Lost Documents

Those of you who know me well know that I take great pride in my sense of organization. Shortly after arriving in Puerto Vallarta last night I realized that I had lost one complete set of my documents...the identity theft kit as I like to call it. Contained within was a copy of my passport, copy of my license, title and registration copies, International Driving Permit, Tourist Permit, and temporary vehicle import permit. Fortunately I have duplicates and originals for all documents except the ones that the Mexican Government issued me upon arrival.

So this morning I set out to replace the latter two documents. In beautiful buricratic style the Office of Migracion at the cruise ship dock informed me that in order to get a new tourist card I had to make copies of every page of my passport, write a letter in spanish indicating that I lost the card, get it notorized, go before some judicial clerk for approval, return to the office to submit all of my materials, pay somewhere between 800-1000 pesos, and then wait five days for a new one. I called the US consulate for help and they just said that I had to follow the Mexican procedure and they could help me no further. I walked out of the office into the oppressive heat, especially when your in jeans and a leather jacket, feeling defeated, ready to say f*&% it and head back to the US border.

Without even acknowledging my defeatist attitude (a good strategy because I probably would have thrown some kind of childish temper tantrum), Jamal calmly suggested that that we head to the Migracion office at the airport.

On my way across the parking lot, Jamal suggested I say a little prayer for some help, which I did prior to entering the airport terminal. I found the office, actually it was a window, and explained my situation. The man behind the glass asked for my passport, took a look, stuck out a new immigration form for me to complete, tore off the bottom and asked for 680 pesos. I handed him 700 pesos. He handed me the new card and said "sorry no change" as he slipped the money into his pocket!

So what did I learn? If your not getting what you want, just ask someone else and be willing to part with a few extra pesos. And, assistance or guidance from something higher always helps... And, I really need to reexamine my reaction to these types of situations. To look at how I approach challenges like the one today.

Now I questioned the validity of this whole transaction, but then I thought, if I had never gone to the other office this whole experience wouldn't seem abnormal. So I'll just need to maintain my faith and continue south. And since I now have a valid tourist permit I feel pretty good about it.

We arrived in Cihuatlan late in the afternoon after a short but beautiful twisty ride from Puerto Vallarta. Because of the fiasco this morning we did not get on the road until 12:30.

We had our usual dinner of tacos. Our diet has existed of primarily corn in the form of tortillas and some kind of meat. Once in a while we'll throw beans into the mix. We always buy our meals from street vendors or small cafes because most restaurants are too expensive, although we both know that payment will sometime be paid in minutes on the toilet. The taco only diet is starting to get a bit old. Perhaps if we had a better command of the language we could order something different, although I don't think so since most of these places have only one or two pots next to a pile of fresh corn tortillas. It seems that were there are few Americans there are few variations in the menu, and we are usually the only white guys around. It is wonderful interacting with folks who have not been jaded by tourism.

We stopped a small roadside fruit stand yesterday an bought 4 bananas and 10 oranges for the equivalent of 75 cents. Say no to scurvy! Our new diet strategy...meat and tortillas for breakfast, fruitas for lunch, and breakfast again for dinner...

Continuing south along the coast tomorrow.

thanks for reading my friends.
Love,
Jay