MERIDA, YUTICAN

26th - 28th Feb - MERIDA - Rainbow RV Resort - (£13)

The Rainbow RV park is like a park in the middle of the city, could be that the 50 site RV park has only us in it. This time last year it was full, swine flu, recession and drug wars have taken its toll. Located perfectly to bus it into el centro and opposite a shopping mall called “Liverpool”and a cinema which we have made the most of. We saw SANCTUM and BLACK SWAN, was great to cross the road and be in the cinema. Merida looks quite wealthy, clean streets, colonial Spanish, safe and home to a lot of the Mexicans who have the Mayan indigenous bloodline and they are so kind, friendly and…VERY short. Adele looks like a giant or like she is the parent with her kids around her. (They keep asking whether she is German!) The town is famous for hammocks and panama hats to which we are now proud owners. Sunday afternoon the Meridians go to town and hang out in the main plaza where there is a market, free music and then they dance. It is so sweet to  see the old couples dance salsa together. It is incredibly hot here around 32 deg, should be hitting the beach and coast within the next 2/3 days.

Arrived in the Yutacan Penisula

25th Feb - UXMAL  SITE  - (£6)
We are camping in a car park at one of the most important Maya sites in Mexico and going to the Light & Sound show tonight. Its not bad here, no other RV's so private and has internet! We have just hung up our washing so looking a bit like gypsies. This area is famous for Maya ruins and have been wandering around the sites today the Pommie's  face getting redder and redder (its very hot here now). These ruins are impressive but full of iguanas and big ones too.


24th Feb - CAMPECHE - HA KIN AQUATIC PARK (£8)

Campeche is a really charming old quaint colonial Spanish town, narrow streets, buildings painted different colours. We went to for a beer at a bar where they filmed Original Sin (Anthony Banderos). Easy to get in on the bus and had a really good experience. The people in Mexico are just so friendly and cute (they are so short).

23rd Feb - VILLAHERMOSA 

Just a stop over in Vilahermosa but we got an oil change and fuel filter change on the way. Result, all for £5, we supplied the parts.


18th Feb - 23rd Feb - LAke CATEMACO - El Mirandor (£5)

We really loved Catemaco, an easy small town to be in and the lake view...amazing. Our neighbour, Silva,
took us out to waterfalls, no touristsand  into the jungle for 2 hours. On the way back we were invited into a Mexican ladies home for food, what a pleasure to see and experince the locals way of life if only briefly. They sat us straight away at the kitchen table and then brought out of the food cooked on fire. Rice, tortillas with cheese, spicy hot vegtable salad and black beans. Her daughter sat opposite and stared at the white people.
It was very cool. Silva is a mechanic so got him busy on our RV checking out a few things.
We both got haircuts in Catemaco, Jan's a bit 80's in style but it will soon grow!!

18th FEB - LAKE CATEMACO - EL MIRANDOR (£5/NIGHT)

Still in Lake Catemaco, moving to another campsite which has stunning views of the lake, a little out of town and remote but behind a really nice restaurant. There is one other RV there, belongs to a Canadian guy who is staying there for 6 months. Its easy access to the lake so hopefully have a chance to dangle the rod. Will have no internet access for the next 4 or 5 days until we move on.

Lake Catemaco

14th Feb - to Date - Lake Catemaco, Tepetepan RV Park (£12.50/night)
We had a really enjoyable night on Friday with the "snowbird"s and our hosts, Dave & Bev, they grew up in Durban so Adele reminicing about SA and gave us some good tips about Mexico.A brief stop over in Vera Cruz andn ow in Lake Catemaco. Having toruble downloading photos to this blog page, but it is very picturesque, quaint town by the lake and our campsite is easy walking distance. We have the veg and fruit market, butchers and bakery easy to go to and restaurants overlooking the lake or basillica. Our Spanish perhaps not going so well. Take our first night here, we ordered in our best Spanish, fillet steak and chips and even looked up medium rare in the dictionary. Adele's food came first, fish wrapped in a tortilla with rice and salad, then mine, fish (the thinnest piece ever) with 3 bits of cucumber. Ok so I fancied meat but fish will be ok...I waited a good 5 mins for the rest of my food which never came! I was so disappointed....and hungry!! How could we get it so wrong? Have found a little man (they are all small here) to fix my bike so we are going cycling around the lake.

Costa Esmeralda, Mexico

9th Feb - 11th Feb - Costa Esmeralda, Gulf coast, Mexico - De Alba RV Park (£7.50/$12)

3 day of hectic travelling to get to the Coast and to the area a little safer than the North. This is normally a big area for RV’ers and we have seen 4 other rigs. This is very sad that the recent drug wars have put tourists off by this extent. Until  now we had not seen any other RV and only a handful of tourists at El Tajin - an archaeological ruins by Poza Rica. The drive from Matehaula to Ciudad Valle (7th Feb) was mountainous and slow, but magnificent scenery. We then stayed one night at El Banito Balneario  at the grassy back, it had a natural hot spring swimming pool. I managed to negotiate the price down in Spanish (this is essential) and paid only £5 per night. The journey from Ciudad Valle to Poza Rica (8th Feb) short cut was so slow, but it was interesting to see the villages and buy fresh juice, we must have  gone over 100 topes (speed bumps) and the pot holes were horrendous. Our golden rule of not driving at night went out the window., we had no choice and was very relieved when we got to the campground, Condado Western Auto Hotel (£5) although we had to park in the field by the road. On the way to Costa Esmeralda we were stopped by police and our lack of Spanish I think held in good stead, we just looked blankly at them. They did mention they wanted coca cola so we thought it best to give them a bottle we had, rather than then coming in the van and asking for money. Eating out at the moment is somewhat of a surprise with our lack of knowledge of culinary words in Spanish. Really there are so few people who speak English you just have to try and make yourself understood. The Mexican people so far have been so friendly and we have also been invited out for a spag bol night by one of the American RV long termers here, he use to leave in SA and every Friday a group of people take it in turns to cook. (it was suppose to be Fish & Chip night…d’oh!). Tomorrow, up early and we continue to Vera Cruz.

Laredo to Matahaula

 2nd Feb - 6th Feb - Laredo - Costa Blanca State Park ($23)
Our 4 nights in Laredo have been the coldest so far this winter. Freezing winds & ice, the coldest temperatures in Texas for 49 years! We spent time doing our last bit of preparation for Mexico. We did realise we were staying in the most dangerous border town in the US when the police chief got murdered but we did not venture out after dark. This place already starting to feel different and bit more like the wild west.


6th Feb - Matehuala - MEXICO - Las Plamas Hotel & RV park (£13)
Early start and at the Colombia border crossing for 8am, very quiet and a good experience getting the Vehicle
Temp Importation Card but could not seem to "check out" of America. Now we have checked into Mexico so not sure of our immigation status as far as US is concerned. We had a brief seach by the military but nothing major. We then stepped on the gas and hit the toll roads down to Monterrey & Saltillo. We must be the only tourist to volantarily stop at a police block, a wave of the hand we mistook as a STOP was actually a slowdown. So they came to ask why we stopped and then had a look around anyway but were firendly and did not ask for money. They seemed intrigued what an RV was like inside. We have driven about 350 miles, did not see another RV at all and we are in the campsite alone, but seems safe behind the hotel. We ventured out to a lovely restaurant opposite and great steak. People seem very friendly and are very kind towards our crap Spanish. We are trying to learn quickly. Oh and I think we have had our first gas station rip off which they are infamous for...Grrrr! But the most important thing is its WARM!!! Another day or so travelling and then we are out of the most dangerous areas. Think we are going to love Mexico. (More photos soon).