Today wan’t nearly as painful as yesterday.  Pretty much just a straight drive down to highway towards Guyamas.  Not very long either, having learned my lesson about getting where I want to be in the daylight.  I am off the main route a bit at a little place called Leos Inn, in Colina Miramar, Sonora.  Not what you would call fancy, but beachfront.  i have the penthouse suite and the view is typical of what I imagine Mazatlan to be like.  There are a flock of pelicans that call this bay their home and you can watch them dive bomb their prey 50 feet from the beach as well as wayyy out there.  It’s pretty cool.

A few shots from the “penthouse”.

I just about lost an eye because of these long hanging beans or whatever they are…

I discovered, as I went out for something to eat, that the balcony doors don’t even lock.  That is the main entrance to the room.  Also, aside from the other guest, I am the only one here.  There is nobody tending this place. Weird. So, had to move all my things back into the car. Whey you look at your stuff sitting there behind nothing but a glass door and try to imagine what you could do without if it were ripped off, you quickly decide the answer is none of it.

No use taking any chances this far from home.  I packed everything I needed, and nothing I didn’t.

In this room, I also came across the ugliest lamp I have ever seen in my life.

I’ve tried to imagine the mind that proposed this into existence, but came up short every time.  It’s imponderable, but unforgettable at the same time.

I can’t wait for tomorrows’ sunrise.

Morning….

Survived the night.  Discovered in the morning that there was no hot wter and talked to the ground keeper as he got off the bus.  He said “Un hora.”  Ok, one hour.  An hour later he care up the stairs with a bucket of hot water.  That’s livin’.  Am I going to stay another night??  No.  I think not.  It’s too bad, the place was built around the mid-sixties and looked like it had just fallen into ruin.  it was a nice place once.

I got my car hand washed for 45 pesos.  Awesome, because I had parked under a tree that shit all over it.  Found a bank machine, and drove out of town.

The Gas Scam

Don’t take your eyes off the pump.  I pulled into a station and the guy filled me up with 100 pesos of gas and had the nozzle back on the pump.  I told him no, I wanted it full and turned around and sat back in the car.  I had about 3/4 tank at that point.  The trick is they don’t clear the price off the pump, but then want the total price plus the 100 pesos you as if they did.  Happens so fast it is done with before you figure it out.  So I figure I got burned for 100 pesos with no way to prove it because I turned my back as he was restarting the fill, and no real desire to pursue it further being alone and all.

Chalk it up to “not to do again”.  To be fair, this is the first person who ripped me off here.  Not bad overall.

Lesson 2

Even if the book says you can bypass a toll road and the free one is OK, don’t believe it.  Going off the toll road means a severe beating.  I’m OK, but my car is wondering what she did wrong.  I have never seen roads in that poor of shape.  I think road maintenance is a leap year activity.  It would also explain the condition of some of the vehicles I see here.  Not only that, but the directions supplied were RONG so I had to backtrack over all the crap, and the road was filled with Policia.  Sitting there waiting… waving as you go by.  I didn’t get stopped.

For what anyways… speeding?!?  No way!

I will add some pictures later.