Adios Mexico!

January 2 (Tuesday)

Tuesday morning we loaded the bus about 9 AM. 

There was a fish vendor selling fish out of the back of his half-ton truck. We decided against bringing fish home. He wanted $8/pound for shrimp which I guess was a good deal. It was $11/pound at Fry's in Yuma.

A beautiful sunrise. Low tide.

Shrimp for sale. Fresh?? Not so sure.

We headed back to the border. Everyone has to get off the bus and carry our carry-on packages with us as we went through the Border Protection checks. No big issues crossing and we were on our way in about an hour.

A real contrast  of wealth in Mexico. Very poor areas.....

.......to modern downtown.

Young Mexican soldier at the border.

The border.

It's hard to read but the yellow bumper above the trailer says 'Clearance 12' 3". The air conditioner hit the soft bumper but cleared the solid frame. So my trailer is 13'6"! How in the world would I get my trailer through that!

The Border wall

We stopped at Organ Pipe National Monument. They have some nice displays of cactus. The Organ Pipe Cactus is pretty rare in the US and this is the only place where they grow.

Chainfruit cactus in foreground. Large Sanguaro to the left rear.

It takes at least 50 years before the Sanguaro grows an arm. An Octollo Cactus looks like dead twigs on the right.

Teddy Bear Cholla. Inviting to touch, but DON'T!

The bus stopped in Gila Bend for lunch. I ran across the road to the Circle K for a sandwich. Thirty minutes later we loaded the bus and headed to Yuma. We arrived about 4PM.

Overall, we liked the trip. It would have been more enjoyable if we felt better but we got to experience a new culture, enjoyed New Years on a great beach, and met some great people. We had mixed feelings about the tour company. I get that we need to be flexible and ready for any unforeseen circumstances that may arise outside their control, but it seemed that for an experienced tour company they were very unpolished and seemed to be winging it at every step. The escort, bless her heart, was the oldest member of the entire group. A very nice lady but it's time to hang up the spurs and enjoy a tour instead of trying to organize one. We would try another bus tour again, just not with this company. Maybe our expectations were too high.

Our sunset tonight, January 2 over Yuma. That was Our View From Here!