Wow! We crossed the border from Mexico into Belize this morning. A mere 1.5 hours, and TwoBaby had to pay a fine for not having his visa in order. Oh yes, the beer was confiscated but not the wine. My theory is that the inspection agent liked beer but not wine.
So, to back up: contrary to our earlier indication, we decided to cross into Mexico from Brownsville, which turned out to be a great decision because it is a small crossing area, and everything is in one building. Everything went smoothly, including the inspection 20 miles further into Mexico. We were hot! We drove about 200 miles south of Brownsville, and ended up camping on the beach next to two RVs from Michigan. Bob and Bunny from Michigan report that the place is pretty deserted until Easter. The name of the area is La Pesca. We had a fresh fish dinner from the rustic cafe nearby...pretty darn special and a great way to start our Mexico experience.
Since we only had a 7-day visa (and, in reality, it was only 6 full days), we had to make a lot of tracks each day. From La Pesca, we pretty much followed Mex 180 down the Gulf coast, crossed the Tropic of Cancer, went through Tampico and Tuxpan, avoiding the bigger cities (like Vera Cruz and Villahermosa), but paralleling the coastline. We turned east south of Campeche, so that we could cross the border at Chetumal.
We camped each night, and our accommodations varied from the beach at La Pesca (free), to a field next to a (probably) hotel/whorehouse, a field (Anton Lizardo), the parking lot of a restaurant (Paraiso), and several real RV/camping spots (Isla Aguada and Cenote Azul).
Driving...poor Tommy! As he says, "the minute I take my eyes off the road, there is some *#@* thing to avoid!" Potholes you would not believe! But the worst of all are the topes, pronounced toepays, but I prefer toepiss. These are obstacles placed on the road (officially or not), with or without warning signs, to slow down traffic. You hit one of these fierce things once and you have learned your lesson! They vary from concrete lines to concrete mounds two feet high, and large round metal balls interred in the road. The military uses a gentler variety: spread out truck tire strips or rope (about 10 inches in circumference). All these topes catch your attention and reduce your progress to about 40 mph. And then, of course, there are other hazards. We had a real lock-up-the-brakes situation as a cow herd wandered right into our path. We did try a toll road one day, thinking that the driving would be easier. Not that toll road: there was so much road work being done, that we were on and off the toll road, and constantly avoiding road parts.
Tommy needs a medal!
We have seen such varied scenery as we drove through Mexico: we started in a dry, desert climate, went through green, green bouganvilla land, to rolling green hills, to Gulf coastal scenes, through lots of small towns and villages. This is a beautiful land!
Our eating experiences have been varied, from the fresh fish in La Pesca to a fancy beach restaurant (where we ended up camping for the night). Alert to our cooking friends: try fresh fish, sauteed in butter, garlic, onions and dried poblano chilis cut into strips. Out of this world!
We had pollo asado at a roadside restaurant we called "Dog Chasing Pig Restaurant"; the dog seemed to be in charge of keeping the pigs off the roadway (but didn't bother if they walked through the restaurant). Actually, this was a roadside stop, not a "restaurant". Last night we had a bottle of Mexican wine (Vinos Premium XA, Cabernet Sauvignon, from the Baja); even our cheap tastebuds thought it was excellent.
Last night we camped at Cenote Azul. A cenote is a formed when the limestone shelf breaks and the underground river floods the area. This morning I swam in the cenote (just to say I did); it was warm and the lightest torquoise blue in color.
We saw a lot of trucks, hauling sugar cane to market. These trucks are piled two and three stories high with the cane. We saw one truck, pulling three wagons of cane, and we very glad we weren't behind him on a hill. Occasionally ahead on the top of a hillside, one sees the huge silloutte of a black bull, advertising Magno Osborne; isn't that a port wine?
And so here we are in Belize. We haven't made a plan for our stay here (this answer drives the border guys nuts!). But we'll check in again soon. We're off to explore this town, Corasul, and have some dinner. Ciao!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Today, 15 February, we are in Laredo, Texas in a motel whose main attractions are showers, heat, happy hour and a guest laundry. After camping for several days, we are desparately in need of all of the above. Tomorrow we hope to finish up the paperwork (insurance and visas) and cross over into Mexico from here, rather than going on to Brownsville.
Big Bend (both the state parkand the national parks) was terrific! We drove through the state park, starting from the western edge, and ending up in Terlinga for the night. We had hoped to camp in Lajitas, but the campsite discussed in the brochure could not be found (even the Town Hall had not heard of it, and, with no cell phone coverage in the area, we couldn't call). Actually, to digress a bit: brochure writing seems to be a booming business down this way. The brochures are great; the actuality hasn't matched in quite a few instances. Very curious.
From Terlinga, we headed east into Big Bend National Park, heading toward Rio Grande Village with stops at Chisos Basin (overwhelmingly beautiful) and Boquillas Canyon. We chose to camp at Rio Grande Village, because snow was expected at Chisos Basin (no thank you!). The wind had dropped from the previous night, and we were able to get the grill going for dinner.
On Valentines Day we drove to Del Rio via Marathon. Sorry to report, Wilson, the Marathon Cafe is no more. We did stop in Marathon at small cafe for coffee, beer, and internet, but "bar bars" seem to have vanished in the parts of Texas we have travelled.
Speaking of things vanished: where have all the "Drive Friendly" signs gone? We have seen ONE so far. We should note, though, that driving here in Texas is generally much, much better than in California so maybe the signs aren't needed.
The drive to Del Rio was on Highway 90, a red road, which was terrific: in great shape, no traffic, and great scenery. We camped at Amistad National Recreation Area, right on the reservoir, and cooked a terrific steak and asparagus dinner. Sometime in the middle of the night, the temperature dropped to almost freezing and we woke up very, very cold.
Today we drove to Laredo, stopping along the way to have the oil changed in the van. We are glad to be warm, and sure enjoyed the happy hour!
Big Bend (both the state parkand the national parks) was terrific! We drove through the state park, starting from the western edge, and ending up in Terlinga for the night. We had hoped to camp in Lajitas, but the campsite discussed in the brochure could not be found (even the Town Hall had not heard of it, and, with no cell phone coverage in the area, we couldn't call). Actually, to digress a bit: brochure writing seems to be a booming business down this way. The brochures are great; the actuality hasn't matched in quite a few instances. Very curious.
From Terlinga, we headed east into Big Bend National Park, heading toward Rio Grande Village with stops at Chisos Basin (overwhelmingly beautiful) and Boquillas Canyon. We chose to camp at Rio Grande Village, because snow was expected at Chisos Basin (no thank you!). The wind had dropped from the previous night, and we were able to get the grill going for dinner.
On Valentines Day we drove to Del Rio via Marathon. Sorry to report, Wilson, the Marathon Cafe is no more. We did stop in Marathon at small cafe for coffee, beer, and internet, but "bar bars" seem to have vanished in the parts of Texas we have travelled.
Speaking of things vanished: where have all the "Drive Friendly" signs gone? We have seen ONE so far. We should note, though, that driving here in Texas is generally much, much better than in California so maybe the signs aren't needed.
The drive to Del Rio was on Highway 90, a red road, which was terrific: in great shape, no traffic, and great scenery. We camped at Amistad National Recreation Area, right on the reservoir, and cooked a terrific steak and asparagus dinner. Sometime in the middle of the night, the temperature dropped to almost freezing and we woke up very, very cold.
Today we drove to Laredo, stopping along the way to have the oil changed in the van. We are glad to be warm, and sure enjoyed the happy hour!
Monday, February 12, 2007
February 12th, Van Horn, Texas. We left the San Francisco Bay Area on 1 February, driving to Los Angeles using mainly Highway 1 to give our senses a treat. We had a lovely night in Morro Bay, although TwoBaby (our cat) had to spend the night in the van since all the Morro Bay motels seem to believe that "cat not pet".
We arrived in LA the next day, staying first with Donald and Sarah, and then moving over to Tom and Cynthia's for the next five days. And finally it was time to leave!
Our first journey was short: Pasadena to the Salton Sea, where we camped (primitive) at Bombay Beach, and had drinks at the Ski Inn. TwoBaby was petrified of the smells (intense) and bird sounds, as he and I sat at the shore, doing our Sudokus.
On Friday we continued on to Arizona, camping at Picacho Peak State Park, which is just off I-8, south of Phoenix. This is a fantastic park, with showers to rival any motel. The views! We drank a bottle of champagne, which meant Barbara wasn't awake for DVD watching. Tommy checked out the TV, which functioned and actually received a few stations.
On Saturday we drove a lot longer than we had intended, and ended up in Rockhound State Park, which is south of Deming, off I-10, in New Mexico. This park encourages its visitors to go rock hunting and take away up to 15 pounds of rocks (semi-precious type). There were quite a few folks with picks and heavy-looking bags, so it must be worth it. The Park Ranger here is very knowledgeable and attentive.
On Sunday, February 11th, we drove to Van Horn, Texas via I-10, which has an 80 mph speed limit in Texas; Tommy was ecstatic. We detoured through El Paso, along the Rio Grande, thinking that it would be picturesque and we would easily find a taco for lunch. Nope, no such luck; this area is ugly.
In the last three days, we have seen Border Patrols everywhere, and have been through two checkpoints. The patrols, and where they are (40 to 50 miles from the border, along fairly desolate stretches of the interstate) were a big surprise to us. We don't remember them from previous journeys along the border (but those journeys were long, long ago, so times do change).
Today we are going down to Big Bend National Park for a few days. Tommy was there with Wilson so many years ago. Skip remembers this park as one of his favorites. We are off to the store to get provisions.
We arrived in LA the next day, staying first with Donald and Sarah, and then moving over to Tom and Cynthia's for the next five days. And finally it was time to leave!
Our first journey was short: Pasadena to the Salton Sea, where we camped (primitive) at Bombay Beach, and had drinks at the Ski Inn. TwoBaby was petrified of the smells (intense) and bird sounds, as he and I sat at the shore, doing our Sudokus.
On Friday we continued on to Arizona, camping at Picacho Peak State Park, which is just off I-8, south of Phoenix. This is a fantastic park, with showers to rival any motel. The views! We drank a bottle of champagne, which meant Barbara wasn't awake for DVD watching. Tommy checked out the TV, which functioned and actually received a few stations.
On Saturday we drove a lot longer than we had intended, and ended up in Rockhound State Park, which is south of Deming, off I-10, in New Mexico. This park encourages its visitors to go rock hunting and take away up to 15 pounds of rocks (semi-precious type). There were quite a few folks with picks and heavy-looking bags, so it must be worth it. The Park Ranger here is very knowledgeable and attentive.
On Sunday, February 11th, we drove to Van Horn, Texas via I-10, which has an 80 mph speed limit in Texas; Tommy was ecstatic. We detoured through El Paso, along the Rio Grande, thinking that it would be picturesque and we would easily find a taco for lunch. Nope, no such luck; this area is ugly.
In the last three days, we have seen Border Patrols everywhere, and have been through two checkpoints. The patrols, and where they are (40 to 50 miles from the border, along fairly desolate stretches of the interstate) were a big surprise to us. We don't remember them from previous journeys along the border (but those journeys were long, long ago, so times do change).
Today we are going down to Big Bend National Park for a few days. Tommy was there with Wilson so many years ago. Skip remembers this park as one of his favorites. We are off to the store to get provisions.
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