Mexico | Day 2

Ted from Catherine's balcony, San Diego

Sun, March 21st 2010, Day 2:
USA-Mexico

Last goodbye to Catherine and Luke after our first couch ride

In the morning we say goodbye to Catherine and thank her for the incredible hospitality. We walk to the bus station and ride it towards the downtown area where we jump on the train directed to the border. On the train we meet Oscar and Erica [who's never ridden a bicycle for more than 2 hours], two brothers who are riding their bicycles to Colombia where they’re going to reunite with their family. That first encounters with travelers signed the official beginning of the trip. And it felt great.

Erica and Oscar on their way to Colombia

We walk across the border, spend a couple of hours in Tijuana, at the Sotano Suizo [Swiss Basement], and rent our gorgeous Chevy, the love of our trip.

Wandering around Tijuana

The view from the hills of Tijuana over the cluster of colorful houses is incredible, we open our first Tecate and we proceed south.
It’s nighttime and the area of Ensenada doesn’t appear too nice, so we decide to keep going and drive through the night. The trip becomes more and more as I dreamed it to be. After hours of driving in the dark, we stop at a taco stand in the middle of nowhere on the side of the street. We enjoy one of the best taco of the trip, we stretch out and jump back in the car.
Everything is running smoothly until we realize the tank is almost empty and we’re in the desert among cactuses [cA-kz]. Miraculously, we find a hotel with a gas sign at the entrance.

Top: Catavina

Bottom: Zoom in of the parking lot we stopped at

It’s 3.30 in the morning; we stop in the parking lot and ask for gas. The concierge tells us that he gas station is out of service but that at around 5.30 a guy shows up with a cart full of gas tanks. We spend our first night in Mexico in the parking lot talking and napping.
At 5.30 we wake up, but the gas guy is not there yet. We move the car and ask for information to a man in the parking lot. Jose listens to the instructions and refers as following:
“Ok guys, I know it’s gonna sound weird but we have TWO choices; either we wait and hope for the guy to show up, OR we can look for Pancho, who lives 100 meters back on the right and sells gas in his garage”.
After a pause for reflection, we agree on adventure and drive towards Pancho’s property. However, Pancho is not there; disappointed we go back to the parking lot and wait for the gas guy. After a hour, Pancho arrives; we fill the Chevy and continue the drive south.

Pancho filling up our Chevy, Catavina.

Moment of the day: Waiting for the guy to come with the cart full of gas in the middle of the desert with Cakz and Caka Cala.