speignerphoto's Xanga

Monday, December 30, 2002

Mon, 30 Dec 2002 17:00:16 GMT

"When it stops hurting, It's sure gonna feel good"
That old axiom of my fathers is sure true. The fever broke last night about an hour after sending Reiki to myself. I got a good night's sleep and today I feel a lot better. It is my last full day in Mexico and I am going shopping, then I may venture out to the beach for the afternoon and just kick back. It's been a very instructive trip. I have learned a lot about what I would do the next time. Following is a list of tings to consider for the next trip.

1) Travel Light! I can not stress this enough. I could have brought half as many cameras, and left the tripod entirely. That alone would have saved me considerable weight, and stress. The importance of this came to me today when I realized the only reason I'm nost spending my last night here in luxurious San Carlos is because I don't feel like lugging all of my gear down to the local bus stop, then have to lug it back tomorrow and transfer to my Tucson bus.

2) Bring a Friend I thought travelling alone would give me the flexibility to do a lot of good photography. Although the flexibility has had some benefit, I sure would have had a lot more fun if my girlfriend had been with me.

3) Bring Remedies You are just as prone to illness travelling as you are at home. So don't forget your echinecea, vitamin c, zinc or any of the rememdies you keep at home for common ailments. If you are initiated in Reiki, remember to use it when you are feeling off. It saved me yesterday.

Sunday, December 29, 2002

Sun, 29 Dec 2002 22:44:07 GMT

Stay Well
Ok, so I know the last post dealt with the importance of taking care of one's health while travelling. This one is to simply report of the consequence of ignoring the bodies subtle signs of oncoming illness. I awoke with a fever and chills today and have spent the bulk of the day in bed. Sometimes it takes a 2 x 4 to get my attention. Fortunately this is not so bad. I have learned something valuable from this experience. The whole trip I have been enjoying responding to a still quite voice within me guiding me to do this, that or the other thing, as long as those things were fun. But when the voice told me the other day to take it easy, not go out shooting, I ignored it and now I am paying the price. I hope this doesn't sound too preachy. I am a little delirious, but I do have a point to learn from and wanted to share it. Now I must go and get more rest. Finally, I'm listening.

Saturday, December 28, 2002

Sat, 28 Dec 2002 21:25:33 GMT

Travel Tips
To get the most out of travel you have to take good care of your health. I mean, what good does it do to move your body to exciting and intersting new places if it is not going to be well enough to enjoy it? On this trip I have been very carefull to drink only purified water, eat foods that are freshly cooked or fruits that could be peeled to avoid consuming any unwanted bugs. Still there are a few considerations that I overlooked and am now paying the price for. Rather than bore you with complaints of my symptoms, I will list a few tips derived from this trips experience.

1) Wear comfortable sensible shoes. The only pair I brought with me are good sturdy hiking boots with a webbed siding that breathes air. So they easily fit the sensible requirement. The problem is this pair has never quite been broken in, so consequently they are breaking me in, and I am noticing tired feet keep me from having as much fun as I may otherwise.

2) Get plenty of rest and take your vitamins. With all the excitement of a foreign country, not to mention the stress of travel itself, it can be very easy to over do and wear down your immune system. This can lead to the same kind of symptoms on the road as elsewhere. Take it easy, let your trip be fun.

3) Learn as much of the language as you can before you go. Having to struggle with communication for the most basic of needs can take a lot out of your system and add to the hassle and discomfort of travel. Plus being able to speak a little bit can help break the ice with strangers and enhance the travel experience. I have learned only enough Español for the most basic exchanges, which is fine for passing encounters, but everytime I want to find out what is the best bus to take, where I can get a certain thing it is a lot of work. A phrase book helps but invaribly after figuring out and speaking what I need to say, the response is something totally unfamiliar. Don't get me wrong, conversation is happeninig and I am learning more Spanish each day, it is just a lot more work. Next time I'll ...

Friday, December 27, 2002

Fri, 27 Dec 2002 16:35:44 GMT

Mexican Food Myths
I don´t know about you but when I think of Mexican food I usually think of tacos, burritos, tamales, enchilada´s, quesadilla and so forth. Yet since I´ve been here I have discovered a new Mexican food treat, the hot dog.
Yes that´s right, the good old, all-American hotdog is one of the best meals I´ve had in Mexico. The street vendors wrap them in a piece of bacon, grill them up, pop them in a huge fresh-steamed bun and give you a choice of toppings including beans, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and of course, chiles. Then they finish by topping the whole thing with mayonaise and smoothing it down with a spatula before handing it over. Elapsed time - 30 seconds, cost - $8 pesos (80 cents), and the taste -delicious. I like to add guacamole and mustard to mine to make absolutely the best hotdogs I´ve ever had.
What about the idea that its not a good idea to eat street food in Mexico? All I can say is that I´ve had no problems so far. I look for a vendor who is busy, avoid lettuce and only drink water that is purifacado.

Thursday, December 26, 2002

Thu, 26 Dec 2002 16:34:53 GMT

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.

Friday, November 22, 2002

Fri, 22 Nov 2002 16:22:25 GMT

I set up this weblog to record my impressions of a trip I'm taking during the Christmas holiday. All entries after this one will be written from cybercafes in Northwestern Mexico.

My trip begins December 22nd. I will fly from Seattle, Washington to Tucson, Arizona then take a bus to Hermosillo, Sonora in Mexico. From there, I'll head south to visit Guaymas and San Carlos on the Gulf of Mexico. The high point of the trip, literally and figuratively speaking, will come when I take the Chihuahua-Pacifico railroad from Los Mochis high into the Sierra Madres. At one point the train reaches 6,000 feet.

Traveling through the majestic Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) I will stop to visit the town of Creel where the Tarahumara peoples live. Someone else's photographs of the Copper Canyon area can be seen by clicking here. My pictures will be posted here and at www.speignerphoto.com after I get back to Seattle.

There is a lot to cover in 10 days, so travel plans may change along the way. Heck I could decide to take the ferry over to Baja instead of heading into the Sierra Madres. Come back after December 22nd to see what happens. I promise to write whenever I find an opportunity. If you would like to read the travelog of my 2001 trip to India click here, or type www.xanga.com/speigner into your browsers location field.

Usefull links:
Guide to cybercafes http://www.netcafeguide.com/countries/mexico2.htm