The Elephant's Travels 2015

Beginnings. Sometimes it is hard to know when one has arrived. But finally, sitting in a cheap motel in Yuma Arizona, more than two months after we left our Gold Coast home, we were sure our newest journey was at last underway. We had already spent a happy, busy, seven weeks in London staying with our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.

Experience has taught us a few tricks for crossing borders. It is all simple stuff, like: get there early and be prepared to take all day getting through. There are also rules about having all your paperwork ready with the copies already made, or keeping calm, not letting them rush you, never losing you temper and always remaining polite and, of course, never using a “helper” or paying a bribe. But somehow, none of this seemed appropriate for Mexico.

The old hotel we called home in Loreto had what you might call the patina of age. It was once the home of a General who had two tunnels built to link the house to the armoury in one direction and the church in another. It seemed that in those turbulent days you could be the big man one day and seeking asylum to escape from the ensuing mob the next. It was a reminder of Mexico's colourful history and the part played by the Baja. Loreto was the first administrative capital of the Californias from 1697 until 1777 when it was moved to Monterey.

This blog is late. It is the first “late” blog in more than five years. Last time we were too exhausted to worry about a blog after a hell of a bad week at the office. This time we have no such excuse. Our week was relatively easy. We cruised by some of the Mayan sites along the Guatemalan border and enjoyed the 20 November celebrations in the coastal town of Chetumal. I had even written the text for our last post from Mexico well before post-day on Sunday. There was, however, a problem. We read the post one after the other then sat looking at each other.

On the face of it Team Elephant had a quiet week. We tasted some tequila, packed and departed Guadalajara and made our way to Mexico City by way of two Mesoamerican sites and the cutesy tourist town of Guanajuato; all happy-travelling stuff. The trouble is, we didn't feel at all happy as we wound out through the Guadalajara suburbs. We just felt flat.

Another day another border. Costa Rica to Panama was, however, a relaxed affair with just the mandatory confusion caused by poor signage and an illogical layout of offices. In some places they make an extra effort. The easy crossing got us down to the regional city of David (Da-vid) by early afternoon with plenty of time to seek out a good hotel for a longer stay.

We have always loved our time in the back-blocks of any country we have visited and, in this, Mexico has been a treat. The gritty villages and small-hold farming communities set in spectacular rugged country are both romantic and picturesque and play to a simplified stereotype of Mexico. We had found during our previous visits that, like all stereotypes, this one failed to describe the modern country. It is the cities of the heartland that have incubated Mexico's modern cultural identity. Our last week of travel should illustrate the point.

After a deal of trouble getting in, we decided that Nicaragua would be a laid-back visit for Team Elephant. It is a relatively easy place to travel. The roads are tolerably good. The prices aren't inflated. Most of it is safe enough and, most importantly, it gave us a few good options for a layover to rehydrate after our border crossing event.

El Fuerte, where we ended last week, was founded in 1564 and was for many centuries the main commercial centre for North-West Mexico because of its proximity to the silver mines in the canyons to the north. Named after a fort built to protect settlers from indigenous attacks its main commercial purpose is long gone but its position as a stop on the famous Copper Canyon railway and recognition as one of Mexico's Pueblos Magicos has given it a new life as a minor tourist centre.

Belize is a tiny country nestled on the Caribbean coast between Mexico and Guatemala where they speak a few variations of English. It is something of an anomaly in the sea of Spanish that is Central America. We rode most of the way down the country on half a tank of fuel while we tried to pick up the cadence of the local dialect. We found the accent so remote that we sometimes reflexively answered questions in Spanish as though it was a better chance for a common tongue.

Mexico City is the original big gorilla. It was a mega-city before the tag was invented. The city boundaries contain the populations of Sydney and Melbourne combined (8.4 mil), and its urbane sprawl, the total population of Australia (22 mil). Fifty kilometres out you plunge into the smog and traffic like diving into an ocean. It is immense, relentless, pounding. It is, at first impression, no place for an easy going Team Elephant but, like a giant star, its gravitational pull is irresistible and we were drawn in with quiet determination (and a well thought out navigation plan).

If we limped into Guadalajara with our spirits a little tested the feeling didn't last for long. Our friends Ernesto and Andrea and their children Diego and Luna welcomed us as family. Ernesto had already identified the only "real" suspension specialist in town and it didn't take long to book Elephant in for repairs with our only concern a few days waiting for spares. If I had been looking forward to a few days relaxing, however, I was shocked into reality the next day when Ernesto and I joined the Sales Manager for the Guadalajara Honda dealer on a little test ride of new bikes.

Another day, another border. “That's the problem with these little countries”, I opined as we stood waiting for stamps at the Costa Rica border, “they're little!”

“What?”
“Well, we'll just finish with this one and we will be ready for another.”
“Hmm”

This is a short story about mountains, canyons and the resilience of culture and belief. It starts in Creel where we had found shelter from the cold and rain and the services of a couple of bush-mechanics who should be working for Rolls Royce. The business of Creel is tourism. It provides the stepping off place for a thousand adventures in and around the “Copper Canyon” and ensures that visitors are well housed, fed and watered. It is a little rough around the edges but we liked it and, importantly, liked the options it gave us for accommodation and meals.

By the time we had drifted south to the Guatemalan border with El Salvador the change from North America to Central America was complete. While some southern states are traditionally considered Central American, Mexico for the most part feels North American. Guatemala does not and, by the time we crossed into El Salvador, the change was obvious. We were reminded, if any reminder was needed, that the borders from here south would be a test of patience and determination for, in some things, Central America's reputation is deserved.