I had a Skype call with my mother the other day and one of the things that came up was the cost of driving here versus my savings over the winter (which will merit a post of its own at some point).
One of the things I said was that I’m looking into flying here next year rather than driving to save some time, but that it’s a little more expensive than driving straight here and taking a hotel a couple of nights.
She was surprised by this, wondering if I really want to be here without a vehicle. The short answer is yes.
The only advantage of having a vehicle here is to go on day drips and explore the environs. But getting to Isla by The Road is such a pain that leaving that way isn’t very enticing, so day trips are pretty much out of the question. Besides, there is so much to do in Maz itself that it would take years to fully unravel the mysteries of the city. And you definitely don’t want to drive in Maz unless you have to!
What surprised my mother is just how accessible Maz is to me from Isla, that between a walk and a panga ride, I can be back from a proper grocery store in less than an hour, something I can’t do back home! There is an incredible amount I can walk to once I get to Maz and things that are too far away are easily accessible with very inexpensive and expansive public transportation. I’ll be exploring the buses very soon!
Much as I love driving, I prefer public transportation in a large city when the public transportation is inexpensive and easy to use. When I lived in Gatineau my last year in Quebec, I could take an Ottawa bus two blocks from my house. $1.50 allowed me to take a round trip to just about anywhere in the city. I’d frequently take a bus to a particular area and then walk to where I needed to go before getting on a bus home. I didn’t have to deal with parking and traffic and could make all the stops I wanted as long as I was on my last bus before the time limit for return expired.
Ottawa has, I believe, the absolute best public transportation system in all of Canada and I made heavy use of it when I could. Even when I lived in the country, I knew where to drop my car cheaply so I could grab a bus instead.
Mazatlán is offering the same vibe as my favourite Canadian city. Walkability and public transportation make it so accessible that I would not feel handicapped being here without a vehicle. I just have to decide if I could bring everything I need in a couple of suitcases!
Well, you don’t really have to limit yourself to a couple of suitcases. You can ship your items either before you leave, or have a friend ship them after you land somewhere. We do that with golf clubs occasionally because it is easier than lugging them at the airport.
To do that, I’d have to find a secure place in Maz to have the items shipped. I doubt that I could get anything brought here to Isla. I’d also have to do it way before I leave because stuff is so slow to get to Mexico from what I’ve heard.
Mexico also has a great highway bus system. You would be able to take inexpensive buses to neighboring towns to explore if that was what you wanted to do.
Having said that, sometime when you have the truck off Isla you should take a drive to the nearby town of Villa Union. It is a bedroom community for many Maz workers and is easy to walk around, an interesting village and very close to you. Lots of street food stands!
Another great little place to visit is the town of Copala, a little ways up the old Highway 40 towards Durango, The draw here, besides the beautiful rural setting, is Daniel’s Restaurant featuring Daniel’s World Famous Banana Cream Pie! I know you are not big on deserts but you really should try a slice of Daniel’s pie. The recipe for this pie was the subject of a divorce settlement and was worth every peso spent on lawyers! You might even be lucky enough to find Daniel himself there, a very interesting guy to talk to.
http://www.therealmexico.com/copala.htm
Thanks for this info! I’ll be honest and say that very little sounds as unappealing to me as banana cream pie (I’m just not a fan of bananas) so I’d probably pass on that. I had banana cream pie for the first (and last) time in 2011 and it was okay, but not an experience I’m eager to repeat. Sorry. 🙂
You would be missing a life changing experience!
http://croftsmexico.blogspot.com/2009/11/pie.html
You need to come here and go there with me and I will have a bite of your pie! 😉
X2 on the pie. Has been a few years but the little town was very nice also. We plan to visit and have pie again this winter should we make it down.
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico
The road will be paved by the end of March. the first 4KM will be done by this Christmas they say.
Contessa, that’s going to change life here, isn’t it?
I think so. Many locals are not happy about it. Of course the RV park owner is ecstatic as he will be full.
Off to the beach for a long walk in about 15 minutes.