We are in Aticama again

Good Morning from Aticama – right now I don’t have any Internet connection – the Banda Ancha only works when it wants to here. And those times are few and far between. So I’m waiting to get the passcode from the park.  So anyway – yesterday.

We got up early finished getting everything ready and went across the street for breakfast at Torres. Getting the day off to a good start. Then off we went for about one mile to the gas station. Oh boy! We needed a LOT of gas. 3668.71 pesos worth! Around US$ 255.  That was 68 gallons at 3.80 a gallon. Not cheap to travel here any more

.So about 9:30 we got on the highway. Love the new bypass around Mazatlan, makes it so much easier and quicker. The only problem is there are no gas stations unless you get off the Autopista – so going north or south you have to plan ahead for gasoline.

Down the road a ways we passed all these vendors selling shrimp tamales and dried shrimp. Must have been about twenty of them.

Here the road was divided but most of it was two lanes with decent shoulders. This was a Fiscal Inspection – we got waved right through. No idea what a Fiscal Inspection is – glad we don’t have to know.

Leaving Sinaloa and into the state of Nayarit.

Continued down the highway until our turn off – and luckily we didn’t miss it. Here I have to mention the tolls for the day. We drove total 188 miles, probably 30 of them not on a toll road. The cost – a whopping US $80! About 50 cents a mile! At least the road was mostly good. If only two lane. Not fun to get stuck behind a police man doing 40 miles an hour with his light on and/or a double semi carrying a load of crushed cars – barely moving. Poke poke poke along. Back to getting off the Autopista. Onto a very narrow secondary road that got much narrower crossing over this bridge. Not even a bicycle could have shared it with us.

Passing through a little town with four topes – school was just getting out. Everyone shouted HELLO!

This is a very agriculture area – I think this is rice. Also tobacco, corn and bananas.

Into the town of Villa Hidalgo. Since we were here last a couple of years ago they have repaved the main street. Very nice and smooth now – but they didn’t take out the topes – another nine of them.

Continued on down to Guadalupe Victoria where we make the turn to San Blas – a distance of 17 miles and there were a total of 20 topes. We were dreading this stretch of road cause it used to be potholes with a little road around them. It too had been repaved. But it is still pretty narrow. Bill came to a stop and let this truck ease by us.

Just a pretty view. The mountains in the background are up by Tepic – lots of clouds over them.

Where there is a vendor there is a tope – more tamales. In front of the Corona distributor. 

Turning to head into El Chaco RV around 2:00.  I’ll take some pictures and write more about the campground later.

After getting set up and settled we headed into San Blas for FOOD. Bill was starving. We stopped at Tradiciones restaurant.

The owner Javier, the cook, Victoria and Bill. We were greeted with hugs and smiles. Like returning home to family.

Bill had chili rellenos over chicken milanese with fries, I had the same chicken with guacamole and we shared a big salad. He had coke and I had ice tea. Javier had to go to the store next door to buy them as he no longer stocks them. Cheaper to buy them. He also ran out to the central market to get the ingredients for the salad. I love Mexico.

The tables in the restaurant.

After eating we walked up to the plaza for churros. Again a great welcome – Everyone wanted to know where we were last year. Why we didn't come down. 

We also stopped and talked to the Huichol woman who made Bill’s hat bands. Got big hugs from her. As they talked she had tears in her eyes. Then on home where we watched the sun set.

To bed early.