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Through Tucson and across the border at Nogales
 
Our departure from San Diego was delayed a couple of hours because we were waiting for a FedEx delivery of my new external WiFi antenna for the trailer.  The rest of our group had met in Lakeside for breakfast, so we were only an hour behind once we were all eastbound on Interstate 8.  We were in contact by cell phone, so our plan was to meet up at the De Anza RV Park, just south of Tucson.
 
Other than for some windy stretches through the mountains, we made good time, keeping up with the trucks.  Once we entered Arizona and were free of the 55 MPH restriction, we made even better time.  This was the first advantage of pulling a 5th wheel, compared to a travel trailer.  It was very stable even at higher speeds.
 
We arrived at De Anza expecting to find our friends all set up and waiting for us.  Instead, we were the first to arrive.  They had stopped in Tucson for dinner.  They arrived about an hour after we did, so we met them with glasses of wine.
 
1/9/2007       Guaymas – Playa de Cortés
 
We were on the road at 9 am Tuesday morning, headed for Nogales.  We had already obtained our car and tourist permits in Tijuana, so we avoided any border delays and headed for Guaymas.  It was an uneventful trip south through the Sonora desert, with plenty of gas stations and a good (toll) road.
 
We stopped for the night at the Hotel Playa de Cortés Trailer Park.  The old hotel was built in 1936 as a railway resort hotel.  It is quite nice, but seemed almost empty.  They have WiFi so we were able to check our email.
 
We tried their Margaritas and found them good.  We decided to skip their dining room.  We made an early start the next morning, heading south to Los Mochis.
 
 
 
 
1/10    Los Mochis – Copper Canyon RV Park
 
There is only one RV campground in Los Mochis – the Copper Canyon RV Park.  This used to be a big stopping point for Copper Canyon trips, but now most leave from a newer RV park at El Fuerte.   The park is getting a bit run down, but has a good population – of chickens.
 
We failed to notice a large truck trailer parked on the adjacent road as we drove in.  A band called “Inquietude Norteña” gave a concert that night almost next door to us.  I think the concert lasted until about two in the morning, then the roosters began to crow.  Contrary to general belief, roosters don’t just welcome the sunrise.  They crow all night! 
 
 
 
1/11 – 1/12   Mazatlán - Mar Rosa
 
We located a very nice RV park in Mazatlán.  We have been using the “Traveler’s Guide to Mexican Camping” by Mike and Terri Church as our campsite guide.  We are finding that most of the RV’ers traveling in Mexico seem to be using the same guidebook. 

While we were traveling in the Yucatán in 2005 we met Cindy, a new friend from British Columbia.  She has since moved to Mazatlán and we were able to meet up with her while we were there.  By chance, her mother had just arrived, so we were able to meet Maria as well.  Cindy recommended we go to the Plaza Machado in the old town for dinner.  It was an excellent choice.  We ate at her recommended restaurant, El Tramayo, and had one of the best meals of the trip.
 
We plan to stop again at Mazatlán on our return trip.  Cindy had heard about a new RV park near the airport, on Stone Island.  We decided to drive out there to investigate.  We took the long route through town, not a route for trailers, and eventually found signs to the new park.  However, the signs were about five miles short of the park on a really, really bad road.  We pulled off into a coconut grove and did some reconsidering over a beer.  We’ll probably stay at Mar Rosa again.
 
We are finding most of the RV parks full, and the majority of the travelers are snowbirds from Canada.  Everyone is very friendly and there have been several impromptu cocktail hours.
 
Pam and Karen found a young lady who gave them manicures and pedicures.  They talked Chuck and me into having manicures as well.  I forget how many beers we had had.  I couldn’t pick up a coin for a week afterward.
 
Of course, Mazatlán is very nice as are most of the coastal towns here on Mexico’s Pacific coast.  We plan to stop here again on our way back to San Diego.  (Maybe we will all get pedicures then!)
  
1/13 – 1/14   San Blas – Paraíso Miramar
 
 We found a nice little RV park in San Blas, part of a small hotel, Paraíso Miramar.  The hotel bar had ESPN, in Spanish, so we were able to watch the Chargers lose their final game of the season.  We found the game in English on an internet radio station so we didn’t have to listen in Spanish.  However, the internet radio was about a minute behind the TV broadcast, so we saw the action before we heard about it.  We still enjoyed the game, except for the outcome.
 
 
 
 
 
Tovara River Trip
 
There is an estuary (mangrove swamp) near San Blas, so we signed up for a boat tour.  It was our first opportunity to see crocodiles in the wild, and there were some pretty good sized crocs.  We also visited a breeding farm and got some up close views.  There were lots of birds too, for those who are into bird watching (ho hum).
 

 
 
 
 
   
These big guys were behind a wire enclosure but you could reach in and touch them if you wanted.  They mostly just lay around in the sun.  (We at first mistook them for snowbirds from Canada.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1/15 – 1/17   Puerto Vallarta - Tizate RV Park
 
We really had a problem finding this RV Park.  Our guidebook told us what to look for, but the sign was way off the road and the entrance road was obscured by brush.  We wandered around for awhile, and took a few wrong turns which led us to dead ends.  Once you find it, you are in a pretty nice park (for Mexico).  Like most of our prior stopping places, this was full of Canadians.  We are finding many more of our northern neighbors than we find travelers from the U.S.  Must be the weather!
 
We decided this would be a good opportunity for another boat ride, this time to include some snorkeling and some beach time.  We booked a trip on the Santa Maria.  We looked for the Niña and the Pinta but didn’t see them.

The Santa Maria is really a nice boat – a trimaran about 60 feet long.  It looked like one of the newer boats in the area.  Our trip included lunch and all the drinks you wanted.
 
We were barely out of the harbor when we saw other boats congregating ahead.  As we joined them we found we were encountering several whales, adults with calves.  We stayed awhile then moved on to some small islands called “Los Arcos” (the arches).  This was where they took people for a snorkeling experience.  The water was not very clear, and pretty cold, so Bob was the only one to go in the water.  He is part fish.
 
The boat’s crew threw some bread over the side and it attracted a school of big angel fish.  Very colorful.
  
 
Bob said we could see the fish better than he could while he was in the water.
 
We then had the option of disembarking at a beach for some lunch and relaxing or continuing up the coast to see a waterfall (which was a 20-minute walk from the shore).  We elected for food, beach, sun and beer – not necessarily in that order!
 
They ferried us ashore in small boats, like the one in the picture to the right being used by the local pelicans.
 
 
 
 
 
The beach was well supplied with restaurants, beach chairs and places to just sit and enjoy the weather.  It was really a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
 

We made some new friends on the boat and they shared our table at lunch.  Yolanda and Joaquin are from Guadalajara.  She works for the police department and he is with a security company, a very interesting couple.  Joaquin caught his hand between the launch and the pier when we were being transferred from the Santa Maria to the beach.  We later learned that he had a broken finger.  He was stoic about his injury.  ¡Muy macho, muy valiente!
 
We hope to see them again as we pass through Guadalajara.
 
 
 1/18    Melaque – Boca Beach  RV Park
 
We stopped overnight here – nothing special.  The campground was full of snowbirds.  We had to park under coconut palms and we were expecting to hear something dropping on the roof during the night.  They did provide tables with umbrellas on the beach – another nice place for a beer.
 
1/19    Playa Azul
 
 
We didn’t have many options about where to stay in playa Azul.  We managed to squeeze into a hotel parking lot just a block from the beach.  They had hookups but not much else.  We ate dinner in the hotel, then walked down to the beach the next morning for breakfast.  The breakfast was better than the dinner.  Being outside in the fresh air helps.
  
The walk from the hotel to the beach gave us a chance to see what was on the menu (in the raw).
 
All kidding aside, the food is great in Mexico. 
 
 
 
 
 
  
1/20    Zihuatanejo
 
There were four RV parks listed in our guidebook for Zihuatanejo.  Three were full and the other was unbelievable.  The only place with space was a place called Marisquiera Mary’s.  It was behind a restaurant (next to the trash cans) and there were a few old cars parked in the open area. 
 
We drove on a ways, found a large fenced field and stopped to look around.  There was a worker in the field and Bob struck up a conversation with him (in his halting and somewhat unusual Spanish).
 
Pam came to his rescue, and soon she and the worker wandered down the street.  He took her to the owner’s house.  The owner wasn’t home, but se stopped to see us a few minutes later.
 
The owner, Jorge Allec, very graciously allowed us to stay free.  Sr. Allec told us he plans to develop the area as an RV park in the next year.  It is in an excellent location and will fill a badly needed void in the Zihuatanejo area.   We put our own padlock on the gate and were as secure as anyplace we have stayed in Mexico.  ¡Gracias, Sr. Allec!
 
 
1/21 – 1/23 Acapulco

Most  people know Acapulco only because of the high divers at La Quebrada.  That was a “must see” on our list.  We stayed at a very nice RV park (Acapulco trailer Park) in an area of Acapulco called Pie de la Cuesta.  We were parked about 100 feet from the beach among the coconut palms.  We had our usual concerns about falling coconuts, but had no problems.

La Quebrada is in an old, hilly section of town so we played it smart and drove up in the morning to find out how best to see the divers perform.  With the help of a local “guide” (always available in tourist areas) we learned that the best way to see the divers was to have dinner at La Perla restaurant in the Hotel Mirador.  We reserved a table on a balcony with a direct view of the divers.  Then we had the guide show us the best way to arrive and depart the area so as to miss the traffic.  Prior Planning Prevents Problems.  (Listen up President Bush!)
 
  
We left an hour early for our 8 PM dinner reservations and arrived just in time to see the last of the 7 PM show.  The dinner greatly exceeded our expectations for both quality and quantity.  We saw the 8 PM show and then managed to stretch dessert and coffee until the 9 PM show.  We were not disappointed at all.  The divers are everything they are reputed to be. 
 
When we started back to Pie de la Cuesta we found that things look a little different after dark.  We somehow ended up on the Malecon, down by the bay.  No problem, we saw signs pointing to Pie de la Cuesta.  After driving several blocks, there were no more signs.  We turned around and started back where we came from.  Success!  More signs that said “Pie de la Cuesta”.  We followed the signs again and wound up back where we started.  We were smart enough to ask directions.  We stopped next to couple of men on the street and they were very friendly – said it was only five minutes, then turn left.  Or maybe it was ten minutes then turn left.  When the arm waving started we realized they had been drinking for awhile, so we departed to search for directions from someone a bit more reliable.  At the next stoplight we asked directions of the driver next to us.  He said, “follow me” and led us to the turn, completely unmarked, that was our way home.
 
 
1/24    Pinotepa Nacional

We picked Pinotepa as a place to stop mainly because it was half-way between Acapulco and Hualtulco.  There are no RV parks there by we had read that there is a waterfall close to town with a nearby parking area where we could boondock for the night.
 
We found the turnoff to a gravel road along the river just a couple of miles out of town.  It looked like we could get in and out, but just to be safe we parked and walked back a ways.  We found plenty of room to park, and a water department pumping station that was attended 24 hours a day.  We talked to the workers, shared a beer with them, and gave them a small gratuity so they could buy more refreshment for themselves.
 
It was a delightful place to camp, right on the river.  We had room to set up our chairs under a tree and have a beer.  We were entertained for awhile by a crew with a skip loader who were filling a dump truck with rocks.  In the evening it quieted down and we had a peaceful night.
 
1/25    Puerto Escondido and Hualtulco

 
We had an interesting drive to Puerto Escondido.  We shared the road with various animals, dead and alive, including a herd of goats and a small herd of cattle.  The cattle required a complete stop and we were soon surrounded.  There were a couple of herders on foot, one guy with a bicycle, and an old caballero on a nice looking horse.  As we tried to get through the herd Pam was hanging out the window trying to take pictures, both of us laughing and hoping we wouldn’t get the side of the truck scraped by a horn.  The caballero told us to go ahead slowly, that the cattle would get out of our way.  As we started forward, the front of the herd turned around and started back toward us again!  Full stop!  We were laughing, the caballero saw us and started laughing too, and the cattle were soon moved off the road.  Pam got some real close-up photos.
 
We drove on to Puerto Escondido to look around the town.  We found a nice restaurant in a hotel on the beach and had lunch, then drove on to Hualtulco to spend the night.  The only RV park in town was closed.  We drove back to check on it and found they were using it to store sections of pipe for a new drainage system they are building.
 
Our fallback was the cul-de-sac behind a beach restaurant, Doña Celia’s.  It was a little crowded because it seems to be the only other place in town to park.  No hookups, but we were able to get some water to fill our tank.  We learned that other RVers had tied a rope on a manhole cover, and everyone used that as a place to dump holding tanks.  That’s Mexico!
 
1/26    Tuxtla Gutiérrez and El Sumidero
 
One thing that is plentiful in Mexico is the speed bumps, or “Topes”.  Every pedestrian crossing on the highway has a tope or two.  Most small villages have three or four.  Even the high speed highways have occasional places you must slow down for a tope.  If they are in good repair, they are no problem other than the need to slow to a near stop.  There are always a few that have no warning signs, or have a sharp edge, almost like a curb.  Both Bob and Chuck damaged tires on topes, causing a big bulge in the tire where the laminations separated.
 
They managed to buy emergency replacements to use as spares, but had to settle for automobile tires rather than trailer tires, which have a higher load rating.  Pam and I are hoping we won’t have the same problem.
 
 
There is no RV park at Tuxtla Gutiérrez so we spent the night on a lot next to a Pemex station.  I was surprised to get a WiFi connection.  We heard later that many of the Pemex stations have WiFi connections.  It was a little noisy and at least one truck pulled in to park for awhile.  I don’t think the wives slept too well.  We got underway early the next morning and headed to Chiapa de Corzo, at the head of the Sumidero Canyon.
 
 
We decided to take a boat tour of the Canyon.  We arrived early and had breakfast at the boat dock.   We had to wait a half-hour or so to get a boat load of tourists.  They don’t leave until they get twelve passengers.
 
This boat ride was different from the Tovara River trip we took at San Blas.  The Sumidero is an open canyon, not a swamp and the boat went a lot faster.  We would stop periodically to look at something interesting; the rest of the time we enjoyed the wind in our faces and the canyon views.
 
 
The picture to the right is of three canyon walls.  This view is reproduced on the crest of the state of Chiapas.  Our tour started at the town of Chiapa de Corzo where we passed under the highway bridge, and ended 17 Km later at the dam and power plant.  This plant is one of four on the river that provide power not only for Chiapas but they sell to Guatemala and Honduras as well as a good portion of southern Mexico.
 
The river at its deepest (just behind the dam) is about 240 meters, and the highest wall of the canyon is 1,000 meters at one point.  Popular legend has it that the high cliff was where Chiapas Indians jumped to avoid being enslaved by the Spanish invaders.
 
We saw some interesting rock formations and flora, such as the “Arbol de Navidad”  (Christmas Tree) formation in the photo to the right.   It is an unusual formation of curved rock sheets covered by green moss.  The water is continuously dropping on the rock, keeping the moss green and lush.
 
 
 
Wild life abounds.  At the far left is a flock of Zopilotes (buzzards).  They come to the river to bathe.  These birds are about the size of a large chicken.  They hop in the water and flap their wings, then waddle out onto the rock to dry off in the sun.  We weren’t the only watchers.  A little further down the river we watched a large crocodile grab a zopilote.  We saw it swimming along with just his eyes and snout showing,  Then he submerged briefly and popped out of the water to grab a bird.  He gave it a couple of good shakes and swallowed it whole.  It was amazing how fast the crocodile moved.  The bird wasn’t even in the water at the time, just close to the edge.  After his first course the crock swam back and forth looking for another victim.  The rest of the birds were quite agitated but didn’t fly off.  I guess they considered that area their territory and they weren’t going to surrender it to the crocodile.  I would have been happy to stay for an hour or so to watch this drama, but we had to move on.  This was the high point of the canyon tour!
 
 
1/27 – 1/29   San Cristóbal de las Casas
 
We stayed at a pretty nice park behind the Hotel Bonampak.  They had just trimmed some trees and left the trimmings in the road, so we had to do a little brush clearing to get in.  Good location though.
 
Pueblo tours: San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan
 
We heard from some other travelers that we could arrange a tour of the surrounding villages.  They said to look for a lady by the name of Mercedes who would be in the city square with a multi-colored umbrella.  Sure enough, there she was!  We were just in time to join a dozen or so other people on a tour of Chamula and Zinacantan.
 
These two villages are both Mayan, but Chamula is the smaller of the two and the people there seem to adhere to the old customs more strongly.  We couldn’t take any pictures of the people, only the landscape.  We had a very good guide, who told us a whole lot more than we ever wanted to know about Mayan culture and how they accommodated the Catholic religion.  We got the impression that the Mayans worshiped their old gods, they just renamed them after Catholic saints.
 
 
The village was serviced by a traveling priest who baptized children.  All of the rest of the religious events, weddings, funerals, etc. were conducted by the local church elders.  We went into the church but couldn’t take any pictures.  It was very unusual.  There were no pews – I don’t believe they ever held traditional services.  There were full sized statues of saints in glass fronted cabinets lining the sides of the church.  The floor was marble, but it was covered with pine needles.  There were many tables covered with candles as well as hundreds more on the floor.  Small family groups huddled around either conducting their own family service of some kind or, in many cases, receiving treatment from a healer.  It was bizarre to see all this while surrounded by the trappings of the Catholic church.
  
It was market day in the square outside the church.  Sort of a flea market and produce market combined.  I saw a cart with churros and fried bananas and couldn’t resist.  Deep fried platanos machos with cinnamon and leche condensada makes a snack that is hard to beat.  Can’t hardly find that in San Diego.
 
In the afternoon we visited a larger town, Zinacantan.  We visited here primarily for the shopping stop.  (What is a tour without  the opportunity to shop at the guide’s favorite tienda?
 
In this case it was a family business.  Five girls of varying ages were either weaving or selling fabric or clothing.  The Señora was making fresh tortillas for us to sample.  They were all very friendly and their products were beautiful.  Pam found a tablecloth she liked (see photo to the right) and a couple of other things for gifts.
 
 
 1/29    Agua Azul
 
On our way to Palenque we decided to stop at the Cataratas Agua Azul.  We had thought about spending the night there, because some other travelers had mentioned staying in the parking area at the falls.  We soon changed our minds about that.  To begin with there were signs that said no overnight parking. Then, we were mobbed by people trying to sell us things.  Most of the people trying to sell fruits or handicrafts were children.  They can be very persistent, they now beg for money as much as they try to get you to buy something, and they really detract from the enjoyment of the site.

  
Having said that, the falls were very nice.  They are not nearly as spectacular as some we have seen, but they are very impressive for Mexico.
 
We soon got back on the road and headed to Palenque.
 
 
 
 
 
1/29 – 1/30   Palenque
 
This is one of the “big three” Mayan archeological sites in the Yucatán Peninsula.  The other two are Uxmal and Chichen Itza – we will visit them later in our trip.  We stayed in the Los Leones RV Park not far from the ruins.  It is quite large, which was fortunate since we shared it with a large caravan of RVs from California.  It had rained the day before so we had some mud to contend with.  We had some slipping and sliding as we were parking the trailers.  Once again, I regretted not having four-wheel drive.
 
We hired an English speaking guide at the ruins, which was a good decision.   We learned a lot more that way than if we had just depended on the guidebooks.
 
Bob was fascinated by the Mayan toilets and insisted on having his picture taken while trying it for fit.  He learned later that squatting rather than sitting was customary.
 
 
 We also took advantage of the opportunity to have our cars washed in the parking lot while we were on our tour.  They didn’t stay clean for long, but at least they looked better for awhile.
 
 
1/31 – 2/2  Chetumal
 
The road from Palenque to Chetumal was a pleasant surprise – straight, level and relatively free of Topes.  The one big disappointment was the agricultural checkpoint when we left Campeche and entered Quintana Roo.  They confiscated all pork and chicken products.  We had to give them a dozen eggs, some pork chops and ham. 
 
We expanded our caravan with the addition of Chuck and Dee, whom we met in Palenque.  They will be traveling with us for a few days.  They are full-time RVers with a big 5th wheel and a little Chihuahua, “Pancho Villa”.
 
We are staying for a couple of nights at a beautiful RV park that is right on the water.  The sea wall is about ten feet behind our trailer, with the perfect grassy area for a few chairs in the shade of the palm trees.  It is the Yax Ha Resort.  They used to have a web site but it doesn’t seem to be working now.  Check Church’s book for directions.
 
 
Our dirty laundry has been piling up so last evening we went into town to find a lavanderia.  We had directions from the hotel but couldn’t locate their recommendation.  We did find another though, so we dropped off several bundles.  One of the more popular customs among the ladies on this trip is being able to drop off the dirty laundry and pick it up the next day, all clean and folded.  Usually for just about a dollar a kilo.

Pam and Dee have gone to find a vet to have Poncho Villa checked.  Pam is our official translator but we are all making efforts to improve our Spanish.
 
We took a couple of hours to visit the local museum.  It was well worth the time it took to visit.  They have some nice models of various Mayan cities and a lot of information about the periods of occupation.  The museum itself is very well laid out, with green marble floors and an artificial forest design.  Highly recommended!
 
We had some lunch downtown, picked up our laundry and returned to the RV park.  We arrived just in time to make margaritas and prepare for dinner.
 
We will leave early tomorrow morning as we have a 200-plus mile drive to Playa del Carmen.  We plan to stop briefly at Tulum to visit the ruins.
 
  
2/2     Tulum
 
We made a quick stop at Tulum on our way to the RV park south of Playa del Carmen where we will stay few days.  Tulum is small compared to most other well known sites.  It is unique in that it is located on the seacoast.  It was a Mayan fort, and is very compactlylaid out, with a wall on three sides and the ocean on the fourth.
We enjoyed watching all the young people play in the surf below the ruins, wishing we had planned on a quick swim to escape the heat.  If you are in the shade and there is a breeze it is very comfortable.  The humidity is pretty high, and a few minutes in the direct sun results in a pretty wet shirt.
 
It felt good to get back in the car to head for Paa Mul, our campsite for the next four nights.
 
Playa del Carmen area – Paa Mul
 
This RV park is packed, and most of the people seem to be permanent residents.  About half of the spaces have palapas constructed over their RVs.  We heard that this park was hit by a hurricane two out of the last three years.  I guess you just order another load of palm fronds and replace your roof after it blows away.
 
We are just a short walk from the beach, so we will get a little sand between our toes.  It is sure nice to have hookups with enough power to run the air conditioning.
 
We drove into Playa del Carmen on Saturday and took the ferry to Cozumel.  It is about a 45 minute boat ride to another shopping area.    We had a nice lunch and Bob decided it was time to make a major change in his life.  He disappeared for about a half-hour and came back with a tattoo! 

If you click on the picture for a close-up, you can see the little dolphin.
  
After lunch the girls went shopping, then went for a wade, Chuck and Bob went for a deeper wade, and we caught the next ferry back to Playa del Carmen.  We had a beer on the beach, everyone went for another swim, and we headed for home.  Enroute we stopped at a Chedraui supermarket where I had my ATM card gobbled up by the machine.  The end of a perfect day!
 
Tomorrow we drive to Cancun and take the ferry to Isla Mujeres.
 
2/4     Isla Mujeres

Like the rest of the area, Isla Mujeres is really getting built up.  The ferry was full of day-trippers and there were quite a few people pulling luggage as well.  When we got off the ferry we were approached by several people offering tours, etc.  We decided we would rent a boat that would take us snorkeling.  It was a good decision.  We had the boat to ourselves; they provided all the gear.  They took us to two different locations where we were able to drift along on the current and see a good variety of fish.  They now require that you wear a life jacket, but they tie it around your waist, which supports you without inhibiting your movement or use of the snorkel.

After we finished swimming, we went to a pier where they had nurse sharks in an enclosure.  The girls were able to get in with the shark and have an up-close encounter.
 
We had a nice lunch and caught the ferry back to Cancun.  It was one of the better days of the trip.
  
Bad news:  Bob discovered another tire with a bubble.  This is his second damaged tire.  We suspect it is the result of a combination of maximum weight (or more) and hitting topes.  We will all be super cautious from now on.
 
2/6 – Valladolid
 
The drive from Playa del Carmen to Valladolid was a demonstration of what can happen when you violate the primary rule of driving in Mexico:  never pass up an opportunity to fill your gas tank.  We did in fact pass several Pemex stations, all of which were either too crowded or on the wrong side of a divided highway.  Then we got on the toll road from Cancun to Valladolid and learned there are no gas stations between these two points.  We valiantly forged ahead.  About 30 miles short of Valladolid Bob’s gasoline situation was critical.  Fortunately he had ten gallons in cans on his roof.  We decided the best plan would be to dump five gallons in his car and save the other five until either Chuck or I ran out.
 
With ten miles to go, my low fuel light came on.  I don’t know how far I can go after that point, especially pulling a trailer.  We decided it would be better to add some gas before I ran out – sort of a controlled failure situation.  We weren’t sure if we would have difficulty starting the engine again (with fuel injection) and I could envision running out in the middle of an intersection.  Chuck was pretty much in the same situation, so we decided to share the other five gallons that Bob graciously volunteered (with great glee) to give us.  He insisted that the event be recorded on film for posterity.
 
While Bob was standing with his bottle of beer (see photo to the left) a highway patrol car pulled up behind us and the officer got out to see if we needed help.  It didn’t seem to occur to Bob that standing on the highway drinking a bottle of beer might not be the wisest thing to be doing.  (He got away with it.)
 
We arrived safely at Valladolid and drove to a small town a few kilometers away – Ticuch – where the RV park is located.  We are staying in the parking area adjacent to the Restaurant Hacienda Ticuch.  There are no hookups here, although there is one electrical outlet.  We managed to daisy chain all three trailers together for basic power – for light and fans.  No air conditioning at this stop!  This hasn’t been a problem as we have had several rain showers and the weather has been quite pleasant.
 
Ek’ Balam
 
 
Pam and I visited Ek’ Balam two years ago when we toured the Yucatán.  We think this is one of the most interesting archeological sites in the Mayan world.  It is a recently restored site (I think less than 20 years) and isn’t all that well known.  It never seems to be crowded.  On our last visit our guide, Natividad, was a young man who had grown up at the site, working with the archeologists as a child and learning enough from them to be an excellent guide.  We found him again this trip and hired him to give us another tour.  He is in the picture to the right with Pam.
 
The premiere structure is the Governor’s palace and tomb.  It has several well-preserved stucco sculptures and hieroglyphics.  (Look at our Yucatán 2005 photos for details of this site.)
  
 
The Governor’s palace is quite high, and naturally we had to climb to the top again to admire the view.  This site is so convenient to Valladolid and the toll road between Cancun and Mérida that anyone in the area should take time to visit.
  
Rio Lagartos
          
About 60 miles north of Valladolid is the seaport village of Rio Lagartos.  This area has been set aside by the government as biosphere.  It is best known for the flocks of flamingos that live in the lagoon.
 
The six of us rented a boat with guide to take us to the flamingos.  Along the way we saw some interesting birds, starting with the seagulls in the harbor.  We fed them some treats (they seem to like Cheetos) and they flocked to take them from us.  There was enough wind that they seemed to hover over the boat, trying for the treat.
 
As we rode out through the lagoon (mangroves?) we spotted a few alligators.  We are getting quite good at seeing the local fauna now, since this is our third boat ride.  We saw alligators instead of crocodiles this time, though they are closely related and they are hard to tell apart.  I don’t suppose the distinction would be important if you were in the water with them.
 
The east end of the lagoon is quite shallow and this is where the largest flock of flamingos is located.  We learned their pink color comes from the food they eat – krill (very small shrimp).  The older flamingos are a darker pink.  I suppose this is because they have eaten more krill.  We were able to get quite close to the birds, because our guide shut down the motor and poled the boat into the shallows.  As they walk through the water they seem to be gliding.  Their stride reminded us of watching an ice skater.  We finally disturbed them and several took flight.  This is really interesting to watch.  They seem to walk on water and suddenly they are in flight, their long outstretched necks balanced by their equally long legs trailing behind.  In the water they look all pink.  To our surprise, when in flight with their wings outstretched, you can see the underside is all black.  It is quite a distinctive color combination.
 
Returning to the town of Rio Lagartos we passed a few flocks of white pelicans.  Unlike the brown pelicans which live here year around, the white pelicans migrate here every year from Canada.  Instead of being superb fish catchers like their brown cousins, the white pelicans feed on krill just as the flamingos.  We asked our guide why these birds don’t turn pink from eating the krill as the flamingos do and he answered,  “Because they are immigrants.  They are Canadians.” 
 
 
 
 
2/8     Chichen-Itza
 
We are camped only 35 miles from Chichen-Itza so we drove there in the morning.  We arrived before ten in the morning, before the heat of the day became too oppressive.  Pam and I had visited two years ago so we didn’t take many pictures.  We noticed a big change from our earlier visit.  You can’t climb any of the structures now, as everything is fenced off.  In 2005 we climbed to the top of the Pyramide Kukulcan (El Castillo).  Now it is all closed off.  It is still a very impressive place to visit.  The vendors have increased in number, to meet the increase in tourism.  The parking lot was full of tour busses.
 
We walked the half-mile to the Cenote Sagrado, which is the cenote where they found the artifacts and bones of sacrifices.  Bob filmed the cenote but decided he didn’t want to go for a swim.
 
By eleven in the morning it was getting pretty hot.  We headed for the museum to see the exhibits and bask in the air conditioning.  Alas, the museum is closed for renovations.
 
Tomorrow we go to Mérida.
 
2/9 – 2/11     Mérida
 
Our arrival in Mérida was without incident.  We only made one wrong turn on the way to the campsite.  The Rainbow RV Campground is in an excellent location for our purposes.  It is close to everything we like – Costco and the other stores where we always find things to buy that we never realized we needed.  It is also convenient to the area where Gloria and Fernando’s house is located.
 
We arrived early on Friday so we took time to work off a few housekeeping tasks.  We found a nearby lavandería and dropped off several kilos of dirty clothes.  Then it was on to Costco and Chedraui to replenish our food supply.  That pretty well took care of the afternoon.  In the evening Gloria, Fernando and Georgina (their daughter) arrived with the grandkids and we had a cocktail hour/planning meeting to arrange activities for the remainder of our stay.
 
For some reason shopping worked its way to the top of the list.  Saturday morning we trekked to a nearby pueblo, Kimbilá, where the dominant industry is manufacture of clothing typical to the area.  The ladies aggressively began their search of the town’s shops while Bob, Chuck and I located a cool place to wait for the shopping frenzy to abate.  Without too much delay we found ourselves in a small establishment called “Los Compadres”.  The ambience was plain, the inhabitants friendly, and the beer icy cold.
 
While we were enjoying a sampling of antojitos, we saw four ladies pass.  (Unfortunately they saw us also.)   They were still intent on their mission, so we decided we had no need to rush our activities.  A half-hour later we ambled down the street to a ferretería, or hardware store.  This is one of Bob’s favorite pastimes.  As usual, Bob found a selection of clamps, hooks, etc. that he sorely needed.  Chuck and I on the other hand made more utilitarian purchases, a couple of machetes with leather sheathes.
 
Our shopping completed, we began our search for our companions.  Nowhere to be found.  We even resorted to driving around  town, up and down the side streets, in search for what we by now expected would be four exhausted women with their arms full of packages.  No luck.  Giving vent to our exasperation, Fernando said “If we can’t find them we will just have to find some new ones.”
 
Had we but known…..  Shortly after passing Los Compadres they had accosted the driver of a pickup truck and demanded that he take them to the home of a family whose business was clothing manufacture.  Once there they demanded they be shown every piece of clothing in the house, then proceeded to shamelessly negotiate dirt cheap prices on several items of clothing.  Boy, were they smug.
 
After we managed to assemble our group once again, we drove a few more miles to the site of a henequen mill.  Henequen was the source of wealth for the area for years, meeting the demand for rope and fiber products until petrochemical replacements became available.  Fibrous cactus leaves are crushed and shredded, the fibers are dried, then spun into rope.  Henequen is commonly known by the misnomer sisal, which is the name of the port city where ships loaded the products being exported.
 
The processing plant was not in operation the day we visited, as they were busy spreading the fibers on drying racks.  Normally this old mill is still in operation six days a week.   This allowed us to wander all over the place, examining their processing.  (Can you imagine being able to do this in a factory in the U.S.?)
 

Our resident clowns found an opportunity to express themselves as usual.
  
 
As we left the mill we felt a few raindrops.  Rainshowers have been a daily occurrence for the past week or so.  We drove back towards Mérida and stopped a Hacienda Teya, one of the more well-known of the area’s hacienda.  Founded in 1683, the hacienda fell into ruin in the early 20th century.  It was restored and now operates as a restaurant with a few guest suites.
 
Fernando and Gloria had taken us to Hacienda Teya on our visit two years ago, so we knew how good the food would be.  We all ordered traditional dishes, but settled for ice cream for dessert.  Georgie is in the photo at right with André and Fernanda.  They made us all feel like grandparents for the day.
Saturday evening we went downtown to watch the entertainment of Noche Mexicana.  We enjoyed folkloric dancing, mariachi singers, a fantastic marimba ensemble, and some people watching.
 
 
Sunday – rain, rain, rain.  The two caravans that have filled the campground departed this morning.  One is heading the same direction as we are.  We obtained a copy of their itinerary so we can stay a few days behind them.  It is much nicer to arrive at a campground that is relatively empty.
 
We are supposed to take a city tour today.  The bus is open air, so our plans may change.  This afternoon we are going to Fernando and Gloria’s house to swim and have dinner.  Now it is time to go to the VIPs restaurant to take advantage of their free WiFi.
 
2/11    More Rain!
 
         
We decided to skip the city tour.  The bus is open-air so we thought the rain would take away from some of the enjoyment.
 
We all went to Fernando and Gloria’s for dinner.  Gloria prepared a turkey with picadillo stuffing and tamales (wrapped in banana leaves).  We were all stuffed ourselves.  Then Fernando introduced us to Xtabentun, a Yucatácan liquor.  Very smooth. 
 
After dinner (and after a few drinks) Gloria had a treat for us. 
  
 
In the photo to the left you can see a black enclosure just above the steps, and a doll sitting on the middle step (close up to the right).  Gloria was lying on her back with just her mouth and chin showing.  The doll’s eyes are painted on Gloria’s chin.  The whole act was hilarious.
 
 
After loads of photos and videos we finally had to call it a night.  We all had a great time with a gracious and hospitable family.
 
On to Uxmal!
 
 
Click here to go to part two of our Mexico Road Trip.