Mexico, Season 2: We Can Hardly Wait!

We had been waiting to go back since we arrived from our vacation of all vacations, a three-month all-inclusive stay in Mexico last April. The morning after the New Year’s Eve Ball in Viewpoint, we began our drive down to Mazatlan, Mexico. The four-day drive through southern Arizona, the border, and the states of Sonora and Sinaloa will get us there on January 4.

That should scare a lot of us. Sonora is where, on Nov. 4, nine members of a Mormon family, three mothers with their six children, were massacred near the town of Bavispe, Sonora, 70 miles south of the US border. It is five and a half hours from where we will stay on our second night, after crossing the border. n fact, where we are eventually headed, Mazatlan, is where El Chapo was arrested. Sinaloa, the state the city is in, is Level 4 in the US Travel Advisory, meaning “Do Not Travel” while Sonora, the state we first go through, is Level 3, “Reconsider Travel.” So I researched to find out the truth before we put ourselves in great harm’s way.

I found the list of 50 Most Dangerous Cities of the World of 2019 (murder rates of 35-111 per 100,000 people) compiled by World Population Review. The following countries have many cities that made it to the list: Brazil, 17, Mexico, 12, Venezuela, 5, USA, 4, South Africa, 3, Honduras, 2, Colombia, 2, Jamaica, 1, El Salvador, 1, Guatemala, 1, and Puerto Rico, 1. Yes, the American cities of St. Louis (#13), Baltimore (#21), New Orleans (#44), and Detroit (#45) are all higher than Mazatlan (#46). That was some source of comfort.

Holiday Inn Lobby in Nogales, Arizona with Mexican Insurance room

As I have explained before, Bill truly wants to retire in Mazatlan and Arizona is a compromise for us. But I have grown to like the city a lot, too (please see this post). So we could hardly wait to be back for Mexico, Season 2. We took the necessary precautions, informed the US State Department (STEP, Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) of our itinerary, travel only during midday, 10 am-3 pm, stay only at US hotel chains (Holiday Inn and Best Western), and have urinals in the car. At the time of this publication, we have crossed the border and are in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, just one more day to Mazatlan. 

Nogales, Arizona

Nogales is a good-sized city of about 20,000 and is part of the larger Tucson-Nogales combined statistical area, with a total population of 1 M. It borders the city of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico and is Arizona's largest international border community. Interstate 19 continues south into Mexico as Mexico Federal Highway 15. These two highways are a major part of the CANAMEX Corridor, connecting Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Km 21 in Nogales, Sonora

There are four international ports of entry in Nogales: the Morley Pedestrian Port of Entry, Dennis Deconcini Pedestrian and Passenger Vehicle Port of Entry, Nogales International Airport, and the Mariposa Port of Entry. Last year, we made a mistake and took the second one. It led us straight into downtown Nogales, Sonora which isn't recommended. We should have taken Mariposa which is much bigger with twelve passenger vehicle inspection lanes and eight commercial inspection lanes and bypasses the city. We, therefore, missed Km 21 which is where the entry permits are given. We had to return to the border from Hermosillo, a six-hour drive, two-way.

Nogales drives about US$30 B worth of fresh produce and manufactured goods from Mexico into the US. This trade helps to support tens of thousands of jobs and the overall economies throughout Arizona and Sonora. Pretty interesting but it wasn’t a tourist town. So, after buying a few groceries from a Safeway near our Holiday Inn Hotel, we just relaxed in our spacious room.

Hermosillo, Sonora

Cerro de la Campana in Hermosillo

Hermosillo is the capital, the largest city, and the main economic center for the state of Sonora. With a population of 830,000, it is the 16th largest city in Mexico. The impressive population growth comes from strong industrialization, especially in the automotive industry, which began in the 1980s. Such is the perk of being close to the US border.

It was also our first Mexican stop on our first drive down to Mazatlan. At the back of our hotel then, I saw an interesting and rocky landform. This time, we found out it is the Cerro de la Campana, an excellent viewpoint for tourists since you can see a great view of the City of the Sun from the hilltop. At an elevation of over 1,000 feet, it was inaugurated in 1909 as a symbol of the city.

Los Mochis, Sinaloa

the new Los Mochis signage inaugurated May, 2019

Los Mochis is a coastal city in northern Sinaloa with a population of over 360,000. It is the end of the Chihuahua-Pacific Railroad which passes through the scenic Copper Canyon, a major tourist attraction of Mexico. This railway was constructed under President Porfirio Díaz as a trade route linking the cattle markets in Kansas City with the nearest port on the Pacific Ocean, Topolobampo, the second-largest deepwater port in the world.

Los Mochis is part of the valley which is the principal agricultural area of Sinaloa. About 70% of all irrigated land produces sugar cane, cotton, rice, flowers, and other vegetables. The valley is also one of the largest producers of mangoes in Mexico. It was good to see the pretty fields and the productive work being done in them.

agricultural field in Los Mochis valley

And, we will be in Mazatlan in less than a day. We had an enjoyable safe drive. Let Mexico, Season 2 begin!

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