Buses in the shape of barrels take tourists to distilleries in Tequila, Mexico. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Savor the journey.

This sentiment is somewhat like being in the moment. In other words, the destination or future will come along soon enough so appreciate where you are.

When one travels, the journey often adds so much to the overall experience. This was so true on my recent two-week excursion to Mexico.

Laughs, head shakes, frustration, unexpected expenses and delays were all part of the travel experience while taking planes, buses, Ubers, taxis, and having to rely on the kindness of strangers. It all added up to new memories, and stories to tell and retell.

Travel day No. 1 I was supposed to take Uber to the Sac airport from Chico. The day before the ride share company told me to update my credit card on file, so I did. I triple checked the correct number was there because the warning was if it wasn’t, the ride would be canceled. The driver was to arrive at 3:35am.

I awoke at 2 something with a notification the ride was canceled because of the credit card issue. I tried booking again, but no driver could be found. Lyft couldn’t get me to Sac on my schedule. In my car I went. At least I had a backup.

Parking at the airport ($196) was just less than what the round trip Uber was supposed to cost. But it meant I paid for gas, had to do the driving and the car was outside the whole time.

I don’t travel light these days. My backpack had my computer and 2 inches of legal documents to read for a story. Tennis bag had shoes and clothes. Wine upped my suit case weight into Puerta Vallarta. (Tequila replaced it on subsequent legs.)

Kae, from left, Liz and Rhoda on their first leg of the bus trip to Tequila, Mexico. (Image: Rhoda Shaponik)

All of that got carried up a somewhat steep (both directions) overpass to the bus outside of the Puerta Vallarta airport. Luckily, Rhoda was there to help as sherpa and bus selector. Nothing eventful there—but traveling lighter would be helpful.

We Uber’ed a few times in the Nuevo Nayarit area, where Rhoda and Liz winter, with zero issues.

Undoubtedly the most entertaining leg of travel was getting to Tequila from the Nuevo Nayarit area ($30is). The three of us knew we’d be transferring in Magdalena. One would assume with a bus ticket that says Magdalena on it one would get dropped off at a bus station.

Nope. Wrong. Not even close.

We disembarked on the side of the highway. No joke. So did two other women, but they didn’t seem surprised by this.

With Rhoda speaking decent Spanish, the bus driver trying to convey this was all legit, and a passenger who was good in Spanish and English, we knew to follow the women. These two were probably in their late 20s, early 30s.

One had a larger suit case than me, which somehow made me more confident to follow them.

As Liz took the tennis bag and I rolled my luggage across the uneven single-wide dirt path, we were trying to ascertain where and how far the bus stop was. Then up a hill we went where a man with a car was waiting for the young women.

They explained to their uncle we needed a ride to the bus stop. No problem. He helped load our stuff into the trunk. The “girls” shared the front passenger seat, while the three of us shook our heads in disbelief in the back seat.

It’s not like Magdalena is merely a wide spot on the road; the population is more than 21,000. It took a bit to weave around the town before this uncle dropped us off at a bona fide bus depot.

While they didn’t want to take the pesos we offered, Rhoda was convincing.

Amazing how much safer I felt doing something like this in Mexico than I would in the United States.

We bought tickets (a few dollars) for the final leg to Tequila. Another nice bus—something along the lines of Greyhound quality. It was perfecto.

Other than having to deal with some cobblestones, the walk to the hotel in Tequila was no biggie. We were all a bit tired at this point. An unplanned tequila distillery tour via a bus shaped like a barrel was just the medicine we needed.

An Uber ride ($80ish split three ways) got us from Tequila to the airport in Guadalajara. But I sure love Waymo so much more; really would have been nice to control the temperature in that vehicle

I was supposed to take the last bus from the Los Cabos airport to Todos Santos, but a delayed Viva Aerobus plane thwarted those plans. (Non-refundable round trip bus paid for in advance was $63ish. Ride back was fairly uneventful other than the drunk guy who barely made it on board.)

Protesters in Pescadero, Baja California Sur, Mexico on Jan. 11 block the highway. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Uber app showed a higher price than what the taxi people wanted, so off I went in a taxi ($140). The 23-year-old Mexican driver and I communicated quite well considering my Spanish and his English were about at the same level—no muy bueno.

We were making good time until we had to come to a standstill for 45 minutes. The highway became a parking lot because of an accident near Cerritos. I could only wonder if my plane had been on time would I have missed the accident and made it in time to have dinner with my friends in Todos Santos.

I texted Jill when the taxi started rolling again, only to have to text again because on the north side of Pescadero protesters blocked the highway. Vehicles were lined up perpendicular to the flow of traffic, preventing anyone from getting through. About 30 people, some with signs saying Justice for Saul, milled about on the highway.

A Facebook post says on Dec. 25, “(Saul) Castro Pérez was attacked by a group of at least nine individuals who allegedly overwhelmed him and beat him repeatedly, including with a metal pipe. The assault caused severe traumatic brain injuries. He was later found abandoned near the highway close to a popular roadside taquería and transported by emergency responders to Juan María de Salvatierra General Hospital in La Paz.” People are not satisfied with the way officials are handling the crime.

After learning why I was stuck on the highway, well, my inconvenience was so inconsequential.

Some people say travel is hard. It can be. Fighting the unexpected isn’t going to do any good so one might as well embrace the chaos.

I could never have anticipated any of these experiences. They all added to my wonderful time away. I’m ready for my next adventure.