A Kino Bay Sunday

Getting out of the park without Paloma wasn't easy. It took three tries. But finally I was able to throw her off - she headed south through the park while I crouched below the sea wall on the beach and went north, having to walk to the pier (muelle) through town rather than on the beach.

Bougainvillea blooming at Islandia

 Fish tacos, anyone? How about Liza frita? Or shrimp cocktails?

Or coconuts with crab? Apparently they have Viagra-like powers.

No Paloma in sight so I continue on the beach.

Stingrays. Not to be confused with manta rays which are known to jump in boats and kill crocodile hunters from Australia. I like the face on this one. He looks like he's looking back at his missing tail. Or maybe he just needs some Cocos Viagra.

The shells in the eye sockets are a nice touch.

The beach is littered with fish heads.

The occasional shell gathering.

Jingle shells. Gringas like them 'cause they're shiny and difficult to find, especially larger ones in perfect shape. These are about 2" in diameter.

 Poor gull. I saw him the other day. I wonder how long he'll survive with that bum wing.

Okay, I walk another mile or so down the beach then come back and cut up to the road that runs parallel to the beach. At the far end is a stretch of fish processing plants.

Even the humblest of dwellings can have lovely gardens.

Nearing the pier, the return of the taco stands.

Guero - whitey.

This place has it all: fish, clams, octopus, carne, cabeza.

Through town, away from the pier, I stop at the "Gravel Pit" for lunch which has been closed all winter. The snowbirds contribute less than they think to the local economy. Sure, they affect RV parks and restaurants like the Marlin, Jorge's, Pargo Rojo, but mostly the town relies on vaccationers from Hermosillo and other towns in Mexico. Many of the restaurants and taco stands don't open until spring. At the Gravel Pit I have a chile rellenos because I'm sick of fish.

After lunch, I'm distracted by a baseball game in the field across the highway.

I've never been inside this motel. Have no idea what the rooms are like or the cost but it sure is a sweet-looking place.

Back on Guaymas, another fine dining establishment - Plywood Palace.

Whoa, Luigi's now has spicy chicken wings!

I poke my head into Carla's and snap a pic of the flour tortilla conveyor belt.

Of course, I have to stop in the Hacienda Hotel to see Edgar. For the two weeks around Semana Santa, the hotel will be occupied by police. Oh yeah, hot guys with big guns.

Edgar. Hot guy, showing off his guns.

Reyes. He's going diving up toward the Seri Village of Desembuque. I ask him if he'll look for a jingle shell in its natural habitat and grab one for me.

Jose's tattoo parlor. He's been working in the city of Guaymas with the Chinese, something to do with jelly fish.

Back where I started.

Back to More of Them

Whaaaa! The Canadian guys are gone. They sure livened up happy hour. I see a period of depression and readjustment in my immediate future. But here's a website of their artistic endeavors and a blog about their journeys through Mexico. They're on their way to Oaxaca. Go meet Robert and William.

http://www.armurestudios.ca/

Hermosillo Guidelines

Here are some tips should you encounter our favorite crooked cops in Hermosillo (the same works for cops in Rocky Point, San Carlos, etc.).

Before coming to Mexico make a copy of your driver's license so that it looks like a real driver's license. If you can. Some licenses may have holograms which make it obvious that it's a copy so I don't know how that will affect the copy and if the Mexican police will even notice. Anyway, make a copy, get it laminated, make it look as close to the real McCoy as you can. That way, when you get pulled over and the policia ask for your driver's license and threaten not to return it until you fork over 500, 800, whatever pesos, you can say fine, keep it, adios, and drive off.

Do not speak Spanish. At all. Not one little word. (Skip the adios as mentioned above.) It helps if you get belligerent and say What, you don't speak English? as Charlotte did. It scared the hell out of them and they sent us on our way.

The cops lie in wait for gringos on the Hermosillo to Kino bypass. Pay attention to the speed limit. If you don't have km markings on your speedometer, write the mph to kmph conversion down somewhere so you'll know.

On Blvd Progresso which is a newly paved six lane road on the bypass you'll need to make a left turn on Dr. Antonio Quiroga. Do not get in the left lane too soon. Stay in the right lane. Some friends just got taken for 800 pesos because big rigs are not supposed to be in the primera lane, the fast lane.

Carry a camera. Take the cops' pictures. Write down the badge numbers. Photograph their license plates.

Don't carry a wad of pesos. Reach into your wallet, flip it open, pull out the measly little 100 peso bill you have there and shrug and say I'm sorry, that's all I got.

If worse comes to worse and you're not speeding or driving in the wrong lane, say Fine, take me to the station. They don't want to do that. It cuts into their shakedown time.

I think people need to let the Sonora Tourism offices know every time they get pulled over.

As for me, I've managed to sneak through without getting pulled over. Here's what I do: I pray to the angels to put up a shield so that I'm invisible to the police (but not to other drivers; this is a tricky request but they're up to it). I have two NO SB1070 stickers on the van side windows, a Mexican flag hanging from the viser, a Virgin of Guadalupe decal on the back window. And it doesn't hurt that I drive a rusted blue van that looks like a Mexican shuttle bus.