(posted 04/06/24)
Up at 6 am, Reneé listened to the news, and I tried to sleep for another hour. Oh well, then up and breakfast. Reneé took the laundry in and I worked on the holding tank vent, the part through the hull was completely plugged and broken, the hose was also plugged. It only took a couple of hours (when you have the right parts things work better!) These were part of what we brought back from the states.
In the afternoon, we headed up to the taproom for game night, only to find out they were closed. We met, Michelle and Dave, SV Endless Summer, they have been cruising for 13 years. They are waiting for our slip and are in a not so great position in the marina.
On the way back to the boat, we ran into Steve from SV Spartan Pilgrim, as he was heading towards game night. We invited him and Selene (his SO) over for games. They came we played BANG then dinner and another round.
We got showers and bed.
the hole outside where the holding tank vent comes out. The dirt on the side of the boat is from trying to clean the old vent.The hole from inside the boat for the vent.
(posted 03/26/24)
Reneé was on the boat, and the bottom cleaning got done, turns out some of our bottom paint has peeled off. Not happy about that.
I slept well in the hotel in Loreto, when I got up in the morning the other guests had to move two cars before I could leave, then off to get breakfast. While there I got a phone call from the rental company and I can return the car in town (not at the airport (like I was told), not at the office across the street from the airport (like I was told on the phone the night before). So, I drive to the office and ask for the money for the hotel, NOPE. But I am done with the car. I posted a review on Google (1 star) then chatted with Orbitz and complained to them about setting me up for failure and the car was dangerous etc. Oh well we will see what happens.
After sitting on the beach for a couple of hours, I got lunch and then walked to the bus station (I found it in the day time!). I still was scheduled for a 3:35 pm ride, so I took a nap and waited.
The people at the bus station (I never asked as I don’t speak Spanish and apparently they don’t speak English) arranged for me to ride an earlier bus, so I was moving by a little after 2 pm! Back to the boat and dinner/shower and bed.
We awoke early, ~6 am, and we’re on the road by 6:30. The hotel provided coffee in the office which we appreciated.
The drive east was quite lovely! The terrain changed from a dessert full of cacti to a dessert full of rocks. There were tall mountains, mesas, and lots of curvy roads. Neil did all the driving. Passing trucks and vehicles with trailers was exciting to say the least.
This is the post I put on Facebook: Well a pretty good day came to a rather nasty end.
I have a rental car that we picked up at the airport in Tijuana Saturday. I was supposed to return it by 8 pm tonight (Sunday) at the Loreto airport car rental. I arrived at 7 pm.
We stayed at the Turista hotel 22960 ejido nuevo Uruapan, 22960 El Rosario de Arriba, B.C., Mexico last night. So, 700 miles in two days.
It’s Mexico, so DON’T drive at night. The airport is dark, nobody there. I call customer service, they acknowledge it’s their fault. But, the only option is to keep the car overnight and return it at 10 am when they open.
But wait there’s more! Our boat is in Santa Rosalía 120 miles or 2.5 hours north, AT NIGHT!
But wait there’s more! The car headlights are worse than useless, pointing in odd directions. This is the first time I’ve tried to use them at night because, DON’T drive at night in Mexico!
So, the plan was to drop off the car, and take a taxi to dinner then the bus station for which I had a ticket for the 9:35 pm bus. But now I can’t use the ticket, as I still have to deal with the car!
So, all I have to do is go to the bus station and exchange the ticket.
Remember that I can’t really see where I am going, and I am trying to look for the bus station (should be easy, right? Buses are pretty big and brightly colored). Three times around the city, in the dark with virtually no headlights! Different addresses, all using Google maps, keeps taking me to a little market. I am thinking that can’t be it…. But I ask, by the way, this gringo CAN NOT! speak Spanish at all.
So, Reneé is on the phone talking to the cashier, as the line backs up.she gets the story, and calls one of the guys from the back (meat cutter, maybe) who speaks a little English, and he walks me around the block to the other side of the building, which is a big dirt lot with a big old bus in it! We go to the office, he explains the situation, Reneé is on the phone again, and at the end of it all, I have exchanged (with a bunch of help) my ticket for one tomorrow, at 3:35 pm.
So, it’s now 8 pm, I have been up since 5 am, and driving since 6:30 am. It’s time to get a hotel.
I get an address and start off. In the dark, with a car with virtually no headlights, in a strange town, and in Mexico. Google says 3 minutes to get there. 20 minutes later I find the place. (A little more than just across the street). The hotel is nice, and 800 pesos, about $48. No dinner tonight, no toothbrush either.
Tomorrow, I will turn in the car at 10 am, and wander around town until the 3:35 bus ride. Then spend about 3 more hours to get back to the boat.
Living in Mexico is an adventure!
A cool little Baja BuggyA cool little Baja BuggyA cool little Baja BuggyA cool little Baja BuggyYep, just another sunrise
(posted 03/26/24)
We left Carlsbad at ~9 am. We were almost to Otay Mesa crossing when we started looking for Mexican insurance. We had to go closer to San Ysidro to get the insurance. We then drove back to enter at Otay Mesa. Bob dropped Neil off at the terminal so he could catch shuttle to the rental car agency. We waited in the parking garage. After getting the car, he joined us and we transferred the boxes…6 boxes plus luggage.
We headed south and the Millers tried to get back to the USA. The Otay Mesa crossing was closed and it took them ~4 hours to cross at San Ysidro.
We found a hole in the wall for lunch between Rosarita and Ensenada. We had gorditas. We arrived at our hotel in El Rosario around 6:30. We got gas and enjoyed a good meal at Mama Espinoza’s. Neil tried the cactus leaves. I had bistec rancheros. The hotel was great! Clean, secure, and inexpensive.
(posted 03/26/24)
We had planned on heading south today but two FB friends (one from SCE and the other from the Navy) contacted us to see if we could get together.
We finished the paperwork for giving back one of our timeshares (Wyndham – Palm Springs) and had it notarized and mailed. Then we drove to San Diego.
We met with Warren and Katrina Hay for lunch (Laura and David Bartz were there also). We went to the restaurant Fiesta de Reyes for dinner with Megan and Bob Spencer. Neil was on the sub in the Navy with Bob.
Megan, Bob, Neil and ReneéReneé, Katrina, Neil and Warren
