Another bright and early start today! After a good nights sleep in Nogales, we grabbed a quick bite to eat – refried beans and eggs for Nikk and fruit and a bagel for Shannon – and hit the road again. We purposely planned our first day’s drive to arrive in Nogales because the border to Mexico was a quick 10-minute drive away. From all the blogs we read and research that we did, we knew that the earlier we crossed, the less-busy it would be and therefore the easier time we’d have.
I think we were both a bit nervous as we approached the border. Despite research and planning, it was still something very new to both of us. But no risk, no reward, right? So on we went – and spoilers – it went great! The first section we went through was sort of like a bunch of toll booths. We got into our lane, and the guard waved us through. That was it… for now. As all the blogs had told us, we kept our eyes peeled for KM 21 – the actual immigration and customs area. We nearly missed it because it is an unmarked building just off the side the of the road. Once we parked, we took our passports and copies of important documents and headed in. Luckily for us, there was no line and the kind woman at the counter spoke English (our Spanish is mediocre at best!). She helped us fill out our immigration cards and sent us to the bank area to get our TIP (temporary import permit for Chivo). Once we paid our deposit ($400, refundable once we exit the country) and paid our immigration fees, we were back to the kind woman at the first desk. She stamped our passports and we were on our way! That was it!! Maybe 20 minutes total? Easy as pie! We left in a celebratory mood, knowing that our planning had paid off and that the first crossing was easily under our belt.
The next six hours we traveled down the 15D – Mexico’s toll road down the Pacific coast. Here are some of the highlights of the trip:
- Crazy Construction! You know how in the US when there is construction and a lane of a highway is closed? You know how they put up a bunch of signs, several miles out that say “Right Lane Closed Ahead” and sometimes even put up flashing arrow signs? Well, none of that happens in Mexico! You’re driving on a two-lane highway and all of a sudden, there’s cones/barriers up ahead and you just immediately go to one lane! It is bonkers! But we quickly got used to it since the first full day of driving in Mexico was about 40% under construction.
- Pay-to-pee! Some gas stations in Mexico require a payment to use their facilities. We had to pay 5 pesos each to use the bathroom at our first stop. That equates to about $0.25, so we weren’t too worried about it.
- Packs of Pooches! Wild dogs are pretty common throughout rural Mexico. I saw quite a few packs – anywhere from 2 or 3 dogs up to 10 together. And yes, I absolutely asked Nikk if we could pick them all up and take them with us.
- Gas Station Snacks! We loved trying new treats from the gas station – especially the hazelnut cream Kit Kat!
- Guyamas Side Trip! Because we were making good time, and we couldn’t wait to see sea water, we made a quick detour to the town of Guyamas. It was about 20 minutes out of our way and still stayed on main roads, so we felt it was safe. The town is set on a bay and was so cute! We were thrilled to finally see some water. I think Bosco was, too!
We pulled into our hotel in Navajoa where, once settled, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner by the pool. It turned out that it was Mexican Mother’s Day, so the restaurant had a special menu and we were not disappointed! I had a tasty fish filet with a poblano cream sauce and Nikk had a shrimp dish. The food, company, and setting were all amazing and a great cap to our second day on the road!
