If It's Monday it Must Be Mexico!

Juan, one of our guides getting us through the Mexican boarder inspection..

Dear Family & Friends,

It is Monday and we have made it into Mexico… The boarder crossing took about two hours.. If is funny how each country has different priorities…

Coming into the US they are very concerned about citizenship and illegal entry so they check your papers carefully. 

Coming into Mexico they are not really concerned about illegal immigration or over staying your visit, they are VERY concerned about you selling your vehicle while you are in Mexico! Baja is a free trade zone but we are going to main land  Mexico and there was a lot of paperwork to bring in a vehicle. I had to show title and give a $400 deposit that would be forfeited if I did not bring the vehicle out of the country in two weeks… They gave us stickers to put on the bikes with a computer bar scan on it.When we leave Mexico they scan the sticker and then refund the deposit. No scan, no refund…

So after we cleared the boarder we rode for about an hour or more through really empty valise and mountain passes. The mountains don't look that high and the ground cover is mainly scrub plants but one pass we took it had snowed there just a week before! Luckily the weather was perfect. 

After riding about 100 miles we stopped for lunch at a road side cafe and just had casadillas. They featured a locally made Mennonite cheese that was excellent!

After lunch it was a short ride to the tow we are staying in tonight. We went to tour a local ancient archeological site and for the first time our tour messed up, the site was closed on Mondays.. No amount of pleading with the guards would get us in.

So from there we went to a local pottery artist. It was a studio in a very modest home with two ladies that practiced a very old local form of pottery. They really were craftsmen… They made their own clay, their own paint, and event their own brushes to finely pin stripe the patterns on them.. For some reason the paint brushes were not only made from human hair, but from their mother's hair! Talk about handing down a tradition….

From there we went to our motel. Nothing from the outside but once we were in the courtyard it was beautiful and very traditional Mexican. Nothing fancy but very clean and comfortable with a great native feel to it..

There is no cell service here but the owner told us if we went up on the roof there was internet service… So being the intrepid reporter tonight after dinner I went up on the roof.

Also last night at the very fancy hotel in Douglass I ordered a glass of red wine and it was hands down the worst wine I have ever tasted. I am no expert but I am pretty sure red wine should not be carbonated.!!

Luckily the hotel we are in tonight has a lovely courtyard and excellent local Mexican red wine. Just what is needed after a day of riding...

So after a few glass of wine I am feeling totally relaxed… Luckily they have a couple of trucks to drive us into to town tonight for dinner, because I am NOT in any condition to ride a MC …. :)

I will keep it short now since I am sitting on a rood top to send this.

Maybe more tomorrow. I posted a few photos on my blog tonight showing the day…

Over and out…

Jason

The "GANG" waiting to clear the board crossing. On the right is Alphonso or riding guide. Very informative and helpful. Nice guy.

The top of a mountain pass where is was snowing just a week ago!

All along the highways are these small crosses and chapel dedicated to people that have died there...

A great stop for "authentic" Mexican food for lunch...

One of the expansive valleys we crossed today..

A local archeological site that was closed today... :(

Some local hand made pottery. And I mean HAND MADE, they make their own clay, paint, and brushes. The brushes have to be made from human hair belonging to their mothers. A local tradition.

It takes about a month to complete a design like this.

The "Studio"

Our very nice traditional motel for the first evening in Mexico

Very comfortable and clean rooms..

Time for some R&R and Tequila, beer, and wine..

Our motorcycle gang.....

Did I mention Bisbee AZ had a lot of ex California Hippies living there?

Waiting at the boarder...

Our first stop in Mexico, honestly Bonnie we did not go in, we just stopped there to gather all the riders up together after passing the boarder.... ;)