Heading for the Hills

We needed to get out of Acapulco, away from the frenetic crowds.  Before we left, we sat on the beach and watched numerous sting rays leaping out of the surf, reinforcing our decision not to swim there!  With many more slow Pacific coastline miles to cover, we found some quieter places to stay, including the edge of Laguna Manailtepic - a haven for birds and fishermen.

Our final stop along the Pacific coast was near Puerto Escondido, where we splashed out on a lovely campsite set amongst mango trees, a short walk from Zipolite beach - known as a top surfing destination and still a hippie hang-out - clothing optional, apparently.

Our journey North into Chiapas was broken by a slightly unusual overnight stay at the Hogar Infantil which both cares for and educates abandoned children, and rather strangely has a few RV spaces.  Now closer to the Guatamala border, the journey was also broken by numerous military checks, most of which involved answering questions about the girls, but one soldier was very interested in where we had come from and asked "hablas Ingles en Ingleterra?"  Given the big guns, we refrained from sarcasm, just nodded and smiled!

Eventually, we made our way up to San Cristobal de Las Casas, nearly 8,000ft above sea level and refreshingly cool.  We have all been suffering from our first cold since leaving Ottawa, and have spent a couple of days relaxing in this beautiful colonial city which is a centre for many indiginous people of the region.  Tomorrow we intend to take the slow, tortuous route to Palenque and visit our first Mayan ruins.

Down In Acapulco

We published our last blog at Playa Azul, which was something of a holiday destination for Mexicans - a change from the hordes of Canadians we have met in most other places.  It ranked as one of the girls favourite campsites because it had a beach and two swimming pools - one of which had a huge water slide.  It ranked as one of the adults' least favourite campsites because the music was pumping until 3am, soon after which, the cockerels began crowing! 

We moved swiftly onwards to Zihuatanejo, a lovely palm lined bay where Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins escaped after the Shawshank Redemption. It seems many other people have escaped there too as we were turned away from two full RV parks - a first for our trip.

We have now spent a few nights in Acapulco, where amongst other things, we watched the renowned La Quebrada cliff divers. It seemed a perfect career to Francesca - rockclimbing and diving for money!

The last few days have proved to be a turning point in Liberty's swimming career - she is now swimming widths of the pool, albeit entirely underwater! It is a far cry from last year's swimming lessons when, (with arms locked around her instructor's neck) she yelled for half and hour a week, "Help me, somebody, help me....anybody!"

We have been on-the-go for 4 months now, and decided that it was time to put our feet up...we have succumbed to one of the many beach vendors and purchased a hammock.  This is the life!

Ferries and Family Fun

Well, it has been a while since we haven’t drifted off to sleep to the sound of the Pacific surf – although more recently that has been supplemented by early morning rooster calls...It has also been some while since we have had Internet access, so apologies for the length of this blog and the number of photos herein.

Two weeks ago we crossed the Sea of Cortez on the deck of San Guillermo, a cargo vessel packed full of trucks. The ‘Operators’ Lounge’ was spartan and the crossing was long (16hrs), so like many of the truckers, we snuck into our van for the night and only emerged in time to watch the complicated docking and unloading procedure at Mazatlan.

Colonial Mazatlan provided an enjoyable contrast to the desert of the Baja. We drank coffee in the plazas, strolled through the markets and watched the cliff divers (second division to the Acapulco team which we hope to see soon!). We even managed a little beach time with the new boogie board – unfortunately curtailed when Francesca was stung AGAIN by a jellyfish – there followed much yelling, swelling and helpful Mexican waiters plastering her with mustard.

Next stop was Teacapan, a remote fishing village with camping by the beach. Coconuts and prawns are the staple produce of the region and, as you can see, we sampled both. Whilst there we survived unscathed a torrential storm which swept down the West side of Mexico, keeping everyone talking for days – although Liberty did wake us in the middle of a howling gale at 2:30am to ask “Daddy, have you remembered to put the hand brake on?”

We had arranged to meet Tony’s parents in Bucerias, near Puerto Vallarta, along with his aunt and uncle travelling from Alberta. Miraculously everyone’s plans came together and we had a happy family reunion, spending an unprecedented week in one place, which thrilled the girls. They loved playing on the beach and in the pool with their grandparents and we all enjoyed relaxing evenings in lovely restaurants. It wasn’t all ‘fun in the sun’ as we did spend a couple of nights with the van raised on jacks waiting for several mechanics to repair various niggles – now sorted, we hope.

Mexico is huge and the last few days have been spent chipping away at the distance down the Pacific coast – albeit enjoying the fantastic beaches and coastline. The roads have been narrow, twisty and steep (not unlike Cornwall!) and progress has been slowed further by goats, donkeys, overloaded lorries and numerous random speed bumps – many of which appear to have been installed by adjacent vendors.

Tropical Travels

After San Javier, we drove down to La Paz to sort out vehicle documentation for the trip to the mainland. A whole morning spent queuing, being sent for copies, etc, etc, and we are now fully legal and booked on a ferry to Mazatlan tomorrow afternoon. After a brief taco-and-sandcastle stop on the beach we drove into the hills to stay at a ranch near St Bartolo.

We were one of only two camper vans in this beautiful spot. Time and again this has been the case on the Baja, where tourism seems to be suffering from the US economy and border-town drug-related violence. It doesn’t help that several of the bridges on the only route South into the Baja are still impassable after last week’s terrible weather.

We had heard great reports of the beaches and coral reef at Cabo Pulmo and decided spend a couple of days down there. Taking yet another dirt track to cross the Tropic of Cancer, we visited this remote village, which lived up to all our expectations, with fabulous snorkelling right off the beach, humpback whales leaping clean out of the water and even a great little restaurant.

Having driven the length of the Baja Peninsular, we are now back in La Paz awaiting the ferry, hoping that tomorrow’s forecast storm doesn’t affect our 16 hour crossing too much. The plan now is to spend a little time in the colonial town of Mazatlan and then meet up with Tony’s parents further down the coast in Bucerias.