A common site along the highways
I was sitting in the Apple Store in Mesa, Arizona when it happened. Culture Shock. I was waiting for the super cool tech guy to come back and tell me that my computer was corroded and I had to pay $800. to fix my one year old mac book. I was facing the wall at the bar and I could hear everyone behind me. I bravely turned around to see a large gaggle of customers. They all looked like me; minus the bronzed skin and relaxed demeanor. They all spoke my native language of English; and I could understand every word being uttered. But somehow I still felt very out of place. My heart rate and breathing increased and I quickly turned back towards the wall; as if I was putting myself on a time-out from the world. It took everything I had, not to run fearfully out of the store. Culture Shock!
The road leading back to our summer vacation in the United States was a rough one. Lots of pre-trip paperwork, Sancho was diagnosed with mange, a road block of people protesting in Sonora, and the decision to buy a house. We have had lots going on. The drive north was incredible Something about driving through Mexico makes me feel like a bad ass; a true adventurer. I lost the nervousness that I had the first time that we drove south one year ago. A few days before departing, we got word of a road block on the northern portion of the only highway leading north to Arizona. The Yaqui tribe was protesting an aqueduct that had left the river dry near their homes and farms. We decided to take a new route, crossing the border at Cuidad Juarez. After a day of trying to find a pet friendly hotel in the ginormous city of Chihuahua, I was in tears and lashing out angrily in my frustration. Our only option was to leave the dogs in the car overnight. I watched the news closely, hoping that the protest would end. In the meantime, we decided to take one extra day and stay in Mazatlan; just 6 hours north of us where the highway split, giving us the option of crossing the border at Nogales, Arizona or El Paso, Texas. We were under a little pressure to get home because we had a plane to catch in four days to Jill Brinkman's wedding.
In Mazatlan, we got word that the protesters had allowed cars to pass throughout the day; a few hours of blockage and a few hours of open roads. We decided to go for it! We arrived to the toll booth just before the small town of protesters and the man working the booth said that tourists and families were being allowed to pass. As we approached the blockade, we could see a ton of buses and cargo trucks stopped. We got in line with them. As a bus and car just ahead of us got in the left turn lane, I told Sam to follow them. The bus passed the blockade of tractors obstructing the road by going over the center divide several times and down the wrong side of the highway. The car in front of us turned around. Now we were blocking the left hand turn lane, but we were at the front of the line. A small boy was sitting on one of the tractors and another man was on the other tractor reading a newspaper. As a bus passed by, the man on his tractor reading his paper looked up. As he glanced up, he saw our foreign license plates and waved at us; trying to tell us to go through. But to where? In our moment of confusion, he jumped down off his tractor and came over to the car to give us instructions of how to drive through the neighborhood to bypass the tractors on the highway. We cheered as we drove through the second set of tractors, northbound; one turn of the wheel closer to our final destination.
Sancho made it across the border with no problems. We were told 6 weeks ago that he had mange; a parasite that invades a dog's body, causing their fur to fall off, scratching, and horrible scabs. We have found the most amazing vets near our house and they have helped to get him better and prepare us to get across the border with him. Although we were never inspected at the border, nor at any of the military check points along the way. Just a few standard questions: where are you coming from?, where are you going? are you American citizens?...great, have a nice trip.
The majority of the pre-trip stress came from the decision to buy a place just down the road from where we are currently living. We found a killer deal on a 3 bedroom, 3 bath house in a gated community, 3 blocks from the beach. Yes, please! The offer was accepted, inspection completed, and the day after we arrived to the States I transferred the down payment into escrow. Although, it should be an official announcement...this is Mexico, anything can still go wrong with the closing paperwork. But as of now, it appears that the Fubers may be settling down for a few years in La Cruz, Mexico!
The road leading back to our summer vacation in the United States was a rough one. Lots of pre-trip paperwork, Sancho was diagnosed with mange, a road block of people protesting in Sonora, and the decision to buy a house. We have had lots going on. The drive north was incredible Something about driving through Mexico makes me feel like a bad ass; a true adventurer. I lost the nervousness that I had the first time that we drove south one year ago. A few days before departing, we got word of a road block on the northern portion of the only highway leading north to Arizona. The Yaqui tribe was protesting an aqueduct that had left the river dry near their homes and farms. We decided to take a new route, crossing the border at Cuidad Juarez. After a day of trying to find a pet friendly hotel in the ginormous city of Chihuahua, I was in tears and lashing out angrily in my frustration. Our only option was to leave the dogs in the car overnight. I watched the news closely, hoping that the protest would end. In the meantime, we decided to take one extra day and stay in Mazatlan; just 6 hours north of us where the highway split, giving us the option of crossing the border at Nogales, Arizona or El Paso, Texas. We were under a little pressure to get home because we had a plane to catch in four days to Jill Brinkman's wedding.
In Mazatlan, we got word that the protesters had allowed cars to pass throughout the day; a few hours of blockage and a few hours of open roads. We decided to go for it! We arrived to the toll booth just before the small town of protesters and the man working the booth said that tourists and families were being allowed to pass. As we approached the blockade, we could see a ton of buses and cargo trucks stopped. We got in line with them. As a bus and car just ahead of us got in the left turn lane, I told Sam to follow them. The bus passed the blockade of tractors obstructing the road by going over the center divide several times and down the wrong side of the highway. The car in front of us turned around. Now we were blocking the left hand turn lane, but we were at the front of the line. A small boy was sitting on one of the tractors and another man was on the other tractor reading a newspaper. As a bus passed by, the man on his tractor reading his paper looked up. As he glanced up, he saw our foreign license plates and waved at us; trying to tell us to go through. But to where? In our moment of confusion, he jumped down off his tractor and came over to the car to give us instructions of how to drive through the neighborhood to bypass the tractors on the highway. We cheered as we drove through the second set of tractors, northbound; one turn of the wheel closer to our final destination.
Sancho made it across the border with no problems. We were told 6 weeks ago that he had mange; a parasite that invades a dog's body, causing their fur to fall off, scratching, and horrible scabs. We have found the most amazing vets near our house and they have helped to get him better and prepare us to get across the border with him. Although we were never inspected at the border, nor at any of the military check points along the way. Just a few standard questions: where are you coming from?, where are you going? are you American citizens?...great, have a nice trip.
The majority of the pre-trip stress came from the decision to buy a place just down the road from where we are currently living. We found a killer deal on a 3 bedroom, 3 bath house in a gated community, 3 blocks from the beach. Yes, please! The offer was accepted, inspection completed, and the day after we arrived to the States I transferred the down payment into escrow. Although, it should be an official announcement...this is Mexico, anything can still go wrong with the closing paperwork. But as of now, it appears that the Fubers may be settling down for a few years in La Cruz, Mexico!
Sitting along the beach that could soon be our front yard...contemplating the reality of living in a place for longer than 3 1/2 years.
