Yuma and Mexico

Day 3

I had a good nights sleep. The only noise I heard was the air conditioner. Which you can get 

used to quickly. It's only day 3, but it almost seems like I've never been away. Memories of 

work have faded quickly. I get up way to early, Catch up on yesterdays blog. Watch some 

YouTube. I have some breakfast, which actually is some of the still frozen dinner from last

night. You can eat Chinese at any time. With sunup at 7 am, I can take my time showering,

shaving and all that stuff.

                            My small and rather warn room. Basic, but it's doing the job.

It's always nice to have the bike where I can keep an eye on it. The alarm didn't go off, so all

is good. So just before 8 am I head to the border town of Los Algodones, Mexico. It's a 20 

minute ride from the hotel. Being out in the real desert, it's a rather chilly 48 degrees. I could

have dressed warmer, but it's a 20 minute ride. Chilled but refreshed, I hit the parking area at the

border and pay my $6. It's run by the local Indian tribe which owns the land on the American 

side. It might be a little harder to keep away from the Casino up the road, though. 

The parking is that close, one side America, the other Mexico.

As they say on the internet, you just walk through the gates, and your in Mexico, no 

checks. If you drive through, they do check you out. While leaving, they were doing random

bag checks on people entering Mexico. This border is only open from 6 am to 10 pm. I was

wondering

if hotel prices go up after 10 pm? This town is mainly known for dentists, eyeglasses, and for

Pharmacies. Unlike back home, you don't need a prescription,  you just tell the clerk what you 

want, and they get it for you. The prices are also way cheaper than what you pay for back home

(in either Canada or the US). Thinking of buying 2000 Oxys? If it's on the controlled

substance list you can get hit with some jail time bringing that stuff back. So again, do your

research before heading and loading up on cheap Mexican drugs. Also you don't have to

exchange your US $ into Pesos. Everyone accepts US $, and everyone speaks English. 

                                                         The not so long walk over to Mexico.

Through the gates just behind the Bienvenidos sign and your in. I got there early enough that it

was still quite.

                          Just on the other side of the gate is the welcome to Mexico happy cat.

It's like $20 to have your teeth cleaned. Though you should to your research on who's good

and bad. Everyone here is on the hustle. There's no welfare in Mexico, so you can have fun with

it. Like the barber who asked if I needed a haircut, but I reply "I have no hair", and his reply is"I

can put some on" I like that guy.

I actually wanted to pick up a set of Ray-Ban prescription sunglasses. But honestly,

I could get them cheaper at home. So no go, but no loss.  Since my teeth are covered at home,

and so are my prescriptions. I start to look around for souvenirs.

Who can say no to a $8 Mexican wrestling mask? Not this guy! Actually I'm surprised by the

 quality, its really good. Shop around and you'll see the difference between the quality and not so

much.

After a couple of hours and seeing everything this small border town has to offer, I head

back. If you wait too long the line can be hours long (though I can't see that happening today).

No line up, and the customs guy only asked what I bought, and let me through. Remember

to make sure you have your passport before going over. Because I don't think the Americans

will let you back in, without your passport, and that could be a problem for a Canadian!

Well now I know where the border is, thanks to this helpful sign. It's also warmed up to a reasonable

68 degrees, and the ride back will be warmer. I took a different route this time and found a In-N

Out burger. Though there was also the sign saying the McRib was back. Oh decisions, 

decisions. I hit up the pawn shop again, as it's right across for McD's. I find a really good battery

pack for $15. I needed a extra usb cable, and the charger comes with one, so win, win.

I get a McRib, which down here seems to be a yearly event. It's kind of like KFC, you wouldn't 

eat it every day, but once in a while, it hits the spot. I posted a pic on facebook, and I can

feel the hate for the McRib. I can't wait till I find the one that sells the McPizza. There's a 

In-N-Out in Tucson, AZ, so no worries about not getting my In-N-Out fix yet. I checked.

Just as messy as I remember. That hit the spot. Though the free internet was really dodgy. Once 

in a while I get a McD's that does this. Oh well. There really isn't much to do in Yuma. Even the 

movie selection isn't great. I ride around Yuma a bit, but there really isn't much to see. So I 

head back to the motel and work on the blog. 

Today's mileage 30 miles or 50 km

Total for this part of the trip

341 miles or 549 km