Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacán

It was a restless night, hot and sticky. The batteries weren’t topped off so we ran the engine a couple of times to double the cool air from the roof and from the dashboard as well as adding amps to the battery bank. We slept fitfully with fans and woke finally at dawn. I walked Rusty on the beach and Layne cleared the cabin for travel. We looked out at a place not for us and we got on the road. Today was a new day. 

Eight o’clock and we were passing the little bakery for a second time, but it was closed. The commuters were out and starting to head for work. Mexico opens later in the morning than the US. Check out the bike path weaving through the weeds and the pink building repeated every mile for what purpose I don’t know - a cycle rest area or toilet or something? 

We had put Walmart and Sam’s Club into Google Maps as our target. With the phone in airplane mode we follow the blue line without using precious internet airtime. Verizon gives us half a gigabyte free every day and we can buy more for $5 each half gigabyte. They send a text message when time is up. Do you want more they ask like drug dealers. Reply Speed to this text for more. It’s funny how you get used to this odd way of living. I type Speed and like magic I can surf the web!

Lazaro Cardenas is a working class city, vibrant with work and avenues lined with small businesses and if my moving photos are less than brilliant forgive  me but I hope they show some of the atmosphere of the busy streets. 

We got a positive buzz finding ourselves in a city going to work. This is not a tourist town and we saw no other gringos even at Las Amerícas Mall. There must be some North Americans in town, expatriate workers no doubt but we were the only ones flying the flag that morning. 

Irritatingly enough they put arches over the entrances and exits and as we need three meters clearance (9’6”) we had a problem as they were only 2.6 meters high. Luckily there was one open gate next to Starbucks presumably to allow delivery vans access. I used it to go in and out I admit. Incoming traffic was very polite to the idiot gringo. 

We got our American groceries, salad, blueberries, cheese and other stuff. We buy eggs from local stores as well as milk and tortillas and so forth. When we got back to the van at the empty end of the parking lot our side door was boxed in by some twat who I can only assume was seeking shade. Whatever, it was easy enough to move. 

We left Las Amerícas and Office Depot, McDonalds and all the rest. We passed an Agua purificada store with parking and I darted off the street in my huge van to load three jugs (garrafones) of water. 15 gallons cost two bucks and filled the tank. Evidently our 35 gallon tank holds 30 gallons which is fine but also rationalizes what I thought was a high rate of consumption. When we thought we had drunk five gallons we’d actually drunk three. Okay then. 

I had incautiously mentioned to my wife we should rotate the tires. We have 33,000 miles on the van and the rotation was of course overdue because I lost track of the schedule, but when she got onto her Google map she found Avante, a chain of tire shops capable of dealing with 18 wheelers and they were on our route out of town to the south. I hoped the wait would be reasonable but they took us right in and got the job done in 20 minutes including hanging over five whole dollars got the job.  Layne insisted we stop even though I of course didn’t want to deal with it; I just wanted to drive because I’m

like that. I love driving. The guy who rotated our wheels was a total jerk. He did the job perfectly and reset the pressures properly  and after it was done, all the while mangling Spanish he told us he graduated a high school in Seattle and spoke fluent English! My kind of jerk as I used to do that with English speaking tourists when I was a kid in Italy. I gave him a dollar tip. Too small? That’s the equivalent  of lunch for a local. Layne gets stuff done and the tires are rotated. Next oil change in 2,000 miles, which may be La Paz in Baja California I’m thinking. Please note below the sign saying only authorized personnel are allowed in the area. We sat in the van as they did the work as it is isolated, we could chat with the employees who wanted to see the inside of our home and we could joke around with them. “Don’t let the dog out!” They pleaded as they advised us there was a waiting room. Don’t worry I said, he likes young fresh meat, not you. Oh they said pointing to one of their team, he’s a dog and we don’t want a dog fight. They did a great job and laughed all the way through. A secretary from the front office came out and they said she’s beautiful and I agreed. But the dog told me she’s fea. When I paid the five bucks I told her the men said you are fea (fierce) and the women at their computers started giggling. Just as well another one remarked. The sort of conversation that would get you manacled in the States. I can see why he came back home from Seattle. Freedom comes in many forms and an enjoyable work environment means a lot. 

We crossed the first bridge south and spotted a Pemex. I convinced the attendant we needed regular gas not diesel and he took a bit of convincing. He dutifully pointed out the numbers at zero and $72 later I gave him my American Express card. Layne meanwhile found lunch across the street. 

She cruised the street food which is the shopping she really enjoys and came back with a quesadilla and a sope (“so-pay” a thick tostada covered in whatever you choose. I had beef and potatoes because Layne knows me). We ate at our tables aboard GANNET2. I took a dog living at the gas station a bag of dog food with some surplus cheese slices from our fridge. He was too shy to take them direct but I watched him dive in as I got back into the van. 

Back on the highway we found ourselves enjoying Mexico again. We crossed the river that separates Michoacán from Guerrero State and found ourselves in a more upscale environment with clean shoulders, a smooth road and frequent road signs. A pleasant change from down at heel Michoacán. The Navy was on patrol too, a sight you get used to all over Mexico. Gang warfare had broken out in Colima over turf claims but along the coast none of that was visible. Look at the lovely clean highway: 

The road safety signs were back. “Put the phone down”. You’ve seen that one everywhere. We were going to Barra de Potosí and life was looking pretty good. Full of water and fuel with empty trash cans and the promise of some more beach swimming. Back on track.