Mexico: Jalisco and Michoacan with a lot of handicrafts

October 2019

Vehicle Registration USA

The North Carolina Road Traffic Department requires an exhaust emission test and a technical inspection of the vehicle for the annual renewal of our vehicle license plates. Since there are different requirements in the different states, it is difficult for us to meet these requirements on the road. Only states that require these tests have emission test equipment. Once we had to drive 600 KM to get a valid test in another state. The test then only cost 25 dollars!
Now we have legally registered our vehicle through an agency in the state Montana.

We were able to handle the whole thing via internet and with UPS. The state Montana doesn’t require a technical test or an exhaust emission test. The annual renewal will be done for us by the agency and the yearly sticker for the license plate is sent to us by UPS anywhere in the world.

In the case of a future vehicle owner change, the title/vehicle registration document could legally be arranged somewhere via the Internet. This would allow the sale in South America, or elsewhere legally valid!

Playa Las Glorias, Sinaloa Mexico

Weekends are pretty busy and can be loud. ATV’s and 4WD’s as well extremely tuned 4x4 sand vehicles driving up and down the beach. There are no rules and they race in multi-lane along as fast as the vehicles can drive. A relaxed sunbathing at this beach could be extremely dangerous. Children, who can hardly look over the steering wheel are also involved!

Vehicle labeling - Suiza

For more than 14 years we have been on the road worldwide. So far, we have been reluctant to label our vehicles with "Tourist" or "Switzerland". We never had the impression that these labeling would have created advantages for us. From the local people we also didn't want to be treated as a mobile ATM.

Swiss country code (white cross on red background) at the back and in front of the vehicle we have attached since the beginning of our world journey on all our vehicles gladly. As this sign is wrongly considered to be a pharmacy or ambulance outside of Europe anyway, we do not take a negative view. 

After the entry from the USA in Mexico we were taught to another by Mexicans. Since we have license plates from USA, we should definitely identify ourselves as Swiss people - our popularity will increase thereby by a multiple! So now our camper, at least for Mexico is supplemented with a well readable "Suiza".

Artesanias Panikua - Antonio Cornelio Rendon

In the Mexican town of Tzintzuntzan, Michoacan, we asked a taxi driver for the artisan Antonio Rendon. He only had big question marks in his eyes. One of the locals asked if he could help. When we asked him about Antonio, he said, no problem, this is one of my brothers. He accompanied us in a taxi through winding alleys to an iron gate, where we would certainly not have looked for the artist.

The reception by the Rendon family was warm. Antonio showed us some of his works made from wheat straw and his skillful hands. The straw artworks are fascinating. It is not surprising, that at the Haute Couture fashion show in Paris all models strolled across the catwalk, dressed with sun-shaped straw headdress by Antonio. Even at the Loewe Foundation Art Prize, he ranked among 4000 participants in the top ranks.

Antonio understood that we have too little room for his art in our vehicle, but he couldn't resist making two hummingbirds in a few minutes as a gift.
Despite his super artistic talent, Antonio has remained a modest, lovable person. In a few days we will meet again at an event in Tzintzuntzan. We are looking forward to it.