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.