We Arrive....Finally: days 12 & 13

If you've been following this blog from day one, you're probably ready to get to Honduras too! That's the way we feel and we had already been on the road 10 days prior to entering Mexico. On February 6, 2013 - 23 days  and 4,783 miles later - we finally arrive in Siguatepeque, Comayagua, Honduras, Central America.

 

This portion of my blog has been, for me, as much a journal and memory keeper as it has been a "blog". Someday, after time has faded some of the memories, we will be able to go back and read of this epic jouney in the life of our family. I had the great good fortune to experience a similar, although far more intensive and exhaustive trip, with my own father and younger brother in 1980-1981. That grand adventure has remained, and always will be, a highpoint in my own life. I was glad to be able to make a similar trip with my own boys, and if it leaves as great an impact on their lives as that first trip made on mine then, if for that reason alone, this trip too will have been worth every "tope" we came to a screeching halt for.

 

Back to the story. Leaving Rio Hondo we found the road to be quite good pretty all the way to the border at Agua Caliente. Some have asked why we did not cross at El Florida. Well, this is where, in our "transmigrante" status, we were instructed to cross. I was tempted to just take the turn to El Florida as it is much shorter, but I was afraid that we might be turned around and sent to Agua Caliente...and I did not want to take that chance.

 

Approaching the border we were again met by guys wanting to assist us with the crossing. This time I was far more prepared. I arranged a price before hand and even had most of the photo copies of our documents already in hand. Everything was going smoothly until, "Ah, there is a slight problem, Señor. You were supposed to exit Guatemala within 24 hours of arrival as you are a transmigrante". "No, no," I tell them, "I informed them we would not leave until today, Tuesday." My "guy" tells me not to worry, it will be okay, but we should be sure and show our "appreciation". What are you gonna' do?

 

We have another "guy", Hugo, who is Honduran and who has been waiting to help us cross into Honduras. He does a fantastic job. Arranges for someone to watch the van, helps us through immigration, does all the customs paperwork and even takes Tiger (and me) to get his official entry papers. I have hopes at this point of making Sigaut by nightfall. But then Hugo tells me that the "system" is slow. We wait, and wait. He and I had not settled firmly beforehand on a price for his services and so as we sat waiting I asked him how much he thought he should be paid. In Spanish he tells me that perhaps $100 for the van and $50 for the trailer. I consider this and decide that it is a bit higher than I had planned, but that he was worth it. I agree. Suddenly he takes off running and comes back in less than 10 minutes with our paperwork and asks for the $150 to pay for the van and trailer "permit". I'm confused, and not for the first time. "Is this official" I ask. "Oh, yes" he assures me." Well, I'm in no position to argue and whatever it was we had agreed on, the system sure liked it. Soon we are through the gate and the police check point and on our way. Oh, in case anyone was wondering, the import taxes on all our household goods (excluding van and trailer) were only $150 USD.

 

Travel note: For anyone making a similar trip, ask when you enter Guatemala if you are able to cross at El Florida or even the newer crossing between Puerto Barrio and Cortez. Although I haven't crossed at either one, the roads must surely be better than the ones leading out of Agua Caliente. Also double check the 24 hour rule.

 

I'm going to abbreviate the next 200 miles. I will only say this. The road between Agua Caliente and Santa Rosa de Copan is HORRIBLE! It appears to be a beautiful road until out of nowhere appears a giant pothole so large that it cannot be straddled. Some of them measure 8" deep. Then there are the washouts. It is mountainous and curvy. You know it's bad when 40 mph feels like you're really making time. It became very clear that we would not make it to Siguat that night.

 

Eventually we found a nice hotel. Estancia Don Miguel in Quimistan, Santa Barbara. It is new, has secure parking, a decent restaurant and reasonable prices. They have a number of STM teams stay there every year.

 

Anxious to get to our destinationwe leave early and by 11:30 am we are in Siguatepeque! It feels like coming home as we pull into the SEBCAH compound where we had stayed for two months exactly one year ago, and are greeted by so many of our friends.

 

THE BEST NEWS IS THAT WE HAVE A HOUSE TO MOVE DIRECTLY IN TO! Our friend, Mark Fittz, had contacted me a few days before when this place became available and asked me if we wanted it. My answer was a resounding, "YES". My hope and prayer had been that we would be able to move immediately into a house on our arrival. By 1:30 pm  the trailer is unloaded and we are at home in Honduras! 

  

 



Antigua, Guatemala City and beyond: day 11

It's a beautiful morning and we hate to leave this beautiful place called Panajachel. We get an early start so we can make the steep pull to Sololá before it gets to hot. Soon we are back on CA1 head for Chimaltenango. For those reading this blog who were with us in Huehuetenango in 2008, you may remember the place on top of one of the mountains where it got really foggy (I think they called it Alaska) well, this was the same road and we ran into the same fog, the same sharp curves and steep assents and descents.

We decided to make a detour and go through Antigua. I've always been very good with directions and finding my way around, but one of the problems I've experienced on this trip is that I was never able to find a good map of Mexico or Guatemala. Coming to one crossroad I chose  the wrong way and we drove 10 miles out of our way before I figured it out. In a way it was worth it because we were able to get a good view of Fuego (Fire), one of Guate's most active volcanoes. Every few minutes it belches a cloud of smoke into the air and sometimes at night you can see the glow of fire.

I know Antigua well, having spent four months there years ago. It is a beautiful old town and has become a tourist destination. All the streets are cobbled and driving the van and trailer over them was excruciating. I was beginning to think that if the topes and potholes hadn't already broken all of our belongings the cobbles would. We did not spend much time in Antigua as I wanted to get through the City by mid day, but we did take time to order two Domino's Pizzas to go.

Guatemala City is broken up into zones, some of which are very dangerous. Carlos had given me some directions, but without map I was still very unsure of where we were going...only that we needed to get to the far side of the city in order to head for the Atlantic. I made a habit of stopping every 2 -3 miles to ask if we were still on the right road. I did not want to end up in the wrong part of town. Fortunately we made it through with out getting lost, but it took far longer than I had anticipated.

Leaving Guate, the road begins a long winding descent towards the Atlantic. The land becomes much more arid and less populated. We had made it a rule that we would not drive after dark and because decent hotels are few and far between we would begin looking for a place to stay every night around 4 pm. A few miles before the right hand turn to Zacapa we found a very nice hotel, Hotel Pasabien. The rooms were actually small duplexes. Priced at Q400 ($51.00) it was a bargain. It had a great pool with a dive tower (with out the board). Our boys had already jumped a few times and were sitting in deck chairs when a STM team from Texas showed up. There were a few young guys with them who were showing some interest in the tower, but appeared reluctant to be the first to make the leap. I told my boys to go jump again, knowing full well the other would have to jump too.  We men are so predictable, especially when we're young!

Just to prove they did!

Mark



Ben



Thomas

Later that evening we walked across the street to a small, open air, roadside restaurant and ate something similar to a fajita, but filled with rice and cheese and cooked over an open fire. By now all of us are anxious to get to Siguatepeque. We've been on the road for quite awhile now, 21 days, and the van is getting pretty old. The boys keep asking me if we can get there by tomorrow night. My reply is, "If all goes well". Of course when does that ever happen.

We Meet the Dennings; still day 10

I really hadn't meant to spend this much time writing about our time Panajachel, but it's such a great place! We wrapped up our last day here by driving into Pana and meeting up with some really cool people. I first wrote about them in my post titled Maps: 1" Equals 500 miles and since then have followed their blog Discover. Share. Inspire.  When it comes to "living life different" and all that means; travel, adventure, earning a living, raising kids in foreign countries, humanitarian efforts...these folks are the real deal!

I knew Greg and Rachel and their five children had been living in Panajachel for several months and thought it would be awesome to meet them in person. We arranged to meet them at the home of a friend in town for an hour or two before Super Bowl. Greg and I immediately hit it off. I don't think either of us has ever met a stranger and we had so much to talk about. He is full of energy and enthusiasm and has been called the "walking antidepressant". Greg and I were so busy talking and sharing ideas I did not get to visit with Rachel much, but I feel that I have known her for a long time through following her blog. I really hope they'll stop by and spend a few days with us in Sigautepeque when they get back on the road again. I think their final destination at some point in the next few years is Tierra del Fuego...or Antarctica maybe.



Our family with the Denning family in Panajachel. I'm not sure what Barbe is looking at!

 

The boys were busy warming up for Super Bowl, playing football with all the kids. They even got in a few passes with Greg before we left. As we were getting ready to leave, we found out the van wouldn't start. Bad solenoid. I had replaced it just before leaving, but for whatever reason the new one had a loose connection inside. So every now and then, out would come the blue tarp and under the van I'd go to wiggle wires until I found the sweet spot.

Heading back to the hotel, we picked up some Super Bowl junk food and some hamburger. I sit on the veranda, cooking hamburgers while the boys watch the pregame show on our rooms "big screen" TV. Later, we all watch the game and watch the 49er's lose. Of course by now, all this is ancient history and the pain of losing is long gone.

 

Panajachel and Lago Atitlan: days 9 & 10 (part 2)

A water taxi on Lago Atitlan, taken from the dock at San Antonio. The volcano in the background is San Pedro.

This really may be the most beautiful place in all the world. I don't know for sure because there are still a lot of places I have yet to see, but I will say this; the area around Lago Atitlan, Central America's deepest lake, with it's three volcanoes, picturesque villages and colorful Mayan culture is on my top 10 list of most beautiful places I have seen so far.

After dinner the night before (part 1) we had encountered a man who said he owned one of the many excursion boats/water taxis on the lake. We agreed that he would pick us up on the beach in front of the Hotel Vision Azul the following morning at 8 am and give us a tour of some of the lake and two of the villages on it. He asked us for a cash deposit which I was hesitant to give at first. Seeing my hesitation, he offered to let me keep his Captain's license, which I declined. As he walked away with Q150, Barbe just shook her head and said, "He just made some easy money". I disagreed. There is a part of me that continually wants to believe in people and to trust them. It's true that sometimes I am taken advantage of because of this, but I choose to live life believing that there are honest, trustworthy people out there, people who still keep their word and with whom I can still do business on a handshake. For $18.75 I am willing to put my money where my heart is. We are both very interested to see if Cesar shows up in the morning.

Travel note: If you visit Pana, I highly recommend taking one of these excursions. It cost us $50 for 3.5 hours on the lake and in the villages. Most of these guys will ask for a deposit if you are planning for the next day. Do ask them for ID and a phone number as there are "sales guys" out there who don't actually own a boat (even if they take you to the lake and "show you their boat" ) They just line up business for the real boat owner and take a cut.


Waiting on Cesar and the "Flor de Lago"

We are up early the next morning and down by the waters edge by 7:45. We wait expectantly. Shortly after eight o'clock we see Cesar in the "Flor del Lago" heading our way. I am relieved, not so much for the Q150, but because Barbe will never let me live it down!

Standing by the edge of the lake where
 "agua caliente" is coming out of the rock.

It is a beautiful morning on the lake. The sun is warm and the air clear and fresh. Cesar is very kind. He does not speak English, but speaks slowly and clearly enough for me to understand everything he is telling us as our guide. The first place he takes us is to a very small dock at the bottom of a steep bank. The dock is only about 12" wide and the path leads up to a private gate, but if you climb along the rocks at the water's edge there is a crack in the cliff from which a trickle of scalding hot water is running. It is almost too hot to touch. Guatemala has 21 volcanoes, some of which are still quite active and is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Atitlan, one of the three volcanoes near the lake, last erupted in 1853 and is labeled as "dormant". As evidenced by the water temperature coming form the rock, there is still a lot going on under the surface.




Our next stop is the village of Santa Catarina. The women are setting up their wares, some actually doing the weaving of table clothes, scarves and place mats right there. (see photo part 1) We are inundated by people trying to sell us something or wanting us to eat in their restaurant. At times they can be very annoying, especially those who are very persistent and will not take no for an answer. I keep reminding myself that all of them are only trying to put bread on the table. Tourism is the main commerce in Panajachel and so this is to be expected. We do buy one of the small, hand painted, unframed pictures so typical of art work in Guate, and later a scarf, headband and cloth.

The scarf, cloth and head band we buy from a woman named Maria in the village of San Antonio. She too is persistent, and walks along beside me showing me the few scarves she has. Her prices keep going lower and lower and, although she has a certain dignity about her, I also sense desperation. She puts the scarf and headband on Barbe and when I finally tell her we will make the purchase her face lights up and I realize that she is not nearly as old as she at first seemed. I do not know her circumstances, but I know that, at least for today, she has her daily bread. I am beginning to understand that for so many people, this is sufficient.

We climb San Antonio's steep streets, visiting places where pottery and cloth are made. As we climb higher, Cesar takes us to the Catholic church that sits high in the town with a superb few of the lake and the volcanoes. (This goes for almost all the houses in the town). He tells me that in the late '70's, during one of Guatemala's civil wars, the priest and a number of the villagers where killed here. It is estimated that 100,000 Guatemalans were killed during this time. It is a reminder that life in this small, peaceful village has not always been so tranquil.

As we stand on the overlook near the church I ask Cesar if he has ever traveled outside of this area. He says he hasn't. I ask him if he is aware that he has the good fortune of living in one of the most beautiful places on earth. At first he doesn't understand. Surely there are many places equally as beautiful. I assure him that although there are places of great beauty elsewhere, that this is truly an amazing place. I'm not sure he believes me.

It is time to return to the hotel. We have plans to meet with friends later in the afternoon and the boys want to be back in the room in time to watch the Superbowl. We are not 100% sure we will be able to get the right channel, but they are anxious to find out. I'm not sure who my boys got their love of football from, it certainly wasn't from me, but every time we stop the van...out comes the football. I am glad they do. They are SO much cooler than I am! I love my boys and I am so glad we are able to make this trip together before they are grown and busy following their own dreams.

Captain Cesar with "Flor del Lago" Look him up next time you're in Panajchel.
He anchors his boat to the north of the public dock and the larger excursion boats.





Panajachel and Lago Atitlan: days 9 & 10 (part 1)

A Guatemalan artisan in Santa Catarina weaving table cloths

I love Guatemala. I really do. It is a beautiful, mountainous country with a vibrant, colorful culture. My love affair with Guatemala started when I was six months old. That's the first time I lived there. I returned again when I was 17 for four months and in 2008, Barbe and I lead a short term missions team of 30 people to Huehuetenango (see photo at bottom of post). That trip became the turning point for our lives and the reason we now find ourselves in Honduras. Why not Guate, you might ask. Well, I don't really have an answer for that except this is the place that feels right. The more time I spend here in Honduras, the more I fall in love with this country and it's people, too.

February 2nd and 3rd, 2013.

For the first time in several days we sleep in a little. Also, for the first time this trip we actually sit down in a restaurant for breakfast instead of eating cereal from paper bowls. May be it's because the room rate at Hotel Imperio includes two breakfast in their restaurant.

Saying goodbye to our new friends at the hotel, we head into Quetzaltenango, missing the bypass of course, and take CA 1 towards the cutoff to Sololá. In 1980 I visited Panajachel and I remember how steep the descent is from Sololá to Pana is and I almost change my mind about going there because of how heavily we are loaded. Our first hint of trouble came long before we reached Sololá. We had topped one of the high passes on CA 1 and had just started down the other side when I felt a very strange and uncomfortable sensation in the steering wheel and brakes when I applied pressure to the brake pedal. Now, keep in mind I have been a truck driver all my life and hot brakes are nothing new to me. This felt different, and besides, I had hardly even used the brakes yet. I carefully eased down the long mountain pass and found a sign for "taller mechanico" (mechanic shop). There are many along the road, most with very few tools and seldom even a roof overhead. This particular shop was run by a father and son. They took the front brakes completely apart, but could find nothing wrong. That was good and bad. Bad because I was afraid they might have missed the problem, but good because Chevy parts are hard to find except in the City. Guatemala is Toyota country. They put it all back together and from then on I was very cautious going down hill. I'm still not really sure what happened.

Back on the road, we soon reach Sololá. and begin the descent to Panajachel. The views are breathtaking. I put the van in low and creep slowly down the steep. curving, winding road to the lake dropping over 2000' in altitude in 8 kilometers. I choose to ignore the long line of cars and buses behind me rather than take the risk of losing our brakes and plunging over the guardrail.

View from the road between Solola and Panajachel

We are supposed to meet up with friends (see part 2) in the afternoon, but by the time we get to Pana it is getting late and we are tired. It had been suggested that we camp on Lago Atitlan at Hotel Vision Azul, but when I questioned them about the rates it was about the same cost to just get a room...and besides, it looks like the mosquitoes might get bad in the evenings. The rooms are decent and furnished in the old Guatemalan style I remember from past years and the view from the veranda is incredible. It is very peaceful.


View from our veranda at Hotel vision Azul, Panajachel, Guatemala

Hotel Vision Azul is just outside Pana so we unhook the trailer and drive in to town for a look around and to search for food. The boys continue their search for the best hamburger in Central America.



Dinner near Lago Atitlan

A walk down memory lane. Team Vista Guatemala, 2008





Add caption



We Cross into Guatemala: day 8

We get up very early the next morning in order to be out of the room by 6:00 am. We head for Cd. Hidalgo, " la frontera" or "border" crossing which tranmigrantes must use. Arriving at the border we pull in behind the last truck in a long line of trucks. Two men on dirt bikes pull up beside us and tell us they will help us through the border crossing process for tips. (more on that later)

They show ID that "proves" they are qualified to help with customs. They are not Mexican, but are actually from the Guatemalan side of the border, a town called Tecun Uman, named after Guatemala's national hero, the last king and ruler of the K'iche' Maya people who died in battle in 1524 fighting against the Spanish Conquistador Don Pedro de Alvarado

I had been required to post a $500 dollar cash bond before entering Mexico as surety that we would exit the country within 10 days with all our belongings. At first I am leery of trusting these guys with all our paperwork, but they lead me to the office to get my bond money, explain to me the process of exiting Mexico, take the list of our cargo and redo them for Guatemala and tell me they will meet us on the Guatemalan side to help us through there as well.

Travel Note: If you are carrying cargo and need to exit through the commercial lanes at Cd. Hidalgo, the driver must have a safety vest. These can be purchased at any of the food stands for 50 pesos. Also, there are time slots (about every 2.5 hours) which you will need to be signed up for to exit Mexico.

Waiting in the shade for the "system".

We successfully exit Mexico and sure enough there is Carlos and his partner waiting for us on the other side. After passing through immigrations, fumigation and making Tiger an official visitor to Guate, Carlos tells us to park and to wait in the shade while his partner goes off to process our cargo paperwork. Hours pass. We are told that the "system" is slow. No one else seems to be leaving either. Finally our papers came through, the Mexican seals on our trailer are cut and replaced with Guatemalan seals and we pull out of customs.


This is where it gets a bit interesting. All of a sudden the "tips" that Carlos and his friend are supposed to be working for turn into quite a lot of money. I do pay them what they ask for because they really have taken good care of us and being new at all this with limited Spanish, it is well worth it. I can tell you this though...according to the Guatemalan average pay rate, they made a week or two's pay for a days work.

Travel Note: Lesson learned; work out a rate with these guys before using them. If you are not familiar with the process they are well worth whatever you do pay them.

As soon as we leave Tecun Uman we begin to climb. It is warm out. The van's engine temperature begins to climb. We turn off the A/C. It still climbs. We turn on the heater...full blast. The engine begins to cool slightly as we begin to swelter. (Turning on the heater gives additional cooling capacity by using the heater core)

We want to visit Panajachel and Lago Atitlan on our way through Guate. It is out of our way a bit, but it is a place that I have wanted to return to ever since I was there in 1980. Carlos has given me good directions. I see a "shortcut" on my map which is not in Carlos' directions and stop to ask someone if it is a good road. Oh yes, very good, it will save you an hour or two...but, it is very steep. We decide to go for it. Big, big mistake! Shortcuts in Guate are rarely shortcuts.

Pulling off the road to let the van (and us) cool off.

The road is good and it certainly does go up...and up...and up...and up. We climb from nearly sea level to over 8500 ft. Some of the grades I estimate at 15% or more. The van, even with the 6.0 V-8, is in first gear much of the way. At one point the road is so steep that it is all I can do to maintain 10 mph. I am, literally, afraid we will not have enough power to make it. Of course we do all this with the heater blasting.




The views are breath taking...when I dare to take my eyes from the road. Eventually we make it to CA 1. It is getting late and we begin looking for a hotel to spend the night in. We find a beautiful, brand new hotel located in San Mateo on the outskirts of Quetzaltenango. I highly recommend this hotel, Hotel Imperio Inn, to anyone traveling through the area. It has secure parking, a good restaurant and the entire staff was young, good looking and enthusiastic in making sure we feel welcome and have a pleasant stay. We spend  a quiet evening there, enjoying an excellent meal in the restaurant and a good nights sleep.

Some of the really great staff at Hotel Imperio. Thanks Guys!!!!

 

Tapachula: day 7

I have given up all expectations of making more than 300 miles per day in Mexico/Central America. At least pulling a trailer, that is. Today is no exception. Our goal is to reach Tapachula which is only half an hour from the Guatemalan border by evening. We leave Acayucan around 7 am and drive south on Mexico 185. It's much smoother than the toll road yesterday and it's free. Of course every 2 to 3 miles there are topes, but all in all it is a good road.

About eight o'clock we pull into a Pemex station for a pit stop. All gas stations in Mexico are Pemex and are owned by the government. The price of gas is about the same all over Mexico. (see above link to an interesting history of Pemex). Most of the stations are very nice, very modern. Usually you have to pay 2 - 5 pesos to use the bathrooms, but they are very clean and have toilet seats. Some of the larger ones are like our truck stops, so of course we felt right at home.

I pull the van up beside a couple of trucks and we cook breakfast off the back bumper and tongue of the trailer. We have not used our tent yet this trip, but the camp stove and 12 volt Coleman cooler has come in very handy. This morning we have the choice of fried egg and ham sandwiches or cereal and toast.



Breakfast on the go

As we approach La Ventosa, the road we are on drops down a mountain and into a dry, desert-like valley. As far as the eye can see to the left, the right and ahead are huge, 3 bladed wind turbines. They are relatively close together and must number in the thousands. I have seen wind farms before, but never like this. We soon find out why they are in this location. The wind begins to gust so hard from the left side of the vehicle that for the first (and only time) I am glad that we have so much weight in it. Even still, I am afraid that we may be overturned.

As we get closer to the border the Army and police presence is greater. Mostly it is for those going north (and this was true everywhere), but we are stopped twice in 20 miles and asked for papers. The trailer seems to be the attention getter. Everyone wants to know what's inside it. I usually play the "I don't speak much Spanish card". I don't have to pretend very hard!

We are now on Mexico 200. It is really a nice drive. Much of the road is tree shaded and is four lane divided highway. It's an old road and the lanes are narrow with absolutely no shoulder. Passing through Pijijiapan I wish we had had time to stop and explore. It looked like one of the nicest towns we had passed through yet and is not far from the Pacific Ocean.

Taken looking up at the mirror on the ceiling

It was dusk by the time we reached the outskirts of Tapachula. I did not want to drive all the way into town in search of a hotel as the road to the the border was on the north side and it was getting dark. What we did find was a motel. Motels, as compared to hotels, in Mexico are rented by the hour, usually with a 4 hour minimum. They can also be rented for the night. The better ones are quite nice and clean. They are very private. Most of them have garages between each room with a curtain that is pulled across the entrance to hide the vehicle I suppose. I know it all sounds like a lot of hanky panky, and I'm sure much of it is, but it is also a place for husbands and wives to get away for a few hours from the very crowded living conditions so many live in.


I rented our room for 12 hours for 290 pesos. The boys where a bit surprised by the room. You know mirrors on the ceiling and all. Oh, and this is the best part. It really is named Hotel California. There was no pink champagne on ice.

It was a place to sleep, and have a not so hot shower in the morning. Three of us piled into the king sized bed and two occupied the cots which we have brought with us. We pray that there are no bed bugs or any other kind of bugs and spend a somewhat restless night. I am anxious to cross the border tomorrow.



Note: It has been a few days since I last posted a blog. That is because we made it to Honduras and we have been very busy getting settled in. It is VERY  good to be here.

Acayucan: day 6

The drive down the coast. south towards Veracruz, is very pleasant. The road passes through numerous small coastal villages, all with the prerequisite topes, and through rich farm land. At times it runs right next to the Gulf, at other times it winds through rolling hills slightly inland, sometimes with the Gulf still visible.

Coming into Veracruz I miss the bypass...again. I think this now makes me 3 for 0. We are not particularly lost, but it is slow going. On the other side of the city I decide to stick to the toll road or "cuota" as they are called, instead of taking the no doubt more scenic route along the coast towards Catemaco and Acayucan. The wind picks up, blowing dust across the road and sending our already terrible gas mileage plummeting.

Turning off Mexico 150D (toll) and onto Mexico 145D (toll) I think that now we will finally be able to make good time. Man, am I wrong! The last 30 miles of the road before reaching Acayucan, which has a posted speed limit of 110 km/h     (70 mph), is so incredibly rough that all of the traffic is only going 30 - 40 mph. The fact that Mexican toll roads are quite expensive adds insult to injury.

We decide that, even though we have travelled less than 300 miles for the day, it would be best to stop in Acayucan as we are unsure if we will find a decent hotel on the next leg of the trip before dark. We are very glad we do and are pleasantly surprised by Acayucan. It is a busy town with a nice Centro area. People seem quite content and there is a good feeling about the place. I would have liked to spend more time there.

We find a decent hotel, Hotel Joalicia, one block from the central plaza. The room has four beds in it and comes at the reasonable price of 540 pesos. The down side is that they will not allow Tiger in. Mark volunteers to sleep in the van with Tiger and guard our belongings. I am not too worried as they have secure parking, but still...

Cheers!

We decide to walk to the Central Park and find somewhere to eat...outside. It's still too hot to leave Tiger in the van so he has to come with us. We find a sidewalk cafe where...you guessed it, the boys order hamburgers. Barbe and I have fajitas.  The evening begins to cool off and we are in no hurry to return to the room. As darkness begins to overtake us we wander back to the hotel. Mark and Tiger retire to the van and the rest of us to our room. Mark and Tiger sleep well. Everyone else complains that I keep them awake snoring.

Tiger enjoying a Fresca with Mark. Acayucan, Mexico

La Costa Esmeralda: day 5

January 29, 2013. We woke to a beautiful morning. We had left the windows facing the Gulf open all night and a fresh sea breeze was blowing in bringing with it the sound of waves on sand. Although we were behind a bit because of our extended stay at Casa de Esperanza, it was not a difficult decision to spend an extra day here. 

We stayed at the Hotel de Alba, one of Mexico Mike's recommendations. It's an older hotel, beautifully landscaped with a pool and an excellent beach but, like so many buildings in Mexico and Central America, as things break they are often not repaired. Usually it's things like window cranks, electrical sockets and light fixtures. Oh, and hot water. The first morning we had no hot water. I asked them to please make sure we had hot water early the next morning as we would be leaving at daybreak. They assured me we would. It was still cold next morning. I don't think we've had a truly hot shower yet, with the exception of Casa de Esperanza. On the positive side, it takes less time for all of us to shower!

However, the room was clean and we had the hotel and pool to ourselves. No one was on any of the beaches or, apparently, at any of the other hotels along the coast. This struck me as very sad. Perhaps the weekend is better or maybe it isn't the season, but it is obvious that tourism, whether local or foreign, is down. It is unfortunate as this is such a beautiful place.

Swimming in the gulf and the pool, our white New England winter skin quickly became red and slightly sunburned. When it's -20 it's hard to remember to pack things like sun block.

We went for a long walk down the beach that evening and wrapped up the day with an excellent meal at the Hotel Canadien. This place too was almost empty. It was spotlessly clean, the food was excellent and they were running a special of 180 pesos per person per night, weekdays. That's only $14.29 per person. We paid only $47.62 per night for the five of us and Tiger at the Hotel de Alba.

Searching for sand dollars on the Gulf Coast of Mexico

The boys, waiting on our food at the Hotel Canadien. They tell us that they are in search of the perfect hamburger this trip!

Worn out from the sun and the exercise we were in bed early so we could get back on schedule. Our plan was to reach Ciudad Hidalgo by Friday morning so we could cross into Guatemala before the weekend and the expiration of our 10 day transmigrante visa.


Update: As I write this post it is Feb. 3. We are in Guatemala. All is well. I am sitting on the veranda of our hotel looking out at what I consider to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. We are actually in hopes of being able to watch Superbowl XLVII tonight. Of course some of us are disappointed that the Patriots aren't in it, but we have at least one 49ers fan. The 15", somewhat snowy TV in our hotel room is lacking, but at least it will be possible for the boys to see the game, something that is very important to them.

Tampico and Tuxpan: day 4

 

Our destination for today. "la Costa Esmerelda"

Up long before daylight, we load the van, say our goodbyes to Angeles and as soon as it is light enough to see we hit the road. I have the goal of reaching “la Costa Esmerelda” by late afternoon and I’m not sure how long it will actually take to reach there so I want to give us as much daylight travel time as possible.

It takes us about three hours to reach Tampico. Coming into the city I miss the bypass and proceed to get totally and completely lost. My GPS has a World Base Map only and is no help at all. The screen usually shows us 60’ to one side or the other of the road, driving in the field.
Tampico is well known as having perhaps the most corrupt police force in Mexico. Shakedowns are expected with bribes starting at $300 USD. Most travelers do all they can to avoid Tampico, but it is necessary pass through a corner of it in order to cross the river. Here we are, pulling our trailer through the narrow streets of the old downtown section where heavy vehicles are not allowed. It seems as though on almost every corner there is a “transito” policeman, many busy writing tickets. I asked several times how to get back to the highway and almost always received the answer “straight ahead” no matter which direction I was headed. Finally a tow truck driver gave me good directions and we were out of there.
Crossing the toll bridge over the Tampico River we left the hustle and bustle of Tampico behind. The road, Mexico 180 which is the main north/south highway along the gulf, soon became a narrow two lane road with no shoulders and a considerable drop off on either side…kind of like a railroad bed. At times it was so rough that I only drove 25 – 30 mph because I was afraid that I would break a spring or the axle on our poor, overloaded trailer. Other vehicles flew by us, ignoring the potholes and oncoming traffic.

The landscape became more subtropical and the weather much warmer and more humid. Our A/C which still was/is not working fully struggled to keep up. For the most part, there is little habitation that we can see. Eventually we begin to pass through small villages and discovered, what to me has become the bane of Mexico…”topes”. Every village, no matter how small has at least two of them, one at each end. Sometimes they are every hundred feet or so. A “tope” is a speed bump on steroids. Some of them are at least 10”  tall and come in different formations. Some are like a road length semicircle, requiring you to inch up and over at a crawl. Others are more like a plateau, climb  one side, level off and drop down the other. Most of them are well marked; others sneak up on you causing you to slam on the brakes in hopes of stopping before you are launched into the air. All of them will eventually drive you crazy.  It is impossible to make any time.
I get only slightly lost in Tuxpan and as we leave the town, once again crossing over another toll bridge over another river, we notice that we have also left behind the sense of fear, insecurity and hopelessness that we have seen and felt since entering Mexico. The villages have more life in them. People and dogs wander in and out of roadside stands and cafes. We see very little evidence of either Federales or the Army. People seem more content. It’s a good feeling.

We stop and buy tangerines at a roadside stand. As we continue through different areas of the country the fruits being sold roadside also change. We buy pineapples, bananas and oranges. Sweet and delicious.

It is later than I had hoped for, but eventually we arrive on “la Costa Esmerelda”. This is a beautiful stretch of the Gulf Coast. There are many hotels on the water. We had wanted to camp along here, but the wind had gained strength coming off the water so we decided to just stay in a hotel for the night. We checked in and carried our camp stove and cooler down by the water and cooked a simple meal of canned soup and fried egg sandwiches. It was a beautiful end to a good day. A day without trouble. 

 

Sometimes the simple things in life are best...like a simple meal on the ocean. (Tiger is behaving very well)