Day 3..Short and sweet ( ish)

As  is getting to be a habit we were up at the crack of dark thirty  and raring to go. Well perhaps not raring exactly. The hotel offered breakfast so we were fed and watered by 7.30 and raring to go, well raring to go might be a slight exageration but we were pretty darned close.


The car park was a little on the tight side and off a very busy main road so we drove the motor home and car into the car park separately and parked so as we could get out with as little fuss as possible in the morning. Finding hotels with car parks that we can get into is nigh on impossible. Most have an arched entrance which we cant get under or they are so narrow that we just find it impossible. We don't like leaving the motor home unsecured if we can help it for obvious reasons and also it makes for a bad nights sleep for me especially if we have to leave Barney and Hanna inside overnight.


So this morning we went out to leave and this is the sight that we came across...................

Yes, some idiot towing a car had parked "willy nilly" a couple of slots next to us and blocking our way. The motor home doesn't have a large turning circle so we need as much space as we can get. This moron ( no Star this moron was really a moron.... in joke Star will get it ) just had absolutely no consideration for us what so ever.


Consequently we went back into the hotel and in our ( well Stephen's) best Spanglish explained the situation. Nothing became of this so being the good patient Brits we are we thought we would wait awhile. Now what is the definition of wait awhile...... half an hour? o.k. The trouble is hanging around is not conducive to a pleasant exchange when this guy does turn up.


O.k half an hour's up................ we decided to try again with the hotel staff. This time I think they could understand our frustrations......... I think my face said it all.


Eventually , eventually ?  they track him down and while we are hovering outside by the motor home he arrives. A young guy........ never says a dickie bird to us. Not a by your leave, no embarrassed apology, nada. He did never the less get the message . It was quite funny because he had quite a bit of difficulty getting his vehicles out and I certainly wasn't in the mood to play the good samaritan and help with directing his efforts. I just glared and added to the pressure..... oh well tough.


We decided to take the motor home and car separately again and hook up further up the road. It makes life easier than trying to get across three lanes of traffic towing a car. I saw Stephen out then it was my turn.


The traffic was heavy with huge trucks most of which are semis with double trailers. Great huge things they are. It seems that the large trucks stick to the Cuota roads as we have seen a lot over the past few days ( Cuota roads are toll roads and generally good roads although sometimes they can be in need of repair  ) Anyway, just before Stephen set off across the traffic a massive double coca cola truck had just done the same manoeuvre and you don't want to mess with those big beasts let me tell you. I think seeing this made Stephen feel less nervous about heading across 4 lanes of traffic. I was traffic  cop  so I launched myself into the  oncoming traffic and held my hand up for them to stop ( it's a very Mexican thing  and I'm getting rather good at it ) and of course you really don't want to mess with me, then Stephen takes the big jalopy across no problem at all.


Now it was my turn with the little yellow banana ( the car) and it was quite some  tricky manoeuvre as I didn't have anyone to stop traffic for me. I edged forward and a taxi stopped for me and he's waving out in front of him and  traffic is careering around him . I have my nose just in front of his bonnet ( hood!) and  I begin inching my way forward.


The taxi driver is gesticulating for me to get on with it ( in a pleasant sort of way) but all I do is gesticulate back miming ' how when the traffic is still coming' At this point he puts his head out of the taxi and shouts to me ' THIS IS MEXICO" and the penny dropped YES IT IS. It was like a revelation of course , anything goes in Mexico. Filled with new vigour I edge forward.


I put my hand out of my window in the international' stop or else' signal and made a run for it. It was quite an awakening experience and more strangely they all stopped for me. 


If there is one thing that I will take away from Mexico it is that Mexican people are really 'nice' people. They are helpful beyond a fault and will go out of their way to be cooperative  as has been proved time and time again over the last few years. They can be frustrating too but I'll not spoil the accolade by going into all that just yet.




 We headed out at about 9.30 a little later than planned because of that prat this morning but on our way we were.


Only one police stop and one military stop today, wow things are looking up.

The terrain is so different than the Yucatan.The Yucatan has no rivers so seeing huge wide rivers again is different. As we headed out to the Vera Cruz region we saw more and more roadside venders selling coffee beans and honey. A little different to the venders in Merida selling their gadgets and fruit. Although there is lots of fruit here too, mainly pineapples.

Fire roadside

We decided that we would have a shorter day today and stop in Cordoba. Tomorrow will be interesting as we have to tackle the mountains  ( and an extinct volcano to boot ) up to Puebla. We remember the mountains all too well from our trip down.Smoking brakes on the way down I recall where we had to stop to let them cool down for 2 hours. The brakes should be alright this time one would hope.


We found a lovely place to stay ( a bit pricey but we thought we deserved it ) called Villas Layfer. They are individual little bungalows really posh. Unfortunately they don't allow dogs or cats so they have to stay in the motor home again. I'm beginning to get used to it. They are fine and I am worrying less.

Villas Layfer

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 

No we are certainly going to make the most of these luxurious surrounding, so a shower it is then a beer is in order I think.




Tomorrow we head for them there mountains!

Just one of many Pemex stops.