disappointed in myself…not to mention I now had $100 (4 gallons) worth of useless oil taking up space.

Rita takes 15 quarts of motor oil and 17 of transmission fluid (maybe more since I wanted a complete flush).  Moving on…Fernando sent me a professional quote, including all the oils at very reasonable prices.  He also confirmed that if the work was going to take more than a day, it was no problem for me to stay in Rita at his shop (that point was a big stressor for me).  We arranged for me to come in the next week.

Meanwhile, I got a lot of work done, and had a whirlwind of social activities.

I also went on a fun solo bike adventure, where I got lost and saw some new areas.

Over the weekend, I hung out with Rick, Vicky and their visiting friend, Mike (from Arizona).  We had a nice walk on the beach.  Mike and I also went to La Zurda - a bar with a lot of microbrews.  I had been wanting to go, was planning to go on my own (as I do), but Mike offered to take me and it was so much more fun to go with a new friend!  The next day was Mike's last day before heading back to AZ. He has been coming down here since he was a kid, so is very familiar with the area.  I had planned to go for another bike ride the next morning, and I got all geared up and took my bike down, only to find it had a flat tire! Adventures bushwhacking through the desert are hard on the tires. I was pretty bummed.  Mike messaged me and asked if I wanted to drive around with him, as he was seeing some sites before his trip was over.  I was happy to ride around and see stuff with him!  He also said he would bring me to a shop I had just discovered, that could fix my flat tire.  We threw my tire in the back of his truck and were off.  We scoped out Playa Piedras Pintas - a beach I was interested in maybe staying at with Rita, It looked great, I was excited to spend some time out there!

I was happy to have my bike fixed and I went for a little ride the next morning. I also stopped at the store and picked up some groceries.  It’s great to be able to run errands on my bike and let Rita stay put.

Someone had told me that farther down the beach there was an area where a lot of campers and RVs parked.  It didn't sound at all appealing to me, but I thought I should at least walk down there and check it out.  It was quite a far walk, almost 2 miles down the beach.  I made it down there and walked around -it was quite large and sprawling, there were dunes, trees, scrubby bushes and dirt roads/paths, and sandy areas that were maybe too soft for me. There were a number of RVs and vans and campers of various sorts, some large with lots of solar panels, that looked like they were living there permanently.  It looked more appealing that I had imagined and I thought at some point maybe I'd go down and give it a try.  As I was heading back down the beach, I ran into a couple with 2 dogs. I asked them if they had a camper there and what was it like staying there?  We got to chatting, Rick and Margie are super nice folks, and invited me to come see their RV and have a glass of wine on their 'patio'.  They had a whole fenced area they created in front of their RV, and they even had a screened in picnic table.  They had a very comfy set up and are planning to stay for several months.  Having met them, I was even more motivated to check out that area sometime, so we could hang out again!

It was a long walk back to Rita, but at least I was heading into the always-beautiful sunset.

I enjoyed so many sunsets from the beach, there is barely ever a bad one. One evening, I ran into a couple young guys who looked like a lot of fun – one had a mohawk and was carrying a unicycle. They were visiting from Obregón for the weekend. Rojo and Axle were super sweet and invited me to go to a bar to listen to live rock music with them.  It sounded like a a good time, but the truth was I just wanted to put on warm, comfy clothes and curl up in Rita. Even moreso, after I discovered that I was older than both of them put together. But, if I ever make it out to Obregon, I have a place to stay!

I had to get to the shop super early in the morning and this was to be my first time driving through all of Guaymas, as the shop was on the far south end and San Carlos is to the north. I was a little nervous driving Rita through the heart of the city, as I remembered the crowded, narrow streets from 8 years ago.  There was a ton of traffic and the 11 mile trip took me about 45 minutes.  It was a bit hairy and stressful, but we did fine and arrived at the shop a little before anyone else arrived to open up.

The shop was just four blocks up from the Fonatur Marina, which is where we stayed on Summer, for some time in November of 2015 (I don’t remember how long, probably not more than a week or 2, because we didn’t like paying for marinas!).  I have to say, seeing the city and the marina definitely hit me emotionally.  Although it would take another 5 months or so to actually happen, it was at this marina where I had the very clear realization that Jonny and I were definitely on track to breaking up. My memories of the time here are still very sharp, being a strange mix of enjoying the city and the sailing friends we connected with there, as well as the sad clarity that my life was going to need to change greatly, somehow, sometime soon.  Leaving that marina and crossing the sea of Cortez also became the #2 most awful sail of all time (Just for fun, I looked up my sailing blog entry from that passage – if you’re interested, it’s here: https://summersails.net/guaymas-to-honeymoon-cove-isla-danzante/).

Fernando got to work on Rita, I got to work inside.  I also took a couple breaks to run some errands and browse around Guaymas.  I took an Uber out to HOF Market to pick up my order of nutritional yeast and some Viniphera products he had ordered for me.  It was sunset, and then dark before Rita was ready. Fernando gave me a full accounting of what he spent on parts and oil and with his labor, it came out to a little less than he had quoted me.  As we were tying everything up, I showed him a wrench I had and I wanted to get a socket the same size -but I didn’t know how to say socket in Spanish, so I asked him how to say it.  He told me, but then said he could give me one, I said, no, I want to buy one to have on hand, not to just use once. But he insisted on giving me one to keep! He took me back into one of his tool sheds and dug around until he found a socket set with the one I needed. He simply gave it to me. Super sweet!  He also said he would help me sometime later, to install the fuse I have that I want to install on my DC-DC charger cable from the inside battery.  I am pretty sure I can do it myself, but would be nice to be sure I don’t zap myself or really mess something up.

I do not like driving in the dark, since I don’t see well, and Rita’s headlights are not great, not to mention the ‘surprises’ you often find in the roads here (topes, holes, lack of pavement, etc.).  I thought about trying to park in the marina parking lot, but in the end, I just went to the malecón, which is large and overlooking the water/anchorage.  As I was trying to decide where to park, I spotted a police truck.  I decided to just ask where was OK for me to park.  The officer told me parking on the malecón itself was not permitted - which was clearly marked, but I had seen a ton of cars parked there during the day. It was totally empty after dark though.  He said I could park on either side of the street behind it.  I got a spot maybe 50 feet from the police truck, which ended up being there all night.  The malecón was lit up like daytime, all night long.  I was super grateful for that and for my blackout curtains!  I privatized Rita – getting all the curtains in place.  It was super cold, so I also got the diesel heater fired up.  It was still a bit loud, with some generators for food trucks and activity outside, but I knew it would quiet down before too late.  I went out to get some churros from the nearby vendor. I was sure I couldn’t eat all 6, but, somehow they disappeared.

I spoke with my as-yet unmet, new friend, Lupita.  She had offered for me to park in her neighborhood for the night, but it was just too far for me to drive in the dark and I was too tired to meet someone at that point anyway. I planned to come to her food truck the next morning.  I stopped for groceries and diesel on the way and then headed out past the airport to North Guaymas.  Lupita lives in a fraccionamiento – a housing development or subdivision commonly found around Mexican cities.  The houses are all very similar and often very affordable – lined up in rows like condos.  I drove to the very end of the development to where there was dirt and construction, and my gps said I had ‘arrived’.  I thought I was lost or something seemed very off – and I was a little nervous. I called Lupita and she end up coming up to Rita.  Turns out her little foodtruck was right nearby in the dirt area, I just had no idea what I was looking for.  I got out of Rita to greet Lupita in person for the first time. She gave me a big hug, like we were already old friends.  I hopped in her truck and she drove me into the houses to show me where her house was, and to drop off her dog, Prieta (who, by the way, looked EXACTLY like my friends’ Scott and Adriane’s dog, Jack!).

We went back down to the food truck, which had some tables with flowerpots and shade overhead.  Her customers are her neighbors and the people working on building the final 1000 homes in the development.  She keeps track of who owes her money in a big ledger book.  She made me quesadillas with chorizo and we sat and talked.  One of her friends came by, as well as her brother and his partner.  When she introduced me to them, she proudly said “she speaks perfect Spanish!”  I was very flattered, but definitely not true, I still have much to learn.  I loved meeting everyone and was very happy to learn more about Lupita.

She lived in the US for 32 years, and has 2 children and an ex-husband in Arizona.  I don’t know exactly why she was deported almost 10 years ago, but sounds like her ex was not helpful in any way.  I invited everyone to have a look at Rita before I took off – they were of course very interested to see inside.   One thing I have been observing – while everyone is always interested to see inside Rita, Mexicans will NEVER ask, but gringos always do.  I find it a fascinating cultural difference I’m still trying to decipher.  Personal space in Mexico is far smaller than in the US – in the US, we tend to think “arm’s length” is a comfortable distance – in crowds and in general, whereas in Mexico the comfortable distance is shoulder to elbow length.  Yet, when it comes to my home – Mexicans are far more respectful, or bashful (?) in wanting to see inside.  People from the US frequently ask, even after just a few minutes of meeting me.    I typically don’t mind letting people have a look.  Most people are very respectful, and often just peek inside.  Although, I mentioned to one (gringo) man I usually take my shoes off before walking in, and he said “Oh I don’t do that” and walked right inside with his shoes on.  I still have dirt spots on the white part of my rug from the 2^nd gringo who walked right in with his shoes on before I could even say anything.  That is pretty annoying. Water and laundry are difficult things for me, and now I am mad at that guy every time I look at my rug (until I can get laundry done again!).  I need to get tougher with some ground rules before I allow people inside.

Since I was already in Guaymas and the night on the malecón was so easy, I decided why not spend another night? It's not like I had to go "home", I am always home! That way I could take care of more errands and get another day roaming around the city. OK the truth is, I really wanted a papa loca (crazy potato) from a place I remembered from 8 years ago.  This papa loca had legendary status in my mind and I really wanted one.  Unfortunately, the place was not open on Tuesdays, so spending one more night would also allow me to get one of those meaty-cheesey-potatoey delights.

When I returned to the waterfront area, I discovered there was no parking available along the street I stayed, that had been empty all night.  I ended up parking in a large area by the roundabout at the end of the road, just behind a large building (which turned out to be a conservatory of music).  It seemed like a nice corner, not in anyone’s way.  It seems like mostly no one cares where you park or for how long, I just have the ptsd fear from being in the US, where everything is restricted and people who’s business it isn’t like to get upset by people parking somewhere that’s not hurting anyone.  In Mexico it’s much freer with a ‘live and let live’ attitude.

I had been pining after a more comfortable beach chair.  I bought one of those cheap folding camp chairs, and it is horrifically uncomfortable, so much so that I never sit outside, which is a shame.  I got my heart set on finding one of those ‘zero gravity’ chairs.  I guessed I had plenty of space in my ‘garage’ to keep it.  They were supposedly on sale at Walmart, but none were in stock. I saw one on FB marketplace, but the price was ridiculously high.  I decided my best bet might this giant store called “China City” which shamelessly sells tractor trailer loads of imported crap.  I REALLY didn’t want to go there and it was about a mile walk, but I decided to go have a look.   As I was following the map to get there, I noticed there was a Coppel halfway there.  This is a Mexican department store which has a lot of furniture and housewares and some outdoorsy kind of things. I stopped in there first, fingers crossed.  Way in the back was a display with some chairs, mostly kitchen types. I didn’t see any beach chairs.  But wait! Behind everything, back against the wall, 2 folded chairs.  They were in fact the exact zero gravity chairs I wanted.  One was all black and one was more of a black and white speckled – and cheaper.  I thought it might be better in the hot sun anyway, so I went for the cheaper one.  Coppel doesn’t accept non-Mexican based credit cards, so I had to pay with cash. It was $899 (about $45 US).  I then realized I needed to carry it all the way back to Rita. Ha! Glad I didn’t have to walk all the way from China City.   It wasn’t too bad, and a beautiful, sunny, breezy day, not at all hot.  I slipped the chair right into the back of Rita, it fit perfectly. I couldn’t wait to use it!

All day I noticed a man walking around, looking intently at Rita every time he passed. People are often looking at Rita, but this guy walked by many times and was really craning his neck.  As I am always on the alert, I wondered if I had anything to be concerned about.  Finally, he was walking by again, looking in, as I was standing by the open window (which means he could see me see him.  When the windows are closed during the day, there is one-way film and no one can see in).  We made eye contact, so I said “buenas tardes!”  He was startled, and said “Ooooo! Hablas español?!?!” He was very excited that I spoke Spanish.  I came outside to chat with him. He was carrying a SUPER adorable puppy.  He really liked Rita – he lives on the streets in Guaymas, and apparently he sleeps up on the back steps in a sort of alcove of the music building.  So, I had parked in front of his sleep spot- I was the one invading his space.  His name is Jesus and he has lived in Guaymas most of his life.  I didn’t learn anything about the circumstances that led to his being without a home, but he indicated he liked traveling around.  I ended giving him some money to buy dog food, and a new package of dried mangos for him to enjoy.

When the loncheria that made the papa locas, so famous in my memory, opened at 5pm, I headed right over to eat (since I hadn't really eaten much all day, I was starving).  There is a restaurant in Zihuatanejo called Papa Loca, where I ate many, many times.  I loved those crazy potatoes. The ones in Guaymas were a bit different style, it was also in an aluminum pouch with potato pieces, chunks of meat (the famous Sonoran beef) and lots of cream and cheese and I think some corn…It was delicious, but not as mind blowing as I remember. I ate all of it though. It was a LOT of cream. I paid dearly for that later on.  Don’t need to do that again!

As I was finishing up, I decided to order a torta (sandwich) to-go for Jesus.  I also got a large bottle of Jamaica (cold hibiscus tea) that I figured I could share with him.   When I got back to Rita, Jesus and his pup were sitting together in their alcove (which looked out at the anchorage and was fairly protected from the wind).  He offered me his rolled up blanket to sit on, since the cement was very cold. We chatted a bit, but I had plans to talk with a friend, so I wished him a good night.  He was grateful for the sandwich and drink, but I got the feeling what he wanted most was someone to just talk with.  He told me to come back and chat with him any time, and let me know he was there if I had any worries being parked there for the night.  I’m glad that we met, and he was someone who was looking out for me, rather than someone I had to be wary of.

I really liked this location – I could look out the windows onto the anchorage, and it almost felt like I was in a sailboat at anchor.

It was a much quieter night than on the street as well, cars were not speeding past me a few inches away.  The next morning, by the time I crawled out of Rita, Jesus and his pup were already gone.  I took a long walk with my tea, along the waterfront, ultimately headed for a nail salon. I was desperate for a pedicure! It was a long and pleasant walk, past fisherman, boat launches, and eventually out to some of the fancier homes of the city.  When I got to the spot where the nail salon was supposed to be, I was just in a neighborhood.  I finally just called and sure enough the salon was in this woman’s house.  She said she would be free in 30 minutes.  I decided I really didn’t want to wait, so I walked on back to Rita.  I did some work, painted my own toenails, and decided my time in the city was up. I was ready to get back to the peace and quiet of the beach.

Back in San Carlos, I went to Rick and Vicky's to fill up with water.  It was to be my last fill up, since they decided to head back to the US very soon. I was definitely sad to learn this news, I really enjoyed hanging out with them!  As I was filling up with water, a car stopped and a man asked if I wanted to buy some wild caught shrimp.  I did want some - but he wouldn't sell me less than a kilo.  So I bought a kilo and forced Rick and Vicky to take some.  I cooked up a very yummy scampi with a Mexican twist (added tomatoes, cilantro and guajillo chilis).

When I arrived back at my hidey-hole on Playa San Francisco, my old friend Jose was walking toward me, on his way to the street.  He came over and said hello, and began to tell me that someone had stolen his dog (who I named Sparky).  He claimed they took him and sold him. I had trouble following his story or understanding how he knew that, but he was very upset and had tears in his eyes as he told me. I felt terrible for him and just gave him a big hug. He went on his way to put credit on his phone at the Oxxo (like a 7-11) – apparently, he just got a phone and was excited to be able to watch things on it.  After meeting Jesus and his puppy, and seeing Jose so tearful about losing his pup, I realized how important it is for people to have connections and companionship and how special a dog is, especially for people living in extreme poverty or homelessness.  I know we’ve all seen the people on the street begging for money, with a dog. I know I have probably had the thought of ‘how can they take responsibility for a dog, when they can’t even feed themselves?’ and had some judgment about that.  Now I realize how important a pet can be for someone who is alone on the street, without a home, not able to meet people or make new friends in normal social settings, and/or maybe has some mental health issues and/or is straight up LONELY.

I am humbled by how easy it has been for me to meet people since I arrived here.  Mariana invited me to go on a hike with her friend Erik, who is from Arizona, but spends quite a lot of time down here.  They came and picked me up, along with a friend of Erik's - Arturo.  Erik led the three of us on the trails that he is familiar with from a lot of mountain biking in his 25 years of visiting here.  He also knows a lot of history about this area and shared many stories. We had a great time and saw some amazing views.  Arturo is a marine biologist and we discovered that he knows someone who is friends with my friend Andrea, from Zihua (who is also a marine biologist!).  Small world.

On our return from the hike, we noticed police cars and "something was going on" but we weren't sure what.  When I got dropped off back at Rita, a helicopter began circling very low, overhead.  It was pretty scary (and very dusty). I got on the San Carlos group to see if I could find out what was happening. Apparently, at a restaurant in the middle of town, there was a shooting where someone died and another person was kidnapped.  The helicopter was searching the area for the perpetrators.  I got a little bit nervous that they might be nearby, since the helicopter was making so many passes, and even landed briefly.  Mariana called me to let me know that Arturo had asked Erik to contact her, to see if I was OK, or wanted someone to come be with me, or pick me up and get me out of there.  At the same time, Vicky messaged me to see if I was OK and if I wanted to come to their house with Rita, or for them to come pick me up.  I was so blown away that people were thinking of me and offering their support. I have been here such a short time, and yet I feel so much community in this place.  It seems this sort of violence is rare here; Arturo said it was the first time in 2 years of living here that he experienced anything like this.  I hate to say it, but this sort of situation was almost a weekly occurrence in Zihuatanejo, and I never once saw a helicopter looking for the bad guys. I guess this is a major difference in the 2nd most affluent state (Sonora) in the country, where the cartel situation is settled and the 2nd poorest state in the country (Guerrero) where there are warring cartels. It also should be noted that the violence in Mexico is very specific and targeted - there are no crazed gunmen shooting school children or random crowds of people, (like what happens every single day in the USA), and while I've never been involved activities that would make me a target, I feel very safe here.   I'm certainly getting an education here.  It was getting late/dark, and as I learned more, I realized they were searching the whole town, not just the beach area.  I felt secure in Rita, and my laziness and inability to drive in the dark, made me decide to just stay put.  It was a very quiet night, and any fear I had was overwhelmed by gratitude.

Foodie Bonus:

While I am still not cooking many elaborate meals, I have certainly been enjoying the Sonoran beef and yummy fresh fish available here!