Friday 1 August 2014

0068 31st July - Mike's Sky Rancho to Colomet

Up reasonably early in the cool of the morning – But my first job was to wipe the whole car and everything else down as a nearby tree had decided to drop blobs of sticky stuff all over me during the night !!  Anyway, got all packed up and showered and was out of there by 9 am, still cool, and today even a bit cloudy and hazy in the mountains.  Over the river and out along the track – 30.9 kms back to the road, and the markings along the road ARE correct and in kms – I guess it just seemed longer when I was coming in and didn’t quite know where I was going !!  Saw a couple of burros beside the road, and a jack rabbit or two, but that was all.  No cougars or pumas or whatever they have round here !!

Once out and back on Hwy 3 towards Ensenada, the scenery seemed to alternate between rocky passes and open plains. Still not a lot of traffic, and it was actually quite a fun drive at a leaisurely pace – Spending my time getting used to everything, trying to work out signs, and how the drivers “do it” !!  You really have to have your wits around you because overtaking will be done regardless of whether there is a double yellow line in the middle, or signs saying “No Overtaking” !!  Driving is not easy here, but I think it is like anywhere else – You just have to get used to the differences.  There is certainly no point in tut tutting about their driving habits because that is just the way they do it here!!  Viva la difference !!

I loved the “Farm Vehicles” warning sign – A guy on a tractor, but he is wearing a sombrero !!  And of course you see quite a few “painted rocks” where someone has died on the road. (Maybe a link to the driving methods mentioned above ?) 

Had my first Military Checkpoint of the day this morning, and the young guy was in the back fossicking around, and he kept asking me if I drank tequila, or smoked, or had any marijuana – Over and over again. “In here ?”   “In there ?” Not nastily, but with a smile on his face as he prodded and poked around.  I kept saying “Khoobiyardo, khubiyardo” and laughing (“Jubilado is the word for “retired” !).  Eventually he prodded the porta potty and asked what it was, and when I told him it was my “bagno” or toilet, he almost leapt out of there and said I could go !!!  Must remember that one and steer them towards it first in future !!

After about 140 kms I came into Ensenada, and the traffic started to get a lot busier.  No pics of driving through Ensenada – I was concentrating far too hard to take photos !!  Not too bad a city, but I made sure I watched how others did it (like a roundabout at a road junction, even signed as a roundabout, but if turning left you don’t go round it, you cut across the other side !!) and usually tried to make sure I stayed behind someone all the time so I could copy them.  There is just SO much to keep your eye on – The traffic is one thing, but then you have people cutting across you to suddenly stop (usually without indicating), all the mini buses zooming down the inside, and then, apart from traffic lights there are those blooming Alto signs that just appear in the middle of nowhere !  I got a photo of one where there was no visible cross roads – Just an Alto sign in the middle of the highway out of town !!  And today I got my first “Topes” experience. Topes are speed bumps, and are all over central and south America.  Usually there is no warning, and some are severe enough to rip suspension off if hit too fast.  Today they mostly had signs, but even so, they do occasionally forget to sign one !! Locals know where they are, but foreigners like me have to be ever alert.  So it is a constant motion of swerving to avoid idiots, screeching to a halt for an unseen Alto sign, or braking hard to a Tope that suddenly appears ! You sure have to concentrate !

In Ensenada I found what appeared to be a supermarket which had a parking lot, and got in there without too much trouble even though it was on the wrong side of the road right down town, so busy busy.  Went in and wandered around with my dictionary and found I could work most things out, so got a few things, and think most of them are indeed what I intended to buy !!  I also bought a small bread roll from a bakery as I heard they were very good, and thought it would make a change from tortillas for my lunch – And when I ate it later, stuffed with cheese and ham and tomato and anion etc, it really was a good roll.   Anyway, in Ensenada I also found another money changer and got some more pesos – Trying to build up a few in case country Mexico shops and gas stations won’t take Visa – And then topped up with diesel at a Pemex station, and headed out of town.  By now it was about 2.30 pm.

The suburbs of Ensenada go on a long way, but eventually we were out in the country – only to hit quite major road works.  Now if you think it is fun driving on normal roads, dirt road works roads are a free for all !!  Signs saying no overtaking and 40 kms max are well forgotten, and every corner is like the first corner on the first lap of a motor race – Piling into blind corners or over crests 3 abreast – And with all the dust, you can’t see a thing !!  I just couldn’t stop laughing it was so ludicrous.

And sure enough, a few miles later, a white van which had been one of the “competitors” was on its roof on the side of the road, with police and ambulances all arriving as I passed.  Hmmmmm.

 Saw a cactus farm today.  Logical I suppose in Mexico, but funny to see all these cactus growing in neat rows !!  They had them in the supermarket too – not just the “ears”, but even all chopped up.  Must find out how they eat them !!

And as for the road sign indicating “Cattle ahead” – I reckon he looks like a sad old bull, with his head dropping in the heat !  Brings a smile to my face everytime I pass the sign.  Never have seen any bulls or cows though !!

On one of the windy (as in curves) sections, I had seen an enormous pile of tomatoes beside the road – some poor farmer must have tipped his truck over.  Also saw smaller quantities of tomatoes beside the road elsewhere – The farmer must have just lost a few in the corner !!  Then, not far down the road I understood how it could happen – There in front of me was an old pick up with his tray piled high with tomatoes, and behind him a ramshackle old trailer also piled high, with one mudguard missing and wobbly wheels – And just as I was about to overtake him, he suddenly turned left up a dirt track, not only almost collecting me, but also nearly tipping his trailer over !!  I am now waiting for a water melon truck………

By now it was 5 pm, and I was getting weary.  (No siesta today !!!)  I had seen a few camping signs, but couldn’t ever see where the camping was, then, as I came into a little town called Colonet  I saw a sign saying “RV Park on the beach – 2 kms” !!  Found what I thought was the turning, (no sign of course !) chatted to some kids about whether this road to the playa or not, and so headed down it.  2 kms later came to a half built restaurant that was open, and went in and asked if they had camping, to which they replied in the affirmative, took US$5 (didn’t want pesos), and left me to find a spot.  Well, apart from an old abandoned (I think) motorhome, there was only me, and the sites have water but no power, so I just parked on the cliff overlooking the see, and set up my camp !  How good is this ?  Lovely breeze so nice and cool after that horrible heat in southern California, and I cooked myself “Mild Italian sausages” for dinner, and they were excellent.  Even got two left over for cold lunch tomorrow !!

No wifi here again, but done my blog, and as it is now dark, time to turn in, and wonder what adventures will be in store tomorrow !!

 

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