Final Blog Mexico Yucatan Adventure

We are in San Antonio working on getting minor repairs to the RV. We will be slowly working our way home this week.

Here are some statistics about our trip:

• We traveled about 3,850 miles in Mexico
• From our house to the border & back is about 2,090 miles
• Total mileage about 5,940
• In Mexico we purchased about 1,750 liters of gas
• Gas in Mexico cost about US $2 per gallon
• We spent about $4,000 pesos on toll roads (about US $280)
• In Mexico we averaged about 8.3 miles/gallon

We hope you enjoyed out Yucatan Adventure.

Bookmark this page in your RSS reader as we plan to restart this blog the next time we take off on a new adventure!

Last Day of Caravaning

What a long day!! We left the truck stop and traveled all 2 lane, bumpy ,narrow, and sloooow roads. We went through the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range and it was a really beautiful drive but it was certainly no fun for me, the driver. I couldn't take my eyes off the road. Thank goodness nobody had any mechanical problems because there was essentially nowhere to pull over the whole day.

We got to the border later than expected, about 3PM. We all had to get our visas turned in and return our car permits. Unfortunately one of the caravaners had a problem with their car permit paperwork and it took them 45 minutes to clear Mexico, so we all waited. Then we crept in line at the US border checkpoint at least an hour. The agricultural inspectors alway board an RV to confiscate various fruit and meats that aren't allowed.

We finally got on the road about 5PM and headed to the edge of the Rio Grand Valley to a campground for the night first stopping at a grocery store where we dumped out our Mexican water and re-provisioned the cupboards.

By the time we got to the campground it was almost 7 and it had a security gate for which we had no code and nobody answered the after hours phone. Luckily an older gentlemen staying there saw us and came over and opened the gate. Finally we started fixing dinner about 8PM, a much too long day!

The good news is we were given so much misinformation about the campground when we made the reservation that when we complained to the management the next morning they (rightly so) did not charge us.

Headed to the USA!

Even though we took off at 7 AM it was a long day. Our Wagon Master missed a turn and we got to travel thru more mountains to get back on track. We added about 45 miles and 2 hours to our travel day. But, what would we have done at our truck stop campground if we had gotten in any earlier. It is just a truck stop!

Another evening of good-byes, a few tears and promises of getting together again -- soon I hope.

We have made some wonderful new friends from all over the US and I hope we will get to see them all again soon. Traveling in a caravan has been frustrating, adventurous and a great experience. It really didn't take long to learn each driver's driving style and we soon figured out who we liked to follow or not. Any time we experienced a problem with our RV, there was always someone around who had already fixed that and could give us a hand or advice. Being the youngest in the group was not a handicap. We now hope that we can age as well as these folks have -- being 65 or 75 should not slow us down or keep us from having more adventures.

Better get some sleep -- we still have 300 miles to travel tomorrow and we have to cross the border!

MAP: We spent the night here at a truck stop.

Guanajuato

Guanajuato (guana-what-o) means frog (guanax) mountain (juato). To the native peoples of the region a frog was a symbol of fertility and the river that ran thru this valley made it a fertile place to live. The city is built on the sides of the the mountain and into the valley. It has 14 tunnels running under it. Most are manmade due to increased population and the need for roads, but some tunnels are old river beds. The city is very colorful -- houses are all colors of red, pink, purple, green, yellow or orange.

Our first stop was at a very unusual museum of mummies. Due the to hot, dry climate people buried in crypts do not decompose but dry up very quickly. Years ago when they were buried they had 5 years to pay for their burial site. If they did not pay the body was exhumed and some of those are on display in this museum. Very Ghastly!

The next stop was a silver mine from the turn of the century when most of the work was still done by hand. We then toured a very beautiful theatre called Teatro Juaraz and located in the center of town. The downtown area is really neat. There are about 23 churches (and 100 bars!). With all the tunnels and narrow streets there are lots of pedestrian only walkways. We also got to see a panoramic view of the city that just took your breath away with its beautiful colors.

On the way back to the campground, the bus stopped by the side of the road so that we could buy strawberries. Man, these are the best I've ever had!! Even green they are sweet!

Tonight was our farewell dinner where we laughed at all our misadventures.

On to Guanajuato

We left Teotihucan around 9 AM and it is supposed to be an easy travel day going 218 miles in 7 hours. That is until we lost one of our caravaners. We were at a toll booth near Mexico City (we had to travel along the northern edge of the city) when Sarah pulled out of the toll area and thought our wagon master had already left and needed to catch up with him. So she took off like a flash and missed the turn just as the wagon master called out to her to turn and then to STOP! Too late. WM told her to turn around and come back as soon as she could but evidently, that was not possible. He finally got her to stop and stay and told her that either her or the tail gunner would come find her and lead her back. In the mean time, the rest of the group got thru the toll and made the correct turns and then staged on the side of a very busy highway. Now the police got involved and took the WM to find Sarah. An hour and a half later we had Sarah safely back in the fold and we were on our way to Guanajuato.

Our RV park is an open field with lots of electric and water hook ups and a lovely view of the valley and surrounding hills. The night sky is stunning.

MAP: We are here 2 nights.

Teotihuacan

Today we visited the Teotihuacan (Tay-oh-tee-huah-cahn) Archaeological Zone -- home of the 4th largest pyramid in the world and the 2nd largest in Mexico. Unbeknownst to us, the pyramid we saw in Cholula is the largest. It doesn't appear to be large because it is in the middle of the town with a road that bisects it thru the middle.

Anyway, the large pyramids dominate this site. The Sun Pyramid is the largest and the Moon Pyramid seems almost as big. In the 1980's when archaeologist started excavating this site, they used dynamite to remove the vegetation from the Sun Pyramid, thus removing about 3 meters (10 feet) of rock from 3 sides of the structure. We climbed the steps all the way to the top. John then climbed half way up the Moon Pyramid (people are not permitted to climb higher).

The picture shows the buildings surrounding the pyramids. This was a city that sustained 200,000 people and covered about 8 square miles of land. They have only excavated 10% of the buildings. Imagine what you would see in 600 AD when this city was in full swing. 60,000 people in the market everyday, trade with peoples from as far away as Guatemala or northward near what is now the US border. All surfaces in the city (walls and floors and roadways ) would have been covered with cement that was then covered with stucco and painted in bright colors of red, yellow, green and blue. No grass, no trees, no flowers to be seen. The place was structured to move all water away from the center -- even waste water.

The tops of each pyramid and base was where the buildings would be located -- homes as well as temples.

Travel to Teotihuacan

Today was a short travel day, only about 90 miles. But is was over mountains, our highest pass was slightly over 9,000 ft. Things got a little exciting when we went through one of the toll booths. We happened to be the last RV through and the federal police decided to pull us over. We simply could not understand what they were asking. They didn't want our passports and didn't want to come in the RV. Luckily our tail gunner's wife speaks spanish and we were able to get her on the CB to talk with the police. All they wanted to know was what we were doing in Mexico and what was the name of the caravan company. I know, I should have been able to understand, but I've only studied spanish for 6 weeks. We never felt threatened and the police were very friendly. Good thing, they are all carrying automatic rifles.

We had a mardi gras party at the campground and elected a king & queen. It was fun. We then went out to diner with 3 other couples and had pizza. More pyramids tomorrow.

MAP: We are here 2 nights.

Puebla

There were so many great sites to see in Puebla and suburb of Cholula where our campground is located. Our first stop was the Pyramid of Tepanampa which sits in the middle of the city of Cholula. This pyramid has been built on several times over its 800 years. We got to walk thru the center of the pyramid and then see the plaza and the layers of the pyramid. There is a church on the very top that we climbed up to. There is a spectacular view of the city and three of the four volcanos that surround Puebla. Popocatepetl (pronounced: po-po-cot-ay-pet-lay) is an active volcano and is snow capped most of the year. The other two are The Sleeping Woman and Pico de Orizaba. The church itself was breathtakingly beautiful. It has a small chapel but everything is outlined in gold leaf. It is even more beautiful than the one we saw in Oaxaca. (Did I tell you about that one?? OOPS! Better go back and add that info.)  

Our tour of the city of Puebla was from a double decker bus like the ones found in London. Only I doubt that Londoners ever duck under electric lines or tree limbs. We had a lot of fun! Puebla has a lot of churches and parks, lots of monuments and fountains. We shopped at the Talavera pottery factory and then had lunch on the square. The weather was rather chilly when we got up (42) but warmed up nicely as the day wore on (73).

Oaxaca to Puebla

Today was a long drive thru mountains to get to Puebla which is very near Mexico City. We left at 7 AM and it was a chilly morning and really did not warm up much at all today -- no warmer than 65.

The drive was along really good roads (for Mexico) but they were all toll roads. The mountains were really pretty - a cross between the Rockies and the Ozark Mountains. Not as high nor as rugged as the Rockies, although in some areas they had some pretty steep canyons,and not as tree covered as the Ozark's. There were lots of cactus in some parts, a great showing of Joshua trees and lovely valleys. We had some mountain goats cross the road right in front of us with both of us yelling "NO! NO!" and hitting the brakes. We also saw a two-wheel cart being drawn by two donkeys and led by a baby donkey that was soooo cute!

We had an ice cream social upon our arrival in the campground and we all ate way too much! John and I along with another couple immediately took a 3 1/2 mile walk. We had to get rid of all that sugar!

MAP: We are here 2 nights.

Oaxaca Day 4 -- Monte Albin

Our tour today was optional so not all of our caravan went exploring but the 15 of us who did saw a great archeological site.

Monte Albin is a Zapotec ruin about 9 KM from Oaxaca. Around 700 BC the Zapotc peoples (a division of Mayan peoples) began moving into this valley which is surrounded by mountains. Circa 300 BC they began leveling the top of Monte Albin (named after the person who discovered it) then after 200 years of moving rocks, they started building the temple sites on top of the flattened mountain. The Zapotec priests and kings were the only inhabitants on top of the mountain while the farmers and workers lived in the valley. The height of this civilization was between 500 - 900 AD. This is the oldest site from the Maya empire.    

The plaza is 300 by 200 meters. The buildings seem to be aligned exactly north and south and east and west but on closer inspection the scientist found that the alignment is off by 14 degrees which makes the buildings aligned to the magnetic north. No explanation has been found for this phenomenon. We found the ball court familiar to all Mayans, a cistern for collecting water, and a palace or sorts. None of the buildings have the pointed top of a pyramid because the buildings build on top of the constructions were made of wood, bamboo, and thatch roofs. Tombs have been excavated but their treasures are now in museums.

Oaxaca Day 3

We got on the bus at 9 AM and headed south to two towns where we learned about Black pottery (Huixtepec) and wood carving and painting (Ocotlan). The Black pottery is made from a special clay that after formed is burnished with quartz rock and then fired for only 10 hours. It comes out naturally shiny. But it is very porous so you cannot put water in it. They had some beautiful pieces at very reasonable prices. Again, the residents of this town are all skilled in the making of this pottery but we got to see the inventor's son actually form a pot for us.

The second stop was to visit a woodcarver. He carves the wood of a Capal tree into imaginative shapes of animals then artists paint each piece in fantastic colors and designs. From there we went into the central part of Ocotlan where the weekly market was in full swing. People from all the surrounding villages come to town every Friday to trade and sell their wares, produce, crafts and doodads. After lunch our bus then drove back to Oaxaca to the grocery store. Tonight we will try another restaurant recommended by our wagon master.

Oh, yes, we got to see a most beautiful church that was covered in gold leaf. Lots of busts, statues, and paintings. And more gold leaf. We even got to watch them refurbish one area and apply the golf leaf.

Oaxaca Day 2

Our bus arrived at 10 AM and took us to a small town outside of Tule called Tlalixtac (don't ask me how to pronounce that one!). In the state of Oaxaca each city has a particular craft that most of the residents work at. This town actually has two -- rug weaving and Mescal production. The rugs are all hand woven on looms that are as big as the largest rugs. They also produce their own yarn from wool from another town. They demonstrated carding the wool then twisting it into yarn. They also use organic materials to dye the wool. The red dye is made from a parasite that grows on cactus. This bug, when dried and crushed makes a red powder. They can add acid (lime) or alkaline (baking soda) to it to change it from red to orange to purple. They also use moss (green), bark (browns) and a flower that adds a dark blue. They wash the wool with a special root that removes the lanolin and then boil it in the dye. The colors are fantastic!!

Our second stop was at a home where they make Mescal -- a form of Tequila only this has a worm in the bottle. Mescal is made from the heart of the Agave plant. They cut off the leaves, divided the heart and then roast it in a huge underground oven. It is then crushed under a large stone wheel pulled by a donkey. It is then boiled and distilled into Mescal. At the tasting, one in our group swallowed the worm whole and another chewed it. They also flavor the Mescal so that women will drink it.

Oaxaca

We are in the state of Oaxaca (pronounced "Whah-ha-ka") in the city of Santa Maria Del Tule which is near the city of Oaxaca. Our drive today was thru mountains so it was a long drive but luckily the roads were really good (for Mexico). Our campground is one big grassy field and only 1/2 of the group has electricity or sewer hook-ups. The rest of us are dry camping again. We do have HOT showers!

After walking thru this really pretty and clean town we had supper and then we were going to find the wi-fi and catch up on our computer work. But, surprise, surprise, we are locked into the campground and can't get out!!! Really good security!

MAP: We are here 4 days.

Travel Day to Tehuanapec

Even though we don't travel far, it takes forever! More topes and lots of horribly rough roads! Plus one of our caravaners lost her hitch in the middle of town. We are camped on the grounds of a local high school. Since we unhitched our car, we drove into town looking for a bodega (grocery store) and ended up in town central at the local market bargaining for fresh pineapples. After we unloaded from that trip, Dick and Ann went with us to find the Pacific Ocean in Salina Cruz. We found it and a neat little restaurant/bar for supper. Now we can say we went from coast to coast in Mexico!

MAP: Our location tonight.

A Unique Campground

The next three days are travel days covering about 200 miles each day. Today was a 5 hour drive. We stopped outside of Villehemosa at a very unique camping spot. Well, actually, its not really a camping spot. It is a small, circular park underneath a very tall suspension bridge with a statue of two naked men hauling in a chain on the bridge. We rounded up the "wagons" then set up tables and chairs under the statue and had a afternoon party. The picture tells the story. I know it is rather small but check out the men closely. We had a lot of fun with them! Hee Hee Hee!

Map: Our location tonight.

Misol-Ha and Aqua Azul

Today was a free day but the wagon master strongly recommended that we go to Misol-Ha -- a waterfall -- and Aqua Azul -- cascades. It didn't feel like we were in a very mountainous area but these two places were definitely in deep valleys.

Shortly after we pulled out of the campground we got behind a small pickup truck that was loaded over the top with rugs or blankets held in by a large mattress. The load was so tall that the truck was very top heavy. So much so that John thought the wheels came off the ground around a couple of curves. I just knew that when we headed back we would find the truck on its side with its load of blankets spread all over the road!

Misol-Ha was a neat waterfall that you could walk behind. Not much else to say about it. But Aqua Azul was really neat. Lots of short waterfalls and cascades with aqua-blue pools in between. The mile long path along the river was lined with shops and eating places. It was a hot day and would have been very refreshing to take a dip.

We had some excitement exiting the park though. Coming in, we ran thru a check area which we thought was a rip off to get us to pay twice to park. So on the way out, they immediately spotted my bright orange car and 8 boys ran out into the road to block us and 4 more came up to the window demanding money be paid to pass. Of course, they were ALL talking at the same time in a foreign language and we tried to play dumb, then indignant, then we gave in and, because we did not have the correct amount of pesos, they would not give us our change. It was frightening as well as making us mad!

Palenque

We car-pooled up to the ruins from the campground. We are starting to get used to all the vendors trying to sell you junk as you tour the ruins but it does get annoying.   

Palenque is one of the largest of Mayan sites. It is situated in jungle but unlike the other sites we have visited, there is lots of water, rivers and lakes, in this area. Only a small portion has been excavated. It is estimated that there are over 2400 pyramids still covered by jungle growth is Chiapas State alone. In 1997 National Geographic did a story on this area. I'll have to look it up in my collection when we get home. (you can check it out online too.) Pakal was the ruler best known in Palenque. He was crowned King at the age of 12 and ruled until his death at the age of 81. He had a large nose and club foot. Most of the buildings we saw were constructed under his reign.

The two largest pyramids are the Palace (Palacio) and the Temple of Inscriptions. The Palacio is a collection of buildings on top of an artificial platform and reached by massive steps. Some of the buildings were for housing King Pakal and his family and servants, but most were reserved for rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices. One sacrifice involves self mutilation with the spilling of blood which washed into the earth as a gift of fertility . Women pierced their tongue and men pierced their penis. The Palacio and the Temple showed many glyphs, pictures of Pakal and other rulers, and told the story of these rulers. The Temple of Inscriptions also housed the Tomb of Pakal.

We climbed the steps up to the top of the Temple of Inscriptions and the view was spectacular! Not only of the ruins but of the jungle itself.

On our way back to the campground we made a sudden stop at a restaurant and had a delightful meal with our friends Dick and Ann. We then lounged in the pool before getting ready for a Valentine Dinner with the caravan. We rounded out the evening whacking at a pinata.

Travel Day to Palenque

We were on the road at 7 AM today. We had 310 miles to travel and it took 9 hours to do it. We thought the roads were supposed to be good most of the way and at one point John actually got to go 70 mph!! But that didn't last long as major parts of our route were under construction and there were lots of the ubiquitous topes!

We are staying in a campground/parking lot at the Nunutun Hotel. Our wagon master has rented two rooms for the three nights we are here so that we will have access to hot showers any time. We are right on a river plus there is a great pool (highs will be in the upper 80's). As the sun was setting this evening, we heard the Howler Monkeys start their evening song. We are told they will wake us up in the morning. Several of us actually saw 4 of them in the tree tops.

MAP: We are here for 3 nights.

Free Day in Chetumal

For our free day, John worked and I grocery shopped. We then put in some pool time before our Margarita Party. Four people, myself included, created the "perfect" Margarita. Then the rest of the caravan taste tested them and voted for the best one. I made a Mango Margarita (after lots of taste testing), there was a regular one, a fruit punch and a frozen one. The competition was stiff! And everyone won! This was followed by a Mexican Hot Dog Roast -- brats on tortillas.

Chetumal

We had a short drive from Xel-Ha to Chetumal. The city is located on a point on the bay of Bahia del Chetumal so it is surrounded on three sides by water. There are several large lakes in the region as well. Since the city is on the border with Belice you will find quite a diverse population from German speaking Amish to black Africans to Caribbean natives coming to Chetumal to buy their groceries and other supplies. If you didn't know, Belice (aka Belize) is an English speaking nation.

Our campground is right on the bay and the weather is hot and muggy -- I'm not complaining!! This is what we came to Mexico to experience. They keep telling us we will have hot showers but I have to tell you that I have never taken so many COLD showers as I have on this trip!

We had the option to take a City tour but decided that since we had a car we would do this on our own. We did invite another couple to join us. We visited the Mayan Museum which gave us more information about that culture such as the way they made people "beautiful" by shaping the heads of the babies to the "Tree of Life" and the significance of the roots, the trunk and the leaves. The roots represented death, the underworld and the transition from death to the heavens. The trunk was life, human existence. The tree's limbs and leaves reached towards the heavens and pointed to the 13 gods and the stars that guide them.

After the museum we walked thru the local market and held our noses as we walked thru the meat butchering area -- almost made me want to give up meat! A nice lunch on the Malecon and then pool time back at the campground.

The owner's daughter is in a dance troupe so we were entertained by them as we sipped on our Margaritas.

MAP: We are here 3 days.