The Long and Winding Road

First thing this morning, we went to the Turtle Sanctuary on the beach. It is run by a man who started it up twenty-five years ago, when the turtles here were headed toward extinction. He finds and protects the eggs from predators, and fosters many young turtles for about a month, then they're old enough to be released into the wild to fend for themselves. He also takes care of injured or lame turtles. He's currently fostering a two year old Green Sea Turtle who was born with a deformed lung and as a result swims on his side. When he is ready, he will be donated to the aquarium in Veracruz, as he could not possibly fend for himself in the wild. David held this beautiful 25 lb turtle. Over the last 25 years, over 75,000 turtles have been released. One man really can make a difference!

We went to La Mangla for breakfast yesterday, dinner last night, and breakfast today. It is the best restaurant in Tecolutla, and I ordered the very same breakfast two days in a row because it was so good! This is where David, the owner and chef (a fellow Canadian married to a lovely Mexican girl named Miriam), will cook a meal exactly tailored to suit your tastes. It is also where nobody looks at me strangely for asking for veggie-fare!

After breakfast we left Tecolutla for Xalapa (pronounced 'ha-lap-a'), a colonial city in the mountains. We did not know that Mexico was so mountainous, nearly Swiss Alps-like .The road was the most scenic we have ever seen - truly breathtaking and majestic. We took several pictures and would have taken more, but I needed both hands to take pictures in the car, and my right hand was often clenched onto the H.S. handles! (To Mom: you would've hated it; To Tim: you would've loved it!) Yes, it was an exciting drive, with more curves than a crazy pretzel. I have to admit though, that the scenery was well worth it.

The climate in Xalapa is quite cool and we have had to put the heat on in the beautiful hotel room we have for the night here at the Hotel Xalapa. Such upscale digs wouldn't have been our preference, but when it gets late in the day, after 5pm or so, we don't want to keep driving around a town we aren't yet familiar with - we just want to get settled for the night. (Who am I trying to kid - I think I can handle the fancy room for one night!)

Love,

April and David

p.s. We hope everyone is well - please feel free to drop us a line here or via e-mail.

Chloe's Note: I'm glad we left the cheap seats in Tecolutla. Our ground level, exterior door room kept me on pins and needles all night, because the local dogs camped outside our door....just because I'm the new kid on the block. I could hear the flea-bitten mongrels scratching themselves all night. And they even staged a few fights for my benefit. Skinny buggers!!

Scenes From The Scenic Route

Never Trust a Map

Driving in Mexico is a lot different than in Canada or the US. Just getting from A to B is sometimes an adventure. Here's the low down: Expect to take a wrong turn despite using a map; not all places are on the map; all highways are NOT created equal; and most importantly, roads are not just for cars, bikes and pedestrians. Instead of the Hockey and Construction seasons that we have up north, maybe their two seasons are Wet and Construction.

But we are becoming acclimatized to the driving, as well as the culture and food. Each region has its own 'feel', and we're beginning to get an idea of whether we like a town or not.

So far, the only town we couldn't wait to leave was Tuxpan - it was too noisy and all business. Thankfully, we were only passing through; we slept there (barely), got in the car in the morning and got outta Dodge!

We visited El Tejin, where some ruins were only recently discovered. The people played games involving ritualistic human sacrifice, though it's unclear whether the winner or loser was sacrificed. I guess we'll never know for sure why those societies fell; we can only surmise that it was disease or war or something else. It was fascinating. Different than the Mayan ruins we saw in the Yucatan.

We've been in Tecultla since Thursday, and it's another great beach town bereft of tourists. Imagine 5000 hotel rooms in a town with a population of only 6000! Apparently during holiday seasons there's not an empty room in town, and only elbow room on the beach. The rest of the year, as now, there's nobody on the beach.

We met other people from Canada here - the best restaurant in town is run by a Toronto guy who came for a visit six years ago and fell in love with a Mexican sweetie. He's happy to share his stories and offer suggestions of other must-see places in Mexico. But more importantly, he listened to my veggie-meal woes and goes out of his way to cook up made-to-order meals just for us! Great veggie food and awesome coffee....He's officially the coolest person in town!

We also met a couple from Kenora, Ontario, who drive down for 3-4 months every year. And a couple who are on their way to Panama, but not before they stop and volunteer for a few months in Guatemala (they were doctors).

David's as happy as a clam that got away, out surf-fishing today. (If he catches a fish I don't know what we'll do with it.)

We'll stay another night or two here, then head south along the coast - maybe with a detour to Xalapa - if not, then straight southbound, to a small place called Catamaco, past Veracruz. I'll find a good Mexico map online and post the route if I can.

Take care all,

April and David

Chloe's Note: They call me "Blancito Gordito" (Fat Whitey) - hey, I'm just big-boned! I've been meeting lots of dogs, but making few friends. Speaking of which, I met a dog that looked like Rosco, my good buddy back home. We called this guy "Roscito" in my boyfriend's honour.

Interim Post

Hi All!
We're ok! Don't worry - an internet connection isn't as handy now. We will post more later today. Please keep your comments coming!
Love to all,
April and David

Border Crossing Blues

We crossed into Mexico today, but what a day! The border crossing would have been a breeze, except that we had, well, a spat of sorts. A few hundred miles, a comfy hotel room, a nice dinner and several Coronas later, let's just call it a long story and put the miserable border crossing behind us.
The landscape has gone from flat farmland to mountainous and quite scenic. Close to the hotel there is a grand park with all kinds of sports activities, more than I've seen in one place. It was a great place for a walk.
We've been on the road for a week now, and restaurant food is getting tiresome. From Louisianna to Mexico, a Vegetarian seems to be as rare as a Martian. I've been eating a lot of fish, and I'm all fished-out. I'm hoping we'll find a kitchenette in a little town, stay a few weeks, and cook my own food....or I may have to start eating meat soon!

Chloe's Note: The walks are unpredictable every day, and so are the lodgings. The pack is constantly on the move these days. On the bright side, I've been eating very well! Lots of yummy meat every day.

South Padre Island

It was too nice a a day to get in the car for another long drive so we took a short trip to the beach at South Padre Island. Miles of sand dunes and blue gulf water. Chloe and I enjoyed a good run on the beach. Chloe could not believe how fast the little birds that scavenge the waters edge could run.

Bluegrass, bluegrass....

....and green grass and palm trees too. Ok, we're officially in Vacation Mode now. We are in Brownsville, Texas, the last stop before crossing into Mexico.





Last night we stayed near Houston, and the three of us were tired, hungry and downright crusty from the drive when we arrived there. We were not impressed with the area where we stayed, and were happy to leave it behind this morning. From there we drove past Corpus Cristi, passing lots of trailer parks and drab scenery. We expected Brownsville to be a small hole-in-the-wall town, but were pleasantly surprised to find a tropical, bustling city with huge shopping areas and restaurants. There's no sign of a slow economy here. It is also interesting that the stores are mostly filled with Mexicans - the employees and the shoppers. David has opportunity to brush up on his Spanish (I think he's showing off!). And it's finally warm enough to swim in the outdoor pool.





Tomorrow we're going to have the brake pads replaced and whatever else the Escape needs done, before Escape-ing to Mexico. So we'll enter Mexico either Monday or Tuesday, depending on how long it takes to ready the vehicle. I could handle another night here. There are also other cars here from Ontario!



Thank you for your comments, by the way. We look forward to them when we're on the road, so please keep 'em coming!


Chloe's Note: All the different smells have put my senses into Hyperdrive. I have encountered many dogs already...some friendly, some not-so-much. Saw some HUGE dogs pulling carriages in New Orleans who were wearing diapers! My pack's new schedule is this: drive during the daylight with a few quick pee-breaks, go for a nice walk when we stop, watch the Disney Channel alone for an hour or two on the king sized bed we all share, then have really good treats with my dinner. Our walks are not cold or lonely anymore, and life is good!