Time to Catch the Ferry!!!

We made it to Mazatlan yesterday in less than twelve hours from Toluca! It was a really long 24 hours of driving, with only ten hours of rest between, but it was worth it because we made it on time and got to stay in Puerto Escondido an extra day. We drove through Guadalajara yesterday and it brought back lots of memories of my summer there almost four years ago. I can't believe it's been that long, but I guess a lot has happened in my life since then...

We didn't have any police stops yesterday because we stayed on toll roads. The toll roads ended up being over $150 US, but saved us over a day of driving. Plus, you can go 85 miles an hour, legally, on the toll roads, and they're four-lanes most of the way. We passed a giant military convoy that was at least thirty Hummers long a couple of times because every time we had to stop at a toll, they could just keep going without stopping. It was crazy to see all the men, with their hands on their triggers, some donning ski masks and some manning massive machine guns. It was a little creepy being amongst so much gun power, but we felt a lot safer on the toll roads than on the 200, that's for sure.

We got into Mazatlan around 6, which was 7 to us, but there was a time change. We tried looking for hotels in a nice part of town, but none of them took dogs. So, we stayed across the street from where our ferry departs this afternoon and parked our car in the ferry lot for $50 pesos overnight. We woke up early and took the dogs for a walk, avoiding the rabid-looking strays, then I checked us in to the ferry at 9, and we're now sitting on the malecon (boardwalk) at a breakfast place that I randomly saw a person using wireless internet at, waiting to board the ferry at 1:30. We don't actually leave until 4, but getting the big rigs on the boat is a hassle, and we get in to La Paz between 6 and 8 tomorrow morning.

Here are some pictures from the road:

• The first picture is of me (still) driving...
• The second is of agave fields between Mexico City and Guadalajara. Agave is the plant tequila is made from, and we also got to drive through the city of Tequila.
• The third is of our "radio"--it's the iPhone plugged in to the car charger. I really miss volume, but at least we have music still!
• The fourth picture is our (good-for-nothing for the most part) map of Mexico and all of the receipts from the tolls.

Goodbye mainland Mexico! Hello Baja and grandpa's 88th birthday fiesta!!! :)