Well it has taken longer to make my first post than I expected. Things happen. I am not using certain punctuation such as apostrophes and question marks because they do not work on this computer. Again, things happen.

So far my trip has been a blast. Best laid plans have been foiled by reality and I have had to adjust then move on. To me that is half the fun of travel.

The fun began when I reached Tucson (after stops in Boise and San Jose) to find it cold and raining. The weather in Seattle had been better so naturally I was disappointed. I had expected sunshine. Everything else went smoothly enough, I got a rental car and drove downtown to the beautifull old Hotel Congress where I stayed the night. The rooms there are small and basic with radiator heat. Loads of character but a little noisy on the street side. Still for $55 in downtown Tucson, and with free internet access, it was a good value for me. I would have written here then but after shooting two rolls of the lights of downtown Tucson and eating an excellent dinner of Samosas at the restaurant in the hotel, I was just too tired to do anything more than deal with personal email.

Monday morning I packed up, put my stuff in the rental car (a Ford Ranger pickup) then headed out to face the day. No busses were available directly from Tucson into Mexico because of the Christmas rush. So, I decided to take one of the shuttle vans that leave from South 6th avenue. That worked out great. I booked with Universal Shuttle and the owner, Jose, offered to come pick me up at the airport (where I had to drop off the truck) for a small fee.

We arrived in Nogales, Arizona just in time for me to walk across the border, get the necessary tourist document, then change money before the banks closed. Actually it was 9 minutes after he was supposed to, but the tellar let me change money anyway. From there I opted for a local bus to the long distance bus station. I was happy to have been able to communicate my intent with the driver and to finally be travellin in Mexico. The sun broke through as we started south and life was good ... for about 30 minutes. The 8km trip ended up taking about 45 minutes as we stopped every 20 feet, or so it seemed. Then the driver forgot I had wanted the bus station and drove past without stopping. Thankfully we only went a block past it before I got him to stop.

The central bus station in Nogales is new, modern, clean and quite attractive. It sort of looks like an airport terminal. Across the front is very long counter with the logos for the different bus companies in colorful backlight signs above each counter position. Companies include Elite, Estrella Blanca, TAP, and seval others.

I had no problem booking a bus to Hermosillo. The next one out gave me enough time to enjoy a dinner of carne asada with beans rice and tortillas. Just like in an airport the food was way more expensive than in the city. It was good though and provided the sustenance necessary for the 4 hour trip.

When I got to Hermosillo I found a telephone casita in the bus station (also nice and modern) and called the first hotel listed in the Lonely Planet book, Hotel Washington. It was 10pm so I did not know what to expect, but fortunately the desk clerk spoke enough english to inform me they had rooms available for only $14.50US. I took a taxi ($4) to the hotel and checked in.

The next day was Christmas eve. I went exploring then came back, got my cameras and headed out to look see and photograph. I shot about 3 and a half rolls along the streets and from la Cerro de la Compana, a high rock promitory which supports the local television antennas and from which a great view is afforded in all directions. After that I retired early for the night.

My Chistmas feast was two of the best hotdogs Ive ever had. After taking a couple rolls of film and chowing down, I packed my bags, enjoyed a very nice conversation with the owner the Hotel Washington DC (where I stayed) and took a local bus to the long distance bus station. My aim was to get someplace warmer.  I had to wait an hour and a half but did manage to get a bus to Guaymas. The trip took less than two hours and I got to see the end of Black Hawk Down (en Espanol). There was also a Jennifer Lopez movie that ended just before we got into town.

Guaymas is much warmer. I am walking around today without a coat for the first time since being in Mexico. The sun is shining and the light here is very condusive to photography. Yesterday afternoon I first checked into Casa Huespuedes de Martha, a short 5 block walk from the bus station (and only $9 USD per night) then went out for a walk to get my bearings. The streets here had some activity, but seemed quieter than a normal day. Still it seemed different than I would expect for Navidad.

My room here is small and basic. There is only uno cucharacha that I could find and he seems friendly enough. It has hot water, a foam pad for a bed and a roof over my head. What else could I want. Will post more later.