Mail and Meds in Mexico

We learned a very big and VERY expensive lesson this year. Good thing we both believe that money isn't the most important thing in our lives.

We thought we were really smart this year when we arranged for our mail to be shipped to us from our Washington marina to the San Carlos Marina. As soon as all of our tax records and my prescription meds had been received in Washington they were shipped to San Carlos via FedEx. Last time we were here, in LaPaz, our mail was sent to us by our daughter-in-law by US Mail. It took 30 days, we figured the mule got sick and had to recuperate, then the mule got lost, but we got it.

When our FedEx'd mail reached Guadalajara, Mexico it stopped. We were told that they didn't deliver to San Carlos (why the H didn't they mention that when it was shipped!). After the delay it was returned to WA. We asked that it be shipped by UPS because we knew that UPS delivers to the San Carlos Marina (it wasn't shipped that way originally because they don't ship ground "due to the hi-jackings"). The UPS mail dot to Guadalajara and stopped again. This time when I checked the tracking it said that Customs had the parcel and needed additional clearance.

I called the UPS Mexican rep and she told me that because it contained prescription medications it needed a Health Dept. permit. I asked how to get one and she said that I had to fill out form A. Okay, email me one. When I received the form, I translated it, and it was more in line with companies importing chemicals and drugs, not individuals getting meds. I filled it out any way and emailed it back to the rep. Up to this point she had been "Johnny on the spot" every time I emailed her. Now, she wasn't so accessible. I called UPS customer service and was told to call the rep. I explained that although she spoke English I still couldn't understand her. Oh well. Back to the rep. I asked if she was going to submit the form or if not how should I do it. No response.

Meanwhile I started searching the web for any info relating to getting meds into the country. I found the Mx Dept of Health site and then attempted to call for help. Just like in the States - I call the phone decision tree that was almost unintelligible. I pushed a number for English and got a person who spoke only Spanish. I was about to lose it.

At that time I happened to be doing my laundry at Barracuda Bob's laundromat. The Mexican guys that work there speak English and have always been incredibly friendly. So I gathered up my frayed ends and asked Oscar if he could help me. I needed someone who spoke Spanish to listen on the phone and help me get the info and help I needed. He said sure, meet him at 3pm when he got done working.

It turned out that in a previous life Oscar was the customer training supervisor for a mobile phone company (which will remain nameless). He got a phone tree runaround and became disgusted. He was determined to get thru to a human and get what he came for. When the connect was lost and we had gotten nowhere, I felt bad about keeping him. No problem for him but he told me to come again the next day and he would use his phone - which might work better.

That evening I search the net again and discovered that the Mexican government has clamped down on allowing prescription meds to be mailed into the country. All attempts to file form A had just gotten mired down in the system. The next result is that prescription meds have to be hand carried into Mexico by the user. I instructed the UPS rep to return the parcel to Washington and then called Oscar and told him the news and thanked him for his help. Guess what - the rep responded to this email within minutes. She was obviously happy to be rid of this problem.

The parcel was back in WA in just a couple days and I had the UPS agent send our mail to a business address in Tucson. Five days later and less than $20 it arrived. We made the 7-hr drive and picked it up within an hour of the delivery.

The end result: Over $300 in shipping charges, we missed our April 15 deadline for taxes, I ran out of my most important drug and our mail travelled over 10,000 miles!

So, if you can't, or prefer not to buy your drugs in Mexico, you'll have to drive back to the States to get them.

Nacapule Canyon, San Carlos, Mexico

View from Nacapule Canyon parking lot.

Please note that I am experiencing formating problems with this site. No matter how I have tried I can't get the font straightened out. Sorry for the poor presentation.

 

Not far from San Carlos is a true desert oasis called Canon de Nacapule (Nacapule Canyon). Our friends Dennis and Drew invited us to join them for a hike there. We were joined by another of their friends, Hugh. Hugh is a retired ag commissioner, or some such thing, and is very knowledgeable about this area. He is also 78 years old - so I figured this would be my kinda hike.

The Nacapule Canyon is different from the surrounding desert area which is very dry and populated by cactus. Located just four miles north of San Carlos in the Sierra del Aguaje, Nacapule Canyon is almost a mile in length. Its believed to have formed 145 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period when dinosaurs walked the earth. Its ecosystem features subtropical flora and fauna that have created a unique microclimate. This has lead to the evolution of several endemic plant and animal species including a white-flowered jasmine and the chichimoco squirrel.

 

In the language of the Yaqui people who lived here, nacapule (pronounced knock-ah-poo-lay) means earlobe. It’s also the name given to a rare fig tree which is found in the canyon.

 

Apparently the Mexican government doesn't employ a native English speaker to proof read their signs. Some can be quite amusing.

 

The canyon was sacred to the Yaqui people — between the year-round springs for water, plentiful wildlife for food, large trees and obsidian rock for tools, the ancient people found all they needed here. Many nomadic tribes have left evidence that they also passed through here. Present-day residents are only beginning to have reverence for the canyon. Its only in the last decade or so that it has been protected. Today, Nacapule Canyon is a preserved area. In addition to signs leading to its parking area there are signs describing the canyon, its history and plants and animals.

 

 

 

As we started off the sky was overcast and there seemed to be a chance of rain for the afternoon. The trail, unlike most Mexican trails that we have attempted to hike, was very well marked - in the beginning. In 2009, Hurricane Jimena brought heavy rains to these mountains, which resulted in devastating floods and rock fall throughout Nacapule. Uprooted palm trees and immense boulders make this walk much more difficult than it used to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At first the trail passed through scrub and low flowering plants. I could hear hummingbirds and busied myself with searching for them and photographing the flowers. The canyon entrance is reported to be heavily populated with hummingbirds, including Costa's, Black-chinned and Broad-billed.

 

 

 

I have tried to identify the flowers here but I can't find them in my Baja plant book. I will have to seriously expand my library the next time I get to a bookstore.

This red flower is in the pea family like many of the plants in this region.

 

 

Hugh on left, Greg to rear and Dennis on right.

The other members of the group were primarily interested in hiking and seeing the canyon, and I was encouraged to hurry and keep up with the group.

 

Within the canyon, there are canyon and rock wrens, great-horned owl, red-tailed hawk, various vireos and flycatchers. In the spring, orioles can be found in the palm trees and in winter there are rock wrens and wintering hummingbirds. Unfortunately for me, I never saw a single bird. No one else did either. I was really hoping to see the wildlife in this interesting location and was very disappointed that my fellow hikers, with the exception of Drew, didn't share my interest.

It wasn't long until the first signs of water appeared. Here the underground flow is seeping up in the trail. The information sign had mentioned a waterfall in the canyon and seeing it was our goal.

 

 

 

I wasn't sure whether this was a Nacapule tree or not since I hadn't taken the time to study the one at the sign. From the descriptions I have read and its fig like growth pattern I think it is.

 

 

 
I love the "ride" part in this sign. I guess before the hurricane people could actually ride the ORVs up the canyon. That certainly wasn't the case for us. The well marked trail soon disappeared and was all boulder climbing. I was amazed at how well Hugh did with his walking stick.

 

 

 

 

The chichimoco squirrel is one of the creatures I never saw. After returning I read another person's blog about their trip to Nacapule Canyon and they mentioned that they had seen and photographed a coral snake while there. In case you don't know, the coral snake is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. I also read on Wikipedia that the snake is very timid and there are very few bites to humans (recorded anyway).  If I had been bitten by this snake when I was a mile back amid huge boulders, I would have been a goner for sure. When I told Greg that I was glad I hadn't seen this guy he told me that that surprised him. Considering what I have done in the past he thought I would have been down on the ground eye to eye with him trying to get a got picture.

The palms had already flowered and were setting fruit.

 

 

Greg got in some really great hiking.

 

We walked for at least a mile and the water fall never was found. Drew and I weren't really interested in climbing any more ten foot tall boulders and Drew was also beginning to worry about getting back before it started to rain. The three guys wanted to go a little further so we decided on 20 minutes. After 30 Drew and I decided to head back down by ourselves. She and I had a really good time climbing together. The guys were obviously much faster at this "hiking" than either of us since they caught up to us in short order.

 

As we drove back to San Carlos the skies opened up and it POURED

 

 

 

 

http://www.conanp.gob.mx/english.php
If you are interested in more information about the protected areas of Mexico visit the CONANP site above. There is very interesting information about the history of conservation in Mexico.

 

The mission of the Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas is to:

Conserve the natural heritage of Mexicothrough Protected Areas and other forms of preservation, by promoting a culture of conservation and the sustainable development of communities living in their own environment.