As it turns out we’ve been physically close to the location of some international news events. Back on November 22 we arrived via the Baja Ferry in Topolobampo, Sinaloa in the wee hours at 3:30 AM.  In adherence with our policy not to drive at night we checked into a hotel in Topo near the ferry terminal for a few hours of sleep before heading through Los Mochis and up to El Fuerte where we’d catch the CHEPE Train for Copper Canon.

Los Mochis, Sinaloa; does that ring a bell? We drove right through since according to the Lonely Planet, “most travelers don’t linger in Los Mochis. Despite being a transportation hub…there are no real sights to savor (except an excess of sleazy bars).” For El Chapo, the ambiance apparently suited him just fine since he allegedly called Los Mochis home since his last high security prison escape in July 2015.

That was enough information for us to blow through the town as quickly as possible with the exception of being stopped by the Policia for my supposed speeding violation. No worries this time- no ticket, and no bribe required but we decided to abide by the rules as long as we know what they are (when the badly faded speed limit signs jump from 40km to 60km to 80km within a few meters) and all of the locals are speeding past us.

Once again we drove right through Los Mochis on January 6, 2016 via Hwy 15 from Alamos to Mazatlan in southern Sinaloa. This time we waved goodbye to El Chapo’s digs less than 48 hours prior to his shoot- em-up capture on January 8. His story is made for the movies and no, we didn’t see Sean Penn either.