From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

All we’ve been hearing about is Mexico, and now we’re here!

We met up with Vera and Uli about 20 km from the border. They were with Anja, another German cyclo-tourist, and we set out together to take on Tijuana, the dangerous city that everyone had been warning us about since we first arrived in California.

We crossed the American border without stopping at customs, and were able to continue straight on to Mexico without speaking to a single customs officer or any other administration: it’s not easy to find out where to get a visa.

We tried the Immigration Office, and got two forms to fill out, all in Spanish. Fortunately, Vera speaks Spanish and was able to translate for us. We paid for the visas, and were happily surprised to find that we had been granted a six month stay – we had only hoped for 90 days! We probably won’t stay that long, but it is still a bonus. This way, if we need a couple extra days to get across the country, we can have them.

Then there was the question of the American visa. We still had the American visas in our passports – we were supposed to give them back when we left the country, but we hadn’t seen any customs officers! The Mexican officials at the Immigration Office didn’t know what to do with the visa, and we certainly had no idea. But it was essential that we turn in the paper to prove that we had left the country; otherwise, the Americans could refuse to grant us entry for 10 years. After asking everyone we could find, a young Mexican women called the American customs agency. They confirmed it: we absolutely had to give back the exit papers. To do so, we had to turn back towards the US office, but the line was several hundred meters long. They told us we could jump ahead, and we did, feeling a little guilty about it. We handed the papers over across the barrier at the border, including the ones belonging to the two guys watching the bikes, and that was it. But we really had to work for it!

So we’re in Mexico now, and all squared away with the US… finally! It had taken us at least two hours. We’ve received a warm welcome in Mexico: drivers honk their horns and give us an encouraging thumbs up, and even stop the traffic on the highway so we can get across. What more could we ask for? We’re a bit wide-eyed at the difference in culture, having just stepped across the border (although it’s still apparent that the US isn’t far away). The symphony of honking horns reminds us of South American countries. The food is terrific, and we stayed in a great motel for US$25 (15€) per night (which is actually expensive by Mexican standards).

In the end, crossing Tijuana wasn’t that dangerous. We had heard so much about the city, and had particularly been warned about the drug gangs and turf wars going on. But we didn’t see anything like that.

Sara & Sébastien