Tucson to Hermosillo

Easy, smooth trip in a Tufesa bus from Tucson to Hermosillo.  At the border, driver was very helpful pointing us in right direction to get our "permiso"  (tourist visa) from Mexican immigration. ($22/389 pesos each).  City of Nogales, Mexico viewed from the bus was very uninviting.  Bus had comfortable seats and the bathrooms.  Drop down airplane type TVs blaring "Money Ball" with dubbed Spanish competing with driver's iphone Norteno music made the five hour trip sonically challenging.  Earplugs would have been great. (This picure was taken while on I-19 south of Tucson where the road still had shoulders.)

Road (Route 15) south from Nogales is four lane freeway type road.  Main difference with US appeared to be long stretches where there were very steep drop offs instead of shoulders.  So steep that any car  (or bus) going off the road would definitely tip over. This situation would get especially exciting when our bus was passing tractor trailers.

Taxi to hotel and then to a  almost full carne asada restaurant with ten piece mariachi band no one seemed to be listening to and older man drunk came to table and was putting his arm on me, very uncomfortable.  When we left man followed us to the parking lot where he continued to talk and stand too close as we waited for cab.  He ended up giving taxi driver 100 pesos to pay for our ride.  I told taxi driver about our experience with this man and he said, "Mexico."

Hotel was located directly next to the on ramp of Rte. 15, the main north/south highway. Very noisy as tractor trailers climbed the ramp throughout the night.

Despite the drunk guy and the noise on the bus and in the hotel room it felt wonderful to be back in Mexico.