We decided to take the overnight, double-decker bus to Guadalajara, leaving at 15:00. Enrique suggested the lower level at the front would be best, as no one would be in front of us, leaning their seat way back. It was a great suggestion, for some one with short legs, but for us, there wasn’t enough leg room and you couldn’t see forward, as there was a lounge and sleeping area for the drivers ahead of us. Luckily, the bus was less than half full, so we could switch seats. We even went up to the upper level while it was light and could see more of the amazing landscape.
Going south from Navojoa you slowly leave the Sonora desert and lush, irrigated agriculture takes over. Big pig and chicken barns are along the highway. Wheat, potatoes and corn, but soon the corn is taller and other crops appear that we couldn’t quite recognize. Probably beans, berries, squash, melons. Huge shade houses that we can only guess what is inside. Cabbage? Cilantro? Something that doesn’t like too much heat.
When we boarded the bus, we each received a bag of goodies: a bottle of water and one of coke, a really bad ham and cheese sandwich, a tiny bag of chips, some chocolate candies, a cookie and a packet with instant espresso, sugar and creamer. On the upper level is a station that has hot and cold drinking water.
By 6:00 it was dark and then the lower level was more attractive to sit in, less swaying back and forth; closer to the toilets.
We only stopped at a couple of cities along the way. Culiacan was one of them – from the bus it looked shiny and rich, with New Holland dealerships and lots of industry. We won’t take an overnight bus again, as we drove through the mountains in the dark and missed seeing the changing landscape.
We didn’t realize that the time zone changed in between Navajoa and Guadalajara, so when the bus stopped at a station at 10 to 5, we thought we still had another hour to travel. It was only after waking up the phone that we realized that it was actually 10 to 6 and that we had missed our stop. About 30 minutes later, we arrived at the downtown bus terminal, a huge place with several different bus lines and lots of buses.
Near the exit from the terminal was a big map that showed how much a taxi would cost to go to each zone. A helpful taxi driver who knew a little (that would be very little) English showed us where our hotel was on the map and how much it would cost to get there. At just under $20 CAD it sounded like a deal.
It took about 20 minutes to race back out the way we had just come. Guadalajara has limited access freeways that go under and over the streets in town, with one-way streets off either side. It seems like an efficient way of moving lots of cars. And the driver didn’t waste any time. It wasn’t really a white-knuckle trip, the way it would have been in India, but it made me think about where I had written down the numbers to call in case we are injured. . .
We arrived at the European Lifestyle Hotel and Suites and were shown to our suite and informed that breakfast was included and is served from 6:00 to 11:00. Sounds great. We are hungry and tired.
Our suite has a small sitting area, a kitchen, dining, and bedroom and bath. It is a long, narrow suite with tile floors. There is art everywhere – paintings on the walls and lots of sculptures. Beautiful. To see more photos from the hotel, see our Flickr album.
Galen & Rebecca Kennel's Travel Blog 