Jan 3

Today we headed off on our last travels through Mexico with the destination being Chetumal, the Mexican city near the border of Belize. The adventure went quite smoothly as we watched the scenery go by. We stopped at a gas station and were accosted by some Mayans selling beautifully woven and embroidered clothing, belts and bracelets. I almost bought a rainbow belt, but didn’t have the right cash on me, nor do I even have pants to wear a belt with, so I opted out. Some of the others bought friendship bracelets.

The motorhome decided to go ahead to the next gas station because the one we were at didn’t take credit card. As the rest of us were catching up we noticed that something odd was going on. As we pulled in, there was a crowd of Mexicans talking with Matt, and then we noticed the ladder on his motorhome was broken off at the bottom. It seemed that the motorhome accidentally nicked a truck while backing up. The guy whose truck was hit was negotiating for cash, and everything was settled more than fairly.

Back on the road again we headed onward and drove by some Mayan ruins which could be seen from the road over the jungle canopy. We didn’t have time to stop though, we wanted to get to Chetumal before dark. It wasn’t long after that we made it there and led the motorhome to the Sam’s Club parking lot. The rest of us found the El Dorado hotel near the water and checked in, then shared a pizza appetizer.

As the sun set, I went for a walk by myself along the oceanfront and around the area. The trees were still covered with Christmas lights and there were giant plastic snowmen and angels in the plaza. There were also lots of children riding around on small motorized kid cars. It was very interesting, and on my way back I even came across a giant nativity scene.

Mark and I were sharing a room, and I got back before he did. Unfortunately he had our only key, so I tried to climb over the balcony to our room and get in the window. It didn’t work though because our window appeared to be locked too. I went downstairs and asked the guy at the front desk to let me in, and then I took one of Marks beers as punishment (They were sitting on his bed waiting for me).

Mark soon arrived back, we had a few drinks with the girls, and then the whole group converged and we went for dinner at a cactus restaurant. It was a very strange meal, as we started with a few of us ordering what we thought were margaritas, but they weren’t. Arlene accidentally spilled hers, and then Jane went to see the bartender/manager of the place and get them to make real margaritas (Which weren’t on the menu). When the food started arriving, it seemed that the only person who actually got what they’d ordered was Mark and Mig, and they’d forgot to make my meal. Oddly everyone’s meals ended up being the same thing, as though they’d run out of ingredients. We all enjoyed the meals which were delicious and we certainly had a good laugh at how strange the restaurant was, but we also had to sort out and check the bill at the end because they had made a few mistakes and overcharged us on some things as well. It all got sorted in the end.

We then went back to our rooms, and went to bed.

~Jambhala

Jan 2

Today I joined Matt in the Motorhome which I must say is like travelling in first class. It bounces quite a bit over the uneven roads, but it has big comfy seats and all the amenities one needs.

The weather started out great and the driving was smooth. When we all pulled over for gas at one point to regroup, Matt and I learned that we’d accidentally taken out a bus rearview mirror while passing on a narrow road. We had heard something, but didn’t know what it was and had continued on without a clue. Apparently the girls behind us in the forerunner had seen it get knocked off the bus and fall into pieces as it hit the ground. Mark also got another phone call informing him that his brother hadn’t made it. We took a little break before getting back on the road.

At one point we had to dodge some broken off chunks of semi truck tires, and shortly after that we realized that the girls in the Forerunner were no-longer behind us. We got a bit concerned and all pulled over to wait for them. No sign, and then we got the phone call explaining how they had hit one of the chunks of semi truck tires and got a flat.

Matt and I just chilled out and had some fruit and soup while Mark and Jane in the Jeep went back to check on them and help out if needed.

It seemed to go well, they had flagged down some very friendly mexicans that had spent a good lot of time helping them put on their spare. Unfortunately it would’ve gone faster if they’d had all the pieces of their jack together. When the Jeep arrived on the scene, Mark had just the piece they needed to get the new tire on and back on the road they were.

We eventually pulled into Villahermosa just after dark and the weather had become quite rainy and wet. We checked into the Auto Hotel Tobasco which rents by the hour offering king sized beds with sexy pictures on the walls and offered a porn channel on the television. It was the only place we could find that was suitable enough for the motorhome to park.

~Jambhala

Jan 1

The morning brought great gusts of wind blowing down the main street billowing sand clouds. We’d all slept in after a late night partying. The morning was slow getting ready and back on the road again.

We were all a bit concerned how the Motorhome was going to fair in the winds but it turned out alright. The roads were not very good on this stretch of driving and the traffic was outrageous. The weather turned rainy as well as windy and the Toyota forerunner which I was now driving in with Jane didn’t have a working fan, and so the window kept fogging up as we used toilet paper and towels to keep clearing it off. The rain was off and on though, which made it a bit easier.

The day went fairly smooth until darkness arrived and the Motorhome was having trouble with its lights, which kept going on and off. We trekked on until we saw the nearest decent hotel that the motorhome could park at.

We all went for dinner at a bus stop restaurant where they gave us menus in English! The food was quite good, and rest afterwards was well needed.

~Jambhala

Dec 31

We woke up early and drove as far as we could. Driving was good, weather was beautiful and our scouts that we’d sent ahead decided to go past Tampico to Tampico Alto as a final destination checking us into El Corral Hotel.

Our convoy was generally communicating with either walkie talkies or cell phones to keep everyon in check and on track.

I was driving with Mig in the Land cruiser at the head of the last 3 vehicles and following our Earthmate GPS. Unfortunately the GPS maps don’t seem nearly as accurate in Mexico as they were in the US. For the most part it was okay on the main roads, but when we saw a sign that Mig thought we should take to go around Tampico city, the GPS didn’t even acknowledge that road’s existence and so we followed the GPS right downtown Tampico into rush-hour traffic on narrow streets.

A major challenge here is that the motorhome doesn’t have the same abilities to manouver or even fit on the streets of some of these towns and cities. We ended up losing them somewhere behind us and following the GPS until it tried to guide us the wrong way down a one-way street. Then we had to wait for it to recalculate and it kept guiding us the wrong ways. On a side note, we’d blown a fuse or something in the land cruiser earlier that day and my laptop which was running the GPS was running out of battery power quickly. The battery died just as the GPS tried to turn us left onto a bridge that was an overpass above our heads.

While radioing back and forth with Matt in the Motorhome to make sure he didn’t follow us into the mix of downtown, we drove around with Mark following right behind us in his Jeep. We then found the way onto the bridge out of Tampico almost simultaneously when Matt found it as well and then were back together after the toll booth.

We kept on and shortly arrived in Tampico Alto where we met the rest of our crew. To Mark’s misfortune, he got a call from family informing him that his brother had been in a serious ski accident and his survival was uncertain. It was a very intense emotional time for him and we all gave our support in whatever way we could, praying together as a group and trying to ease the tension from our intense day of driving.

We drank some tequila, Corona’s and then went out to the town square for a New Years celebration. I danced around mesmerizing the Mexicans with my LED Poi spinning lights, and we all danced and made the best of our night together.

~Jambhala

Dec 30

Today we got up early to cross the border into Mexico. We also met up with some new team members (Matt & Arlene) which added two new vehicles to the convoy (Toyota Forerunner & a Rexhall Motorhome). It was all going great for quite awhile as we stocked up on supplies at Walmart while still in the McAllen, Texas, USA.

Crossing the border was easy as we just got waved through with a green light. It was practically over before we even knew it had happened. The real challenge was finding the place to get our tourist visas, then the place to get our vehicle custom stickers and insurance.

It can be challenging when you only speak very basic Spanish, but I managed alright with lots of smiles apologizing and thanks. Some of the other team had it a bit more challenging than I, but after a few hours we all got through it.

Now we’re at the border city in Mexico, and planning to head to a coastal town of Tampico for New Years. I’m looking forward to a good party.

~Jambhala

Dec 29

We cruised along making very good time from Arizona to New Mexico to Texas. Mark and I stopped at one point to watch the sunset and take some pictures. Check out the picturesque dessert sunset.

After checking into the motel we all went for dinner near the Alamo in San Antonio and all ate dinner in ponchos by a beautiful river/canal that flowed through the town. Then we walked along the waterway and had some margaritas while talking with a big happy friendly Texan. He told us all about the great things to see in Texas, but we weren’t going to be sticking around anyways.

~Jambhala

Dec 28

So we Finally got out of Vegas. It’s a crazy place with a lot of traffic, and any kind of fantasy you want to live, you can live it there.

After meeting up with Mark in the morning and cruising with him in his jeep for awhile we passed from Nevada to Arizona over the hoover dam. A short while later we nearly had a crash experience as a barbeque/work bench fell of the back of a truck in front of us as we were going down the highway in Arizona at high speeds. Mark swerved onto the shoulder of the road to avoid it and it seems we had avoided possible disaster.

The rest of the day went fairly smoothly though. A lot of dessert and quite cold all the way. (I’m still waiting for the warm weather to arrive).

~Jambhala

Dec 26

Up in the morning and on the road again. I could’ve used more sleep, but another full day lay ahead of us.

As we prepared ourselves in the morning, we decided that we’d rather head down some of the Californian coast and take a slower and more scenic route to Vegas. So off we went following the sometimes questionable guidance of our beloved Georgina the GPS.

After more hours of butt-wrenching drive we got to the beautiful coast. Wow! Incredible views along that coastal drive. We stopped in Big Sur for lunch and enjoyed a delicious meal that took us a bit longer than we’d expected. Then off along the coast where we made a few stops for some picturesque views.

Then further down the coast just before sunset we came across these hilarious beasts known as the Elephant Sea Lions. Aside from the fact that many of them look like dead lumps sprawled on the sand, they also make obscene sounds reminiscent of throat singing, burps, farts, and popping noises. I got a few nice video clips of them as well which I will upload when I have more online time to do so.

We finally got into Vegas late at night after quite a long journey inland. I’m very happy we’re staying two nights here, not so much because of Vegas activities, but more-so for the chance to sleep in late and get the time to use high-speed internet.

~Jambhala

Dec 25

After a nice Christmas eve with family and friends, and a lot of last minute packing, the trek began at 7AM when I met up with the rest of the initial crew (Mig, Jane, & Jess) and drove away in the land cruiser.

It seemed cold enough while we were still at home, and colder yet while we waited for the ferry to Port Angeles, but the real cold hit us as a snowstorm while while driving through Washington, and it even followed us through Oregon all the way down to Northern California.

We tried willfully to make it to San Francisco the bars closed, unfortunately the snow and traffic thwarted our efforts. Jess and Jane had been the eager ones wanting to get to the bars, but they had to settle for drinking wine that we’d brought instead. We did make it to Sacramento which is a really nice city.

California still seems quite cold, and I’m really looking forward to getting past the cold lands to the warm lands in the south.

~Jambhala