Day 44: Los Mochis To Fake Summit 30 Km Before Urique

We had the good sense to stay at the Motel El Patio, the closest motel to train station, since we were told to be at the train station by 5:30 am for a 6:00 am departure.  Extra time is always needed to deal with the bikes on public transportation, so we wanted to get there around 5:00 am when the ticket window opened.

Once we got to the train station, the folks there didn't really know what to do with us.  The train employees out side the station told us we couldn't take our bikes into the waiting area, and that we would have to take them around the building to the tracks when it was time to board.  We were a bit confused and so we asked if one of them could figure out what we were supposed to do.  The conductor came out and said that we could indeed bring our bikes on, but we needed to remove the wheels.  We still weren't sure when and where to bring the bikes, so after some back and forth, Gonzalo asked an official looking guy in a federal police uniform if we could take our bikes to the platform early to avoid any delays and he gave us the go ahead, saying that we should tell the train people the "auditor" said it was okay.  Of course, we had put all of our stuff and disassembled bikes in the wrong place so when it was time to board, we were still rushing to get all our things on.  Turns out we had to load our bikes through the doors at the front of the car (and not the back) so ensure we would board right at the luggage racks.

Bikes go on the train like regular luggage and I'm glad we took the less crowded first class train.  I can't imagine trying to get these bikes if the train had been full!  Somewhere along the way, the kids found our horns and started tooting them throughout the trip.  Even their parents got a few honks in.

I love trains but usually I could never justify the expense of taking one in the U.S.  For the most part, they tend to be expensive and run on limited schedules, so that flying or taking a bus was usually cheaper and often easier.  Here, the train is certainly not cheap by the standards of Mexico, but it is definitely worth the splurge even on a shoestring budget, if just for the views.

Some friendly travelers we met on the train in the dining car... Melanie is a German woman who now lives in Cancun.  I can't for the life of me remember the names of the other two, but they also live in Cancun.

Just one of 86 tunnels along this railway line.

The best seat on the whole train (photo credit: Gonzalo)!

Just one of the gorgeous views from the train.  It's no wonder this is considered one of the world's most scenic rail journeys (at least, so says Lonely Planet).

We made it to Bauichivo around 12:30 pm and put our gear back together on the platform.  Gonzalo and I had decided we would get our bearings, load up on supplies, and head out towards Urique.  After all of our rest days in La Paz, on the ferry, and on the train, we were itching to get back on the bikes.

Rebuilding our bikes! 

The elevation of Bauichivo is about 1600 meters (or 5250 feet) so the terrain is full of pine trees and weather this time of year is warm, but pleasant enough (in comparison to the burning hot furnace Urique is in May and June).  We set out towards Urique via Cerocahui and the Mesa de Arturo on a gloriously compacted dirt road with manageable climbs and almost no washboard.  Although I found myself in granny gear a lot as my lungs weren't used to the altitude, this was luxurious in comparison to some of the sand roads we had done before.

Pine tree lined dirt roads!

Beautiful views of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

On the outskirts of Cerocahui... we thought about staying here for a day to explore these formations, but the highly recommended Paraiso del Oso seemed to be closed for the offseason.  We peeked our heads in and sadly biked away as it looked like one of those fun quirky places we would have loved.

More of the road to Cerocahui.

We made it to Cerocahui with ample time left in the day and so we decided to keep going.

After Cerocahui, the rideable climbs turned to unrelenting 11% - 15% monstrosities with no end.  We hiked our bikes up these huge grades for about 4 kilometers over the next two hours.  Pickup trucks occasionally went by and we were greeted by friendly waves, honks, and shouts.

Gum from the little store around kilometer marker 26.  This will only be funny for Mexicans or those who know a thing or two about Mexican slang.

Oooh, tunnel (photo credit: Gonzalo)! 

Tortuous climbing like this is worth it for the views.  You can see Cerocahui below!

Although both of us had napped on the train, the combination of having waken up at 4:30 am and the strenuous climbs had taken their toll and we were exhausted.  At last, the terrain seemed to flatten out a bit...we could actually ride the hills rather than walk the bikes) and instead of sheer cliffs or steep drop offs, we had relatively flat woods flanking us on either side.  We foolishly thought we might be near the summit and decided to wait to do the descent the next day, so we ninja-ed the fence and set up camp nestled amongst the trees.  After a devouring dinner, we stayed up a bit to watch a forest fire on a distant peak as the full moon rose.  We hypothesized it might be a controlled fire by the Mexican military to burn a marijuana field, but had no idea.  We figured the wind was blowing the wrong way for it to be any sort of danger to us and passed out.

As flat as you can hope for in these parts.

A few travel notes for cyclists:

• The Motel El Patio is on the road that takes you the 4 km from Los Mochis to the train station.  It is on the right-hand side across the street from the supermarket.  They have large clean rooms for 300 pesos, showers, and wifi, but we had to talk to convince them to let us bring the bikes into the room.  I was a little worried it might be one of those love motels since they also had hourly rates, but it turned it out it was just us and some friendly truckers who stayed there.  If you are the drinking type, the sale of all alcohol is prohibited after 8pm so buy your beer early.

• At the time of this blog, the first class train runs every day, whereas the second class train only runs three times a week.  We were told the first class train in this season is much emptier than the second class train, which would give us the most chance of having the luggage racks free.  We had no problems once we got our bikes and bags on the train.  Just make sure to bug people until you can get to the platform, then enter through the front of the car and try to be first in line to avoid any issues.

• The best views are on the right side of the train.  We were lucky that we had seats assigned there, but when you buy your tickets, you should specify you want that side.  

• We had a very hard time finding bathrooms once we got off at Bauichivo so use the one on the train.  Since it's dry season in May and early June, most folks are stingy with toilet water and won't let you use their toilet.  Similarly, the station's train toilets were closed for lack of water.  Try the gas station or your luck at various stores.  

• We took food for 3 days and enough water for 2-3 days (if we conserved), though we could have done fine on a bit less.  The only places to restock food and water between Bauichivo and Urique are in Cerocahui (16 km) and near kilometer marker 26.  Note that the town of Mesa de Arturo does not seem to have a market, but they do sell beer.  We only managed about 20 kilometers the first day and I cannot fathom that we would have made it to Urique in just one day.

• It looks like there is a big project underway to pave the road from Bauichivo to Urique, though they only have about 1 km done so far and then it turns into a dirt road again.  There is very little traffic on this stretch, mostly pickup trucks, all of which go at reasonable speeds and we had no problems with them giving us clearance.

Days 42 And 43: La Paz To Topolobampo To Los Mochis

La Paz was the first place we stayed that I had that "you know, I think could live somewhere like this" feeling.  From cyclists whizzing by to kayakers and standup paddleboarders coming in from a long day on the water to locals and tourists alike enjoying seafood and beers on the sidewalk, there's something magical about the malecón at sunset that I don't think I would ever grow old.

My last morning in La Paz was relaxed.  The first order of business was for me to stop by my favorite fruit stand for one last huge fruit cocktail prepared by the affable Candido.  He's originally from Veracruz, but came to La Paz for work after his father passed away.  His fruit cocktails are masterful and the product of meticulous pride in his work.  Look for him in front of the market just a hop and a skip away from the Pensión California.

Then Jorge came to see us off and we spent the better part of the morning chatting with him and giving him the grand tour of our bike touring gear.  As our parting gift, he gave us two bright orange visibility vests which just happen to match our orange panniers.  Glenda generously gave us and our bikes a ride to the ferry terminal in her pickup truck, saving us over an hour of riding and allowing us to have a more relaxed morning.

I don't have enough kind words to describe Jorge, simply one of the kindest and wisest adventurers I have ever met (photo credit: Gonzalo).

Not everyone gets such a nice send off!  Ours even included some delicious stuffed pretzels that Glenda insisted we take for lunch on the ferry.  Thanks goodness because the ferry's offerings were meager and overpriced (photo credit: Gonzalo).

After jumping through various hoops, going through customs twice, and being told we would be the last ones to board, we finally made it on the ferry to Topolobampo!  It was a long 8+ hour ride (longer if you include the time it took to board and disembark).  We ended up just camping out in the cafeteria the whole time watching movies and reading as it allowed us to stretch out rather than just sit in a row of seats.

Our first pass through customs with the cars.  We had to do a second pass through customs with the folks without cars.

Waiting for everyone else to board.

At last!  Our bikes find a home.  The gentleman with the motorcycle also suffered our fate and so we ended up chatting with him while the rest of the boat loaded.  He's on a really neat motorcycle trip that basically circles around the Mar de Cortes.

Waiting for the ferry to push off in an area that ended up being restricted to authorized personnel only.

And we're off!

Eight hours on a ferry apparently makes Gonzalo go bonkers.  He decided to try on his new visibility vest while eating his ice cream.

I finally feel justified in bringing my universal plug adapter... although most countries in Latin America use the U.S. plug, this ferry had European plugs!  And before anyone says anything, yes, Gonzalo travels with a power strip and I have to say, it's very useful since many places we stay only have a single plug.

By the time we rolled out of the ferry in Topolobampo, it was nearly 10 pm.  There isn't much in Topolobampo... we knew there was one hotel in town or we had the option of riding the 22 km to Los Mochis.  We tried the hotel first, but on principal, we didn't want to pay their prices, so we asked the guy at the hotdog stand if there was anything else.  Luck would have it that the guy who owns a store near the center had a second story posada.  Gonzalo went in to ask about it.  At first the store owner seemed really reluctant to name a price.  At long last, Gonzalo figured out that the owner was embarrassed because it didn't have a TV, and apparently, that is really important for most Mexicans (and also, a big soccer match was just finishing up at that time).  We took the room for a mere 200 pesos, lugged all our gear up, and then went out for some of the best tacos I have eaten this trip before passing out to the serenade of some really terrible karaoke.  I have never been happier to have ear plugs.

The next morning, we woke early to the sounds of music and voices in the street.  Turns out the street below turns into a bustling market with stands packed full of everything from produce to shoes.  We biked an easy flat 22 km to Los Mochis with a gloriously huge shoulder, stopped to eat some strawberries with crema, and headed to the train station to get our tickets to Bauichivo, where we will to get off to hit a dirt road down to Cerocahui and Urique to explore the bottom of Copper Canyons.

Some might say it's cheating to take the train, but we are not only saving ourselves a really cruddy climb through an area where narcotraffickers are active (though, to be fair, they rarely if ever target tourists), this train line is the only passenger train in all of Mexico and is a "must do" in and of itself for the views (photo credit: chepe).

A few travel notes for cyclists:

• The ferry terminal is about 20 km from La Paz so make sure to factor in the time to bike there if you aren't as fortunate as us.  It is also a confusing process to get you and your bike onto the ferry because the employees aren't used to bike tourists.  They do, however, charge you extra for the bike, which must be paid at the ticket office when you buy your ticket (I'm not sure if there's an option to do it through their website, but to be safe, just go to the ticket office in downtown La Paz to take care of it).  Bring some of your own food if you are on a budget because the pickings are slim on the ferry... though you do get one free meal which is offered from when you get on the ferry and ends around 3 pm.  We nearly missed it because we were on the deck enjoying the view.

• When you get off at Topolobampo, the town is to the right as you leave the ferry terminal.  Don't forget to turn your lights on because the cars and trucks are coming off at the same time as you and everyone is bleary from the long ride.  I think the ride to Los Mochis could be done easily in the dark if you have lights as the highway is flat and has a generous shoulder.  We saw two cheap motels about 10-15 km out.  There aren't too many wild camping options, but if you are just too tired to bike, head into town and there is one pricey-ish hotel and a posada located above a store in a green building on the strip where all the late night taco stands are.  I highly recommend the taco place on the end with all the coca-cola chairs... they make everything from scratch to order, from the tortillas to the roasted onions and jalapeños.  It does take a little longer but is well worth it.

• The train station in Los Mochis has a sign that directs you right to it (ferrocarril).  We were told that bikes go with the luggage and there was an additional charge for the bikes.  Bikes were also requested to be packed as small as possible to accomodate all the luggage.  We ended up going with first class after asking around about how crowded the respective trains were... not only do we save a night in a hotel, but the first class trains tend to be emptier, so we are hoping that will give us the greatest chance of not having to disassemble our bikes.

Days 37 Through 41: Ciudad Constitución To La Paz

We set out from Ciudad Constitución with a good tailwind but it was clear that our days of traffic-free cycling were over.  Not only did our four-lane highway go back to two lanes, but drivers were a bit more aggressive on this stretch of road requiring constant vigilance with our mirrors.  However, the flat farmland turned into some nice rolling hills.  We even saw a young guy geared out in spandex training... with his mother following closely behind in a car to ensure his safety.  He seemed a bit embarrassed and kinda grunted at us as he passed by, while his mother gave us a friendly wave.

After cycling about 120 km, we ended up scooting under the fence into the desert and camped near the marker for Km 89.  We stopped at the one little restaurant between our campsite and the outskirts of La Paz and met a wonderful duo of motorcyclists from La Paz, in particular, the affable and exuberant Jorge... a 78-year old dynamo who is still living life to the fullest.  He himself is also a cyclist and was fascinated by our journey and our story.  He checked out our gear, gave us his phone number, and offered us any and all assistance we could possibly need upon our arrival to La Paz.

La Paz was a wonderful surprise.  It is urban and sophisticated because it is the capitol of Baja California Sur, but it still maintains a small-town feel with a warm sense of community and openness that is so rare in big cities.  It also has a nice balance of national (that is, Mexican) tourists and international tourists, and you never feel like you're just wandering amongst other tourists.  We spent a few days enjoying La Paz while we waited for some things we had ordered to arrive, pimped out spokes and hubs for Gonzalo and a new helmet mirror and a replacement Camelbak mouthpiece for me.

La Paz in the distance... it's a bit misleading, you feel like you are almost there, and then it's a long windy ride around the bay!

We explored the malecón to see if we could find a cart that serves fresh clams for Gonzalo, but to no avail, the stand was closed already.  However, I discovered a small bar called Harker Board Co. that serves real actual local craft beer!  The brewmaster is from Colorado and they are based out of Los Cabos... my joy was apparent and I ended up having several pints of what is dubbed as the "hoppiest beer in Mexico."  After over a month of watery light beer, I was in heaven.

Some research reveals that cerveza artesanal is gaining some traction here in Mexico.  I am excited to discover the local beers here!!!

We had a gorgeous sunset from the "bar o' happy draft beer for LeeAnn" and then headed back to our hostel to crash out.  After five straight days of cycling, we were exhausted.

The next morning, we wandered into the local market for breakfast and lo and behold, Jorge found us!  It turns out he had remembered we were staying in a pensión and there are only two near the malecón so he had stopped by to ask if any cyclists had arrived.  He had the good sense to look for us at the market and we ended up spending the better part of the morning as his guests.   Gonzalo's camera died on the road, so Jorge called around to see where would be the best place for Gonzalo to replace it, and then schlepped us around to every possible place so Gonzalo could see what was available.  We stopped by Jorge's house for some iced tea and met his wife and daughter, and talked about living life coloring outside the lines.  Jorge is also an adventurer, a retired Aeroméxico pilot who has traveled extensively himself.  In fact, he cycled from Santa Rosalía to La Paz forty years ago.  Now he bikes recreationally twice a week and goes on regular motorcycle rides with his friends.

Jorge dropped us back off at the hostel with an invitation to meet up later for coffee and drinks with some of his friends.  We agreed we would be in touch and set out to satisfy Gonzalo's craving for fresh clams.

Gonzalo finally gets his fresh clams at the little stand located near the Hotel Pekin off the malecón.

I tried a few pieces and they are amaaaazing.  They are meaty and sweet and incredibly fresh.  Nothing but a little lime, salt, and hot sauce.

Sometimes the best places come in unassuming packages.  This guy's stand was basically full the entire time we were there, it's less than half the price of the fancy beachfront restaurants and probably tastier (80 pesos bought Gonzalo over a dozen clams and a beer).  The plump gentleman originally hails from Mazatlan (I think) and provided us some bawdy and lively conversation... it's clear he comes here often.  

The sunset on the malecón is stunning and different each night... this was our view as we pulled up with Jorge to meet his friends for coffee and drinks.

Our motley crew... we spent several hours sharing travel stories until it was well past everyone's bedtimes.  Jorge brought his excitable but very nice dog.

The next day, Sara, the lovely woman from Guerrero Negro who adopted us during our time there, introduced me to Glenda Davila on Facebook.  Glenda is the founder of a group called Ellas en Bici, a women's cycling group here in La Paz, and made us feel right at home by inviting us to go kayaking and to attend a free jazz concert at the local cultural center.  I had a few hours to myself before kayaking because Gonzalo was taking his daily mid-day nap, so I explored a bit and cobbled together a lunch from the nearby market complete with freshly made tortillas from the tortillería.

La Paz has some fun funky artwork on its buildings.  Reminds me a bit of the artwork we saw in Boise.

I really liked the artwork on this gallery, too bad it was closed!

Glenda came by the hostel with her friend Martha to pick us up to head down to the water.  There, we met the queen of kayaking, Margarita, and we were off to explore an area where the blue herons go to sleep at sunset.  Glenda, Martha, and Margarita often meet to paddle together, sometimes bringing dinner and drinks, sometimes in the rain, sometimes for a night paddle with a full moon, but always to catch up and reconnect.  They are an easygoing and vivacious group and we ended up having so much fun on the water that we missed the concert!    

Glenda, Martha, and Margarita head back to shore.

Then, at long last, Martin, Eduardo's friend who did us the huge favor of receiving the spare parts for us, let us know the package had arrived.  He invited us to lunch with his wife and grandson, which allowed them to catch up with Gonzalo, who they had welcomed the last time Gonzalo biked through Baja.  We had a leisurely lunch and some nice conversation over almejas chocolatas, an assortment of scallop and octopus tacos, and micheladas.  I decided to go watch the sunset and Glenda and her crew stopped by!

Martin, his lovely wife, and their grandson (photo credit: Gonzalo with his new camera)!

Ellas en Bici stopped by to visit while I was enjoying one last craft beer in La Paz at Harker Board Co.

I closed the night out chatting with the former counsel to Bill Gates who handled his original IPO (yea, yea, yea, we lawyers somehow always find each other) and some vagrant Canadians who live here.  We talked about what we missed about the practice of law itself (not a whole lot other than the intellectual stimulation) and how we  kept our brains active after leaving the law (he sits on a lot of board of directors).  He thinks I would be great in academia and it would afford me a schedule that would accomodate a more liberal lifestyle.

A few travel notes for cyclists:

• We saw plenty of places to stop for supplies for the majority of this section, except between the marker for Km 89 and the outskirts of La Paz, we only found one little place around the marker for Km 35 or so.

• I enjoy Gonzalo's way of managing dogs that chase us.  The first method is to just stop.  They often get confused when you stop and lose interest.  Gonzalo often then puts his hand out and pets them, and all of a sudden he has a new best friend.  The second method is to slow down and chase the dog back.  They realize "holy cow, this bike-beast is way bigger than I am" and run away.

• We are staying at the popular Pensión California, which is a well-established hostel in La Paz on Degollado at Revolución.  It is very basic, but offers free wifi, a computer for use by guests, a basic kitchen, a nice communal area which is conducive to meeting other travelers, free drinking water, and is well-situated near the malecon, the market, and a popular taco stand.  Because it is featured in the Lonely Planet, is popular even now in the low season.  There is a new hostel in town called Baja Backpackers, but it is pricey for anyone traveling with a friend and the Pensión California is a much better deal.  They appear to have a sister hostel for the high season with a similar name and similar facade just around the corner. 

• The Pensión California is conveniently located near the market, which has its own tortillería (the flour tortillas were amazing fresh off the press) and cafeteria area for delicious and economical set meals.  I highly recommend the fruit cart out front... a huuuuuge fruit salad costs about US$2.50 and you can choose whatever fruit you want in it.  It's so big it's more than enough for breakfast with some leftover for a snack alter.

Days 35 And 36: San Javier To 25 Km Before Highway 52 To Ciudad Constitución

I awoke to a chorus of birds and chickens letting me know the sun had risen, followed shortly by a warm wriggling dog jumping into my hammock and licking my face.  We contemplated kidnapping our awesome watchdog, but she seemed well fed, so we said goodbye and hoped she would not follow us too far out of camp.  Back in town, we stocked up on water and Gonzalo satisfied his craving for pancakes, which were not on the menu, but we noticed that the community store had pancake mix on its meager shelves.

The road to get back to Highway 1 via Highway 52 is a compacted sand and gravel road that passes through town.  It was much more rideable than some of the previous sand and gravel roads we ridden before, in part because it was pretty well compacted, and in part because it's mostly flat or slightly downhill.

Whee, more flooded roads!  We were accosted by a friendly group of Argentine guys in a huge truck here... they were gawking and taking pictures of me walking my bike, then pulled over to ask for proper pictures with each one of them.  We obliged and then as quick as they came, they left (photo credit: Gonzalo).

Some parts of this road get pretty rocky.  This section of road was an awesome test of our Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tires... no flats!

Just one climb... but loved it because of the blissfully empty roads.

There is another cave painting site here... the woman who tends the registry is lovely and let Gonzalo use the bathroom.  She invited us to sit in the shade and rest, and we chatted about the flora and fauna of this area.

Some hills were quite steep and unrideable fully loaded... Gonzalo pushes his steed to the top.

More flooding from the rains in October.

The silver lining was a dip in the water to cool down.

After over seven hours of battling about 47 km of sand and gravel road, we were exhausted.  We had both resigned ourselves to desert camping among the cacti, until Gonzalo spotted some palm trees off the road and a small cattle trail leading off the road.  Gonzalo has a sixth sense about wild camping spots, as we have never had a bad campsite yet, and he hoped the palm trees signified that there would be a spring and some shade.  Sure enough, he was right... we made a beeline for the spring (a bit murky but we didn't care) and jumped in.  We would find out the next day that this was the last little oasis before we would return to pure desert terrain.

A perfect spot near the spring... while the palm trees were too far away for us to throw up our hammocks, we had some nice shade not too far from where we pitched our tents.

Palm trees at sunset.

The next day we had a 25 km bumpy sandy ride, often requiring us to walk our bikes, until we finally got to the glorious pavement of Highway 52.  It was neat to see the landscape change from desert to flat farmland, a bit like going from Colorado to Nebraska.  We took a minute to re-inflate our tires and off we went towards Ciudad Insurgentes and ultimately Ciudad Constitución, where Gonzalo wanted to spend the night in a motel to do a little work.

Sweet sweet pavement.

Sunflower fields off of Highway 52... reminds me so much of Tanzania where sunflowers are prolific due to the popularity of sunflower seed oil.

After checking a few places and asking around, we found that the Hotel Quinta San Jose was the economical hotel of choice, with hot water, air conditioning, and ground level rooms that bike tourists love so much.  It also happened to be right up the street from the best seafood place in town, La Palapa Sinoalense, gorgeous seafood albeit a little pricey.  Be warned that the tostada de ceviche was meal-sized and not appetizer sized like most places.

A few travel notes for cyclists:

• We were informed by Luis that while there is nothing but small ranches on the 72 km ride to Highway 52, the ranchers are quite friendly and can help, in particular the ranch called Las Palmas is American-owned and receptive to travelers.  Once you get to Highway 52, it's only about 10-15 km to the first little town, where there are plenty of markets.  The highway also opens up to become a 4-lane highway all the way to Ciudad Constitución.  The only place to get prepared food is at the Pemex, which had excellent burritos with machaca and potatoes.  After that, there are plenty of places along the way. 

• Ciudad Constitución is quite large and it's outskirts are quite exposed, so plan on biking at least 30 minutes beyond the city in order to be able to find decent wild camping.  Gonzalo recalls the last time he went through this section, they ended up camping amongst quite a bit of trash because he couldn't get out far enough before dark.

• I know some folks don't consider the wrenches used for hub adjustments an essential part of their repair kit, but I've now had both my front and rear hubs need a quick adjustment and am thankful they are a part of my kit.

A quick note about managing a economical bike tour:

Unlike Gonzalo, who has a somewhat steady flow of income, I have a fixed amount saved.  It takes some discipline traveling with someone like Gonzalo, who tends to splurge a lot on food and drink, but I've found a good balance of knowing when it's worth it to splurge and knowing when I won't really feel like I've missed anything.  For example, I opted not to order breakfast in San Javier because I wasn't that hungry and their menu items were things I could get everywhere.  Instead, I ate a banana from our food stash, then bought a bag homemade mango empanadas from Luis and Erika for 20 pesos instead.  For me, it was worth it to splurge on the empanadas to help support Luis and Erika and for a cheap snack for the road, but I didn't want to spend 70 or 80 pesos on a full breakfast with juice.

These little things add up and over the span of a month, doing this saves me at least 1500 pesos (about US$120) and oftentimes more, which gives me what I need to do a nice snorkeling / kayaking / scuba / seafood extravaganza.  I try to stay true to a couple simple rules to keep my costs down.  I only buy a cold drink at a small tienda after we've cycled through the hottest part of the day when I know it will taste like unicorn tears, and try to limit myself to one per day.  I rarely, if ever, buy junk food snacks and try to carry my own... a tortilla smeared with peanut butter or refried beans keeps me going for a long time.  If I do buy snacks, it's usually in the form of a burrito stuffed with homemade goodness.  And each day, I do like to order one meal at a lonchería or restaurant, often a comida corrida which runs around 50 pesos (about US$4) and make that my biggest meal of the day.  Produce is cheap so it's easy to make my own fruit or veggie salads...

I've found that over time, I'm starting to appreciate the little things more.  Splurging on local clams or a lunch out makes each meal feel more satisfying.  I often crave nothing but fruit and veggies anyway after several days on the road, where we are eating mostly canned tuna and pasta dressed up with canned mushrooms.  A simple coffee tastes amazing because I only get it every so often when I've decided to eat breakfast out.