After a tearful goodbye to Gosling we departing Guaymas we
drove south along the toll roads which promised tom be better quality and
faster than the free roads. By the time we arrived here we had spent almost
$150 in tolls. They aren’t kidding when they say that Mexico has the most
expensive toll roads.
Good bye, old friend
Our first night was in a little campground in Huatabampo, a
small bay just north of Topolobampo, well off the beaten track. We were the
only ones in the RV park and we parked within a few yards of the beach where we
could hear the waves breaking on the shore. When we arrived they were preparing
for a wedding reception, our clue to park as far as we could from the
restaurant/reception facility. To our surprise everything wrapped up by 21:00
and we had a quiet restful night listening to the surf.
We were off the next morning, but first, we had to get to
the main highway and that was quite a ride on the worst road we have ever
transited with Casita. What should have taken about 30 minutes took well over 1
½ hours of dodging potholes and slowing to a near stop to go over topes, those
mini-mountains built into the roads to slow traffic. They are certainly
effective and can be found on every road other than the toll highways.
Our destination was Mazatlán, where we stayed for 2 nights
at the Punta Cerritos RV park. Our plans to dine at fat Fish, our favourite rib
restaurant, were dashed when we both came down with a slight case of Mexican
tummy, but we did have the opportunity to visit with Lin and Debbie (Dolphin
Tales), cruising friends from Victoria.
Bruha beach, "permanent" motor homes
Our next stop was at another RV site close to Tequila,
Jalisco, at Delia’s Trailer Park at Ezatlan. This one had a grass covered
parking area with basic services and, again, we were the only ones there
besides the manager and her 4 dogs, one of which, a rescue dog, almost had
Rosie for dinner had it not been for the muzzle and missing front leg. After
the encounter the owner said that they knew it was a vicious dog so they
actually had its front leg surgically removed but that didn’t seem to slow it
down at all. One wonders……
The next morning was all on good B roads, yes, with lots of
topes, all the way to the Kristal Hotel, La Barca. Our reason for being there
requires some explanation.
Some of our favourite cruising partners during our 8 years
on Gosling were Bill and Janet on Optical Illusion. The name of their boat was
significant, he was an ophthalmologist from Vancouver who participated in eye
clinics missions to countries all over the world. In our time with them we were
asked if we would be interested in participating. We agreed on the spot,
however, Bill passed away in 2014 but this year Janet asked if we would help
out at a clinic in his memory at La Barca, Mexico.
We arrived before the others and parked the truck and
trailer under covered parking, settled into our room and waited for the group
to arrive. The team was made up ophthalmologists and opticians from Canada,
mostly from Quebec and BC, with assistance from optometry students from Chicago
and Australia and a number of volunteer helpers, like us. The entire team,
about 35 strong, was headed by Father Pierre, a Catholic priest from Montreal
who has been active in such missions for years now. The Canadian teams brought with them boxes of
specialized equipment and a huge inventory of glasses collected by volunteer
organizations across Canada who painstakingly analyse, label and sort them out.
As can be expected in Mexico, the entire inventory of boxes were delayed in
Customs and would not be released unless a significant duty was payed. As a
result not all the boxes arrived but there was sufficient stock and equipment
to carry on with the 7-day mission and over the 7 days more than 2700 patients
were examined and issued with glasses. All those with significant eye problems
were recorded for further treatment by the Mexican health system.
The student crew from the US and Austraia
Fran and I were an exception in this group, being the only
ones who had travelled there by road and with a dog. Our daily routine before
and after the work at the mission (07:30-18:00 on most days) was centred around
Rosie. She was a real trooper staying cooped up in the trailer all day. We
played fetch for an hour or so every day on our return and she slept with us in
the hotel room at night. Everyone loved her, naturally.
The mission’s hosts and local assistants for the event were
a great group of people. The mayor and his wife, the local Rotary club, Alicia,
the coordinator for many previous missions and several prominent citizens all
contributed their time and energy where they could. Several of them hosted the
group at their houses for dinners and one, an owner of a major greenhouse
complex for tomatoes and peppers (60 hectares), had us over for an entire
afternoon of food and drink. I think he had close connections with a local
tequila producer by the same name (Mendosa) cause all the tequila seen at our
functions was from the same distillery. On the last night they held a going
away party with folkloric dancers, a fantastic Mariachi band, presentations,
gifts and lots of photographs and fond farewells. And then it was over….. When
we woke up the next morning we were, once more, the only ones left. Everyone
else had to leave on the bus at 3 AM, some headed to the airport, others for a
few days in Puerto Vallarta.
Afternoon outing at the Mendosa farm
Modern hydroponic roma tomato greenhouse
Presentation of certificates
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