Things have changed in our quiet little park

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was quiet and peaceful and to day...

Fortunately this caravan of 13 RV's is only here for 4 days before they move on.

Rick

End of the Road

On Tuesday we broke camp at Hotel Playa de Cortes in Guaymas and headed south. We are leaving the traditional area of the Yaqui (who inhabit the Yaqui River Valley) just before reaching Ciudad Obregon. Here the landscape becomes considerably greener and more agricultural. In the historic and pre-historic past, the Yaquis and the Mayos were traditional hunter-gatherers who practiced flood plain horticulture along the two river valleys. The highland slopes and foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental  to the east known as "La Seranna" was originally inhabited by indigenous hunter-gatherers and later by Jesuit missionaries and Spanish miners. This eastern area dominated commercially and culturally until the 1950s. By then, rapid growth of irrigated agriculture in the Western Lowlands shifted the emphasis to the fertile flood plains, and this process was accelerated by the rapid construction of dams and reservoirs. 

To sum up, the intense agriculture of the flood plains of southern Sonora is a relatively new event, and it dominates the development. The first photo below is the gigantic statue of a Yaqui native that designates the southern border of their territory on the outskirts of Ciudad Obregon. Obregon is a large and prosperous city founded on agricultural industry.

Ciudad Obregon

Ciudad Obregon

Ciudad Obregon

Flood plain intensive agriculture and canal.

Flood plain agriculture

Roadside "store"..

Flood plain agriculture

After we pass though the city of Navajoa, we cross the flood plain to the west, about 20 miles

wide, and reach Huatabampo, in the area of the Mayo people. They still speak their native language as do the Yaquis. They are some of the only remaining indigenous' people in Mexico to do so.

Huatabampo has a few thousand inhabitants and does not suffer from the lack of a doctor (see below) or pharmacy.

Or the lack of groceries

Or paper and gifts

We chuckled at the sign below. We had just come from Navajoa, had passed through Huatabampo

and were heading for Huatabampito on the beach.

And here we are. Huatabampito on the beach.

First sunrise with pelicans soaring en masse up the beach.

The beach restaurant is straight ahead. The RVs line up on the beach to the left, and Maria and Enriques's "motel" used mostly by Mexican locals, is on the right. There is also another building

out of view.

They are continually adding things and improving things every year. This year Enrique is adding a new house for himself and converting an older house into a rental. In addition they have planted young palms along the second tier of camp sites.

Maria is getting tired of the responsibility of running the business, so this year she is training

the husband of her niece (Manuel), to run the office. He is a super young man, very personable

and speaks beautiful English. He told us his parents sent him to school in the US because he would

need English to get a good job in Sonora.

Yesterday Manuel came through the campsite to all the RVs who are staying long term for a month or more, to deliver to us a calendar and a special Tee shirt emblazoned with "Huatambampito" and a nice Mexican beach scene. We also got a 10% discount off the normal monthly rate when we arrived. They do a lot to make us feel welcome and to encourage us to come back (which we intend to do of course).

This is the restaurant from the beach.

We are the rig on the right side. The Austrians are in the middle. They actually shipped over this RV version of a tank (UNIMOG Expedition Vehicle.) and are exploring Mexico in it. Personally I think it is a bit overkill, but they do add a bit of interest to the campground.

This is us on the beach

And the Austrians next door. For some pecuiar reason they parked their "tank" at a strange angle inside their site which contradicts the normal convention of backing straight in on one's site. As long as they enjoy themselves and they seem to be doing so. In Mexico, the motto is "live and let live".

The traditional way to enjoy a Mexican beach. Live outside as much as you can.

Second sunrise today. It was absoutely spectacular and it covered the entire sky

so was impossible to photograph. 

We intend to really relax here and have no immediate plans to do ANYTHING exciting.

I suppose this is the end of the trail of the blog for now, unless we happen to have an adventure

along the way. If so, then we will post. Otherwise, we are always accessible via email,

and we would welcome any message you care to send.

So it's adios/chau/nos vemos and hasta luego… 

Rick Barbara and Flossie  on the beach at Huatabampito Sonora Mexico.

Last Day in Guaymas

We decided on our last day here, to take our favourite short excursion from San Carlos (on the right side of the map) out to the Mirador Lookout on the left side of the map (out on the point). The road wraps around the bay on the way, and Tetakawi which is on the left side of that bay where the road kinks off to the left towards the mirador.The road actually wraps right around the base of Tetakawi.

Here we are wrapping around the bay with Tetakawi on the right side. This part of San Carlos is very scenic as the bay holds a marina chock full of yachts from all over the world and Tetakawi rises straight out of the water.

On the north side of Tetakawi (it's lower slope on the left) the road to the mirador starts to incline. 

On the right side, large Mediterranean style homes are built to maximize the view. These homes see the view south but also the view to the north (next).

The view to the north.

From the mirador, one can see all the way down the south coast. It is quite dramatic and wild looking. Nobody in sight.

Below is a selection of photos from the mirador.

Our last morning at Hotel Playa de Cortes. At first light.

The moon over the hotel.

Barbara, Rick and Flossie

Playa de Cortes Mexico

We expect to be on our last day south tomorrow. Here is a last view of the Playa de Cortes from the hotel early this morning.

Barbara Rick and Flossie

NEW YEARS EVE

We are taking you today on a trip from our campsite at The Hotel Playa de Cortes in Guaymas, around the Bay to the town of San Carlos where all the action is.

From the bay front of the hotel, we look directly across to the peninsula on the other side of the bay. The large mountain on the end of the peninsular is Tetakawi and San Carlos surrounds its base. This is our destination today as we zoom over there for lunch. It is a 20 minute drive around the bay. Once we leave Guaymas the road is virtually deserted, with most of the drive through open countryside. It is a hidden little known back-way around the bay that eliminates all that Mexican torrent of traffic, traffic lights, commercial areas etc etc.

As we circle around the end of the bay we look back across to the hotel. It is right

in the middle of the shot across the water.

On the land side, we pass through a lovely area of waterside homes and palm trees

lining the bay. This is upscale Guaymas!!

We briefly turn inland and go over this little rise

And find Tetakawi on the other side

The bay itself is left natural and lined with cactus and other wild plant life.

As we come along the opposite penninsula towards San Carlos, Tetakawi is the

main focal point of the town. This town was purpose built as a tourist development

many decades ago. It is always in the state of development. The main street is

lined with bayside condos, palapa restaurants and businesses of all kinds. This

area is a mecca for big sea fishermen (and women) from Arizona. The bay teems

with fish and wildlife.

Below are more street scenes.

We get to our personal destination, a restaurant that has the reputation of making

the best fish tacos in San Carlos.

We did enjoy the fish tacos. I also tried the shrimp which were even better. As usual,

we also got a small dose of Mexican humour (above)…

Added note: it is now New Year's Day and we had a small dose of Mexican celebration at midnight. As at Lake Chapala, the Mexicans here celebrate midnight with deafening rockets that split the night time air. Flossie went into crisis mode and took an hour of hugging and sweet talk before the trembling stopped. We are now thinking that New Year's may be a crowded time to land at Huatabampito, so we are going to stay here in Guaymas another day…perhaps go up to the view point and take a few more photos for you of the gorgeous rocky coastline here.

A very happy and prosperous New Year to you all,

from Rick, Barbara and Flossie the Scottish lassie

xxxx to all