We took an overnight ferry from the Baja Peninsula to Mazatlan on the mainland.
According to TripAdvisor, it was going to be a terrifying experience, filled with hordes of people, vastly overdue boats, and sub-par meals. One review in particular was particularly grim as a mid-week ferry had been cancelled so they simply loaded all the people onto a later crossing: two people for every assigned seat; eight people for every four-bed cabin. It was pandemonium; they ran out of food and the staff hid from the customers.
Imagine our surprise when it turned out to be a mostly pleasant experience. We boarded the boat around 7pm, checked into our cabin, and headed down to the cafeteria for a no-frills but perfectly suitable dinner. The kids went to sleep in their fold-down murphy beds, happy as clams. Meanwhile, I kept replaying the sinking scene from the Titanic each time the boat rolled. An overactive imagination is not helpful at 3am. I'd expected it to be a smooth crossing (it's just a wee little sliver of water on the map!) but we did get a little rolly polly there in the night, which kept me ever-so-slightly sea sick.
The rest of my family snored on obliviously. Lucky ducks.
Upon landing in Mazatlan, it was apparent that we'd left behind the deserts of Baja for the tropical jungles of the Mainland. Despite wanting to explore further along the coast, we eventually decided to head out of town for higher (and cooler) elevations.
This post could also be titled: "What Emma ate after picking it up off the ground". That's a mango, above, and sugar cane, below.
Ben has been thrilled to meet kids at the campgrounds; and desolate upon leaving his new playmates.
Cooler weather at last! This was one of my favorite spots: a national park outside of Guadalajara. We've got the camp chairs up, laundry on the line, and the kids are off riding their bikes. Welcome to life on the road.
Ben hasn't realized it yet but he never got a summer break. School has been carrying on despite the lack of a proper classroom.
Strawberries for dinner.
Campground visitors.
Current route here. Next Up: Mexico City