Day (and night) #11

Due to circumstances WAY out of our control we will not be posting tonight. Will explain tomorrow. All is well but we need some sleep and we gotta get up early to cross the border and transfer title of Old Red.

Days 10 plus what we didn`t do on day 9

OK, so here we are in an Internet cafe in San Cristobal de las Casas, and every 5 to 10 seconds this damn antivirus window is popping up so I have Ruth on my right with the mouse closing this stupid window that keeps popping up! Talk about frustrating! I guess better than a Blackberry...

So yesterday we drove from Veracruz to San Cristobal in yet again another grey, drizzly day. So not much of a good photo day, but we did get a couple. There must have been some religious holiday or cause that we are unaware of since there were a lot of people jogging along the side of the road carrying torches, all of whom were either preceded by or followed by some vehicle with a bunch of signs on it that we figure explained what they were up to but in Spanish at 60 MPH forget about reading them. The most curious aspect of this endeavor were the groups of 3 to 5 bicycle riders with with plastic statues of the Virgin Mary strapped to their backs; see the photo. If anyone out there can explain this please do!

Nothing more to say about yesterday since it was basically just another long day behind the wheel on sometimes often times poor but almost always TOLL roads. We coughed up over $50 US in tolls to go just over 300 miles. Do the math... We did get some rather tantalizing glimpses of what appeared to be some awesome mountains and would have taken a photo but the fog or a 175 foot long truck or something would get in our way. And then we would have to pass the truck on a blind turn in the fog... Going 80...

Just kidding. Old Red can`t go 80.

So we wound up in San Cristobal de las Casas in the Mexican state of Chiapas, land of the Zapatista uprising. Luckily most is quiet here except for one small protest we saw. Something about those that have not yet supported LAMP or some such thing. Go figure...

On to real happenings... We pushed like heck to get to San Cristobal so we could actually have a day off to stretch our legs and perhaps do some sightseeing. Well, we certainly picked the right day since we finally had some mostly clear skies and warm temps! Started the morning with a hike up an extinct volcano named Huitepec, which is indigenous speak for extinct volcano of steep inclines for Gringo hikers. We did make it to the end of the trail and actually it was quite beautiful and peaceful and felt really good after the fact. Not much wildlife but there was a quail lying in wait for us that thumpered off just when were right next to it! Made me jump for sure - Ruth was like ehhh...

Then a short drive through an indigenous Mayan community named Chamula. No photos allowed here and we certainly respect that. We reached the summit of the hills and caught some great mountain views and pics. The indigenous people had these small shrines that looked like mini churches here and there and all were in pristine shape and all had big displays of lit candles inside that you could only catch a glimpse of from the road. Our understanding is `from the road' is as close as you should get...

Finally, after the grueling mountain hike (especially after sitting on our arses in a truck for a week) it was time for a trek through town to procure some refreshments. I was lucky or smart - I just had beer on my mind. Poor Ruth was in search of a Margarita only to be found in Mexico. Well, she tried a couple and in our opinion you would`nt find one like these back home. She switched to beer...

Almost last thing to mention is that if you ever are in San Cristobal Chiapas eat dinner at Hotel Tierra y Cielo and order the Mole Coleto. It was absolute heaven on my tongue...

We are getting kind of wound up because tomorrow is our last entire day in Mexico and the following morning it is off to the border to transfer title of Old Red. Time is running out... Not only for me and my 19 years of driving this motorized amigo, but also for you to help our cause in bringing the medical treatments to the much less fortunate than us, the kind folks of Jalapa Guatemala. I will keep saying thanks again and again to those who have already given and I look forward to saying THANKS to those that are going to give. I will make it easy: www.lampcharity.org/donate and you can make your tax-deductible donation online.

Tomorrow off to Tapachula Chiapas, right next door to our beloved Guatemala...

ps, typed on a Spanish keyboard so please to forgive mistakes

Saludos!

Day 9 - no internet access

We will post in the morning cuz the doggone trackwheel on my blackberry is as usual operative in selective directions only. We will find an internet cafe. But all is well and we have now driven 3573 miles.

8 Days Later...

After spending a very welcome quiet and restful night in Xalapa Mexico, I got to spend my morning on a conference call (yes I still have a job) while Ruth did some sightseeng in the old part of town. Apparently she had a lot more fun that I did. Good thing about this was that we had a very short day in Old Red (still chugging along), only about an hour and a half behind the windshield. Wound up in Veracruz which is a port city and at first appearance looked pretty dead. Dropped off laundry a few blocks away which reinforced what we thought of the town.

Our hotel is right on the main plaza and being Friday night and all we soon discovered that there is some life here after all. Towards nightfall the vendors and restaurants started setting up in earnest and before you know the place was getting pretty lively. Turns out there was some sort of traditional dance exhibition going on this evening which was absolutely jaw-dropping. See the video for a minor taste of what we experienced. The sound of the tapping shoes was thundering - the video can't capture that. The men so handsome and the girls so pretty, and a powerful and abnormally cool tropical wind a-blowing to keep their sweat down; what a sight, always in memory.

We also were inundated by street vendors seeng as how it must be low season for Gringos down here, but it sure keeps things lively. And of course we were hit up by the cutest 8 year-old girl who was quite the charmer - got some pesos out of me after I learned her accounting abilities. This girl could count and charm and knew when to say no - I think she has a future in the banking industry.

We got gas and the guy washed our windshield. Made a big difference...

Tomorrow we pick up our laundry and head off to San Cristobal de las Casas, which is a long way away so it's good we have a clean windshield. This historical city is in the mountains of Chiapas and looks like a good place to hang out so we are going to really push it and actually stay in a hotel for two nights in a row. Seems only right after doing laundry!

The donations keep coming in, thanks to those who have shared their wallets with those who so need it. You are the ones that keep us inpired and motivated - this has not been easy or exactly fun! Tonight was actually the first time we got to experience something that tourists go to do, and boy was it welcome! So please help keep us motivated, and keep yourself happy be going to www.lampcharity.org/donate and make your contribution now if you haven't so generaously already done so.

Day 7 - Finally Made it to Jalapa!

Well, on the Mexico map it's Jalapa, but on all the road signs here it is more accurately spelled Xalapa (pronounced the same as Jalapa). So now it's our second day in Mexico, and our opinion of the roads here changed dramatically today. Drove just over 300 miles and it took over 10 hours! Trucks, potholes, road construction, trucks (really long ones hauling two 40 foot trailers each), truck accidents, speed bumps, trucks going r-e-a-l-l-l-y slow over speed bumps, well you get the message. So you can understand why we needed to stop for a beer break after 6 hours on the road (not to mention the view was great).

The scenery was quite beautiful and would have been even better if the weather was not lousy (cloudy, drizzly). It looks a lot like the highland parts of Guatemala, very green and forested with trees like Ceibas.

I forgot to mention that last night we were in Tampico. That was not an exciting city to spend the night but when you get to your destination after 7 each night you don't have time to get exceited. Tonight we got into Xalapa about 8 pm, and GPS Ginnie kind of by accident actually got us to drive by our hotel, which is in the center of Xalapa. Problem is this city is old, has very narrow streets, no parking and LOTS of traffic. Went by the hotel the first time after barely noticing it, and nowhere to park. Can't exactly go around the block here since it is very up and down and mostly (non-posted) one way streets. So we spent two more go-arounds the center of the city before we finally found a place to stash Old Red and check in to the hotel. What's another 45 minutes of sitting in absolute bumper to bumper traffic after 10 hours on really bumpy roads? I am beat...

The city here (at least what we can see in the drizzly night) looks very interesting and historic. Tomorrow we'll get some pics and post them.

Oh, and we only got pulled over once for a papers check...

Looking for an easy Christmas gift for someone hard to buy for? Donate to www.lampcharity.org/donate in lieu of buying something that probably will be regifted and you will make yourself and your recipient feel good, and you just may help save a life in Guatemala.

Tomorrow off to Vera Cruz...

Dia 6 - En Mexico!

Well, almost in Mexico... We kind of screwed up this morning. Asked the gal at the hotel what time we should croos the border; she said EARLY. So there we were going over the Rio Grande at 6:30 this morning - very light traffic, paid the toll to cross, hit the Mexiacan side and no one asked us to to stop so on we went, pleased as punch. Much to our chagrin, about an hour later we go stopped at a customs inspection station on the road to Tampico and the gentlemen their asked for our papers. What papers, we asked of him. Like, for your vehicle and your person. Of course we had none so he says you gotta go back to the bridge, which means back to the border. Turns us around and back we go to the border, only to have to pay the bridge toll again and reenter the US only to get inspected by the agents because we told the we had some pears we had picked up at the hotel for breakfast. Then back to the bridge only to pay the toll yet again and then taking about an hour and change to get our papers in order. Next time a little more investigation instead of jujst asking somebody...

So back on the road around 10 am in earnest. Very flat and agricultural in the beginning but the scenery changed to something I am more familiar with. Good thing was the roads were in great condition and faster than we expected. Out rip today was somewhat over 300 miles and the Internet said it would take about 9 hours! Well, we made it after our morning delay in about 6 hours - apparently speed limits here are merely suggestions, and noone seems to take the hint. Oh, and you need to learn how to drive on their roads quickly or you won't survive - luckily they build their roads basically three lanes wide so as to accomodate the constant passing that goes on.

We hit a long stretch that is just like an area near Jalapa - about 30 miles away named Jutiapa. Semi-arid in the dry season but quite nice this time of year. We also saw an area that hosted a number of palm trees, and one valley that had so many I swear it was a palm forest. Quite incredible and something we have never seen before.

The weather was fantastic today with long clear vistas this afternoon and a beautiful full moon this morning. Not a bad way to spend a day until... Twice we got pulled over by the cops at check points to have our papers checked. Mostly they want to make sure the vehicle isn't stolen. like we're gonna steal a 19 year old truck and drive it to Mexico... Ruth got a great video of one of these cops saying she was taking his picture because he was so 'guapo' (handsome). I am going to try and post it tonight but the internet connection is pretty slow here...

Pictures are of the last time Old Red was in the US this morning while warming up and some of the great wide open landscape of this part of Mexico...

Tomorrow off to... well we'll let you know then. Meantime, if you haven't donated yet please go to www.lampcharity.org/donate and make whatever donation you can for the folks in Jalapa. And for those of you that have donated, THANKS and spread the word to those that need to! Also, we are greatly encouraged having you log on as a follower, we want to have it as full as possible even for those who peek in.

Saludos, Don and Ruth

p.s. and isn't the Internet cool?!?!

Day 5 - An even longer one

So we finally made it to the the Brownsville Texas/Matamoros Mexico border after a 600 mile drive. Total so far 2,374 miles and Old Red is chugging along without a hitch. Checked the oil again today and again none gone! Long, yucky day with rain the whole time (see photo). Tomorrow the real adventure starts as we head into Mexico. First day we go to Tampico on the gulf coast. Got about a 300 mile drive but the internet says it will take about 9 hours. Another sore butt day...

Donations are rolling in and we hope they increase a lot more! If you haven't donated yet, please take a few minutes and go to lampcharity.org/donate and do so now. It's quick and easy. If you already have, hurray for you and for LAMP and especially the people of Guatemala! Remember, all donations are tax deductible.

I know the pictures as of late have been rather meager, but I promise they will get better and we will have more of them.

Thanks for following our blog and please pass the word along...