La policia Mexicano

Gringo :grin·go\ˈgriŋ-(ˌ)gō\
noun
:a foreigner in Spain or Latin America especially when of English or American origin; broadly : a non-Hispanic person.

I am a gringo. 

Today, the Mexican po-po tried to catch me ridin' dirty . 

What happens when gringos drive through Mexico? They attract attention and get pulled over. 

It was a muggy, stifling hot day . Dinh and I were driving south from San Carlos to Los Mochis. 

Halfway through our commute, we drove through a smaller town. I happened to be driving at the time. I was obeying all traffic rules when I noticed a police car behind me. 
POLICIA on my tail. I immediately became uneasy . 
"He's going to pull me over, Dinh", I announced. 
"No he's not, just stay in this lane", was Dinh's rebuttal. 
I change lanes. The police follows. Within seconds, his red lights were flashing. I pulled over to the dirt shoulder, not surprised. 
As Dinh gathered papers from the glove compartment, I whispered, "I have a bad feeling about this". 
While doing research on driving through Mexico, I couldn't dodge the ambiguous warnings about the crooked cops. Everyone had something to say about the matter. 
"So it's finally happening", I thought. This is where the cops pull us over and try to extract as much pesos as possible from us, accusing us of absurd acts or planting drugs on us. We go to jail and our parents go broke trying to bail us out. I prepared for the worse. 
As I daydreamed of what it would be like to live in a Mexican jail, a police man quickly appeared at my window, startling me. I rolled down the window and he asked me if I spoke Spanish. 
"No", I lied. 
He stammered through his English. "You own this car?" he asked. 
"Yes", I said with a nervous giggle that I tried to hold back. 
Dinh showed him the permit we had obtained for driving through Mexico.
I handed him my passport with a shaky hand. 
"Ellos son Americanos!", (They're Americans),  he yelled back to his partner that was standing by the squad car. 
Uh-oh. Is that good or bad?
My palms began to sweat.
Locals driving by rubber-necked at the gringo the cops had pulled over, hanging their heads out their dusty pick-ups windows. 
Before anymore could be said, Dinh whipped out his police badge. 

Another tidbit on Dinh: he worked as a police officer for 10 years in Orange County and is now retired. 
This isn't the first time that badge has helped us out. 
The police man looked at the badge. This is where there was a change of events. Dinh is one of THEM. They were instant buds. 
I felt a tremendous amount of relief. 
Dinh asked to take a picture with them. He said yes, but not to put it on Facebook. Lol. 

After a friendly exchange in Spanish about police officer stuff, Dinh shook their hands and off we went. We had just escaped a possible doom. 

Moral of the story: If a Mexican cop sees a gringo with California plates driving through a small town in Mexico, even if she isn't doing anything wrong, more than likely, she WILL get pulled over. But, the cops aren't as crooked as one thinks.

Hmm.... I wonder how many times we'll get pulled over before we reach Nicaragua. Good thing we have that badge.  

In other news, Mexico has Walmart!!!

Bienvenidos a Mexico!

We've successfully crossed the border into Mexico! They let us hoodlums in. It was actually very lax. We could have slipped by unnoticed without anyone even looking at our passports, but we played by the rules.
Since we are driving through, we are required to carry Mexican car insurance. We bought it right after crossing over the border and it cost $88 for 2 weeks. Just to give you an idea.
I waited in the car while Dinh ran to get the paperwork for the insurance. I was in a 3rd world country once again.... this is starting to feel like home to me.
I listened to jovial Mexican music blaring from the car parked next to us. It made me laugh and want to dance, but I thought that would cause too much of a scene :) I watched the locals passing by on the sidewalk, going about their daily life. Moms holding their children's hands tightly , a man with a cowboy hat on walking swiftly across the street. Nogales is kind of a shady town. I got some scary vibes from some of the people floating around. We got out as soon as we could.

crossing over the border

Rewind: On our first day, we drove from Orange County to Tucson, Arizona....

Somewhere in Arizona

The next day, we drove from Tucson to San Carlos, Mexico. I was really impressed by the condition of the roads in Mexico. I would go as far as saying they are as good as the roads in the US.
Stopping at a roadside stand for fish tacos along the way , I practiced my Spanish with the young waitress. She recommended going to the town of San Carlos. We were planning on staying in Hermosillo for the night, but instead we took her advice. We travel on the fly like that :)

San Carlos is a sleepy little beach resort town. It feels a bit like a ghost town. There are virtually no tourists here.
After scouting around for a short while, we found a decent hotel for the night. I think we are the only ones staying at our hotel. I'm serious.
I'm bewildered as to what is going on here. I'm not sure if it's because it's off-season, or it's just a dried up resort town that nobody pays attention to anymore.
After being cooped up in the car all day, we decided to stretch our legs by going for a little run on the beach. It was beautiful. The waves were enormous, thunderously crashing on the shore. We were gently sprayed with fine particles of water as the waves crashed, acting as our personal misting fan. The jagged mountains created a breathtaking backdrop against the grey gulf water.
The beach was desolate, minus one man and his mangy dog. I didn't bring my nice camera, but I'll go back tomorrow to get some good shots.
After the run, we stopped by the local supermarket and picked up a delicious tamale and a huge papaya for supper. It cost about $2 for the meal and I was reminded how much I love traveling in 3rd world countries.

Tomorrow we plan to drive to Los Mochis..... buenas noches!

So what's the plan, Stan?

Latin America has always called to me. A land of adventure and rich culture. It was when I was in Thailand last year that I made the concrete decision to make Central and South America my next adventure.
It's amazing what we can accomplish when our hearts desire something so strongly.
I was determined to work until I had enough funds saved to allow me to do what I love best: travel!
So for the last year, I worked as a travel nurse in Hawaii (living on 3 different islands!), saving my dinero in order to venture off to explore more of this mystical world. It wasn't the easiest to save up while living in Hawaii, and it took me longer than I had wished, but I made it happen!
Now here I am, just hours away from my departure, ready to reap the benefits for what I've sowed and feeling so grateful for all the good fortune that has came my way in the last year.
There has been some changes in my life since I returned from my last trip. The most significant being this: While I was living in Hawaii, I met a guy!!
(gasp!)
I know you've all known me as an independent woman, braving this world on my own. I wasn't particularly looking for companionship. I was happy going about my business, living my awesome single life.
Then one day, the moon and stars aligned, and Dinh popped into my life. I looked for reasons to NOT like him, the problem was.... I couldn't find any . He emanated such a positive energy and was so comfortable to be around. I couldn't resist his intelligence, good looks, goofiness, humor, love of travel and caring personality. Yes, I had fallen in LOVE!
Awww. Ha ha.

Hiking in Hawaii

Waikiki cruise

Camping in Yosemite

I had always pictured myself traveling solo for the next few years. I PREFER to travel solo. But, life comes at you quickly.
I had found the perfect mate to join me on these amazing excursions.
A little tid bit of info on Dinh:
He was born in vietnam. His family moved to the US when things got a little hairy during the vietnam war. He lived most of his life in Orange County, California and lately, has been living nomadically . He's very smart when it comes to finances and has positioned himself in life where he can travel for months on end, like me! His #1 passion in life is surfing. He bought a house in Nicaragua... simply because it had a great surf spot out his front door.
Silly guy .
When we first met last year, I told him about the upcoming trip I had planned. After a couple months of spending almost every day together, we decided it would be pretty groovy to do the trip together.

So, this is the plan, Stan:
I plan to fly from Minnesota to Southern California, where I'll meet up with Dinh (he's been in Vietnam for the last 3 weeks working for the nonprofit organization he started), then we'll drive his vehicle down to his house in Nicaragua, taking about 2 months to get there, exploring Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador along the way . Once we get to Nicaragua in November, we'll chill out at Dinh's house on the beach for a couple months, and surf til' our hearts are content :)
After celebrating New Year's in Nicaragua, we'll leave Dinh's vehicle at his house and continue south by bus through Costa Rica and Panama, spending ample time in each country to adequately explore.
From Panama, we will fly to Venezuela, dodging the drug cartel (that's a joke, mom), then bus it through the rest of South America for a few months.
Easter Island and the Galapagos are on the list, as well as Machu Picchu, Patagonia, Chichen Itza, the Amazon and Carnival in Brazil. Also, I plan to take a 10-14 day cruse to Antarctica.... Dinh isn't quite sure he wants to go to the arctic environment, but I wouldn't miss it for the world. It will be the 7th (and last) continent I have stepped foot on. Indeed, it will be a very special day . A pivotal point in my life, an experience that will allow me to keep my wanderlust at bay for awhile. (doubtful)
After traipsing through all those countries, if we're not too sick and tired of living out of a backpack and if we aren't getting on each others nerves too much, we would like to spend some time in Indonesia (Dinh wants to surf there, of course). Also, I desperately want to get back to Italy.
The future is wide open. It's just too far in the future to know where we'll end up. It's a mystery... and there's something I like about that.
This is a rough itinerary. Nothing is written in stone, I would never travel in that sort of way. I leave the future up to fate. What should happen, will happen.

A goal I have for this trip: to come back speaking Spanish (fairly) fluent. My spanish is mediocre, but Dinh is fluent, so he will be my personal translator until my Spanish gets up to par. You know what they say: There's no better way to learn a language, than to immerse yourself in it completely!

There's one more agenda on this trip:
Seeing such horrific poverty in my past travels was shocking and profoundly sad. I'm scarred from some things that I saw in India, perhaps I went places I probably shouldn't have went sometimes. I promised myself that I would volunteer on each trip that I took. It felt very selfish of me not to. I'm able to help and I have the desire and skills to do so. These people had welcomed me with open arms and taught me so much, how could I NOT give back?
Volunteering in a third world country is extremely rewarding and educational. If you haven't tried it, maybe you should?
It's easy to do. Here's a great website on volunteering in South America:
www.volunteersouthamerica.net
I plan to volunteer in Peru (as a nurse) for this trip and possibly more destinations along the way if the opportunity arises. People in third world countries happen to have many favors to ask when they find out you're a nurse. ha ha.

My heart flutters with excitement as I picture the beautiful people I will meet, whom will touch my soul in unimaginable ways, and the lands with such powerful ancient history that I will walk.
There is no doubt this will be another epic adventure. I hope you all enjoy the journey and the tales it brings!!

Let's go!
vamos!!!

What's a girl to pack for a 1 year trip?

It's that time again! Time to pack my bag and hit the road.

I'm doing a practice pack as I get ready to head to Latin America for the next year. I thought it would be helpful to give some tips on how to pack. When I was a newbie backpacker, no one ever told me what to pack. I'll save you some headache. 

Packing is old hat to me. From my very 1st trip to today, I've come a long way!

I learned to pack more efficiently from my own experience, but also from fellow travelers.

For my last trip (which lasted 9 months), I lugged around a cumbersome 85 liter backpack.  No wonder why my back hurt :(

For this trip, where I'll be gone even longer, I'm taking a 65 liter pack. Much better. Pretty proud of myself for the downsize.

For backpacking GIRLS, it's a whole lot easier if you're NOT high maintenance.  To tell you the truth, I've never met a high maintenance girl backpacking for an extended amount of time. I don't think it appeals to them :)

Oh Paris, you could never be a backpacker.....
Photo courtesy of www.upscalehype.com

I DO bring a travel blow dryer and straightener, some people tease me about that, but those are my luxuries.  I need my sanity... and to look half-way decent in my pictures.

So.... the nitty gritty.... what the heck am I packing?!

Fleece coat

Rain coat

Flip flops

Sandals

Running shoes

Wet suit (for surfing!)

9 pairs of shorts (includes pj's and work out wear)

2 pairs pants (1 light weight, 1 jean)

2 leggings

12 shirts (tank tops, t-shirts and pj's)

5 dresses

3 pairs of socks

5 sport bras

5 pairs of undies

2 bikinis

Sarong

Sunglasses

Ear plugs

Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, shampoo/conditioner, brush, deodorant, soap, makeup, razor, band aids, diva cup, coconut oil, small scissors, q-tips)

Sunscreen

Shower cap

Vitamins

Eye shades

Padlock

Flashlight

2 cameras with chargers

SD cards

Cell phone with charger

Galaxy tablet

Hat

Passport

Blanket

Books

Quick dry towel

Day pack

4 packing cubes (3 large, 1 extra small)

A word on packing cubes... they're genius! They are one of the most fascinating inventions of all mankind and should be a quintessential item on your packing list. They make a world of a difference. They are super lightweight bags, you roll your clothes up and shove them in. Wah-la! It saves you at least twice the space in your backpack.
I was first introduced to them in Laos, where my friend Ember was using them. I wondered why we had the same amount of clothes, but my pack was significantly larger. Then she told me her secret (packing cubes) and I've been spreading the aloha ever since!

Here's an example on how much space these little miracles will save you:
I fit 12 shirts and 9 pairs of shorts in this 14" x 9" bag!

For this trip, I focused on buying very light weight clothing. In the past, I would bring heavy fabric dresses and shirts. Light weight is the way to go. It keeps you cool too!! Dry fit shirts are great, but they aren't the most stylish choice. Packing for a hot weather trip is awesome, much less weight.
Also, you definitely want to have a small quick dry towel. Mine is the size of a large washcloth. Yes, I use this to dry my body off after a shower. It REALLY makes me appreciate that big fluffy towel when I get home!

When you backpack, you sacrifice a lot of creature comforts. But I think it makes me tougher.

You should try to bring only 2 pairs of shoes, a pair of sandals and a pair of closed toed shoes. However, I'm bringing 3 pairs of shoes :( I couldn't weed 1 pair out.

You read right, I'm bringing only 5 pairs of undies. Like I've said before, backpacking is a dirty business. I try to stay as clean as possible on my trips, but I do admit that I have to wash my underwear in the sink quite a bit. It's OK, a lot of backpackers do it. If it means I can travel cheap and see all these amazing places, I'll do it!
I would say I wash all my clothes about once every month. Sometimes it's in a washing machine, sometimes it's all by hand. In India, a lady once washed all my clothes in the Ganges river, which has dead bodies floating in it. Saweeeeet!

I hope this gave you some insight on what I pack for these crazy long vacations I take. 

If I had room to pack all my friends and family, I would!!!