SWITCHING TO NEW BLOG

I have started a new Blog for our 2008 / 2009 Winter in Mexico. It is called "Croft's Mexico". The old Blog will stay here and will archive our adventures over 2007 / 2008. This one is getting very full. If you have the Blog Bookmarked, now is the time to change it or add the new one.

We will be leaving Campbell River on October 25 to catch the Port Angeles Ferry from Victoria on the 26th. We will head down to Yuma for a few days to buy new batteries for the RV and to catch up with some old friends. We will cross the border into Mexico shortly after November 1. Please join us on this trip at:

http://croftsmexico.blogspot.com/

Time to Leave

We had a little hail storm, complete with thunder and lightening last night. It is time to head South!!!

Windproof Satelite Dish Mount

As readers of my Blog will recall, we had a problem last year in Mexico when our StarChoice tripod blew over in the wind, breaking the arm off the dish. It took a long time to repair it and in the meantime we had to rely on the generosity of neighbours to share their dish with us. This was not a perfect solution as sometimes there was no other StarChoice dish within the range of my cable and other people are always coming and going.

I found plans for this ground level dish mount on the Internet and decided to build one. It was very simple to build using some inexpensive inch and a half PVC pipe and connectors. Because of the very low center of gravity, it should survive high winds while staying firmly on the ground. I took the opportunity to upgrade to the larger dish to help find and pull in the weaker StarChoice signal in Southern Mexico.

This will be a huge relief as most travelers in Mexico have either had the same problem themselves or know someone who did. StarChoice dishes are impossible to replace in Mexico so the only option is to try to repair them. The repair we did was actually very good and the dish still works well. This one will be better.

Gas Prices

Here in Canada, Regular gas is selling for $1.16 CAN or $.97 USA per litre.

In the USA, it is selling for $3.00 / Gal or $.79 USA per litre.

In Mexico, Magna is $7.44 Pesos or $.59 USA per litre.

I have enough in the tank to make it to Washington State where I will fill up. I will remember to fill the tank before entering California where prices are much higher.

I like buying gas in Oregon because they have banned self-serve stations. They have done this simply by requiring a special license to pump gas. These are easy to get after a short safety course and the practice provides meaningful employment for tens of thousands of (mostly young) people in Oregon. My first job was pumping gas in a Chevron Station in Vancouver, BC in 1961. It was a good job and probably the most “fun” job I have ever had. I am still good friends with one of the people I worked with there!

The Dismal Dollar

The Canadian dollar seems to be in a free fall right now, having dropped another four cents today alone. The Peso is doing the same and the USA, the country with the collapsing economy is watching it's dollar doing well in relation to the other two. What is going on! When we bought the motorhome in April, the CAN dollar was at par with the USA. Today our Loonie is worth only eighty-five cents! When we were in Mexico last winter we could buy 10.5 Pesos for one CAN dollar, today that one CAN dollar will buy eleven Pesos so whatever has happened to the CAN dollar has pretty much happened to the Peso!

What is inflating the Yankee dollar remains a mystery. Maybe it is being artificially inflated by all the folks bailing out of the Stock Market and converting to cash. That might do it, but if this is what is doing it, it should reverse when things start to recover and people start using these dollars to buy back into the Market. I am not an economist but this seems to make sense. At least in my scenario there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Out My Office Window

Just a couple of shots of our neighbours taken out the window of my computer room / office! They live in the bush in the back of our property and drop over for a few flowers from the garden once in a while. I talk to them and my wife yells at them and chases them. They are getting a mixed message from this family.

Like the Mexican people used to own the Southwest United States, these deer used to own this property. Unlike some Americans, I welcome these former owners back for their periodic visits.

Tioga & George Passes Three Million Hits!

My friend George of the Blog “Tioga & George” will hit three million visitors to his Blog today! We met George down in Mazatlan last winter where he was boondocking on the beach. He is a very interesting guy with a very interesting life and if anyone wants to have a look at his website, here is the link: http://blog.vagabonders-supreme.net/

He has made a video to commemorate the occasion and has posted it today. Have a look at it and you might be lucky enough to be visitor #3,000,000,000

The War in Mexico

On the evening of the 15th of September there was a cowardly grenade attack on a happy crowd in Morelia out celebrating the proudest day in Mexican history, Independence Day! 107 innocent people were injured and 8 died. Morelia is the home town of the President of Mexico so there is every indication that a message was being sent. It has always angered me to hear people constantly telling us that Mexico is unsafe and that they would never go there. In my mind it has always been one Drug Gang killing off another Drug Gang and I knew it was unlikely to affect my safety in the country I have grown to love. Let them go at it, I thought. This latest attack has widened the traditional field of victims in the drug war.

The Government quickly rounded up all the usual suspects but released them one at a time, unable to find the perpetrators. Hopefully it was a single loony trying to make an unclear statement or to excise some demon in his mind. This happens all over the world every day. The attacks were not repeated so the idea of a conspiracy seems more remote.

I hope it wasn't but if it was part of the drug war, what can be done about it? The quick solution would be legalization of drugs on both sides of the border. Failing that, the USA Border Patrol should start pointing their guns the other way, at the people buying all the drugs that cross the border and financing the killings in Mexico.

Although federal officials are still uncertain, I fear that all this recent violence is in one way or another a part of the current drug war. Will it affect our travel in Mexico? No, but we will continue to be aware of where we are and what is going on around us. We do not use drugs or associate with people who do so we will never (at least knowingly) be around people who could be the perpetrators or victims of these attacks so we will be as safe as we can be under the circumstances.

When we went with our friend Les to Juarez to buy glasses earlier this year, we made a pact. If any one of us felt uneasy, we would immediatly leave, no questions asked. I think that is a good rule when visiting any unfamiliar area.

We live in dangerous times but Mexico is no more dangerous than anywhere else. Buildings are being blown up in the USA, subways are being bombed in London, trains in Spain, the list is long. If we stayed away from all these countries, we would never go anywhere and that is not an acceptable option for us.

September 28, 2008 Edit:

Three men, all members of the East Coast drug cartel Los Zetas, have been arrested and have confessed to the bombings.

Trik-L-Start Installed

When we brought the new motorhome home, it sat parked for a couple of weeks. When I tried to start it the battery was dead. I could find no obvious reason for this and the battery had been replaced when we bought the rig in April. I charged the battery and all seemed to be well but I was still concerned. I had a small 1.5 amp solar charger that I placed on the dash and plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. That kept everything charged as long as the sun hit the dash for a few hours each day. However, this would not be too convenient when we are camping as we might be parked in the shade or facing the wrong way for extended periods of time.

I then discovered the Trik-L-Start. It is a small electronic device that is wired to both the coach battery and the start battery. It provides a small charge to the start battery when the coach battery is being charged which because of the new solar panels is pretty constant. As soon as I completed the wiring (I hard wired it in instead of using the included battery clips) the “Charging” LED came on. After an hour or so it switched to “Maintaining”. Now my life is even easier!

Only five weeks until we leave for Mexico!

Mexican Independence Day

To all our Amigos Mexicanos:

This is the day to remember your History and to be with your families. You have a beautiful Country and have much to be proud of!

Este es el día para recordar su historia y para estar con sus familias. Tiene un hermoso país y tienen mucho de que enorgullecerse!

Feliz 16 de Septiembre:
El Grito de Independencia

Solar Panel Installation

I have been wanting to install solar panels on the new motorhome since we bought it in April. Our needs are very low, just enough to keep the batteries topped off while it is parked and to allow us to boondock for a couple of days at the most. Canadian prices for solar panels are about double the USA prices so we had decided to wait until we are in the States. I then found a deal at Costco’s online site for four 15 Watt panels complete with all the wiring, a controller and an inverter for $318, shipping included. This was a pretty good deal so I ordered it.

Yesterday I finished the installation. I stole the design from "Stan" on the Escapees RV Forums and it looks pretty good. Thanks Stan! I had to buy some aluminum angle to mount the panels and I passed the wires down the fridge vent and into the battery compartment. I checked the batteries early this morning and they were sitting at 12.8 volts and right now, after about three hours of sun, they are at 13.5 volts so everything is working! Free power from the sun!

We Are Getting Closer!

The clock is slowly ticking along and I am getting very anxious to leave! The Dometic fridge in the motorhome was recalled and I took it in for repairs today. They installed a kit that consisted mainly of three sheets of metal that surround the burner.  I understand the boiler tube can fail under some conditions and this modification will prevent a fire if that happens.

Most Expensive Campground

I was just starting to do a little pre-planing for the Winter and noticed that the best waterfront sites in San Diego's Campland On The Bay are going for $283 PER NIGHT this year! USA dollars, not Pesos! WalMart is looking better all the time!

Eagle Saga On The Beach

Something was happening with our nesting pair of Bald Eagles today. I was painting the house and noticed cars stopping on the road in front of our house to look at something on the beach. I went to look and saw the pair of eagles on a rock in the water. This is unusual in itself as they usually hunt separately. Watching them for a while I noticed another eagle, this one without the telltale white (Bald) head in the water near the rock.

I assumed it must be their young because immature Bald Eagles do not have a white head. As I watched, the third eagle climbed onto the rock with them and after it stood there for a minute, one of the adults pushed it back into the water and both adults flew away, one to another rock and the second to a nearby tree where they sat watching. The third eagle climbed back up onto the rock where it stood alone, wings spread drying in the sun. I thought maybe the adults were teaching the young one to swim or fish or else simply trying to get it to leave the nest. I left them and went back to my painting.

Just a short time ago I noticed more vehicles stopping and when I went to investigate, found the third eagle sitting atop a very large rock on the beach beside the walkway. I took my camera down and snapped this photo of it. It is a huge, beautiful bird and to be allowed to approach this close is a privilege.

Twilight Rose

Our flower garden is starting to produce! I got this shot before the family of deer that share our property with us came down and ate it for desert…

My Thoughts On RV Caravans

Many people join Caravans for their first trip or two into Mexico and some keep traveling by caravan. They find the structured travel appealing to them and enjoy having someone else do all the mundane route planing. For them it works but for us, we do not like the “Today is Wednesday so this must be San Miguel” type of travel. We talked to people along the way who were on their ninth or tenth caravan so this must appeal to some travelers. Not us though!

When we first ventured into Mexico with the motorhome, we knew no Spanish and aside from a loose plan to visit my niece who has a condo in Mazatlan, had no fixed plans. We thought we might stay in the popular beach areas down the West Coast as the photos on the Internet looked nice and we thought it would be easier to get along without any Spanish. We just stumbled along day by day deciding where we were heading by looking at the map as we went. We made several side trips, one to Alamos which is a very pleasant little town a bit off the beaten path. This would not be possible in a caravan, nor would the several week stop we made in Mazatlan where our son decided at the last minute to fly down to visit us for Christmas. After Mazatlan we decided to abandon the beaches and head inland. The weather was a little too damp and cool for us.

In San Miguel we ran into a caravan parked in the same park as we were in and it reaffirmed everything I feared. It was run by a bossy woman who ran around assigning parking places to everyone. As soon as everyone was hooked up a meeting was held in the middle of the parking lot where the “plan” for the day was explained. This was repeated every morning for their entire three day stay which is nowhere near long enough to explore this beautiful area.

The caravan had a resident repairman/mechanic along to fix any problems that came up with the participants rigs. While they were in the park another RVer was having trouble with his water heater. The mechanic wandered past while the owner was working on it and soon they were both up to their armpits in the repair. A few minutes later the “bossy woman” who ran the caravan walked by, saw “her” mechanic working on a non participants RV and proceeded to loudly tell him off. She made it clear that he was only to work on participants rigs. No if’s, and’s or but’s! She stood there while he sheepishly picked up his tools and walked off with her, probably for a further scolding. She was probably afraid of what her charges, who were paying many thousands of dollars, would say if they saw him working for free. This is not how RVers behave! If someone is having a problem, everyone pitches in and helps! Tools, advice, spare parts and labour are freely shared. It is part of what makes our lifestyle so appealing.

Anyway, after a very hectic three days of tours and organized meals, there was a “drivers meeting” in the middle of the parking lot and they were off in a cloud of dust to their next destination. All the rest of us breathed a great sigh of relief and went back to our relaxing. This may not be the normal caravan and some may be a lot better but this was our only close experience with one and we did not like it. Good riddance to them!

We will continue to avoid caravans. We prefer to decide for ourselves what day we will take our side trips and go out for dinner. If we like a place, we just may decide to stay for an extra day or five and if we do not like it, we simply pack up and move on. People we meet along the way are always telling each other about neat places to visit and changes in plans are made all the time. RV travel is a fluid affair where you go as you please, when you please. I do not need the “bossy woman” telling me who I can talk to and what I am having for dinner.

Kiva – A Chance To Make A Difference

How can a retired Telephone Worker in Canada have a direct impact on the lives of a few Working Poor in Developing Nations? I think I have just found out how!

During our travels through Mexico we got to see first hand how people can create a thriving business and provide for their families with a very small initial investment. We saw a tiny business operating out of a stairwell, cutting up mixed fruit and selling it in plastic cups to people walking down the street. We saw tiny (two or three plastic table) Taco Stands doing a thriving business with nothing more than a small gas barbecue to cook on. There are countless other examples but the commonality between all of them is that only a very small initial investment is needed to get them operational and to break the cycle of poverty. It is hard for us to realize but a large percentage of the world’s families live on less than $5 per day.

Kiva http://www.kiva.org is a non-profit organization out of San Francisco that collects small ($25) “micro-loans” from individuals all over the world and passes the money to qualified people in Third World and Developing Countries. The people applying for these loans require very little. One woman in Africa wants a loan of $200 to buy tools and a truckload of logs that her husband will cut and split and she will sell in small bundles in her village. The cash earned will provide for their family, repay the loan and leave enough to buy another load of logs. This initial tiny $200 investment will provide productive jobs for two people and security for their whole family! A farmer in Peru needs a $250 loan to buy seed and fertilizer for his small field in order to increase production of the crops that he sells in the street market. Amazingly, the default rate for these loans is close to 0%. When you make a loan, you get to pick who it goes to. These people cannot go to a bank as they have no assets and no banking history.

I started out by making a $25 loan to Ama, a 38-year-old mother of five who operates a tiny neighborhood grocery store in Obuasi, Ghana. Her store is large enough to stock more items but she needed a $400 loan to purchase more goods to sell. This will greatly increase her income and allow her to pay for her children's education! She will pay the money back over eight months. Not bad for $25.

My second $25 loan was to Marleni, a 29 year old single woman in Ayacucho, Peru selling cosmetics and children's clothes on the street. She needed a $700 loan to purchase stock. She will repay the money over four months. Her dream is to someday open a Beauty Shop. For the price of a meal out I helped her towards her dream.

When these loans are repaid I will be notified and will have the opportunity to either withdraw the money or to reinvest it in other small businesses. The transactions are handled by PayPal, which has waived their normal fees as their contribution to Kiva. I am paid no interest for these loans but I get the pleasure of knowing I made a difference.

Please have a look at the website at http://www.kiva.org. If it fits in with what you would like to do, give it a try.

Happy Fathers Day! or, Feliz Dia del Padre!

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. Here is me and my dad in Edmonton, Alberta in1947.

Where We Live

 

I am still experimenting with Windows Live Writer….

Second Test

This test is to see if there is a limit to the number of photos that can be added at once using Windows Live Writer. Picasa has a limit of four. These are some of the “Doors Of San Miguel”.

Great! There does not seem to be a limit!

Testing Windows Live Writer

I just downloaded Windows Live Writer, a program that is designed to make it easier to make Blog entries including adding photos. I am just trying out some of the features and will add couple of photos from my wife’s flower garden.

Note: It took a little editing in Blogger to get the wording and the photos laid out correctly but overall I like the program. It is an easier way to post photos.

Simply The Best

Croft --

I'm about to take the stage in St. Paul and announce that we have won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

It's been a long journey, and we should all pause to thank Hillary Clinton, who made history in this campaign. Our party and our country are better off because of her.

I want to make sure you understand what's ahead of us. Earlier tonight, John McCain outlined a vision of America that's very different from ours -- a vision that continues the disastrous policies of George W. Bush.

But this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past and bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

It's going to take hard work, but thanks to you and millions of other donors and volunteers, no one has ever been more prepared for such a challenge.

Thank you for everything you've done to get us here. Let's keep making history.

Barack

Time To Wind The Blog Down For Now

The title of this Blog is "Croft's Travels" and we are no longer traveling. We will be home for a while getting ready for the next adventure. I have gotten permission from ICBC to repair the minor damage to the Motorhome and that will be completed soon. The rig is too large to fit in most paint booths so I am having it done at a boar repair facility here in Campbell River where they assure me matching the paint will be no problem. As they regularly work on million dollar boats, I believe them.

We will be taking the granddaughters to the Okanagan in August and, along with an old friend of ours who has a charter business there, will teach them to sail. We are looking forward to that as well as next winter which we will also spend in Mexico.

I will reactivate the Blog for the sailing lessons and then again for our return trip to Mexico!

It has been fun and has given me a chance to tune up my writing abilities. I spend a lot of time checking the old entries and re-living the trip. I enjoy all the comments and read them over and over. I will check the Blog periodically for more of them. Have a good summer and we will meet again soon! Thank you all for staying with me and I hope I have inspired some of you to explore Mexico. It is a wonderful Country!

Croft

Repair Woes...........

It never seems to end. I got the insurance claim number from the neighbour who dented the motorhome and called ICBC to see what my next step would be. I was told that she is now denying that she ran into me! The dents on the motorhome match up exactly to the bumper of her Ford Ranger, four of us saw her do it and now there will be an "investigation". I have an appointment on Tuesday to tell my side of the story so I will have to take photos and measurements to prove my case. This could easily go on for a month - all for what I would think is less than $200 in damage! At least the damaged panel is aluminum and will not rust while we are playing our silly games. I could just forget about it and wait until we go to Mexico and have it repaired there for almost nothing but it has now become a battle of wits, and in this "Battle Of Wits" they are taking on a "Half Armed" man!

Home Free!

Well, not quite free! The 5% Federal and 7% Provincial Sales Taxes are paid, insurance is paid, registration is complete and the temporary Texas Plates are off! I added a Daylight Running switch to the headlights to conform to Canadian Law and the Tioga is now legal! Now I start the little jobs that have to be done to make it comfortable like adding a solar panel and controller, wiring a cable to bring the Satellite signal in and replacing a troublesome lock on a small outside door. I will be adding to this list as I go. I also have to take out a lot of the "stuff" that accumulated in the old rig over the years that never gets used but adds a lot of weight and takes up space.

Then I have to get it down to the body shop to repair a pushed in aluminum door on one of the basement compartments where a neighbour greeted us home by backing her car into the motorhome! She evidently had been using our driveway as a turn around spot while we were gone and didn't notice the motorhome parked there! There is not much damage but it is the first blemish on the rig so I want it fixed. Paint matching will be the problem, I am sure.

The Old And The New

The Old: 1994 Tioga, Chevy 454 Chassis, 29 feet, no slide, 140,000 miles

The New: 2005 Tioga, Ford V-10 Chassis, 31 feet, Kitchen / Living Room slide, 4,500 miles

Registering the Motorhome in BC

We are home now and in a bit of a holding pattern. We cannot buy plates for the motorhome until the RIV (Registrar Of Imported Vehicles) fee is paid and a "Form 2" is issued for the motorhome and dolly. We paid online and we should be processed by Tuesday and the Form2 emailed to us. At that point we go to Canadian Tire and have the Federal Inspection done. There also has to be a Provincial Inspection done but I believe the Insurance Agent does that prior to issuing plates. I think it simply involves confirming the VIN numbers on the paperwork match those on the vehicle. In the meantime, it is parked in the driveway and cannot be moved......

Border Crossing

Well, that was a piece of cake! We showed up at the USA Customs a couple of hours before the ferry sailed. All they wanted to see was Proof of Purchase and the Titles to the motorhome and Dolly. They stamped both Titles as being exported and we were on our way. No muss, no fuss and no fees!

On the BC Side of the water, basically the same thing happened. Proof of ownership and Title was required and then they helped us fill out a "Form 1". We then paid the GST and another $100 fee and we were on our way. We still have to wait for a form to be mailed back to us before we can put Canadian plates on it. We also have to have the propane re-certified and the Daylight Headlight Switch installed. It will be a while yet so the Saga Continues....

Getting Papers In Order

We are in an RV Park near the Port Angeles Ferry. We are making sure we have all the required documentation ready for when we board the 2:00 PM Ferry to Victoria tomorrow. We have to export the motorhome and dolly from the USA and import them into Canada. We then have a limited amount of time to have the propane re-certified and the headlights modified to Canadian Standards. In Canada headlights must come on automatically when the vehicle is started.

I am sure everything will go smoothly but I feel like I am back in High School getting ready to give a report.

We topped off the gas and propane tanks with cheap (cheaper than Canada anyway) USA products, listed all our purchases and arranged the cupboards in case Customs wants to have a look. I hope I remembered everything as we have been away since November 1, 2007!

Driving Home

We have been "boondocking" the past few nights on our way home so have been out of touch. Tonight we are in La Grande, Oregon in a Wal Mart parking lot and I HAVE WIFI!!! It might be coming from a Radio Shack about 100 feet away. No way to tell! It is very cold here and we ran into a little falling snow a few miles back. The furnace will get tested tonight!

To catch up:

The cheque from the Insurance company arrived at the repair shop the same day we went to pick up the motorhome. Now that is good service! I put the repairs on my credit card and will pay them off with the insurance cheque when we get home.

We finally got everything transfered over to the new motorhome and left El Paso, picking up the new dolly in Las Cruces, NM. I have never had electric brakes before and have been having a hard time setting things up. Every once in a while the dolly brakes lock up, causing my heart to beat rapidly and leaving a nice smoke trail behind.

My first thoughts on the new motorhome are that it is much more comfortable to live in than the old one, thanks to the slide and extra two foot length. The handling, however, is another story. It really sways in high winds and when being passed by semi's. The Cruise Control is a lot different that the Chevy. It wants to gear down way more often, both going up and downhill. It will not let you gain speed downhill to make the next uphill easier. Instead, it does everything it can to maintain speed uphill, sometimes going down to second gear and revving up to 5000 RPM at about 45 MPH! Now that gets your attention. My son thinks the swaying can be improved with the addition of an additional leaf to the rear springs. I guess I was spoiled by the extra heavy duty frame and larger tires under the old rig.

The Ford V-10's gas consumption seems a lot worse than the Chevy 454. This is probably contributed to by the Cruise Control problem. I am told I can replace the electronic "Chip". I will investigate this when I get home. It may help the Cruise Control problem.

It is a little early to pass judgment too hard as I have only driven it a thousand miles or so. My mind is still open......

I just did my mileage calculations. The three tankfulls I have put in it so far have yielded 5.1, 7 and 7.5 MPG. The difference is explained by the mountainous terrain and perhaps that for the last tank I took it off Cruise Control whenever I saw a hill coming up.

Moving Day Part 3

The repairs on the old motorhome are finally completed. We drove over to inspect the roof and it passed the "hose for ten minutes" test. We intended to move the old rig over to the Camping World free overnight area where the new rig is parked to start the process of moving everything over prior to putting the old one in storage for our son to pick up in May.

The repair shop then told us that it would not release the old motorhome until they were paid. The letter we got from the Insurance Company clearly stated that we pay the repair shop only the $500 deductible and the insurance Company will mail them the balance. Well, they were having nothing to do with that. They wanted the money or they were keeping the motorhome and the cheque could take a month to get to them. So... Out came the Visa Card again and the $4500 roof repair went on it. They solemnly promised to endorse the cheque when it comes in and to mail it to us in Canada. They better!

The new motorhome is bigger and has tons of basement storage which the old one did not have but we can't get everything to fit! We threw out a bunch of stuff and will send more home in the old motorhome. It probably did not help that Norma bought a new barbecue. It will take the place of the tables that used to ride in the back seat of the car that now have their own storage bin. The StarChoice dish will still have to ride in the passenger seat of the Honda.

Tonight we start moving clothing out of the old rig and into the new bedroom. That should be fun!!

We Bought a New Car Dolly

We are still waiting for them to find the Title to the new motorhome. It is not such a big deal here in the USA and many owners never get the actual Title document. Canadians however cannot buy insurance on the rig until we FAX the Title up to Canada so we are stuck here in the dealer's parking lot. No problem as the old motorhome is still in the repair shop until Saturday so we would be stuck here anyway and this way we get free parking. Well, free except for Norma's continuous trips into the Camping World Store.......

We decided to buy a new Car Dolly to tow the old Honda with. The old dolly was still OK but it has no brakes on it and so was technically illegal in many States and in BC. Camping World sells dollys but theirs are a little too expensive for us so we found a new Master Tow dolly with electric brakes at Sunland RV about 50 miles up the road in Las Cruces, New Mexico for $1700. Everything will be shiny and new! We are getting a brake controller installed in the motorhome as we speak. As well as a new Fantastic Fan and a propane take-off and two ceiling vent covers........$$$$$$$....$$$

Moving Day Part 2

Waiting for Money Transfer from Canada...........
Waiting for Pre Delivery Cleaning...................
Waiting for Documentation...................
Norma not happy with Pre Delivery Cleaning...................
Waiting for Pre Delivery Cleaning.....................

Day 3

Service department lost an important screw...................
Looking for screw................
Found screw...................
Can't find the Title Document...........................
Found Title in California......................
Waiting for Overnight Delivery of Title....................
Norma still not happy with Pre Delivery Cleaning................
Norma decided to clean it herself as "men" don't know how to clean..............
Waiting for money transfer from Canada..........................
Croft going out for coffee........................

Moving Day Part 1

Today we spent emptying the old motorhome and putting everything into a storage area the RV Park owners kindly provided. There was more "stuff" in it than there has been in some of the small apartments we have rented in our youth! We will have to do something to reduce the load as we would never get past a weigh scale!

We do not take possession of the new motorhome until Tuesday or Wednesday but because the old motorhome goes into the shop Monday morning for a week, Camping World Sales is letting us move into the new unit Monday. We will boondock in their parking lot until the wired cash reaches Texas (how long can that take?) and the title can be signed over. This was very kind of Camping World as it will save us a couple of nights in a hotel.

We Bought A Motorhome!

We finally replaced the old motorhome! We bought a 2005 Tioga Class C, 31 foot, Model 31K, on a V-10 Ford E450 Chassis in "as new" condition here in El Paso, Texas. It is exceptionally clean, and has only 4,400 miles on the odometer! Norma says the kitchen appliances look unused. The kitchen / living room slide will give us almost double the usable space of the old unit and it is still small enough to handle Mexican roads and campgrounds with ease.

We got a call from J.P. at Camping World Sales, the same place we looked at the Monaco, telling us that a unit had just come in that we should see. It had not even been washed yet but we were the first ones to look at it and we liked it right away. It drives much like the old one so I was very comfortable with it and the big V-10 will pull the car with no problem. Unlike the Monaco, we do not have to stretch our budget to handle this one. They are checking everything out and getting it ready for us today and they will store the old motorhome until our son (the new owner) can fly down to pick it up. Once again, it was a pleasure to deal with J.P. and the Sales staff at El Paso's Camping World. Unlike Canadian RV salesmen, they are not high pressure down here.

We go back this morning to pay for it.

The Dreamer

On April 4, 1968, forty years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. The Dreamer was dead. Something died in all of us that day. I was 22, living in Vancouver, BC and just beginning to form some of the activist ideals that would stay with me to this day. I had watched the Civil Rights struggle from so many miles and so many worlds away. I was the colour of the oppressor but identified with the oppressed. I was ashamed of my colour and ashamed of myself for sitting back and doing nothing to correct so obvious a wrong.

The assassinations of John, Martin and Bobby in such a short period of time changed everything forever. Simple idealism was no longer enough. Dedication to a cause suddenly became much more of a commitment than before and the “Right Wing Conspiracy” was no longer just a theory.

The Dreamer is dead but the Dream is alive. We see it every day lately in people like Obama and others. The first tentative steps have been taken but there is so far yet to go…..

I am buying a GPS

When our friend Les caught up with us here in El Paso, he arrived with a GPS and glowing recommendations about how well it worked for him. The three of us went out for dinner and tested the GPS's ability to find our way home after dinner. A female voice warned me of every turn along the way and got us home.

I decided I need one of these toys so I started researching on the Internet and decided on a Garmin 260. It is the lowest of the Garmin line that comes with full North American maps included. It does not include Mexico maps but they may be purchased separately.

The price of these units here in El Paso varies all over the map. Fry's is the lowest at $220 but has no local store and their mail order is a nightmare. Circuit City is the highest at $389 (don't they ever do comparative shopping?). Wal Mart has them in the store for $279 and online for $233. I tried to order one from Walmart.com but found they will not sell to anyone without a USA bank issued credit card and a USA address! I got around this by going to the store, buying a Gift Card for myself and using the Gift Card to order online. I don't know why they do not like to sell to Canadians but my sneaky method worked and it will be delivered to the local store for me to pick up in a week or so. I will never be lost again!

Roof Repairs!

Our insurance claim for the "tunnel" damage to the motorhome roof was approved! We have moved to a small RV Park attached to the repair facility here in El Paso, the roof has been measured and parts ordered. We will be getting a complete new rubber roof! It will take three days to get the parts and five days to make repairs. I will keep you informed.

Nothin' Says Texas Like

Lone Star Beer!

Rosa's Cantina

Today I checked one more thing off my "Things To Do List"! We tracked down Rosa's Cantina from the famous Marty Robbins song "El Paso" in El Paso, Texas. Yes, Rosa's has a Back Door, but no waiting horses. At least not when we were there.
Here is yours truly enjoying a "Wobbly Pop" in Rosa's Cantina.
Croft, Norma and our friend Les from Vancouver Island who caught up to us here after his own winter in Mexico. It was a great reunion. We went over to Ciudad Juarez earlier today where Norma and Les bought new glasses at Opticas Devlyn. The service was great there, the price was right and the glasses were ready in two hours!

Cattleman's Steakhouse Experience

As everyone knows, Texans like everything BIG and their meals are no exception! Tonight we went with our friend Les to the Cattleman's Steakhouse. It is located on a huge working ranch about 25 miles East of El Paso and is well worth a visit. The food is delicious and the portions huge! Norma had the Rib Eye, I had Swordfish done to perfection and here is our friend Les about to bite into the first of his pile of Ribs! The ranch even provides free overnight RV parking for it's customers so if you plan on eating until you cannot move, bring the motorhome along, y'all will be welcome !

El Paso's Mission Trail

El Paso has a series of Missions dating back to 1620. Today we drove the "Mission Trail" with our friend Les. The Missions are quite close together in both age and location but are very different in their architecture. Like Mexico, The Southern United States, which used to be part of Mexico, has many remarkable old buildings.

Essential Resourses for Mexico

These four books are absolutely essential for touring Mexico as we did. First is the Church's "Traveler's Guide To Mexican Camping" Every Mexican RV'er has one and every one is as dog eared as mine. It describes and gives the location and price of every RV Park in Mexico and is very accurate. Amazon .ca (Amazon.com) has them. On the road it is known as "The Bible", Don't leave home without it.
Next is the Guia Roji Road Map Book. You can find this at any OXXO Store in Mexico. Many Pemex Gas Stations have an OXXO alongside. They cost $190 Pesos or about $18 CAN. It is "THE" Mexican road map book!
This is the Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico. You can order it from Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca) before you leave. We also bought the Fromers guide but it only covers the large cities. Lonely Planet Guide has all cities and villages. Their hotel recommendations are spot-on and the prices quoted are accurate.
Have an English / Spanish dictionary with you all the time. You will find that in the interior of Mexico very few people speak any English at all. You will need to carry the book with you so don't buy one that will not fit in your pocket. If you are trying to read a menu the book will do you no good back in the motorhome or hotel! This one is put out by Lonely Planet and is good, but there are many others. Just make sure it fits in your back pocket. Maybe even have two for when you loose one.

What Did It Cost?

I tracked all our expenses in Mexico. I did not include our costs from Canada to the Mexico/USA border, nor did I include vehicle maintenance and repairs as these would occur anyway. I also subtracted $1000 from the total to reflect the refund I will get from my Provincial Vehicle Insurance after I prove I was out of the Country and had alternate insurance. The first figure is total, the second is per day (144 days). Sorry I cannot seem to do this in proper table format:

Fuel - Motorhome.................... $975 ($6.77 per day)

Fuel - Honda.............................. $368 ($2.55 per day)

RV Parks...................................... $2217 ($15.39 per day) - We boondocked a few nights in grocery store parking lots and Pemex Stations (maybe 10 nights total)

Groceries..................................... $2255 ($15.66 per day) - We entertained a lot, includes soap, TP and maybe a little liquor snuck in here although I tried to separate it.

Liquor........................................... $795 ($5.52 per day) - We entertained a lot and booze in Mexico is cheaper than in Canada but more than in the USA.

Hotels............................................ $345 - 7 nights (Guanajuato, Veracruz)

Taxis.............................................. $151 - Exploring Centros where parking is bad

Highway Tolls............................ $491 - No Comment!

Dining Out / Entertainment.... $3375 ($23.44 per day) - Average one meal out per day and many cervesas in sidewalk cafes.

Communications........................... $105 ($0.75 per Day) - SIM Card, Prepaid Cell Card, LD Card, Skype, WIFI charges a few times

Mex. Vehicle Insurance.............. $330 ($2.29 per day) - Motorhome, Honda, Dolly for 6 months.

Travel Health Insurance............ $1211 ($8.41 per day)

Totals........................................ $11,578 ($80.40 per day)... Try that in hotels and restaurants for almost five months!

The total is $11,578 for 144 days or, $80.40 per day! We did not hold back on anything. We ate well, tried to explore every day, entertained, and dined out an average of once per day. We took cabs downtown wherever the parking was bad. We left the motorhome and stayed in hotels for 7 nights

Monaco Coach (Wishful Thinking)

We are looking at a 2006 30 foot Monaco Class A coach here in El Paso, Texas. It is in beautiful, "as new" shape, has only 9,900 miles on it and is priced so that a deal might be there. It is at the absolute top end of what we planned to spend but there are many reasons why they might drop their asking price. Monaco is definitely one of the better quality coaches made. It has aluminum sides and a solid fiberglass roof - a big improvement, and is importable into Canada duty free. We have an appointment tomorrow morning to test drive it and I will let you know what happens. It would certainly make us a higher class of "Trailer Trash".

Update: We could not reach a deal. I depreciated the original MSRP for three years and made that offer. They said it was below wholesale and refused it. We ended up $3000 apart. We will keep looking.

I must add that working with J.P. and the Sales staff at Camping World in El Paso was a pleasant experience. They are not high pressure at all. We just agreed that I could (would) not go any higher and they could (would) not come any lower. We shook hands and parted on friendly terms.

Welcome Back to the USA

We crossed the border this morning back into the USA. The crossing was uneventful. The guard inspected our Passports and asked if we had fruit or vegetables. He took an apple off us but let us keep the limes which are legal now but were taken off us last year. He then asked if we had any liquor and I told him several bottles partly full but no sealed bottles and he was happy with that. He waved us through without an inspection. We must look honest.

We arrived in El Paso, Texas (our first time in Texas!), checked into the Mission RV Park and went for breakfast at the local IHOP. The meal was fine but two things really struck us. First, a child started screaming soon after we sat down. This startled both of us as in five months in Mexico we had never heard a child scream anywhere except in play. I guess Mexicans take care of their children. The second thing was when the waitress dropped off our bill before we had finished eating. This also never happens in Mexico where it is considered extremely rude to give a customer a bill before he asks for it. The rule in Mexico is; when you sit at a table, that table is yours until you ask for, "La cuenta, por favor".

While we in the restaurant we talked to three people and mentioned that we had just returned from five months in Mexico. Two of the three commented that it was very dangerous in Mexico and asked if we had any trouble there. I answered that I had felt more threatened in the past two hours in the USA than I had in five months in Mexico and that is not an exaggeration. All three of these people were obviously of Mexican heritage. Welcome back to the "Bush Politics of Fear", Croft and Norma.

Mexican Ambulances

As we left the Migration Office at Kilometer 30 of Highway 45 after turning in our Temporary Vehicle Importation Hologramas and our Tourist Cards, we passed by an ambulance parked beside the building awaiting a call. The door was open so we said “Buenas Tardes” to the driver who responded in perfect English. He wanted to know where we lived and what we thought of his Country. He introduced the man beside him as a Doctor. That set me back as I know Canadian and American ambulances do not come equipped with a Doctor. I asked him if all Mexican Ambulances had a Doctor riding along and was told “all the time on certain highways and on others just on busy holidays”. This is just one more of the very progressive services they provide down here. It is amazing what Governments can fund when they are not paying billions to have troops out killing innocent people in all corners of the world!

Motorhome Repair Confusion

When the Insurance Adjuster in San Miguel de Allende looked at the damage to the roof of the motorhome he told us that they would cover the repairs (less $500 USA deductible) but the work had to be done in Mexico near the USA border. Fair enough, it is their money. He asked where we were crossing into the USA and we told him Ciudad Juarez. He then gave us the name and number of their agent in Texas and told us to call him when we got near Ciudad Juarez and he would find a place to make the repairs and set up an appointment. All well and good but as luck would have it we arrived in Chihuahua, the closest city to Juarez with an RV Park, on Good Friday! Not a good day to find Insurance Agents working. We stuck around Chihuahua and on Monday called our contact. All we got was his answering machine and no call back. He must have taken a four day weekend. Good for him.

Tuesday morning we finally contacted him. He looked up our file and told us to call him back when we got to the USA because nobody in Mexico was approved to do RV repairs! It is now Tuesday night and we are parked near a Pemex gas station outside Ciudad Juarez for the night after paying the Security Guard a fifty peso tip to watch over us. As I don’t believe in God praying would be fairly pointless, but I sure hope it doesn’t rain! With the duct tape covered gash in the roof I am sure we would be flooded out. Next stop, El Paso, Texas and hopefully a repaired roof. Report to follow.

Thoughts On Leaving Mexico

We are very sad to be leaving Mexico. It is like leaving family. We had a fantastic winter here, saw so many great sights and met hundreds of interesting, friendly people. As we thank and say goodbye to perfect strangers, they all want to know how we liked Mexico. They are very proud of their Country and like to hear our impressions and we love to share our feelings. In our five months here we never felt threatened even once or had one unhappy experience. Well, maybe when I ripped the roof open in Guanajuato…. But that was my own stupidity. I never thought my Mexican RV Insurance would cover stupidity but apparently it does!

Museo de la Revolution Mexicana or, Pancho Villa’s Museum

Today we visited Quinta Luz, the Museo de la Revolution here in the City of Chihuahua. Quinta Luz is the mansion Pancho Villa used as his house and offices after his appointment as Provisional Governor of the State of Chihuahua. It is a huge mansion near the historic Centro and is filled with furniture, clothing, saddles and other itemsl used by the General. After Pancho’s death in 1923, Luz Corral de Villa, the only one of a hilariously long list of Villa’s “wives” determined by the Courts to be his legal spouse, was allowed to stay in the house to live out the remainder of her life. When she died in 1981 the Government re-acquired the Estate and turned it into a museum of Francesco “Pancho” Villa’s life.

The most bizarre item on display is the bullet riddled 1922 Dodge Touring Car that Villa was riding in when he was assassinated on July 20, 1923. As he drove away from his bank in nearby Parral that day, Villa was attacked by eight men firing rifles from the second floor of a nearby house. Five of the seven men in the car were killed, including the Generalissimo. One of the survivors remembered Villa’s last words as, “Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something important!” It has never been determined who ordered his murder.

A little side note. In a restaurant on Highway 45 we saw a very imposing painting of Pancho Villa. Under it was the inscription: “Pancho Villa, The Only Man Brave Enough to Invade the USA!”

Zona Del Silencio

OK, here it is. I know I am risking my credibility but here we go:

I believe in UFO’s.

There, I said it. I’m “out”. I am not so conceited as to think that our Earth is the only grain of sand on the beach to harbor “Life”. I know there has to be “others out there”. I am just waiting for them to drop by to say, “Buenas Dias”.

Today we passed beside the Zona del Silencio or, Zone of Silence. It is a barren area of land at the point where the Mexican States of Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila meet. It is an area of mysterious happenings where radio signals are blocked, an extraordinarily high number of meteorites fall and UFO’s are reported to land. While we did not go there because it is at the end of a 90 Km dirt road requiring a four wheel drive vehicle, we did boondock near the edge of it and left the blinds open all night. I would like to say that I had my first “sighting” that night, but I did not. Oh well, maybe next time.

The StarChoice Dish Repair

We finally gave up looking for a carpenter’s shop to get a wedge of 2x4 cut to repair the StarChoice dish. We had been watching the side of the road for telltale signs like piles of wood, signs, etc. but had found no trace of any. Yesterday morning one of the hotel maintenance guys was working outside out motorhome so I went to chat with him. I asked him if he would be willing to do a small repair for us and that we would pay him for it. He said “No problem”. I showed him the broken dish and a traced pattern of the required piece of wood, telling him we simply needed a piece cut accurately from a 2x4 and that we would do the rest. At home this would be a two minute job for me. He looked at it for a while, asked a couple of questions and then said he could not do it. I asked why and he told me he had no saw, knew no one with a saw and had no idea where to find a 2x4.

Realizing now that if the job was to ever get done I would have to do it myself, we made a trip to the local Wal Mart where I purchased a hand saw and a cheap electric drill. I sacrificed one of the 2x6 blocks I use to ramp up one side of the motorhome when parked on a slope, marked it and cut my piece out with the hand saw. It was as good a fit as you could get with a fifty Peso saw and I used some construction adhesive we had in the trunk for emergencies to glue the piece in place on the back of the dish. I then placed it under the motorhome for the night to dry. Please no comments from my Carpenter friends. Jim, this means YOU.

Three Days Later........

It took a few more days to complete the repairs to the satellite dish. First, for some reason the construction adhesive failed to harden properly and remained somewhat elastic for a couple of days, even after baking in the sun. When it finally became hard enough that I thought I could work with it, I squeezed “Crazy Glue” into all the tiny gaps and cracks between the fiberglass body of the dish and the small piece that had broken off with the arm when the dish fell forward. This piece had already been glued on with the construction adhesive but I thought that because I was unhappy with the way the adhesive had dried, the more glue the better. I then set out to find a long wood screw to pass through the arm and into the block of wood I had added. Well, I was reminded once again that this is Mexico!

All I could find were 1 ½ inch screws that, after passing through the arm and the adhesive filled void between the arm and the wood, only went into the wood about a half an inch. This was not enough to hold the arm securely in place. I tried it and, as I suspected, the arm sagged a little as soon as its own weight was applied to the repair. This would not do. Today in Chihuahua I found a Ferreira (hardware store) and purchased a two Peso (eighteen cent) 2 ½ inch wood screw! Now we’re talking! I rushed my prize back to the RV, put the dish together with my new screw, found the signal and it worked perfectly! We are now watching Obama on Larry King! Go Obama!!!!!

Our Rig

This is our rig now. It is 30 feet long with no slides. It has 194,000 Kms on it and is devoloping some creaks and groans, just like me. I am going to start looking for a replacement (for the motorhome, not me).

Heading North

We will be leaving beautiful Zacatecas this morning, heading North. Our Winter down here has gone much too fast! We have not planned out our route exactly but intend to end up in the city of Chihuahua. It will probably take us a couple of days to get there and once there, we will spend a few days exploring the area. We will be spending the night(s) on the road in shopping malls or Pemex Stations and will probably not have Internet coverage.

I have recently been searching the Internet for a reasonably priced replacement for our motorhome and have a couple of leads. One of them is El Monte RV Rentals which sells off their units after two or three years, depending on the mileage. They have some very nice 29 - 31 foot Class C's with one or two slides for what seems like a reasonable price and have sales offices in Nevada, California and Washington. The reason we would like to stay with a Class C is that we have decided to return to Mexico next winter where roads and RV Parks are a little easier to navigate with a slightly smaller unit and with the addition of a couple of slides, the newer Class C's have almost as much room as the Class A's.

The unit we have now, a 30 foot 1994 Tioga Class C is a former Cruise Canada Rental and we have had no serious complaints with it. It has pretty high mileage (195,000 Km's) so that factor, added to the fact that it has no slides, is prompting the change. Some extra "elbow room" would be nice as the year before last, between Winter in Arizona and taking the granddaughters to Alberta in the Summer, we spent almost eight months in it! The Canadian dollar is now at par and prices in the USA compared to Canada makes the decision to buy one down there a "no brainer". Used rentals are usually used a little harder than privately owned ones but also have much better maintenance and maintenance records. Our son in Victoria wants the old unit which he will use as a portable hotel room for his fencing business. He will fly down to pick it up wherever we buy a newer one. I will keep you informed.....

Zacatecas Wind Storm

The night before last we were parked under this tree! Early in the morning a fierce wind started blowing, rocking the motorhome. Suddenly there was a crashing sound and we looked out to see a huge branch had fallen off the tree, missing the motorhome but hitting the Honda parked beside it.

There is no serious damage, just a lot of scratches, most of which will come off with a good wash and waxing. We moved the motorhome over to the other side of the lot and waited the storm out. Our neighbors, from whom we were borrowing the StarChoice signal, decided to leave a couple of days early because of the storm so we are again without TV! I will have to get off my butt and get the dish fixed. If I was at home, it would be a five minute repair with the proper tools. Mind you, if I was home I could get the dish replaced for free under warranty.

Later in the day the winds died down and it warmed up. Zacatecas is back to normal.

Parking In Mexico

Parking is difficult in Mexico. In the downtown areas there is never any curbside parking available as the local workers take most of the available spaces early in the morning and hold them all day. There are no restrictions or meters to control this. As I said earlier, Mexicans are all expert parallel parkers. In the rows of parked cars there is never more than a foot between cars.

In Veracruz we had to park in a "sort of" legal spot about four blocks away from our hotel when we checked in as all the spots near the hotel were taken. As we walked up to the door of the hotel a car pulled out from a spot right in front of the hotel! I knew it would never last long enough for me to run back to get the car and Norma's offer to stand in it to hold it would not have worked with the aggressive Mexican drivers, so that was out. Suddenly a young man appeared holding a red rag. He is one of the many ambitious Mexican people who have created a job for themselves by "selling" parking spaces. They help you load your packages and stop traffic while you leave or back out of the space and then wave their flag to attract another car to "their" spot and guide them into it. This is all for small tips which they seem to get from people both coming and going.

I called him over and asked him to hold the spot for me while I went for the car. He understood and nodded, motioning for me to hurry! Norma stayed with him while I went back for the car. She said that she would never have stood a chance as he had to fight off three cars who wanted to park and in one case had to stand his ground as a more aggressive driver put his bumper right against his legs. The relief was evident on his face as I finally drove up and he helped me back into the tiny space, standing behind motioning which way to turn the wheel. We gave him $30 Pesos ($2.80 USA) which was about six times more than he usually gets but which he had more than earned! We left the car there for the next three days while we walked everywhere. If we had left the space we would never have found another in downtown Veracruz and few hotels provide parking, certainly none in our price range! When we pulled out to leave, the same young man was there to help us so he could "sell" our prime space to the next driver. Like many here in Mexico, he works long, hard hours for very little money. Good luck to him.

On our little side trip to Guanajuato where there is no logic to the narrow little streets going off in every direction, we hired a "Guide" to get us and the Honda to a parking lot near the Centro. We found one about six blocks from our hotel, intending to leave the car there for the two days we would be in Guanajuato. I did not inquire about the daily charge but did notice the short term rate was $10 Pesos per hour. When we picked the car up I handed the attendant $100 Pesos which I thought would more than cover the two days fee. Wrong! There was no long term or daily discount! It was $10 Pesos per hour 24 hours a day and our bill was well over $500 Pesos ($50 USA)! This is an outrageous amount in an area where the average wage is well under $100 Pesos a day. This would be equivalent to paying $700 or $800 to park for two days in downtown Vancouver! Well, I was not going to argue as I probably should have / could have bargained a better rate when I parked there but I did not. My fault. Live and learn. It is all part of the Mexico Experience and I love every minute of it (even the expensive ones)!

Turning Left

Making a left hand turn is a little different here in Mexico. Sometimes it is the same as we are used to, where you simply move to the left hand lane, signal and turn. Other times left turns are made from the extreme right hand lane! In these cases there is (usually) an advance left turn light.

In other cases a left turn is made from the second most left hand lane. Here the extreme left lane is reserved for U-Turns ("Returno's") only. Sometimes if you are making a simple left turn from the left lane you get blasted by the person who is attempting to make a U-Turn from the second most left hand lane and is convinced that he has the right of way.

All these rules seem to be clearly logical and understood by locals. For us in our fifty foot long combination of motorhome and tow car it is impossible to know with any degree of certainty which lane we should be in in preparation for an upcoming left turn so for this reason we usually stay in one of the center lanes. When we get close enough to the intersection to see the particular method used it is important to remember to not use the turn signals to warn the people behind what you are going to do. This is because the instant they see your turn signal come on they accelerate to close the gap you were going to turn into. You simply have to change lanes without signaling and hope you do not get a ticket for doing so.

Driving in Mexico keeps you on your toes, especially when you consider that the posted speed limit is treated simply as a "suggestion" or "guideline" and is rarely followed, even by the police.

Asking Directions in Mexico!

I know it is not intentional as there is not a mean bone in the body of any Mexican we have met so far but when it comes to giving directions....

In Leon, we were parked in a Soriana Grocery store parking lot and wanted to take a cab downtown. I wanted to have our location marked on the city map before we abandoned the motorhome (so we could direct the cab back) so I walked over to a cop who was parked near us. He understood what I wanted and when I handed him the map, he confidently pointed to an intersection. I marked the map with a large "X" and asked him if that is where we were. He nodded, said "Si", pointed at the ground and again at the "X". After thanking him I walked back to the motorhome and started to have some doubts when I noticed a dead end street beside us did not match up to the "X" on the map. Some street corners in Mexico do not have signs for some reason so I walked a couple of blocks in both directions checking side streets and discovered we were actually about ten blocks from where the Policeman had told me we were. It was a good thing we discovered this because we still might still be looking for the motorhome!

Another time, near Mexico City, we were on a bypass road and got confused by an unmarked "Y" in the road we were on. Again, I stopped a cop and asked the way to San Miguel de Allende. He pointed confidently to the fork to the right. After a mile or two we passed a sign pointing to San Miguel that took us right back to the road that went to the left!

Here in Zacatecas I wanted to drive the car across town to the big grocery stores but I could not find our location on the city map to know where we had to come back to. Norma went over to the office of the hotel that owns and is attached to our RV Park and asked the English speaking receptionist to mark the location of the hotel on the map and to point out the direction we should take to the Soriana. When she came back and showed me it simply did not make sense. It did not go along with my usually dependable sense of direction. I took the marked map over to some neighbors who had been here a few days and showed it to them. They confirmed that we were in a totally different part of town than what was marked on the map and the Soriana was in a totally different direction. If we had followed the directions of the desk clerk we would have become hopelessly lost!

As I say, I do not believe it is intentional. Maybe Mexicans simply do not use maps and become confused when shown one but a good thing to remember is to always double check any directions you get and give them the "common sense test". Other than that, in Zacatecas, Mexico, Life Is Good!

StarChoice back up Temporarily

I still have not managed to get my StarChoice dish repaired after the wind blew it over in San Miguel but a kindly neighbor here in Zacatecas has allowed us to plug into his dish so WE HAVE TV AGAIN! My plan to repair the dish involves finding a carpenter to cut a wedge of two by six that I can epoxy to the back of the dish to allow me to screw the arm back in place. I know enough about the subject to know that the angle of the arm has to be exact to enable the reflected signal to hit the LNB accurately. I think (hope) there is enough left of the broken mount to enable me to do this.

No Hot Coffee in Zacatecas (Life @ 8,100 feet)

OK, I just figured this out. You cannot get a cup of hot coffee in Zacatecas! I actually sent my Capuchino back the other day only to have it replaced with one just as un-hot. The answer came to me as I was writing the Pancho Villa entry. We are at 8,100 feet and water boils at a much lower temperature than at sea level! In our case, at 194 degrees Fahrenheit, noticeably cooler than the 212 we are used to at Sea Level. When I reheat my coffee in the microwave for my usual 1 minute, 44 seconds it comes out boiling over but not all that hot. You have to drink it quickly or it is cold. Ah, the wonders of science!

Convent Of San Francisco

These are the ruins of the Convento de San Francisco which operated here in Zacatecas from 1593 until 1857. With all the hidden little nooks and crannies, it makes you wonder what all went on in here over the centuries........

Pancho Villa Museum

At the top of the hill called "Le Bofa" is the Museo de Pancho Villa. Doroteo Arango, aka Francisco "Pancho" Villa was a bit of a Robin Hood character who began his run from the law and assumed the name Francisco "Pancho" Villa when, as a 16 year old sharecropper, he killed the hacienda owner who had raped his twelve year old sister. There is little recorded of his activities for the next few years while he and his followers "liberated" some of the vast parcels of land held by the Hacienda owners and redistributed the land in parcels to the poor and to the families of his fallen followers.

Years later he was recruited by the opposition to the Government because of his fearlessness and brilliant military mind. He initially turned them down but later relented and was put in charge of the Division del Norte (Northern Division) of the rebel army.

Zacatecas was the headquarters of one of the last Government Military Divisions still loyal to President Huerta and they prepared to repel Villa's attack by establishing their defenses atop the nearby hill called "Le Bofa". This was a smart move as the hill is very steep and rocky and the 9,000 foot altitude would quickly tax the energy and resolve of any climbing attackers, while the defenders could simply stay put and fire down on them. The Government troops were well armed and supplied and from photos of the time, appeared to outnumber Villa's troops. What they did not plan for was the brilliant military tactics of Villa and the fearlessness (ruthlessness) of his followers, called "Villistas", who avoided wearing themselves out by transporting themselves, their horses and equipment to Zacatecas in commandeered railway cars. On June 23, 1914, Pancho Villa took the hill called "Le Bofa", leaving 7,000 dead and 5,000 wounded Government troops.

The first photo is the statue of Villa on horseback and the second is one of the few surviving photographs of the General. The third is two of his "Villistas" riding through the streets of Zacatecas after the battle and the last is one of the weapons used in the battle.

Zacatecas Teleferico (Cable Car)

Zacatecas has a Swiss made Teleferico crossing over part of the town ending on the hill where Pancho Villa defeated President Huerta's last loyal troops. It was an exhilarating ride accompanied by a jovial English speaking operator who points out all the important buildings below. Very few "outside" tourists come here so it is mainly a vacation destination for Mexicans. The operator gave his spiel in Spanish and then repeated it in English for Norma and I. We took a taxi to the terminal even though the Lonely Planet Guide says it is an "easy" walk from the Centro. At 8100 feet of altitude NOTHING is "easy"! The several hundred foot walk from the end of the ride (at the 9000 foot summit of Le Bofa) to the Pancho Villa Museum left me sitting on the steps to catch my breath! It really makes you appreciate what Pancho Villa and his men went through to have to climb the hill, fighting all the way! As I sat gasping on the steps I thought, "I need bigger nostrils..."

Quinta Real Hotel (Bull Ring)

Zacatecas has a unique hotel where we went for breakfast this morning. It is built on the remains of the oldest bullring in Mexico! The bullring was closed and replaced in the late 70's and was just left to deteriorate until it's sale and conversion. The dining rooms and lobby look over the bullring while the bull holding area has been taken over as a unique little bar with a table in each of the stone "pens" looking out into the ring. Unfortunately, the bar was not open when we were there but the door was unlocked so we took a quick look through it. We are not staying here as rooms "start" at $295 USA per night and a simple breakfast cost $32 USA for the two of us! Leave it for the rich Gringos!

The "Arches" you see behind the hotel is a surviving section of one of the Aqueducts built in the Colonial days.

Zacatecas Day One

We awoke from a terrible sleep in the RV Park attached to the Hotel Hacienda del Bosque in Zacatecas this morning. We are parked behind a fence about ten feet from the highway with the railway tracks just on the other side of the hotel! We are on a hill and Mexico has no rules about trucks not using engine brakes in town. It was probably about four before I fell asleep! The problem is, it is the best of three RV Parks in town and we prepaid for a week. I will have to find some earplugs!

We got a cab and went down to the Centro to have a first look around. It is a typical Mexican city of 150,000 with the social areas surrounding the Church. It owes it's beginnings to silver mining from the Colonial days and the wealth generated by the silver is very evident in the Colonial architecture in the Centro. Silver is still being mined in the area keeping Zacatecas a wealthy city as can be seen by the buried power and telephone service throughout the city.

It was in Zacatecas in 1914 that Pancho Villa defeated a stronghold of 12,000 soldiers loyal to President Victoriano Huerta. This area holds much history of that period in Mexico's past that I will have to research and explore in our short week here.

Exploring is a little tough because we are over 8000 feet above sea level here!

Military Checkpoint How-To

After our first uncomfortable incident at a Military Checkpoint we tried a slightly different approach this time. We pretended that we knew NO Spanish. We were pulled out of the line for further inspection and directed to a parking area. It took them a good twenty minutes to get to us while a young soldier with a Very Big Gun watched us from behind his sandbags. I suspect this was to get us nervous if we were hiding anything. Norma had to pee but I told her to hold it because if she headed into the back I was sure it would attract their attention and not in a good way!

Soon two young soldiers walked up to my window and before they could say anything I stated, "No hablo Espanol". He said, "No Spanish?" and I said, "No, sorry". He motioned for me to get out of the cab and he pointed to the Honda and said something. I made an opening motion with the key and he nodded. I opened all the doors and the trunk. The two of them spent a good deal of time checking the trunk. As one was checking out the contents of a cooler the other looked at me, tapped the Honda and said, "Expensive". I think he was referring to the whole motorhome and Honda combination so I said, "No, they are very old". He nodded, temporarily satisfied that we were not rich Gringos.

One of them then walked over to the side door of the motorhome and I did the opening motion again to which he said, "Si". He went in and spent a couple of minutes in the bedroom where I could not see what he was looking into and on his way out he looked around the kitchen a bit. He got out, said something to his partner who nodded, turned to me and said, "OK, thanks" and motioned for us to leave. We exchanged smiles and "thank you's" and waves to the guy with the Very Big Gun behind the sandbags and we were on our way. This was a much better resolution than last time and will be our new model for all future Military Checkpoints. The only thing we did not do was to display a Canadian and Mexican Flag. That probably would have made it even smoother.

Mexican Truck Drivers

As we were heading from San Luis Potosi to Zacatecas we found ourselves in a construction zone with the speed reduced from 80 Kph down to 40. In Mexico NOBODY does the recommended speed so traffic was moving nicely along at 60 or 70 with some hotheads passing at 100 or so. As we rounded a long, blind corner I glanced in my side mirror to see that I was being passed by a semi with two trailers! As his cab pulled even with my drivers door, a car came round the bend heading towards us only a few hundred feet away. I immediately took my foot off the gas as the oncoming car started frantically flashing his headlights. By now the truck had pulled ahead a bit so I was about half way back of his front trailer as he started turning back into my lane! There was no real shoulder but there was a piece of dirt and rock maybe five feet wide beside the pavement with a six or eight inch drop off onto it. My other alternative would have been to get sideswiped by the truck and pushed into the ditch so I dropped my right wheels into the dirt and remembered enough from my BC Tel Defensive Driving Course to not hit the brakes but to just "ride it out". The car dolly axle has only about three inches clearance so it started dragging on the lip of the pavement, keeping the right dolly wheel off the ground as the Honda bounced along behind it. The side of the trailer was just about touching the drivers side mirror at this point. I do not know how he missed the dolly, which is about eight inches wider than the motorhome.

I eventually managed to find a place to get back onto the highway and carry on and I have no idea what happened to the oncoming car. The truck was long gone, not slowing down at all. When I could pull over to inspect everything I found no damage aside from a little more paint scraped off the dolly which is an easy repair. Just another exciting day on the Mexico highway System!

San Luis Potosi

We headed out from San Meguel de Allende at about ten this morning, heading North with the ultimate goal of Zacatecas. The road was a little narrow for most of the way and did not lend itself to fast driving. At about three we arrived in the State Capital of San Luis Potosi, with it's close to one million people. It is one of the old Colonial silver mining centers but has now joined the ranks of the many industrial cities of Mexico.

We found a Woolworths store in a mall with a Soriana Grocery store where we thought it would be safe to park for the night. There was a young security guard patrolling the parking lot so we asked him if it would be OK to park and were told "No problema", but just for the one night. Reading about the city in the Lonely Planet Guide, we found that it has a very interesting Historic Centro and several Plazas. We quickly changed and found our security guard again whom we tipped $20 Pesos ($1.90) to watch the motorhome while we cabbed it downtown for dinner. The cab ride was $50 Pesos each way and made me happy I had not attempted it in the car. There are dozens of unmarked, intersecting streets with traffic moving as it only does in Mexico; fast with no regard to rules, lanes or lights. Like all other Mexican cities we have visited there is never any available curb parking downtown. Mexicans are all expert parallel parkers. They can get right up to the curb in a space only a few inches longer than their car!

San Luis Potosi prides itself in having the most pedestrian only streets in all of Mexico so when we were dropped off at the Plaza de Armas there was no traffic, only dozens of happy Mexicans strolling with their families. It was too early to eat so we scouted out the restaurants and found one in a converted mansion that we decided to come back to later. Norma had been trying to get a haircut for several days and I needed one for longer than that. As we were wandering the streets we came across a Beauty Shop. It is usually impossible to just walk in and get service without an appointment but this time we lucked out. They were able to cut both our heads right away for the princely sum of $80 Pesos ($7.75) for both. We tipped the young woman well and gave her one of our small Canadian Flag pins which she was thrilled with.


We found our restaurant and picked a table beside patio doors opening onto the Plaza. As we were eating an older gentleman named Salvador sat down across from us and spoke to us in excellent English. He was born and raised in San Luis Potosi, got his Mechanical Engineering Degree and then got a job with a large firm in Lansing, Michigan where he worked for 37 years until he got "downsized" with a package and moved back to his old home town in Mexico where he now amuses himself by playing saxophone in a small band. He was soon joined by two old friends from his youth, both named Juan, for ice cream and coffee. That is them in the photo. Salvador has the white beard. He reminded us very much of our old friend and colleague, Jim Fulton with his sparkling eyes.

We then took another cab ride back to the motorhome, fired up the generator to make coffee and settled down for the night. The stores closed at ten and by eleven we had the parking lot to ourselves. In San Luis Potosi, Mexico, Life Is Good!

Leaving San Miguel

We said our goodbye's and left San Miguel de Allende. We really enjoyed our American neighbours, Bob and Mary. They are full time RVers who have a motorhome based out of the USA and another motorhome in Europe. Their time is split with Winters in the USA and Mexico and the Summers in Europe. We had fun watching the American Primaries with them. They are Hillary supporters and we are Obama backers (not that we have a vote). Aside from that we found that we think quite a bit alike on most issues! Nice change to meet progressive Americans and it just proves that there are some out there!

With all the side trips we had been in San Miguel three weeks. When we returned from our trip to Veracruz, we found that the wind had blown our StarChoice dish over and broken it! We are now dependent on finding a place to park beside another Canadian with StarChoice. I have a sort of plan to repair the broken dish with a wedge of 2 X 4, a lag bolt and a lot of glue. It should work in theory but the angle of the arm has to be just perfect in order to have the reflection from the dish hit the right spot.

Anyway, so long San Miguel and now to begin the slow trip North. Next stop Zacatecas!

Final Veracruz Photos

More downtown scenes. The final shot is of our hotel. Our room was on the top left and three of the balconies were ours - two on the side and one on the front. Not bad for $55 a night.

More Veracruz

Some downtown sights. The Church, the Lighthouse, an old mansion and an ancient artifact. There is so much to see here you just get overwhelmed...

Veracruz

The first photo is the old fort that was built to protect the harbor from the many invaders. The second is a remaining part of the wall that used to surround the city. The third is a local furniture manufacturer. What beautiful work! The fourth is a shot of one of the many jeeps full of machine gun toting soldiers patrolling the streets. Exactly what they were protecting us from is unclear...

All Roads Lead To.......

In Europe they say, "All roads lead to Rome", but in Mexico they all lead to Mexico City. We left Veracruz this morning around ten and decided to take the better (Toll) road back which headed in the direction of Mexico City. All the roads in this part of Mexico lead like spokes on a wheel to Mexico City! We intended to turn North before getting too close to the smog and traffic of the Capital and to then join up with one of the many roads leading in the direction of San Miguel de Allende. It turned out to be a lot harder than it looked on the map. The road we chose looked pretty good on the map but it turned out to be poorly marked, rough, busy, narrow and full of impatient bus drivers who like to blast their horn and pass you on the shoulder if you are not driving to their liking. After several wrong turns and having to ask directions from the Federalies We succeeded in joining up with Mexico 57 headed North. The sun started going down soon after we got headed in the right direction so we stopped in one of the small towns along the way and found a really clean, quiet room with a very good WIFI connection for $300 Pesos a night. Tomorrow will be a straight shot to San Miguel and back to our poor, abandoned motorhome.

I was really glad we decided to leave it behind for this part of the trip. There were two mountain ranges to pass over with really steep grades in both directions. I am sure I would have burned out the brakes on the way to Veracruz and the long, steep climb today would probably have burned up more than the full cost of all the hotels in gas alone. For once I made the right decision!

The ¨Rolex¨Watch

As we were having a drink at a open air restaurant in the square last night, a salesman walked by selling watches. I brushed him off in my usual way with a ¨No gratias¨ but he kept returning. I then noticed that one of the items he was selling was a shiny new Rolex watch! He obviously had no idea of the value of this item because all he was asking for it was $500 Pesos ($45 USA)! I wondered how much I could talk him down so I offered $300 which he immediately turned down. I was not going to come up any higher so I said ¨No Thanks¨ at which point his English improved and he told me it was his only sale of the night and he had to buy food for his family and agreed to my price.

Well, I could hardly contain myself as I handed over the $300 Pesos ($25 USA) for a brand new Rolex watch! I checked the setting and put my proud new possession on my wrist. It states, ¨Don´t mess with me, I got me a Rolex!¨

This morning we awoke and Norma asked me the time. I looked at my Rolex and announced, ¨6:30¨. She told me it had to be later than that as the sun was up so I double checked the time on my old watch and indeed it was actually 8:15.

This whole thing just goes to prove that no matter the quality of an item you buy, sometimes you just get a lemon! I am sure I will be unable to find the salesman this morning before we leave so I think maybe the watch will become a Christmas present for my son who also appreciates the value of high end items like a ¨Rolex¨ watch.

¨Lechero¨

The "Grand Café de la Parroquia" is the most famous coffeehouse in Veracruz and is only a couple of blocks from our hotel. Its signature drink is the "lechero". You order the drink which is brought to your table as two fingers of expresso in a heavy glass. You then start loudly clanking on the side of your glass with a spoon, drawing the attention of a roving waiter carrying a kettle of steamed milk. He then ceremoniously pours your glass full of the milk by holding the pitcher three or four feet above your glass and letting it fly in a thin stream. The restaurant is full of the joyful clanking of glass and the laughing of happy customers. The entertainment alone is well worth the $20 Peso ($2 USA) cost of the drink.

Veracruz Trivia

Veracruz was the first Colonial Settlement in Mexico. ¨La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz¨ (The Rich Town of the True Cross) was founded in 1519 by Herman Cortez when he first landed and was used by him as a base for his expeditions of conquest inland. Besides being the subject of four formal invasions throughout it´s history by Spain (1815), France (1862), The USA (1847) and again by the USA (1914), Veracruz has had to deal with at least two major attacks by pirates (1653 and 1712) and with the very strange ¨French Pastry War¨ of 1838.

The "French Pastry War"

In this dispute a French restaurant owner complained to France that his Veracruz restaurant had been damaged and looted by several drunken Mexican sailors. The French Government responded by demanding $600,000 Pesos in damages from Mexico on their citizen´s behalf. Since the daily Mexican wage at the time was one Peso per day, Mexico considered this amount to be just a tad excessive and refused to pay. In retaliation, France then called it´s loans to Mexico and Mexico defaulted. France countered by blockading the Country with a force of 30,000 outnumbering Mexico´s forces of 3,000 by 10 to 1. The famous Veracruz resident, Mexican General and former President, Antonio Lopes de Santa Anna, came out of retirement to take command of the delicate situation. It was in the resulting skirmish that Santa Anna lost his leg to canon fire. He ordered the leg buried with full Military Honors and, exploiting his wounds with eloquent propaganda, Santa Anna catapulted himself back into Political power. The dispute was eventually mediated after almost a year by Great Britain with Mexico promising to pay the $600,000 Pesos. History does not record if the payment was ever actually made. I sincerely hope that it was not!

We Arrived In Veracruz!

We got into Veracruz about noon today after a full day and a half of driving. Some of the roads were fast and smooth, some were slow and rough and many miles were spent at about 10 MPH behind very slow moving trucks going down a 6 or 7% downgrade! The only consistent thing was the numerous toll booths.

The scenery and vegitation changed rapidly as we decended from the 6200 foot altitude that we had become used to in San Miguel de Allende to the sea level of Veracruz. The other thing that changed was the humidity! We had finally dried out our sinuses in San Miguel and here we are in Veracruz in what is probably the highest humidity I have ever experienced. It is a beautiful city but man, is it ever hot and humid!

We wandered around a bit soaking my shirt on the Malecon, saw the old Fort and made plans for a Harbour Tour tomorrow. We finished off the day with one of the most expensive (and best) dinners yet in Mexico. We took a $70 Peso (each way) taxi ride to one of the restaurants recomended in the Lonely Planet Guide and did not like the menu. We walked across the street and found a realy great little Seafood place and Vincente, an English speaking waiter who had worked four years in Los Angeles. We were just about the only customers in the place and had a great time chatting with Vincente about Politics and Labour issues in his Country while we ate Pescado Veracruz for me and a steak for Norma. Vincente then talked us into a baked bananna desert that was well worth the price. After Vincente told us that nobody tips more than 10% in Mexico, we just had to show him how it was done in Canada and left $1000 Pesos ($95 USA) for a $790 Peso ($74 USA)cheque! He also told us that the going wage for a waiter in Veracruz was $7 USA for an eight or nine hour shift. Vincente looked very proud as he walked over to his fellow workers and showed them his tip (which they all share).

We are staying in a nice OLD hotel in the Centro, the Meson Del Mar (http://www.mesondelmar.com.mx/), which used to be a mansion that is converted to a hotel. Our room ($55 USA per night) has a loft and remote controled Air Conditioning! It is very close to all the sights and action in the Historic Centro which we will see more of tomorrow.

I am posting from a shared terminal in the hallway so I cannot add photos. I will post them when I can get back to a WIFI connection to the laptop. In the meantime, in Veracruz, Mexico, Life Is Good. Adios for now.

Trip to Veracruz

We are going to leave the motorhome safe and sound here at the RV Park in San Miguel de Allende and drive the Honda over to Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. It is about 700 KMs away and should take a little over a day to get there. We have a route picked out that avoids the traffic nightmare of Mexico City.

We extended our stay here to March 11 and at that point we will head North (how I hate that word). We are starting to make plans for next Winter that include a fast trip down through Northern Mexico and then spending time in the Southern part of Mexico with maybe a peek down to Belize and/or Guatemala.

The damage to the roof of the motorhome has been resolved. The Mexican Insurance we took out will cover the repairs with a $500 USA deductible but they want to do the repairs up near the USA/Mexico border but still in Mexico. They claim workers cannot be found down this far who understand rubber roofs and RV construction. It is their money so I have no problem with them making the decisions. For now it has a few layers of Duct Tape to keep it together and sort of waterproof although there has been no rain in three months and none expected! We intend to travel up the Interior of Mexico and enter the USA at or near El Paso, Texas probably near April 1.

Guanajuato

We left the motorhome in San Miguel de Allende and drove the car for two hours to the Colonial silver mining town of Guanajuato where we stayed two nights in a hotel right on the Jardine Union or Central Square. The town is built on opposing banks of the river that used to flow through the town. After dealing with repeated flooding of the river, the residents finally diverted the river altogether. The old riverbeds now provide the routes for the many covered tunnels that move traffic through the city. Guanajuato is situated 2,008 m or 6,586 feet above sea level and everywhere you go requires walking uphill to get there and downhill to come back. Between the altitude, the hills, Norma with her barely healed hip and me with my old ankle injury, I was very surprised that we could cover as much of the town as we did. There is absolutely no parking downtown so we just found a parking lot and left the car there. The main downtown streets are closed to traffic so cabs are not an option either. “Hoofing It” is the only way around and we did a ton of that over our two days! The town has many great little restaurants and places to sit and people watch. It does not however have many English speaking residents so a command of at least a little Spanish is very helpful if not essential!

Guanajuato and its surrounding area was the jewel in the Spanish occupiers crown in the early Seventeenth Century. It produced 35% of the world’s silver at the time and was the source of great wealth for both the occupying forces and for Spain itself. The Spaniards treated the local population as disposable slaves to mine the silver. This was the situation in 1810 when Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama and Jimenez set off from nearby Dolores Hidalgo with a small initial force of 700 peasants and workers. As they traveled south to San Miguel and then west to Guanajuato this force grew to over 20,000 as more people lay down their tools, picked up pitchforks, machetes and other makeshift weapons and joined the ragtag army of the Movement for Independence.

As they approached Guanajuato the Spanish occupiers retreated into a massive grain storage building called the Alhondiga de Granaditas. Hidalgo’s forces had no artillery so the Spaniards might have been safe in their stronghold but for the act of a brave young miner called El Pipila. I have told the story before but El Pipila (Jose de los Reyes Martinez) tied a slab of stone to his back to protect himself from the Spanish bullets raining down on him and set fire to the massive wooden doors of the stronghold, allowing the rebel forces to storm in and kill the occupiers. There is a huge monument to El Pipila overlooking the town he was so instrumental in freeing. It is accessible by an incline railway or “Funicular” and is a great place to look over and photograph the city. At his feet on the Monument is the inscription, “AUN HAY OTRAS ALHONDIGAS POR INCENDIAR” (There still remains other Alhondigas to burn).

The Alhondiga de Granaditas became a Federal prison for almost a Century but has now become a museum to the War of Independence. When Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama and Jimenez, the leaders of the rebellion were captured and executed, their severed heads were hung from the four corners of the Alhongida in an unsuccessful attempt to frighten and intimidate the citizens. It had the opposite effect and served only to enrage the population and lead to the eventual expulsion of the Spanish Occupiers.

El Pipila and the Alhondiga de Granaditas

The Leaders Of The War Of Independence

Casa Museo Diego Rivera

Guanajuato is the birthplace of the great Mexican artist and Muralist, Diego Rivera. The four floor house that he was born and lived in for several years is now a museum to the great Muralist who, because of his Marxist beliefs was blacklisted in his own country for many years. He later became accepted and then honored for the great talents he possessed. The works of both Rivera and his equally talented wife, Frida Kahlo are featured in displays the house.

FIA World Rally Championships

Just by luck we arrived in Guanajuato the day of the start of the Mexico leg of the FIA World Rally Championships! We had no idea it was even on and our Hotel San Diego turned out to be the Starting Line for the Mexico Leg of the Rally! We had a ringside seat for the event as dozens of cars lined up for their two minute apart starts! There was a great deal of excitement associated with the event. The drivers and navigators were more than willing to sign autographs for the crowd and even to leave their cars to have photos taken kissing and hugging the hundreds of girls who were acting as Event Marshals. When the car representing Mexico approached the starting line the crowd went absolutely wild, chanting “Meh hee ko, Meh hee ko” loudly, over and over! We gleefully joined in at this point, feeling a bit of the National Pride of these amazing people. The party went on well into the small hours in the adjoining Jardine Union, the Square in front of the Church (and our hotel). I have always enjoyed watching coverage of these Rallies on TV and very much enjoyed this ringside seat, about ten feet above the action and noise.

"El Pipila"

Siege of Guanajuato

On September 28, 1810, twelve days after Hidalgo’s ‘Grito de Delores”, Miguel Hidalgo and 20,000 rebels attacked the Spanish Garrison in the nearby town of Guanajuato with pitchforks and machetes. The Spanish barricaded themselves in a massive stone seed and grain storehouse built around 1800. It looked as if the outnumbered but better armed Spaniards might be able to hold out. Then a young miner named Juan Jose de los Reyes Martinez (aka “El Pipila”), acting under orders from Hidalgo, tied a slab of stone to his back and, thus protected from Spanish bullets, carried a torch up to the wooden gates of the storehouse and set them ablaze. When the gates burned and fell, the rebels rushed the storehouse, killing most of the Garrison inside. It was the rebel’s first major victory in Mexico’s War of Independence. “El Pipila” is honored as a Hero of the Independence Movement. Some recounts of the event report him killed in the ensuing battle but others report him surviving and living to a ripe old age. I prefer the later.

We are staying in San Miguel de Allende for a few more days. Getting the damaged roof of the motorhome looked at too a long time and prevented us from seeing all the sights around here. This is an important area to me and I do not want to cut my visit short. The damage turned out to be covered by our Mexican Vehicle Insurance with $500 USD deductible. They want us to have it repaired in Mexico up near El Paso, Texas where we were going to exit anyway. I will make a temporary repair with Duct Tape to prevent any more damage. There is no chance of rain down here so that is not a problem.

There is no longer any Internet service from the RV Park - router crash and burn - so I have to use internet Cafe's. As a result my postings will not be a frequent.

Dolores Hidalgo

This is the Church in Dolores Hidalgo where the Revolutionary Priest, Miguel Hidalgo issued his "Grito de Dolores" or "Cry For Independence". The first two shots are of the exterior of the Church and the third is the interior, filled with Mexican people who make a once in a lifetime Pilgrimage to the Birthplace of their Independence.

The fourth shot is of a group of schoolchildren being shown the actual bell that awakened the town at 5:00 AM on September 16, 1810 for Hidalgo's proclamation of Independence.

My visit to this area has really moved me. It is now easy to understand the Mexican people's visable pride in their Country and Heritage.

Miguel Hidalgo

This is the Revolutionary Priest, Miguel Hidalgo of Dolores, Guanajuato, Mexico. He is the Priest of Dolores who rang his Church Bells at 5:00 AM on September 16, 1810 and awakened his Congregation with his "Grito de Dolores" or "Cry For Independence" from Spanish Occupation and for the abolition of slavery in Mexico. Ten months later he had been Excommunicated by the Catholic Church (which evidently took offense at one Catholic calling for death to other Catholics), captured by the Spanish oppressors, executed and had his head, along with Allende's and others, hung on the city walls. Instead of having the intimidating effect they hoped for, this gruesome display spurred the people on to further the Revolution and to eventually win Mexican Independence from Spain. Migual Hidalgo is a true Hero of Mexican Independence.

The first two drawings depict Hidalgo freeing the prisoners and issuing his "Grito".
The third is Hidalgo's severed head as it was hung from the city walls by his Spanish executioners.

The final is a Bust of Miguel Hidalgo.

San Miguel de Allende

This is the best part of Mexico we have been in yet! It is right in the seat of the beginnings of the 1810 Movement for Independence from Spain. It is the home of the Revolutionary leader Ignacio Allende, a Captain in the Spanish army who grew sympathetic to the plight of the Aboriginal peasants whose numbers had decreased under Spanish rule from an estimated 25 million to less than 1 million. Because of this exploitation and murder of the indigenous population, Allende joined in the conspiracy to overthrow his own countrymen. The name of the city of San Miguel was changed in his honor. The Revolution started at five AM on September 16, 1810 when the Priest, Miguel Hidalgo of nearby Dolores (now named Dolores Hidalgo) woke his Congregation with Church bells and issued his "Grito de Dolores", calling for Independence from Spanish rule. He was then joined by Allende and others and soon an army was formed and the Revolution had started in earnest. There had been skirmishes of resistance here and there over the previous few years but the Insurgents were without skilled leaders. People like Allende provided this leadership.

San Miguel de Allende is a favorite place for expatriate Canadians and Americans and has developed into an artists community. It is the home of Toller Cranston, the Canadian Figure Skater, and the actor, Antonio Banderos, among others. This influence is seen in restaurant, hotel and real estate prices which are more in the Los Angeles range than that of rural Mexico. It is easy to see the attraction for artists. The light here is unlike anywhere else I have been, perhaps a result of the 6,200 foot altitude. The streets are lit with the reflected light from other brightly coloured buildings, giving everything a sureal glow. The doors, windows and belconies of San Miguel are spectacular. It would be very easy to spend a month or two here and fill a hard drive with photos.

More San Miguel de Allende

Even More San Miguel de Allende

Guanajuato Oh-Oh

I had a small accident today! First some background...

Today we passed through the beautiful little town of Guanajuato ("Wana-wa toe"). The town is built on hillsides and in the bottom of a small valley. Many years ago a nearby river kept overflowing and flooding the town. They tried to solve this by digging tunnels under the town to handle these periodic floods. This did not prove to be a permanent fix so in the end, the river itself was diverted away from the town. The now empty tunnels were converted for use by cars to take traffic off the streets. Access tunnels were dug to connect the tunnels with the streets above.

As we approached Guanajuato, my intention was to bypass the town, go on to San Miguel de Allende, check into the RV Park there and then return with the Honda to visit Guanajuato and Delores Hidalgo. Such was not to be! I got slightly confused reading signs and made a disastrous wrong turn with the motorhome INTO the tunnels! Once I turned I was committed. The road is narrow, single-file and one-way and there was a lot of traffic behind me. I did not immediately panic because I read that buses actually use these tunnels. Well, they must be narrow, short buses! There was a sign over the entrance warning of a 3.5 metre height restriction and I was happy that I was only 3.3 metres high! Five inches to spare! Well, there were a couple of small factors this figure did not take into consideration!

The tunnels are at the most twenty feet wide but if one could stay in the middle there would be little problem. However, they have decided to allow parking along one side of most of the tunnels, forcing traffic over against the left wall where the sloping walls of the tunnel now come into play! I turned on my hazard lights and headlights and slowly proceeded. The car dolly is about ten or twelve inches wider than the motorhome so so I had two worries. One was having the right dolly wheel get caught on a parked car and the other was striking the sloping-in left wall of the tunnel with the motorhome roof. I sweated my way through several blocks of tunnel until I found an underground bus stop where I could pull over and think (until a bus came along). A cab passed and slowed down but I did not think fast enough to stop and hire him to lead me out of the maze of tunnels. I was going to wait for another cab when a young man walked up to us. I asked him if he was a "Guide" as most residents seem to be and he answered that "si" he was. I asked him if he could get us out of the tunnels and onto the road to Delores Hidalgo and he said "si", he could. Norma got in the back, he climbed into the passenger seat and off we went with him directing me.

We made several turns when we came to a particularly narrow section of tunnel. As I glanced in the right hand mirror to check the location of the dolly tire, WHAM, I hit the drivers side roof on the wall of the tunnel! It was hard enough to shake the rig pretty good and I felt it making contact along the full 30 foot length of the motorhome. Well, no point in worrying about it now, so I proceeded on until we were out of the maze of tunnels and on a road clearly marked for Delores Hidalgo. I found a place to pull over and asked my guide how much he wanted for his services. He told me in Spanish that he wanted me to pay whatever I thought his services were worth. He had been with us for less than a half hour so I gave him $50 Pesos and asked him if that was enough. His eyes lit up and he assured me it was more than fair. It was only about $5 CAN to me but to him it was a day's pay for a Mexican labourer and obviously much more than he expected. We shook hands and both went away happy.

I pulled over as soon as I could to inspect the roof damage. It was not as bad as I originally feared. There is some very slight fiberglass damage to the leading edge of the roof and some minor damage down the full length of the roof edge. The waterproof Eternabond tape that I applied five years ago to solve a pesky roof leak problem is badly torn and pulled off in many places and the metal trim piece that grips the rubber membrane of the roof and holds it to the sidewall is bent and distorted in a few places. I have not seen the top of the roof yet but I do not expect any problems there. I think I can repair it myself with a rubber mallet to pound the metal trim back into shape and a roll of wider Eternabond tape to cover everything up.

Eternabond is magical stuff! It is extremely sticky, UV proof, waterproof, resistant to extreme temperatures, has a 15 year life expectancy and is very easy to apply. It is available in the USA and Canada but most likely not in Mexico. I am thinking of trying to use Duct Tape as a temporary (two month) repair to get me home. I have put the question to my panel of experts on Escapees.com, an Internet RV Forum that I use extensively. The opinions are gathering as we speak...

Leon

We arrived in Leon at about 2:00 and decided we wanted to stay for the night see a bit of the town. There are no RV Parks in Leon so we found a Soriana grocery store and parked against the wall on the far side of the lot. Leon is an industrial city specializing in leather goods and gets very few tourists. The result of this is that no one speaks English and our Spanish is not improving rapidly enough. It took the entire six person Security department to give us permission to stay the night. They said it was a very unusual request. They had never been asked before.

I then noticed a policeman in a pickup parked behind us so I went out to tell him we had permission to park there. When I got to his door I discovered there were actually two of them in the truck and they were Federales and not city cops. They had flack jackets on and seemed startled that I walked up to them. They were very polite; one spoke perfect English and told me that I was the least of their problems. After they showed me where I was on my city map I walked back and watched as another 25 or so Federales joined them, all in unmarked cars. They got out and met, all carrying side arms and M-16’s or Uzi’s. These guys (and one woman) meant business. They were obviously not there to tell us we were violating a parking ordinance. Later, as we were coming back from dinner, we passed an intersection where there was a great commotion going on. There were dozens of regular police cars with lights flashing, the unmarked cars we saw earlier and a TV reporter telling a story in front of lights. The cab driver tried to tell us what was happening but we could not understand him. It was probably a drug raid.

We wanted to take a cab down to the Centro to watch people and have dinner. I found a reference to “Restaurant Cadillac” in the Lonely Planet Guide and asked two cab drivers if they could take us there. Neither knew where it was. I went back to the motorhome and wrote out all the information I could about it, including the address and the name of the square it was on. The next cab said he could find it. In Mexico no taxis have meters so you are always supposed to negotiate the price before you get in. He thought for a second and told us $45 Pesos ($4.10 CAN). We told him fine and jumped in. Well, it was a lot further away than I thought and in Canada it would have been at least $20 one way. He was a good daredevil driver and he and his stick shift Nissan Tsuru got us there alive so I gave him $60 Pesos. He told me I misunderstood him and paid too much and tried to give some back but we convinced him to keep it. It is not much for us but it made this a lucky day for him. He probably expected us to negotiate him down from his $45 Peso opening bid so it was like a 100% tip. Cab drivers rent their cabs from the owners for a set amount per night. One driver in Mazatlan told us he paid $250 Pesos a night. They have to pay this for all seven nights so they cannot work only on the busy nights. They also have to buy gas for the car so it takes a lot of twenty or thirty Peso trips to break even, let alone start to make a living. There are many cabs on the road as well so the competition is pretty fierce.

The Restaurant Cadillac sells only pizza and hamburgers so we walked around the Plaza and found an old hotel with outside seating and a guy singing Mexican Jazz. We had a nice dinner (T-bone steak for Norma and Breaded Pescado with lime for me) and then a coffee ($30 CAN including tips for the waiter and the singer). While eating we watched the Plaza come alive with singles, couples and families strolling or sitting on the dozens of benches. Mexicans are a very social people. They do not have to know each other to stop and chat. We made another cabbies night as we paid the same for a cab ride back to the Soriana where we fired up the generator to make coffee to go with our Key Lime pie. Here in the Soriana parking lot in Leon, Mexico, Life Is Good.

Guadalajara Traffic

There is no easy way to get from Villa Corona to Leon without taking the Anillo Periferico around Guadalajara! This was supposed to be a ring road around the city designed to keep traffic out of the heart of the city and in theory, it should work fine for that. In actuality, the road was never completed and only goes about 80% of the way around Guadalajara, leaving a gap right where I needed to exit onto Mexico 80 to Leon. There is a complicated set of instructions in the Church & Church Mexico Camping Guide that involves changing lanes many times at different exits, cross streets and Pemex stations. What the book does not tell you is that some exits are not marked, some highway direction signs are ambiguous to say the least and the dotted lines between lanes have worn right off to the point that the only person who can see what lane you are in is the guy behind you with the big horn. Add to this the propensity of Mexican drivers (at least in Guadalajara) to immediately close any gaps the instant they see your signal that you want into “their” lane. Now add the fact that the speed limit of 80 Km/Hr is treated as no more than a suggestion and you will have some Idea of what I went through!

Imagine heading into L.A. on the freeway with the traffic all doing WAY over the speed limit, no one allowing more than four or five feet in front of themselves with cars, trucks and busses passing on the left and right of you while you are trying to change lanes in a 50 foot long motorhome tow car combination for an exit that may or may not be marked correctly, and if it is marked, it is in Spanish. I was very relieved when I finally got on Mex. 80 and all I had to worry about was having enough Pesos for the toll booths.

There are five toll booths on the ”Cuota” highway between Guadalajara and Leon. The cost ranged from a low of $3.80 CAN at one to a high of $24 CAN at another totaling about $60 CAN for the 270 Km trip. I can never figure out what governs the charge. There is a complicated list of tariffs posted at each toll booth, outlining charges for extra axels, length, height, passengers, etc. but sometimes the charges differ wildly even though the same tariffs seem to be posted. Basically I suspect they charge whatever the Hell they want to charge! At the last one I got charged $13 and then as I was waiting for her to lift the gate she gave me another bill for $11 for the car! Every other time they put it through as a motorhome and a trailer for a cheaper rate but no, this time it was a motorhome with a car following closely behind. Oh well, it was a nicely maintained road and we pay no other taxes for our six months in Mexico so – what the heck. It’s only money.

Second Try For Teuchitlán

I decided to fight my cold by making a second try to find the Archaeological site at Teuchitlán before I left the area. I wrote down all the alternate names for the site off the Internet and set off with a more positive attitude. I found the site easily using the alternate name as there are signs in the town. It is an amazing sight! There are two main pyramids with a third yet to be excavated. There were several workers on the main pyramid today reinforcing the stones. I was pretty much the only visitor there at the time and as a result had the attention of the on site Archaeologist to myself. She is a young Mexican woman who is very knowledgeable on the excavations. She helped me fill out a detailed response form in Spanish on the site and my questions and observations. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and just to have stood where the Pre-Columbian, Pre-Mayan people lived and worked was spellbinding. It is something I shall never forget.

Slight Delay

We both woke up with bad colds this morning and I hardly slept last night. We have delayed our departure by two days to try to shake it off. I will post again when I have something to report other than a headache!

Moving Day

Tomorrow is moving day for us. We are leaving the nicest weather we have experienced so far and traveling North East in hopes of finding more of it! We will be going to the area of Leon, Guanajato, Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel De Allende areas.

The city of Dolores Hidalgo is where the Revolution against Spanish rule was born at 5:00 AM on September 16, 1810 when Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla woke his flock with Church bells and issued his “Grito de Independencia”, or “Cry for Independence”and a call for the abolution of slavery in Mexico. Miguel Hidalgo was no orthodox cleric. He questioned many Catholic beliefs, read banned books and had a mistress. He has been called “a genuine rebel idealist”. He was joined by his friend and fellow revolutionary Ignacio Allende from nearby San Miguel, an aboriginal leader and a fervent believer in the need for Mexican independence. Together they organized the aboriginal people and captured the nearby silver mining city of Guanajato (Wa-na-wato)from its Spanish overlords. Hidalgo was excommunicated by the Catholic Church for his efforts and, after being captured and executed by the Spanish on July 30, 1811, had his head displayed along with that of Allende and several others for ten years on a wall in the city. Instead of having its desired effect of intimidating the Mexican people into docile obedience, the lurid display spurred the people on to fighting for and eventually winning independence from Spain. After Independence was won, the heads were incorporated inside the Monument of Independence. Migual Hidalgo is a true National Hero and has been honored by more statues and paintings than any other citizen. I am looking forward to exploring this area.

Indoor Outdoor Thermometer

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It was 38 degrees outside and 20 inside at noon today (the clock is still set for BC time). But, as they say, it's a dry heat! ( : >)

Villa Corona Centro

Just a few scenes from downtown Villa Corona. As I was taking these a Mexican kid about 25 - 30 came over and started talking to me in perfect English. He lived in California but came back to his home village at least once a month. He said he was absolutly sick of California and just wants to come home! We hear this same story over and over down here. Mexican youth, legal and illegal, go to the States because they think they can earn a lot of money but soon find that the high cost of living wipes out most of what they earn. Most have a wife and kids in Mexico and miss them terribly while finding it very difficult to send home enough money to keep their families. They are all hoping that the situation will be improved after the next USA election. I hope they are right. These are all very hard working, honest people that just need a chance.

They come to the hot springs here in large family groups on their one day off, pay $80 Pesos ($7.50 CAN) for adults and $40 Pesos ($3.75 CAN) for children to get in. They arrive when the pools open and stay until they close, getting full value for their money. They make their meals in the huge, shaded picnic area equipped with tables and barbeques. Mexican are far more family orientated than we are. There are plenty of teenagers here but they are all with their families, taking their turns supervising their younger brothers and sisters.

Down For The Count (again)!

I got hit by another 24 hour bug yesterday. It was not too bad this time but I had a major headache the whole time and could not get too far from my new best friend, the toilet (photo attached). I just lay in bed and ordered soup, bread, Imodium and Tylenol all day. This is the second time I have been hit by this vicious little bug and I have little idea what caused it. I do not drink the tap water but then again I am not fanatical about it. I brush my teeth with it and eat at taco stands, where the food is possibly sometimes washed in tap water. If someone mixes me a drink I do not inquire what water they used for the ice. The very few people we have run into who are fanatical about the food and water do not get to experience the “real” Mexico and I feel that the small, calculated risks that I take are well worth the benefits! I personally believe your chances are about the same whether or not you watch carefully. You have to build up immunity to the water at some point as it is virtually impossible to isolate yourself from all sources. My bouts with the “crud” only last 24 hours while some people I have talked to have suffered for a week with it. I think this is because I have developed at least some immunity. Or then again, maybe it was a bad batch of Tequila!

I am up and around again today and we are thinking about heading a half hour up the road to the Wal Mart Superstore outside Guadalajara. Villa Corona has no large grocery stores, only several very small “corner store” type groceries. There is, however a fantastic bakery within walking distance of the RV Park. I just love Mexican bakeries! This one is very typical of all the bakeries we have found (see photo). It is small, old and equipped with a wood burning oven that takes up one wall, bricks stained dark from the heat and smoke of generations of bakers plying their trade. The walls are brick or stone which holds the heat in very well. The smells when you walk in are beyond description! The work is done on a large table in the middle of the room. There is no “counter” but you walk right into the work area where you pick up an aluminum tray and a pair of tongs and walk around picking up your selections. The clerk then uses the same tongs to place your items in a bag, adding up the total. We bought a selection of buns, rolls and cake and when I paid the few Pesos it cost I told the clerk to keep the small amount of change as a tip. As we were walking out the door, the baker came around his table and handed me a huge, steaming hot cinnamon bun that had just came out of the oven as his “thank you” for our business and maybe for tipping his workers. In this county, you always get as good as you give.

“Che” Mofles Shop

The muffler on the Honda has been going ever since I whacked it on a “tope” at Robin and Georges condo in Mazatlan. A couple of days ago I started it and the sound was unmistakable. It needed work.

I found “Che” Mofles Shop on the highway in Villa Corona and drove in without an appointment. He had me start the car as he crawled underneath and looked. He told me it would be “Uno momento” while they finished the car that was already in the shop. About twenty minutes later he drove the Honda over the pit and the shop owner ("Che"?) and his helper went underneath and conversed in Spanish. The owner then walked next door and came back with a Mexican who spoke English. We all climbed down into the pit and inspected the damage. I was told the muffler, tailpipe and the entire exhaust pipe up to the catalytic converter had to be replaced. He did not have the correct preformed pipe but had one that he “could make work”. However, he was careful to point out that even though he would only be using part of the pipe, he would have to charge me for all of it as cutting off part would make it worthless to him. I quickly agreed and they started. Two of them worked on the car for about two hours, bending, modifying and welding as they went. I was finally presented with a bill of $600 Pesos or $55 CAN. Once again I was looking at the ingenuity of Mexican workers. They had no pipe bender in the shop. Everything was done with a torch and a tree stump. It was dark in the pit but they worked together so well that no conversation was needed.

I drove back to the RV Park and noticed a “banging” under the car as I drove down the cobblestone street. I crawled under the back end and shook the tailpipe, initiating the noise. I drove back to the shop to find the owner had left but the helper was still there. I showed him the “Pequito problemo” and he had me drive over the pit and worked for another half hour, added a bracket and fixed the problem. I offered to pay for the additional parts and work but he refused. I gave him a $50 Peso tip and left with everything working fine. Just another Adventure in Paradise and an even greater admiration for the ingenuity and integrity of Mexican workers.

Villa Corona

Today we moved thirty Kilometers south to the small town of Villa Corona. Villa Corona is known for its beautiful Parque Acuatico Chimulco and it’s Hot Springs! There are three naturally hot pools and instead of pumping and filtering the water they simply empty the pools every night and refill them in the morning from the abundant underground hot springs. One of the side benefits for the people lucky enough to live in Villa Corona is that they get free heating and hot water! The water from the hot springs is piped throughout the town and into every home and business. The water has a very slight sulphur smell that you would quickly get used to although here, like everywhere in Mexico, bottled drinking water is the rule.

The Chimulco RV Park is probably the nicest RV Park we have stayed in yet in Mexico and is part of the pool complex. The aquatic park is open to the public during the day and is crowded with happy, laughing Mexican children and their watchful parents. Many of these visitors drive or bus down from Guadalajara for the day. They bring huge lunches that they eat at the many barbeque equipped picnic tables throughout the park. At night while the three main pools are being emptied and cleaned, another smaller pool is filled with hot water for the exclusive use of the residents of the RV Park. It is open from 7:00 to 10:00 at night. Tonight we shared it with three other couples.

There is a small lake beside the park which is a birding area and a nesting site for water foul. This is a lovely spot where we will spend a week. The camping fee for the week was $1,150 Pesos or about $105 CAN for a nice shady site with full hookups. This $17 per night includes free unlimited use of the water park.

We got Star Choice set up easily before dark, copying a neighbour’s settings. As I was tuning in the signal the neighbour behind us came over and offered to help. He said he had an “ulterior motive” for helping and that was that he would like to connect to our dish. This is a common practice down here. Why set up your own dish when the rig next door has one with four outputs? “No problemo” as they say in Mexico! This is what we did at the San Jose Park outside Guadalajara. I was starting to set up when my neighbour came out and told me to just connect to his dish. Very neighborly.

We are told there is a fantastic bakery in town that we will find tomorrow after I post this entry. There is no WIFI at the RV sites but it is available outside the park office where several tables with power outlets are set up for the purpose. After that and a swim I have to find a muffler shop to fix the Honda’s muffler that got knocked loose on a “tope” or Mexican speed bump that are sometimes marked with a sign and/or painted a contrasting colour and sometimes not. Even with the odd unmarked “tope” and endangered species bird pooping on the car, Life in Villa Corona is Good!

Teuchitlán Frustration

I wrote in an earlier entry about my fruitless search for the archaeological site near the town of Teuchitlán, west of Guadalajara. I had asked an English speaking policeman where the ruins were and he answered that he knew of no ruins nearby. I have now done more research and yes indeed, there are significant ruins there. In fact it is called "The most important archaeological discovery in Western Mexico." It consists of two Pyramids and several other buildings including a Plaza and sport courts. It dates back over two thousand years to Pre-Inca times. It is very well known in archaeological circles and is open to the public. There is also a museum near the site.

I don't know why I could not find it. If I saw a sign, I know enough written Spanish that I would not have missed it. The Policeman I talked to certainly appeared to understand what I was saying when I asked directions to the "ruins - archaeological - ancient civilization". Perhaps if I had said "pyramids - archaeological- ancient civilization", I would have gotten a different answer than, "I know of no ruins near here". Maybe the policeman was simply like me and pretended to understand more than he actually did.

This trip would be so much easier if I had better Spanish. I find occasions like this to be so very frustrating. It is no ones fault other than my own as I took off unprepared and with so little confidence in what I was looking for that I let myself be talked out of looking further by the answer to one obviously misunderstood question.

My next trip to Mexico I will have a small printer so I can have something to show when asking for directions. It would make life so much easier!

Here is a link to some photos of the site: http://www.galenfrysinger.com/teuchitlan_pyramids.htm

Guadalajara Cultural Museum

We visited the Cultural Centre today. It is a huge building of stone columns, vaulted ceilings, courtyards and fountains. It must have been a Palace of some sort Centuries ago and, like all the other Colonial buildings in Guadalajara, still leaves the visitor in awe of the architects and workers who created it!

There is also a large display of Pre-Columbian gold ornaments and jewelry. A jewelry store on the premises offered some very nice items at a price too good to pass up.

Back to Guadalajara Centro

We took the bus back to the old Centro of Guadalajara today. It was an exciting ride through very narrow streets at high speed! The bus ride cost only $41/2 Pesos ($.40 CAN) and took about an hour each way. We had three very positive interactions with Locals on the way back from the Centro. We got on the wrong bus by mistake and as we were talking about it a young man behind us offered to help, went to talk to the driver and came back to tell us how and where to get the proper bus. Then when we went to get off the bus, I left a parcel on the floor. It was a gift bag from a very expensive and well known shop in the Centro. A man sitting across from me called me back to get it when I was half way to the rear door. He could just as easily have waited until we got off and picked it up. The third time was when we decided to take a cab the rest of the way instead of waiting for the second bus. Our neighbours, who offered to pay, gave the driver $10 Pesos more than the $70 Pesos he had asked for. Instead of just taking the money, he made sure that they were aware that they had paid too much. They thanked him for being so honest and told him it was a tip. Once again we were shown how helpful and honest the Mexican people are!

Honda Repairs

After 240,000 KMs the old '89 Accord was finally demanding some attention. The (original) rear suspension was so weak our rear seat passengers were commenting on it "bottoming out" on every bump. The rear end of the car probably has well in excess of 275,000 KMs on it as a result of being towed on a dolly several times across the USA. The rear brakes were also in bad shape as a result of my driving the car with the emergency brake on. This is not the first time I have done this.... ( ;>(

I asked Andreas in the office if he knew of a good "Taller Mechanico", and he immediately recommended Ignacio Lozano Ramirez or, "Nacho" of Multiservicios Automotrices. Andreas called Nacho and arranged for him to meet me at the RV Park the next morning to ride with me for almost an hour in this huge city to his shop. Nacho is a former Commercial Lear Jet pilot who got tired of that boring job ("Fly for 18 minutes and then wait in a hotel room for two days") and decided to start working with his hands. His shop is open air, dirt floored and well equipped although not in the way most of you in Canada and the USA would expect but he had the tools to do every job. He took the brakes off and discovered both hydraulic cylinders were ruined as well as the shoes. He called his supplier who arrived on a motorcycle to take the old parts away to be replaced including the drums to be turned. Next Nacho's mechanic (his cousin) started taking the old shocks and coil springs off while Nacho's wife started calling parts suppliers for replacements. She found new shocks by the time she got to the "G"s in the Yellow Pages but by the time she got to the "XYZ's she still had no coil springs.

This is where you see the difference between Mexican and Canadian (or USA) mechanics. Instead of admitting defeat, Nacho got on the Internet and started researching. He discovered that 89 Accords had very similar suspension as several other years and some other models. His wife then started at the "A"s again and modified her search and finally found some springs. When they arrived, again by motorcycle, Nacho compared them with the old ones and found they had more coils and were slightly bigger (stronger). He looked hard at the pieces they had to mate to and declared, "I can make them work". He got a hacksaw and cut a couple of coils off, filed things down a bit where they joined the mounts and pretty soon we had a complete new rear suspension, much stronger than the original. That is a good thing as we use the car as a "cargo trailer" as we move around the country.

The brakes were now back but the replacement cylinders did not have the correct mounts to fit the Honda. Nacho looked at them and decided he could take the pistons and seals out of the new housings and put them back in my original housings. No Problemo!" He successfully did that and soon the Honda was sporting new brakes. A testimony to the ingenuity that comes from years of working with what you have.

All this took from 10:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night. Except for a short time when we were waiting for material, there was at least one and at times three people working on the car in addition to the hour or more that Nacho's wife was on the phone looking for parts. I was confident that my bill would be substantially less than it would have been in Canada but even then I was surprised when presented with a total bill of only $4700 Pesos or about $450 CAN. Of this about $360 was for parts and contracted out work (turning the drums) and the rest was labour. A very good deal!

Everyone worked very hard but had fun at the same time. They would tease each other and tell jokes which Nacho would translate for me. Soon everyone tried to tell their jokes in English for my benefit. Much was "lost in translation" which made them even funnier. Nachos daughter showed up with his six or eight month old granddaughter, Maria Carmalita, a beautiful little girl who was absolutely fascinated by my "white" face! She started laughing and giggling every time I got close to her. I played with her and talked to her mother and grandmother in the office for a couple of hours until she fell asleep and her mother took her home across the street where I think the whole extended family lives. By now it was dark and the car was finished. We test drove it by driving Nacho and his wife back to the RV Park so they could pick up their car and return home. He had been working for eleven hours with only one meal break and was hungry and exhausted. People who say Mexican workers are lazy should have been in that shop for the day! They would have changer their opinion.

The reason I had to stay with the car for the day is that Mexican Nationals cannot legally drive any vehicle with foreign plates! This makes life very difficult for mechanics as they cannot pick up, deliver or test drive the vehicles they are working on. The Mexican Government usually tries to make things easy for workers but this is a big exception!

Tonola Market

Tonola is a community just East of Guadalajara that is is famous for it's Market on Thursdays and Sundays. We headed out for the market after the traffic died down at about ten this morning with another couple from the RV Park. We followed directions provided by another resident and eventually found ourselves in Tonola. The market was huge, stretching several blocks down the main street. We drove to the end, getting some idea of the scale of the place, found some public parking and set off walking. We started down one side of the street and were quite surprised when we reached the end. We could not believe we had walked that many blocks. The market is a choreography of colours, smells and sounds! Anyone who has been to Mexico will know exactly what I mean and the rest of you will find out when you come here!

We walked back on the other side which held the better quality furniture and lawn ornaments. It would be great if we had a truck to bring all the "stuff" we wanted to buy back home, but alas! We had no room for it. We walked all the way back to the car and returned back to the Park in time for "Happy Hour" at 4:00. All in all a wonderful day and once again, in Guadalajara, Life Is Good!

More Tonola Market

Teuchitlan Wild Goose Chase

Teuchitlan is a tiny village about one hundred Kilometers West of our RV Park and for some reason I had drawn a circle around it on the map. Someone along the way had told me to visit it but I did not make a note as to why. I looked it up on the Internet ans found a reference to the town and was told it contained some ruins of a past civilization.

I decided to take a trip there yesterday and headed off by myself at around 10:00 after the traffic on the Periferico, the circle road around Guadalajara, had died down. Along the way I got a little lost and missed the turnoff to the town as I did not have my map reader with me. I stopped at a Pemex and got straightened out. I found the town and looked around for some sign of or to the ruins. Nothing. I found the Police Station and went in, finding an officer who spoke English. I asked him how to get to the ruins and he had no idea what I was talking about! "I know of no ruins near here" he said.

Well. there must be two places in Mexico with the same name and it just proves that I should do a little more research before I take off in a cloud of dust! In any case, the day was not wasted. I saw a beautiful little village and met an accommodating policeman. Here in Teuchitlan, Jal., Mexico, Life Is Good!

Water Dog

Next door to the RV Park is a large lot and a house with a dog in a fenced in area. The lawn was being watered with one of those huge agricultural type sprinklers that slowly revolves in a circle. Once every pass it would spray into the fenced dog's area. The dog would fixate on the sprinkler as it slowly made it's circle, barking and jumping all the time. As it got closer to his area he would start going crazy waiting for it until it finally sprayed him. At that time he would jump up half way to the top of the fence and move sideways under the spray until he came to the fence on the other side where he would start the whole routine over again waiting for the next shower. It was midday, sunny and about 27 degrees and he was taking full advantage of the cool shower! For this particular dog on this particular day in Guadalajara, Life Is Good!

Note - the photos did not come through on this posting so you will have to use your imagination to visualize the dog jumping at the fence. I will try to post it again when the connection is better

No Hablo Español - A Failure To Communicate

After speaking to Andreas at the desk of the San Jose Del Tajo RV Park about our unsettling experience at the Military Checkpoint near Tepic on Friday (see earlier post), I think I now understand what went wrong. First of all Andreas said what happened should never have happened. As soon as the soldiers realized I did not speak Spanish they were required to back off and call their superior to resolve the situation. They were not at fault. My error was in greeting them in Spanish, giving them the (reasonable) impression that I was fluent in their language. My subsequent shrugging, guessing at answers and idiotic smiling was understandably taken as being evasive to their questions. This makes a lot of sense now that I think about it.

What I should have done, and please take note if you ever get in the same situation, is to immediately have said, "no hablo español!". This would have told them I would not understand their questions and would have kept things on a far friendlier basis.

Further Advice For Canadians:

Another trick I learned from a fellow Canadian veteran Mexico traveler is to immediately let them know we are Canadians and not Americans. I will try to not get into the Politics of it right now, but will just say that Americans are not universally admired. This is probably not a big shock to any of you and it is very noticeable in Mexico. Something to do with the adage that people will treat you the same way as you treat them. To the soldiers manning the checkpoint, if you look like a duck (American) and talk like a duck (English) then you are a duck and will be treated accordingly, in this case the same way his cousin, brother or father were treated in the USA.

This veteran traveler's advice is to place a Canadian Flag on the dashboard in plain sight, make sure they see it and immediately say "no hablo español!". If we had followed these two simple guidelines, there would have been "No Problemo" and it would have been Just Another Day In Paradise. Instead it was the closest I ever want to come to having a gun pointed at me. In the immortal words of Cool Hand Luke, "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

Lake Chapala

Today we drove about fifty kilometers South to Lake Chapala for the day. I should have realized that it would be crowded as a result of it being Constitution Day here in Mexico. Lake Chapala is the "Beach Resort" for Guadalajara's four million residents and many of them escaped the crowded downtown celebrations to catch a little beach time.

As we entered town we saw a parking space on the street and grabbed it. It was a good thing as we did not see very much more available parking all day. We walked down the main street to the beach where the real crowds were forming. It was all very colourful and noisy. Kids were playing everywhere and vendors were selling everything from ice cream to deep fried sardines that are caught in nets just offshore. There are very few foreign tourists in this part of Mexico and the ex-pat community was staying away from the crowds so the crowd was 99.9% Mexican. They work so long and so hard that they really appreciate and take advantage of their leisure time and use it to the fullest.

We walked by the tour boat dock and were convinced by a smooth (Spanish) talking dock worker that we should take a $200 Peso ($18 CAN) tour of the waterfront in a colorful panga. We cruised around watching the fishermen and herons doing their thing for an hour or so and then returned to the dock. It was a beautiful day and it was a lot of fun mixing with the crowds. Just Another Day In Paradise!

Guadalajara Centro Street Scenes

Some more of the beautiful architecture in the Old Section of Guadalajara. There are no cars allowed in this section of the city and there are garbage pails every twenty feet on the streets. Mexican people are justifiably very proud of their country and it shows in the spotless streets.














The only word to describe the climate here in Guadalajara is "Perfect". It is warm during the day and cools down a little at night to make it easy to sleep. Skies are cloudless and there are no bugs. If you have not been able to tell by my previous posts, I am overwhelmed by this country. This is my "Trip Of A Lifetime".

Guadalajara Centro

We drove the car downtown to the Cathredral Plaza today. We were advised to take the bus and subway but we thought since it was Sunday we would try driving. We armed ouselves with a couple of maps and headed out. The traffic was far better than it was when we arrived in Guadalajara on Friday but was still very heavy. We took Avenue Hidalgo and parked in the huge but almost empty underground parking under the Plaza. We walked and explored for about four hours and then headed back to the parking lot.

Tomorrow is Constitution Day here in Mexico and is a big holiday. They were setting up stages and hundreds of portable toilets so half the roads were closed off and when we exited the parking lot we had no idea where we were except we were pretty sure we were headed in the wrong direction. Street signs are very hard to see here and the city traffic moves steadily at about 20 Km/Hr faster than the posted speed of 50 and if you try slowing down at all you are blasted with horns and passed on the right and left at the same time!

We stopped at a light and were frantically searching the map for the street we were on. A nice new Jeep pulled up beside us and the driver asked if we were lost. He asked where we were going and we said we needed to find Avenue Lopez Mateos. He told us we were very far away from there, thought for a second and told us to follow him. He lead us through many streets at breakneck speed and finally we came to a sign telling us we were at Ave. Lopez Mateos. He pulled over and we stopped behind him. I thanked him and offered him some Pesos for gas but he just shrugged it off saying he lived nearby and was going home anyway. He said in excellent English, "I noticed two things. One, you were lost and two, you are not Americans. I had to help you." We told him we were Peace Loving Canadians who loved his Country and especially his City. We shook hands and we were on our way. He is typical of so many Mexicans we have met. We are going to have to start carrying some of our little Canadian Flag Lapel Pins for occasions like this. It would have been a perfect way to say "Gracias, Amigo".

First Day In Guadalajara

Guadalajara is a HUGE city! The population is well over four million and a good percentage of them were on the road today! We had good directions to the San Jose Del Tajo RV Park. The traffic started getting very heavy as we entered the city and eventually got to the point where it was almost impossible to change lanes with a motorhome and tow car combination fifty feet long. I finally worked my way over into the proper lane to turn into the park but when we got there all there was was a huge vacant lot with a "For Sale" sign off to one side! It looked like it may have been an RV Park at one time but it was badly overgrown. I had come to a full stop by now and the traffic behind me started beeping their horns so we moved on a block or so to where we could pull over into a "No Parking" area where we could stop and think out our next move.

It was certainly possible that the park had closed. They are closing all over Mexico to make way for condo development but then again our friend Les had been at the same park only three weeks ago. We decided to abandon the motorhome and walk back to see if we had missed something. There was a restaurant next door to the vacant lot and the owner assured us that yes, what we thought to be a vacant lot was in fact the entrance to the San Jose RV Park. The "For Sale" sign applied to the property next door to the RV Park and the park itself was further up the road that went through the empty lot. We then asked the restaurant owner how we could get turned around to get back to the entrance. He said it would be far easier to show us than to try to tell us so the three of us walked back to the rig and he led me a couple of miles further up the road to an overpass where we turned around and then back past the RV park to another overpass, made another U-turn, dropped him off at his restaurant and made the turn into the park. It is very nice. The pool is suffering from neglect and we probably will not use it but everything else seems fine with the exception of the sewer line which overflowed when I dumped into it. The manager assured us he would have it taken care of first thing Monday so we are using the holding tank until then.

Our neighbour in the Park has a satellite system for Internet and sells WIFI access for a token amount. While I was talking to him I asked him what kind of a signal he was getting on his Star Choice and he graciously offered to let me plug into his dish to save me the trouble of setting my own up. The dishes have four outputs so sharing is not a problem. He has the large dish and I am getting a signal strength of 45 where all I was getting with my own smaller dish in Mazatlan was 27. This larger dish is at the top of my shopping list for next year. We are all settled down now and making plans to do some exploring by bus tomorrow.

Tequila!

We visited the town of Tequila, Mexico today on our way to Guadalaraja. It is known for it's production of ...... You guessed it! Tequila! There are many stores along the street offering the product of many distilleries. All of them are more than willing to give you a sample of their products. I sampled two before remembering I still had another 40 or so kilometers to drive today. I talked to the friendly fellow below who runs the store on the far left. He convinced me to buy a bottle of what was, in his opinion, a very good quality Tequila for the reasonable amount of $280 Pesos ($27 CAN). I have yet to try it but the town deserves a return visit if time permits, or if I run out of Tequila. <) ; > ))

My First Military Checkpoint

We got stopped in a Military Checkpoint today! We have seen many of these checkpoints along the way but they have always been stopping traffic going in the opposite direction to us. This time it was our turn. Two soldiers that looked to be about the same age as our granddaughter (12) waved us over. They were both carrying M-16’s (or some other Very Big Gun) at the ready and one of them had an electronic “sniffer” that he waved at the RV as we stopped. The 12 ½ year old asked us something in Spanish that I did not understand at all. When I made no response except giving him a stupid grin, he repeated the question louder. I said, “No Comprende” and shrugged. He repeated the same question, this time quite a bit louder and started looking over my shoulder into the back of the motorhome. His younger buddy started moving his finger towards the trigger so I thought now would probably be a good time to answer him although I had no idea what he was asking. Thinking quickly (for me) I said “Guadalajara”. He looked at me and said, “Guadalajara?” I said, “Si. We are going to Guadalajara.” He then said something else I did not understand and I, thinking that “Si” was probably as good an answer as any, said, “Si” and gave him my “stupid tourist” smile. At that point he looked at his buddy, shrugged and waved us through thinking the next stupid Canadians are going to be his buddy’s problem. I have no excuse for knowing so very little Spanish. We are guests here and should be able to communicate. It is not their job to learn English, it is our job to learn at least some Spanish! An embarrasing, possibly dangerous situation like this would never have happened if we could have communicated better. I still have no idea what he was asking. I hope it was an inquiry as to our destination because that was the answer he got.

The Road To Tepic

We got away from Mazatlan at about 11:00 after having breakfast and tipping Arnoldo, the cook who provided us with so many good meals and Maria in the office, who made sure we had a space to stay in and who created room for our friend Les when he arrived. Tepic is 277 KM from Mazatlan and I expected it to take about four hours or maybe a little more. We were barely out of town when the highway turned into a parking lot with traffic stopped for as far as the eye could see. After cooling our heels for about 45 minutes things started moving again and when we got to where the problem was it turned out to be a truckload of red bricks that got dumped on the highway.

Trucking is a little different in Mexico. If you want to move a load of red bricks, you simply start piling them on the back of a truck until the wheels are just about touching the body from the weight and then you throw a half inch rope over the whole works and take off, swaying away down the road. The odd time it falls off but then everyone who has to stop pitches in to throw the bricks off to the side and next thing you know, traffic is moving again. Nobody complains because that is the way they do it themselves. No Problemo!

That delay put us a little behind and my decision to take the “Libre” or toll free highway made the trip a little longer because you just can’t go as fast on it because of all the trucks and hills. We finally arrived in Tepic at about 5:00. We had decided to just pull into a Wal Mart or some other large parking lot and stay the night but darkness started falling and we still had not found a place to settle. Finally we saw a Soriana Grocery store sign and pulled in there. That is where we are now as I write this. There is no WIFI of course so I will send this whenever I can. Dinner was a frozen microwaveable pizza purchased in Soriana washed down with two cups of coffee. It is now 9:00 and I am watching for a parking lot guard to ask if we can stay. I will give him $20 Pesos which is about four hours pay at minimum wage of $47 Pesos per day for him to watch over us. We will be as safe as in the Proverbial “God’s Pocket”. Right now it is 22 degrees Celsius outside and 23 inside. Here in the Soriana parking lot in Tepic Mexico, Life Is Good!

Moving On To Guadalajara

We are finally moving on tomorrow! It has been fun here in Mazatlan and we have enjoyed all the company from Canada but it is time for the Adventure to continue!

All the furniture is crammed into the storage compartments, windows are washed and Good-Bye's have been said. We will load up the car on the trailer and leave in the morning. We will head South to Tepec where we will stay the night, maybe boondocking behind a Pemex station with all the highway trucks. The next day we will check into an RV Park near Guadalajara for a week. We will take the "Libre" or toll-free road as far as Tepec as we hear this section of it is in good repair and it will be nice to avoid the toll stations along the way. We have already paid over a hundred dollars in road tolls in Mexico and the section of Highway 15 from Mazatlan to Guadalajara would be another hundred or so. Taking the "Libre" where we can will save half of this. I do not really mind paying the tolls as we are paying no other taxes in Mexico and they do keep the highways in good repair.

Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico with a population of over four million. It was founded in 1531 and contains many historic buildings. The park we are staying in is close to the city and on the bus route to downtown. I will not be taking the car downtown because I will probably never find parking and even if I do find a place to park, I will never find the car again after wandering around all day! They say the memory is the first thing to go, thank Goodness! Stay tuned...

872 People Have Read My Blog!

I can't believe that 872 people have visited my Blog since I put the counter on. The counter lets me see a lot of information on who is reading, such as where they are from, how they found me and how long they were here. People from all over the world are finding me, from Kiev, Peru, Philippines, Australia and China as well as the USA and Canada.

I started this to share some of our Mexico experiences with a few friends and relatives and look what it has become! It is all very humbling. I hope I am providing a little entertainment for you and that you are able to learn a little more about this wonderful country and it's people from the Blog.

Edit: It is now March 19, 2008 and 3,030 people have read the Blog! Whoever would have thunk!

Edit again: July 17, 2008 and the count is over 7,900. Unbelievable!

Expenses in Mexico

I just did a quick comparison between our expenses for the months of December and January last year when we were in Arizona with the same months this year in Mexico. It is quite startling! We are spending about $1000 per month LESS in Mexico. We are exploring more, eating out more and we also had our son and his partner here for two weeks and did a lot with them. I will have to do a more in-depth study of our expenses but the bottom line is clear. For us, Wintering in Mexico costs about $1000 per month less than Wintering in Arizona. As a bonus, I do not have to be careful to avoid offending my neighbours who may like Bush. (Apologies to my American friends who may like Bush...)

C AVIATE: In my excitement in discovering such a savings I probably published this a little early. I did not take into consideration the increased value of the Canadian Dollar in my calculations. The dollar was worth quite a bit less last year. As I recall it was around $.85 USA. This would reduce my figures by about 15%. This would translate into a true savings of $800 or $850 per month which is still a considerable amount.

Visitors Are Leaving

My son Brooks and his partner Linda left for Victoria this afternoon. They have a short stop in LAX and another in Seattle before landing in Victoria at 9:00 tonight. We had a lot of fun. It has been nice having them here and we are sad to see them go but on the other hand it will be nice to have some time to ourselves again. They have to get back to work as well as they had just come home from two weeks in Cuba before getting on the plane for Mexico. They can't retire yet!

Venados - Obregon Game

We went to another Mazatlan Venados Baseball game on Friday night. Mazatalan had previously beat their rivals from Los Moches to move on to the current series against Obregon. It was a good game but I think that either Obregon has a better team or the Venados simply do not want to win that bad. I don't usually feel this way about sports but this just seems different for some reason.

We decided to treat ourselves to better seats in a private "Cabina" (Cabin) instead of being in the bleachers but that turned into a hassle as the people who rented the cabin for all of the regular season thought (wrongly) that they had a right to it for the Playoffs as well. When we showed up at our cabin it was already full of people who had a key but no tickets and they did not want to leave. My son went to fetch a Security Guard who did not seem at all anxious to kick them out as they were probably very important people in Mazatlan. We were not going anywhere either so the intruders finally got the message and left temporally but returned as soon as the Security guy was gone, crowding in and telling us that they "own" the cabina and we should not have been sold tickets to it. When we asked to see his tickets, he just kept waving around a key that may or may not have been for the Cabina.

By now the game was into the third inning and we had not been able to watch any of it. Brooks went to get Security again and tried to get him to ask everyone to either show their tickets or leave. The Security guy did not want to do that but instead offered a "compromise". Seeing how there were eight seats in the cabin and there were only six in our group, he was going to allow two of the other group to have the two empty seats even though they had no tickets. Two women with a young child and a baby immediately took over the end of our "Private" cabin with the blessings of Security. I counted that as four but Secutity counted it as two and he had the "Riot Stick". The result was that one or two of our group had to stand through the entire game and we missed seeing a good part of it because of all the hassle.

I found this incident very unsettling because it exhibited the worse possible stereotype of Mexican people, that is: pushy people, officials not doing their job and the suspicion of payoffs or "influence" taking place. This is a side of Mexico that we had not experienced to date but although I was disappointed, I am not going to let this isolated incident colour my very positive general impression of Mexico and it's people. The bad feeling I had probably negativly affected my overall impression of the game but I hope the Venados go on to win and to represent Mexico in the Caribbean World Series. Their fans deserve a win!

On edit: Sorry, once again I am unable to post photos. They are simply shots of the game and more important, the "Pacifico Girls", a dance team providing some "very talented" entertainment. (the best part of the game)!

Follow-Up: The Venados lost the next two games and are now out of the race.

Tire Repair!

Last night I got a flat tire. I changed it to the "donut" spare and took the tire in for repair this morning. Tire shops are called Llantera here in Mexico. We found a Llantera (Continental Tire) close by in the Gigante grocery store mall. When I rolled the tire in the repairman stopped working on the brake job he was doing and started on my repair immediately. He marked where the weight was, took the tire off the rim, repaired the hole (I had run over a self tapping screw), put the tire back on the rim and mounted it on the car. When I asked for the bill ("la cuenta, por favor") it was $35 Pesos ($3.45 CAN)! When he told me the amount I thought I did not understand him because it was too cheap. He wrote the number down and that is what it was! I looked at him and shrugged "Is that all?" He nodded and repeated the amount so I paid it and gave him a small tip. I was in and out in under 20 minutes. All the equipment was very modern and their shop and uniforms were spotless. He washed and dried the "donut" for me and scrubbed his hands before taking my money.

Some things are very expensive in Mexico. Our neighbour here in the park is trying to replace a small digital camera and one that he can get for $200 in the States is well over $300 here. Other things, like labour, are very cheap. Once again, I have to admire the work ethic in Mexico. Everyone works and works hard! No matter how menial their job, they are very proud of the work they do. It is very humbling to travel down here.

Working On Travel Plans

I am getting itchy feet! We have been in Mazatlan almost six weeks now and although we have enjoyed the visits from our family in Canada who have been coming down, it is time to start working on our next adventures!

On February 1 we will head South once again and are planning on leaving the motorhome in Tepic and driving the car to Puerto Vallarta for a few days in a beach front hotel. After that we will pick the motorhome up and head to Guadalajara and San Meguel areas. There is much to see there as well as an RV Park with Hot Springs to stay in. As we move inland it becomes less crowded, cheaper and more interesting in terms of history and scenery.

After visiting this area we will start investigating a route up the interior of Mexico to Texas where, assuming the Canadian Dollar is still worth a dollar, we will look for a newer motorhome.

Stay tuned as I will do a lot more posting as we start moving.

Photo of "Tioga and George"

I am having trouble with the Blog refusing to post photos or only allowing one photo per post. Here is the second photo that should have gone in the previous post. It is of George of "Tioga and George" and myself.

"Tioga and George"

I finally got to meet George of the famous "Tioga and George" Internet Blog. He is a very interesting single man who travels in an older but nicely fixed up Class C Tioga motorhome much like ours and chooses to keep his costs down by "boondocking" whenever he can. He posted a photo of himself parked on the Malecon on his website and since I had a dentist appointment downtown anyway I went down early to meet him. Unfortunatly, by the time I got there he had left. Later on we were driving home with Brooks and Linda from Robin's condo and saw him parked on the beach almost right across from our RV Park! We knocked on his door and had a nice visit. He was parked on a lot that was being developed into condos and after we talked for a half hour or so, a man came to the door to tell him he had to move. George said it was the first time he had ever been kicked out of a boondocking site in Mexico! The guy who kicked him out was an American representing an American developer so that may explain it. Mexicans are much friendlier and willing to share as you will discover if you have a look at George's Blog. George took a photo of us and graciously gave me permission to use it here. You can see George's Blog at: http://vagabonders-supreme.net/blog/blog.html You can read Georges mention of our visit at: http://vagabonders-supreme.blogspot.com/2008/01/730am-malecn-de-mazatln.html

Trip to the Dentist

Yesterday I went to a local Dentist here in Mazatlan for a long overdue cleaning. Dr. Francisco Gavito did a thorough half hour cleaning using the latest ultrasonic equipment and also took an X-Ray of an area that he was concerned about. It turned out to be a piece of taco chip that had gotten stuck between the tooth and gum and had become slightly infected! Ouch! Before I left he talked to me about my teeth and gave me a handful of cleaning supplies to take with me. The total bill? $500 Pesos ($45 CAN), much less than it would have cost in Canada. Dr. Gavito speaks excellent English that he, like many Mexicans, taught himself by watching American TV when he was young. I highly recommend him.

Here is Dr. Gavito's web site: http://www.drfranciscogavito.com/

Villa Union

We visited Villa Union yesterday, a small town just South of Mazatlan. As we were walking through town we came across a barber advertising haircuts for $35 Pesos ($3.40 CAN). Recognizing a bargain when we see it, my son and I woke him up from his siesta in the barbers chair took him up on his offer. We both got very good haircuts, as good as we ever get back home, mostly done with a straight razor! The photo is my son Brooks in the chair. We then celebrated the haircut with an ice cream on the main street. After that we came back to the motorhome where we cooked up a kilo of shrimp and a kilo of white fish. It was a great day and proved once again that here in Mexico, Life Is Good!

Mazatlan Aquarium

Our son Brooks and his partner Linda have arrived in Mazatlan! It is great to see them, we have been gone a ling time. They just returned from a trip to Cuba and had a very good head start on their tans! It is Linda's first trip to Mexico and we have been having fun playing the old travel pros and showing them around. Today we went to the Acuario Mazatlan (Aquarium). It is a great place to see and was made much more fun by three classes of children who happened to be there at the same time. Mexican children are so pleasant to be around. They are well behaved, clean, polite and in great awe of us forigners! The little girl in the pink spent more time watching us than watching the show.

After visiting the Aquarium and a making a short visit to Sam's Club to replentish the Pacifico supply, we joined my brother Gordon, my niece Robin, her partner George and their neighbour Gord for dinner and to see my brother off. He will be catching the plane tomorrow to take him back to snow shoveling duties in Edmonton. He had been here two weeks and the time has flown by.

Manifold - The End

Well, the manifold saga is over! I went down and paid the bill this morning and the total, including the removal, welding, machining and reinstalling of the manifold as well as a complete new set of spark plug wires was $5300 Pesos or about $520 CAN. This is a LOT less than the same job would cost back in Canada which a retired mechanic in the park here said would have been around $2000 CAN for the manifold alone. It was a little frustrating dealing with the local "mechanico" shop as nobody seemed to be in a hurry to do anything but everything worked out in the end. While I was in the shop paying the bill I saw the mechanic who did the job and gave him a $200 Peso tip and thanked him for a job well done. I would not hesitate to recommend this shop to anyone needing work done down here. Just have patience and remember you are in Mexico!

Manifold Part 3

The manifold saga continues! They welded the crack in the old manifold and promised to have it back the next day. They did not show so I called the next day and was told they decided to send it to a machine shop to be re-surfaced. This was good news as that is what I asked for but was assured was not necessary. Well that took two more days and they finally arrived at about 4:30 and worked until after dark putting it back on. It quickly became pitch black (remember, we are in the Tropics) and I ended up holding a flashlight for him to finish the job. We finally fired the engine up and it purred like a kitten!

He then showed me the spark plug wires that were damaged by the heat from the leaking manifold and told me they had to be replaced. The rubber coating was falling off in his hands so I agreed. He went away and promised to be back in the (Saturday) morning to finish the job. Well, you guessed it, no show. We waited all day for him and when I finally phoned at about 4:00 the shop was closed. Sunday is "Family Day" here so I knew they would not be here then. Today I called after breakfast and was assured they would be here at 3:30. They had to order the spark plug wires.

I find all of this very frustrating but no one else seems to. "11:00 tomorrow" could mean 11:00 tomorrow but it could just as easily mean 3:00 tomorrow or noon the next day. I still have no idea how much all this will cost me except I am sure it will be much less than it would cost in Canada. I have $6000 Pesos ($600 CAN) hidden away and hope that will cover it. If not, he will just have to trust me to drop it off later after I hit the ATM again. I am getting used to the "Cash Economy" here and am less dependent on my credit card, although I am going to miss the points I am no longer accumulating.

It is cloudy today and a little warmer than it has been. My indoor/outdoor thermometer says 24 outside and 26 inside. If the sun was out it would be a good pool day but if I can't expose myself to a little skin cancer, what's the point?

San Ignacio

San Ignacio is another small Mexican town. It is at the end of a long road that goes nowhere else so not many tourists get there. San Ignacio is dominated by a very large statue of Christ overlooking the town. I found an interesting "Che" t-shirt in this small market to add to my growing collection.

More San Ignacio