Poems and Prose by Travelers

Loss
By A Kelty

No noise wakes me just one in my head.
"Contrition," I say.
 "Why,"  she says.
"We are different, we are tired, we need to separate and think it over," she says.
"We need to talk." I say.
My head stops talking and the birds take over as they flit about the patio. So happy.
I am happy my head says.
 The weather is beyond fine and the sun now turns the edge of the building to gold.  Mountain air and mountain light combine on my patio to make a miracle.
I watch in awe.
Could she ever see it. Could she feel it. Could she smell it.
A jet glides in over the mountains bringing a hundred people to the city.
None of them will ever be her.

Text A Kelty  © 2013

Silly Things
By A Kelty

Voices on the stairs, a dog barks, the maid sweeps, a bus horn sounds, a bird chirps and the city wakes up.
 My neighbor clangs bowls together as she slices fruit for her breakfast.
She needs passion, she told me, just once before she dies; she has never had passion, never that crazy in love feeling that makes you do silly things.
I invited her to do a silly thing but she can't today, she has her chiropractor session.
Not tomorrow she teaches.
Not the next day, the bus ride will exhaust her.
Not the next, her daughter is coming.
Not the next her allergies are acting up.
Her cold still lingers.
Her back hurts.
Voices on the patio, a car starts. The sun hits the edge of the patio and the birds chirp. A dog barks, bowls clank.

Text A Kelty  © 2013

Prose And Poems From Travelers Across The Border
Excerpts from www.softseattravel.com 

Yolanda  
Armond Kelty

I hear the whimper of a lonely dog,  a poor apartment dog locked in while his master leaves each day for the city.
 I look out to see that the sun has just started to abrade the edge of the roof outside my apartment. The birds have started their frantic chirping.
The dog's whimper turns to a sad whine of loss.
     My water bottle gurgles as if there is someone in the kitchen filling a glass. I wish it were her hand pressing on the lever.  It's not and never will be, she thinks that my tropical outpost is primitive and uncomfortable and a little backward,
the very reasons why I love the place.
     We can always get modern and efficient and boringly predictable at home in New Haven.  We often did.
But can we find the pulse of life that I found last night in the plaza where Mariachis played trumpet beneath the trees.
     One trumpet played off to one side, another at the other side, distant from their accompanying violins and bass guitar so that the volumes came into balance.
The first would make a plaintive wail with a hard-edged brassy sound; the other would answer,  muffled by trees and the porticos of the old colonial building.
The sound was sweet and exotic.
When the Mariachis ended their serenade of a young couple seated at the sidewalk cafe, the pulsing rhythm of the Latin band at the other end of the plaza drew me in that direction.
     Eight men and a woman played a rhythmic salsa tune while couples danced and a family member passed a cup around.
"How old are you," I asked the young drummer when the song ended.
 He had fired in rim shots without hesitation at just the right time, every time.
The son of the conga player answered, "Nuevo."
 Just nine years old and he kept the beat like a pro, tacking out a rhythm on the side of his two drums and then, at every twelfth bar, he would slam in his metallic accents seamlessly.
His little brother handled the clave while his aunt in a skin-tight homemade outfit adorned with spangles in strategic places, danced Salsa while sensuously massaging rhythm from a long metal tube with serrated sides: zt, pause zt, zt, accented zt, pause zt, zt, accented, hypnotic.
A couple next to me stood spooned and moving to the rhythm of the strong electric base beat and I envied them their closeness. She in purple rebozo,  stylishly slung over her shoulders and a long skirt split to mid-thigh; just like Mexico, hiding and showing at the same time.
They moved as one and I felt my legs move and my feet move but I was only one and there came a twinge of loss: lost time, lost opportunity, lost love.
The Salsa rhythms crashed to a finale with rim shots and symbol sizzles as the cup passed again at the hand of the sequined aunt.
     In the quiet the sweet voice of a tenor crying for Yolanda came from the other corner of the square. Two guitarists with subtly-amped flat-topped acoustic guitars did vocal harmony around Cuban love songs, always full of pain and longing. I listened while sipping a Modelo Negra and remembering dancing to Pablo Milanés's.  "Yolanda, Yolanda, Eternamente Yolanda"
     That is how I would sing it if I could, but the name would be different. My song might be as fleeting though, as fleeting as the feeling in the plaza on that night of warm tropical fantasy brought on by rhythms and songs and words of love.
The sun rubs higher out my window, my water bottle gurgles again for no one, the dog's wail turns into a whimper, my neighbor starts her percolator, and the sun now burns the patio where I will take my coffee: alone, happy, and free.

AK
 Text A Kelty  © 2013

related
God's Light

Closing Doors
by A Kelty

I know I should be up.   The sun has already lost its crispness. The birds are up and have been for an hour but my coffee in bed tastes sweet even with the guilt.

Carnival starts today and the city will pulse with bands and parades. The men readied floats through the night. They decorated flatbed trucks that come in from the villages. Each village will have its float.  The young people will get to ride on the floats and throw gifts to the crowd, maybe to me if I get out of bed.

A door slams.  An email comes in and it is terse and lifeless, much like that slamming door, much like our friendship.  I read and file for later thought.

What to do when love goes bad, or just goes. There is no anger, no pain, no recrimination, no passion.
We are numb, signaling like lost ships with broken semaphores on a wire stretched thin.
I hesitate to show feeling, she acts as If she has none. She reminisces about when I would wait for her while she shopped. I reminisce about the days when she did not shop.
Are we too old and worn out, bored and lazy, too comfortable to get up off the couch, too content with a little bit. Are we tired?

A door slams again and the new tenant who thinks that he lives alone is moving about in his apartment.  The man then goes out with a slam of his door. The sign says close it gently, cuidado, take care with doors.

Although it is carnival day and we still must be quiet. I will close this door gently.

Text A Kelty  © 2013

Bus To Morelia, Touring Morelia, Butterly Migration

Bus to Morelia, Touring Morelia
Updated June 21, 2013

     The bus pulled into the first class bus station several miles from the center of the city of Moralia with the sun not up yet.  The cab from the terminal to the historic center of the city costs 70 peso.          Once in the Centro Historico,  I wanted to see the downtown area of preserved colonial buildings that have been converted to museums. The city's artisan museum is in one of the old convents and several fine old hotels line the streets around the main plaza. Street-side restaurants look out on the plaza from beneath the preserved Portales.

   Breakfast of coffee and eggs at the outdoor restaurant felt like dining in Europe with all the old timers sipping their cappuccino and appraising the young women as they walked by on their way to work.
Just across from the portales, near a park where a kiosk dispenses maps for a small fee hunkers the huge Cathedral that gave the city a chance to show off its wealth. The church building was constructed in a baroque style called Tablerado.  Work started in 1660 and was completing in 1744. The stone is pink Cantera, a soft, easily-worked volcanic stone that gives the church its unique tone. The interior does impress.

     The rich towns lavished much cash on their churches during colonial days. The cathedral at San Luis Potosi, a silver mining town, ranks high on a list of elegant colonial churches as does the church in Moralia.

     The tourist kiosk dispenses information about butterfly trips. The monarchs winter in the mountains of Michoacan, not far from Moralia. Morelia makes a good base city for winter trips to see the Monarch Migration.  MMG Tours offers a nine-hour trip leaving Morelia at 8:30 am. The trip includes guide, modern van, and lunch. The cost is 500 Pesos, $40 USD Approx.

      The Monarchs start moving south from Canada and the US in September and complete the migration in November. They roost for the winter on the steep slopes of the southwestern sides of mountains near ten thousand feet in Michoacan State where it borders the State of Mexico. It wasn’t until 1975 that researchers discovered that the Monarch butterfly wintered in Michoacan.
     Morelia can also be a good base for tours of Patzcuaro its islands and the Archaeological Zone of Tzintzuntzan.  Morelia Michoacan Guides    www.mmg.com.mx runs tours to the ruin site of Tzintzuntzan.

     Morelia's Centro Historico is a walkable several blocks north and south and 20 blocks east and west. Sightseeing in the historic center of Morelia was made easier by the tourist kiosk that dispenses information and sells maps.  The Artisan Museum and the craft shops at Plaza Valodollid is a good visit. The Artisan Museum is located in Morelia's oldest building, the 1550 exconvento San Francisco. The space, located on two floors, provides great shopping and an enlightening look at the many arts and crafts produced in Michoacan.

Coffee shops and dining at the Park of Roses near the 

Archaeology Museum. 

     Later I caught a cab to the Anthropology museum. They display a great collection of pre-Hispanic art and archaeological artifacts, but for some odd reason they don’t allow photos.
Next to the Museum the park offers outdoor tables for coffee or ice cream in the Park of Roses.
        See links
 Morelia Monarch Butterfly Migration

Cancun to Tapachula Chiapas By Bus

A visitor to our blog inquired about traveling to Guatemala from Cancun but not going through Belize as a solo traveler.
I can appreciate the desire to avoid Belize after going through Belize City on a trip to Tikal.
There are optional routes that will take you through some interesting parts of Mexico

• Yucatan

The trip through Southern Mexico from Cancun to Tapachula could be a great route to go into Guatemala and one heavily traveled by solo travelers including solo women backpackers from Europe and North America.
The route will take you through some notable Mexican colonial towns including Valladolid, a very safe town with a well-lighted zocalo and many international visitors. 

Valladolid will offer good hotel options, transportation, night life, and a cenote for swimming. You are 25 miles from ChichenItza and an inexpensive collective cab ride to the ruin site.
Further northwest you will pass through Merida, a splendid colonial town with museums and nightlife. If traveling by bus you will be using ADO first class buses. ADO and OCC bus (ADO) cover all of southern Mexico and reach Tapachula.

Merida is well-lit in the central area and a great party place on weekends. Several main streets around the Zocalo are closed off to vehicles and given over to food kiosks and musical groups. From Merida you can reach Uxmal and other Mayan ruin sites.
Next stop heading northwest would be Campeche and then Villahermosa. In Villahermosa a visit to the La Venta Sculpture Park will offer artifacts from the Olmec culture including the large sculptured heads of the Olmec.

ADO bus runs service from Villahermosa to Palenque, which is in Chiapas. Palenque offers the great Palenque Ruin Site and several day trips to other sites including Bonampak and Xachilan. You can book a tour or make these trips on your own. See details.
Investigate a cross river trip to Tikal and then Guatemala City

In Palenque the area of the Canada (Canyada) is well-lit at night and offers a varied choice of hotel options. Also find camping at Maya Bell on the ruins road.

If you do party in any of these cities and towns, the key to safety would be to not make yourself an easy target. Stay in lighted areas and head home early and sober. Thieves like an easy target. Don't flash cash, cameras, jewelry, or logo backpacks/luggage. You are bound to meet travelers going in the same direction as you and it is often helpful to go as a group.

Stick to the first class buses on this trip. For the most part this will be ADO Bus or OCC, both run by ADO. Night buses by ADO, (OCC) are a good option and at time the only option. You can sleep on the bus and arrive in the morning.
There are bus routes where you will take second class buses, to Uxmal for instance, but they are Sur buses run by ADO. (A very good ride but perhaps no lavatory)


From Palenque book an ADO Bus (OCC) to San Cristobal de las Casas. San Cristobal offers an illuminated zocalo which is quite a sight at night.
From San Cristobal book OCC to Tapachula. In Tapachula's OCC station you will find Tica Bus, a cross border bus that goes through Guatemala City and Central America to Panama City.
Guatemala will require some additional precautions. Group with others, don't stray far from lighted streets, and try to get local info about unsafe areas.  

Tucson To Guadalajara By Bus    

Tucson Arizona

                                                                                        April 2013

The bus trip from Tucson Arizona to Guadalajara Mexico will take all of twenty-eight hours if you include the local bus in Tucson, taxi to the Tufesa Bus Station in Nogales, and the twenty two hour bus trip from Nogales Mexico to Guadalajara.

•   Local Tucson Bus and Shuttle   

This account starts with local bus transportation in Tucson, service that is inexpensive and extensive.  The Sun-Tran buses run routes throughout the city and pass through the Ronstadt Transportation Center, downtown.  Tucson Museums

• Nogales Shuttle

 From the center take the number eight bus to South 6th Avenue in the 300- 500 block where you find several shuttle van services to Nogales.  The Saguaro (sahuaro) Shuttle at 4202 S 6th Ave is a good ride at $12. USD.  The Saguaro vans are clean and the seat belts work. Tel 520-573-1399
 Other shuttles in the area include Sergios Shuttle and Sonora.  Figure at least an hours drive from South 6th to Nogales at the border.  Tucson Shuttles

• Tourist Card  Visa

If you need the tourist card, six-month permission for an extended stay in Mexico beyond the border states,  apply at the immigration office, just inside the border, and pay the 299 Pesos, $26 USD for the FMM, Forma Migratoria Multiple.
Once in Mexico you can go to one of the many bank ATMs and receive Pesos.  At the border, however many places, including Tufesa Bus, will accept dollars and calculate a fair exchange rate.

• Tufesa Bus

Take a six dollar taxi, 70 Pesos, to the Tufesa Bus Station to buy your ticket.  The bus to Guadalajara leaves at four pm.  Bus fare to Guadalajara from Nogales is 1,404 Pesos.  $115. USD
Tufesa Bus

Tufesa Bus Station Nogales Mexico

• Seating

You should choose your own seat.  Otherwise you might be assigned a seat in the back of the bus where road noise and lavatory noise could be a problem.
Any seat from seat one to seat twenty will provide a comfortable ride.  Seats on the left side of the bus on an afternoon trip heading south will avoid the hot afternoon sun.

• Sleeping

Plan on having a good long sleep to make the long night trip bearable.  Bring a jacket or sweater against the air conditioning system and bring ear plugs to overcome the noise from the action movies that will show until midnight.

• Mazatlan

The bus will arrive Mazatlan about 6 am after stops at Hermosillo, Los Mochis, and Culiacan.
From Mazatlan the bus heads through Tepic and then reaches Guadalajara where the Tufesa Bus serves two stations.  The bus will reach the second stop at about 2 pm in the afternoon.  The second stop is close to the Centro Historico of Guadalajara.

Guadalajara Mexico

To visit the Centro Historico cathedral and other sights take a 120 pesos cab.  To continue on from the Tufesa station by bus take a taxi or walk four blocks from the Tufesa Station to the Central Autobus for Primera Plus Bus and other buses to Mexico City and beyond.    Mazatlan

Primera Plus runs hourly buses to Mexico City Norte Station. The six to seven hour trip costs 612 Pesos.
Primera Plus Bus

Primera Plus Bus runs from Guadalajara to Mexico City

Mexico City Bus Stations, Terminal Norte, Terminal Tapo

Mexico City’s First Class Bus Terminals

Updated April 3, 2013

Mexico City, Four First Class Bus Terminals

Coming from the north of Mexico it is common to arrive at Mexico City Terminal Norte Bus Station.
From there buses are available in all directions including ADO first class bus to Oaxaca City, ADO to the northen border on the Gulf Coast, and Estrella Blanca Bus west and north with Chihuahuenses and Futura  First class buses.  Flecha Amarilla  running first class Primera Plus buses to the west coast and north to Mazatlan are also available.  

Norte is an old station but a great hub for bus trips throughout Mexico including trips to Teotihuacan ruin site and the ruin site at Tula.
Terminal Norte is one of four first class bus terminals that serve the country from Mexico City. You must start from certain terminals to reach a certain destination. That info is hard to find so I will list it here:

Mexico City’s Terminal Norte 
Norte is also called Terminal Central Norte and serves the country north to the US border and includes Matamoros, Nuevo Loredo, Juarez/ El Paso TX, Agua Prieta/Douglass, AZ, Nogales/Nogales, AZ, and as far west as Tijuana/San Diego. The States of Mexico served to the north and west include Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahiula, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Durango, San Lois Potosi, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Hidalgo, Aguascalientes, Michoacan, Colima, and Queretaro. Southern and eastern States served: Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz, and Puebla.

Mexico City’s Tapo Terminal
Officially called Terminal Oriente and commonly called Tapo, this terminal serves the southern and southeastern parts of Mexico including the States of Puebla, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala, Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Veracruz, and Yucatan.

Palenque Ruin Site served by ADO 

first class bus.  

Mexico City’s Terminal Central Sur 
Central Sur serves the central and southern States of Guerrero Puebla, Morelos/Cuernavaca, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Chiapas.

Mexico City’s Terminal Centro Poniente 
Poniente serves the central and western states of Michoacan, Jalisco, Guerrero, Nayarit, Queretaro, the State of Mexico DF, and northwest to Sonora, and Sinaloa.

My most recent trip was through Norte.
 The station has steadily improved and now offers clean restrooms, small restaurants, ATM machines, and many options for bus routes.
The trip from Norte to Oaxaca is a six to seven hour run.  Night buses are offered that reach Oaxaca City in the early morning just as the sun rises.   From the ADO station you can taxi or walk the ten blocks to the Zocalo.   The new ADO Bus station in Oaxaca offers underground parking, clean restrooms, baggage storage, and a small coffee shop.

Oaxaca To Tucson Bus Service

First Class Bus Service Oaxaca to Tucson
2014 Bus Fares, Bus Routes

First Class Bus service from Oaxaca City in South Central Mexico to Tucson Arizona can start with ADO first class service to Mexico City's Terminal Norte.  Four Mexico City Bus Terminals link

ADO Bus Terminal Oaxaca City Oaxaca Mexico

Ticket Price Oaxaca to Mexico City (DF), Terminal Norte  (bus station)

Cost varies depending on the level of service but the normal service offered by ADO will be 480 Pesos for the 6-7 hour trip. (2014 Prices)

ADO Bus offers three levels of service to Mexico City from 

Oaxaca City

Levels of service from the ADO station vary. GL Sevice is Gran Lujo, more leg room. Platino Service is the luxury option with three seats across instead of four.  ADO Bus Service

Internet Discounts

Internet discounts can often be found for the GL service. (www.ADO Bus Tickets) buy tickets ahead and save

Once you reach Norte station in Mexico City you will find many options for onward service.

This article describes the Central Mexico route, a bus route through Queretaro and north to Chiahuahua and on to Agua Prieta on the border at Douglas Arizona. From Douglas, AZ, van shuttle service starting at 7:00 am reaches Tucson Arizona.  Chihuahua Copper Canyon Bus and Train  for sightseeing en route

First class bus terminal Chihuahua.  From Chihuahua Bus Station buses reach the village of Creel in the Copper Canyonl

Terminal Norte Bus Service

Chihuahuenses Bus is one of the options for service from Norte to cities in the north. Chihuahuenses runs through Chihuahua and on to Agua Prieta and Nogales. The total time en route from Norte Station to Agua Prieta could be around 27 hours.  

A stop in a city along the way can break up the long bus ride.

The City of Chihuahua is one such stop. Other stops could be interesting colonial cities such as Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi.

Bus Fare, Terminal Norte to Chihuahua

The ticket price on Chihuahuenses Bus from Norte to the City of Chihuahua is 1,356 Pesos for the 17-18 hour trip.

Chihuahua To Agua Prieta

Chihuahua first class bus terminal offers several bus options to Agua Prieta.

Futura Bus

Futura Bus is an option at 576 Pesos for the 7-8 hour trip from Chihuahua to Agua Prieta. Other options are Chihuahuenses Bus and Omnibus.

Chihuahuenses and Futura Bus are divisions of Estrella Blanca   Estrella Blanca Bus

In Agua Prieta,  a 60 Pesos cab ride reaches the border crossing.
 A shuttle van connects to Tucson and Phoenix starting at 7:00 am  Douglas to Tucson, $25.00 USD
 Find the shuttle office just outside the US border check station.

Copper Canyon

Zacatecas  Sightseeing

Aguascalientes Sightseeing

Oaxaca Guelaguetza Parade July, youtube video

Bus Mexico, Douglas, Arizona to Oaxaca City, Mexico

First Class Bus Douglas Arizona to Oaxaca Mexico

Bus Travel Mexico

Tucson Arizona
     Several shuttles serve van service to Nogales and Douglas AZ. from Tucson and Phoenix Arizona.   Sergios Shuttle is one that has an office on South 6th in Tucson.
      The Douglas Shuttle reaches the Mexican border at Agua Prieta where first class bus service offers a trip of 1600 miles by bus from Agua Prieta to Oaxaca, Mexico.
The Douglas Shuttle cost 25.00 USD from Tucson.

Shuttles run all day from several locations on South Sixth.  The shuttle will stop at a gas station such as Circle K for gas up and food stop.
The route is on Route 10 east towards Benson and Tombstone.
The van takes Route 80 for Tombstone, 72 miles north of Douglas. Some drivers use the Douglas turn-off, south of Tombstone, others head for Bisbee and then Douglas.

Futura Bus, a division of Estrella Blanca Bus,  serves Mexico City 

 from Agua Prieta

The van stops at the border on the Douglas side.  Walk to the border crossing and go through Mexican customs and immigration.  Get the Tourist Card.  (visa.) after paying 290 pesos for a 6 month tourist card. (permission to visit Mexico for six months)

Just after the border check station, walk to the cab stand where taxis take you to the bus station for 60 Pesos.

The Central de Autobus in Douglas is a small station where you have choices of Chihuahuenses Bus, Futura Bus, and , across the street, Omnibus.   Chihuahuenses bus serve Mexico City for around 1500 pesos.
Cities along the route are interesting for a visit and can break up the extremely long bus ride.  Zacatecas is one of the interesting colonial cities as are San Luis Potosi and Aguascalientes.

The first class buses in Mexico are new volvos and Mercedez luxury coaches with deeply reclining seats, seatbelts, and one or two bathrooms.
 From Agua Prieta to Zacatecas is about a twenty two hour trip.  You can sleep much of the way during the night.

Zacatecas is ;an old colonial city where wealthy miners built 

luxurious homes and public buildings.

•  Zacatecas

Once in Zacatecas, you can taxi into the Centro Historico.  A hotel well located is the Hotel Condesa which is right in the center of the historic district and reasonable at 500 pesos. ($39 USD) Rooms range from 400 to 600 Pesos.
 No pool no Wifi but adequate. The restaurant downstairs is convenient and serves good food.

Zacatecas was once a rich mining town. Silver is still mined nearby. The wealth in colonial times built many great churches and colonial buildings. Zacatecas is walkable although it is at 7700 feet (2347 meters)  There is much to see in the Historic Colonial Center.
In the State of Zacatecas there are ruin sites of interest.  The city has a museum with artifacts. to the south of the city find La Quemada ruin site

Zacatecas offers a cable car ride

Zacatecas offers a mine tour and cable car ride.

• Mexico City

From Zacatecas, buses reach Mexico City after a nine hour trip of 370 miles. (490 pesos) This could be a Chihuahuenses bus.
The bus goes via Quertaro to Mexico Norte Station

The bus ride offers great scenery

From Mexico City Distrito Federal (DF), Terminal Norte, you can book an ADO bus for Oaxaca City,  490 Pesos.  Night buses are frequent up until midnight.

Oaxaca ADO Bus Station

• Oaxaca City

       Oaxaca, Mexico, ADO Station
The night bus from Terminal Norte arrives in Oaxaca in the morning after a six to seven hour trip.
For more about Mexico Bus Travel, See Bus Travel Border Crossing, Nogales, Tips


Oaxaca Guelaguetza Parade July youtube video

Bus Through Mexico, Nogales to Mazatlan

Nogales to Mazatlan, Cross Border Bus Convenience, Tufesa Bus

Update 2013

Tufesa Bus runs first class buses over bus routes that 

connect Phoenix to Guadalajara

• Tufesa Bus

     The Tufesa, cross-border bus from Tucson to Mazatlan can be convenient.  You stay on the same bus and only get off briefly to pass your bags through an X ray check or through a custom check were you press a button for the random search.
     They are looking for taxable items that you failed to declare or that exceed the allowable limit.  You present your passport, secure your visa or tourist card, and then board the same bus for the remainder of the trip.

They also look for drugs and guns.  Dogs are used at some checkpoints in Nogales and Agua Prieta.
      Caution: Don't transport fruits, meat, plants, guns, ammo, or drugs.
     Dogs are also in use at border crossing check stations and at check stations within the US border.
Stick with your bags at the border check station and follow them through the x-ray and check stations.  Keep essentials in your day pack or better, on your person.  Your passport, visa, ATM/ credit cards, and money should be in your pockets.  Your, camera, laptop and phone, in your shoulder pack.

•      Tufesa Bus:

     Tufesa Bus Line  (link) runs luxury first class buses in the US and Mexico and they make the cross border trip.  They run from Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, NV, and 16 California cities to Guadalajara, Mexico with stops in major cities along the way.   They do not, however, make sufficient allowance for the securing of a Tourist Card (permission to enter and visit for six months) at the border (Nogales).  Their passengers are mostly Mexican with Mexican passports and they do not need a visa.  You must tell the driver that you need time to get the Tourist card and then go to the office and get the papers.
(visas are not required of foreign visitors to Mexico for  short stays or stays in the vicinity of the border) The tourist card  (290 Pesos, 6 months, 2013 price, 25 USD ) is required for all visitors that will stay beyond 72 hours and for all who will go south beyond the border states of the country of Mexico.

• Tufesa Bus To Guadalajara     

The Tufesa Bus for Guadalajara stops at a Nogales, Mexico terminal for a half hour but the terminal is about a mile inside the actual border and not close to the border where you get your Tourist Card.
     If your stay in Mexico will be longer than 72 hours and you will go south beyond the border State of Sonora or beyond Baja,  you should get the 180 day Tourist Card.

      Two Workarounds to getting a Tourist Card at the border:
One way around this short duration stop at the border is to apply for a tourist card at a Mexican consulate well before you reach the border.  Large cities   in the US will have such consulates. The consulate in Tucson AZ does not issue the card,  however.
Another way around this would be to buy a bus ticket to the Nogales Mexico Tufesa Bus station.  Leave the bus and check your luggage or take all of your luggage with you.  Cab to the immigration office at the border crossing, get your Tourist Card (permission to enter and stay in the country 6 months, 290 Pesos)  Then take a $7 USD cab back to the Tufesa station, buy a ticket and re-board the same bus if it hasn't left.

Tufesa Bus runs as far south as

Guadalajara,  Mexico

April 2013 Bus Fare, Nogales to Guadalajara, 1404 Pesos, $115 USD

     This is the safest way to both secure your luggage and save your ticket price, although it hardly makes for a convenient cross border trip.
        On one trip I took a chance and left my checked luggage on board the bus at the border crossing check station and told the driver I needed to get the tourist card.   He said he would wait.  Lucky for me there was no line and I received the visa quickly and then went to the adjacent bank to pay.  Again no line. I then returned to get the tourist card stamped.  Any line and I would not have had time to do this.  If you are part of a group or a couple you can take turns watching the luggage and going to the office for the tourist cards.
I made it back to the bus, now waiting for me with an impatient driver, and we continued on to the Tufesa station for the half hour stop. (servicing the bus)
On my next trip through Nogales, there was two of us so we took turns watching the luggage as it went through the customs check.
     There are many buses leaving Nogales and going south down the coast or inland to Chihuahua.  Tufesa is not the only one.
 Just next to the Tufesa Bus Station there is a station serving first class buses to Mazatlan,  Culiacan, and south.  Buses serving from Nogales include TBC, Tap, Elite,  and Omnibus.  They all  run luxury buses south.
If you do miss the Tufesa bus you will have options.
see      Other bus options and Mexico City Terminals 

     On this Friday morning trip, the Tufesa bus left Tucson at 11: am and was scheduled to arrive in Mazatlan at 430 am, a 17 hour trip.
At the border, several US agents boarded and checked out several of the Mexican passenger, thoroughly.  Otherwise the trip was uneventful and a good stretch of sleep followed after sunset.

     Arriving at Mazatlan at 4:30 am was not good planning since I had to wait until 7: am for restaurants to open.  I had planned to take a Primera Plus bus  (Flecha Amarilla) to Guadalajara but their first bus out was 7:am.  I instead made plans to visit Mazatlan for the day and perhaps overnight.

See Mazatlan

 Next: Touring Mazatlan