Hola Amigos (yes our
Spanish is coming along nicely!!)
Back in the land of topes
(vicious speed bumps), tortillas (yes we stop & buy them for lunch instead
of bread), sombrero’s (and we have even seen plastic ones) & crazy
Mexicans.
We have our route worked
out. But first we have to get through the maze of police & military checks.
At the biggest one every vehicle is pulled over & checked. They just check that
our vin number matches our paperwork, & have a look inside. Then a lot of
driving through some flat countryside, with perhaps the biggest wind farm we
have ever seen. But onto our route: First head north along the coast up to
Acapulco. All is going well – we find some magic spots to camp. First: (and our
favorite) Playa Brazil, just after the port city of Salina Cruz. We are right
on the sand beside a beach bar/house or should I call it a shanty. Next is
again right on the beach at the famous Zipolite beach. It must have been the
only vacant block of land left on the beachfront. We glance at the campground –
a very soggy paddock well away from the water. Our third night we find a spot
beside some fishing boats, but the locals suggest we move to the turtle
sanctuary - Sirentio Macho. So we meet a lovely family who rescue turtle eggs
& keep them in a protected enclosure. The next morning we get up bright
& early to help release a few that are ready to head out into the surf. And
then onto Acapulco – sun, sand, swimming! Wrong. It is bucketing down. We
settle in to the very empty (only us) Trailer Park right on the beach at Pie de
la Cuesta & catch the local chicken bus into town. There are no tourists
& too much rain, so no cliff divers today. There are plenty of blue &
white VW beetle taxis rushing everywhere in massive puddles. The next day we
try again – still no cliff divers, & still more rain. Another storm is
forecast, so we decide to carry on. Here is where our plans unravel. Our first
route, after 60kms, we find is closed as the bridge has been washed completely
away. So we back track & head along the cuota/toll road towards
Chilpancingo.(Our final destination is Oaxaca) The bonus is that the tolls are
waived! Great driving, but with few exits. It is getting late & we spy a
gap in the fence, & follow the track to the river bed to camp for the
night. The next road we plan to take, is also closed (we ask first this time.)
After seeing all the massive road slips we decide the main road is safer
anyway.
So with a change of plans
we check out the pretty silver town of Taxco. Definitely not a town for GR2.
There is only one road we can use. The rest are a maze of very hilly cobbled
streets. We park & explore. After buying no silver trinkets - and there
must be 1,000’s of shops, we head on to the Grutas de Cacahauamilpa. We tour
the caves & stay the night. The caves are excellent, but the Spanish
commentary a tad longwinded for us!
Our next plan is to head
to the Volcan at Toluca, but on checking our books we discover the dramas of
not only driving in Mexico City, but the whole state. During the week we cannot
drive between 5am & 11am. On Mondays not at all. Bummer. Change of plan. We
will drive between Volcan Popocatepetl & Volcan Iztaccihuatl to Puebla.
Part of the road is in Mexico State, but we should reach it after 11am. Well
you know what happens to our plans!!!! We are not all that far from Mexico City &
the area is pretty built up. Traffic is congested, even on the motorways. I see
an Isuzu dealership (the first in ages) – “Hey, do we need any work done”. No.
Only 10km down the road GR2 throws some more electrical faults that John cannot
clear. So we return to the Isuzu Dealership to get sorted. I use their Wifi,
while John dons his overalls. The electrics are fixed & John gets the wheel
studs changed. We had carried the new studs over with us in our suitcase!
Eventually we leave after 5pm. So we need to get out of Mexico State tonight.
It is getting dark when we
head up on the road between the 2 volcanoes. Not the easiest time to find a
spot to camp. I spy a sign saying Cabanas & camping. I walk in. Nothing, only
a muddy track. Lots of dogs barking & it is dark. I decide to give it a
miss – I nearly bump into a little man with a big white sombrero. Scary moment!
He says No, but up the road. Well that is what I think he is saying! I’m
inclined to return to town to an empty block of land, so we continue on to find
a spot to turn around, and sure enough there is a barrier & behind it a
picnic area. I lift the barrier & in we go. Again another little man
appears beside me (another scary moment) & shows us where to park. In the morning we see the snow capped steaming
Volcano.
It is a gorgeous hilly
drive up to the National Park where we have amazing views of the mountains. It
looks as if the road is closed & we are told “yes” it’s closed. So we
decide to look at another back track & discover that this is the road
through to Cholula & Puebla. Bonus – we don’t have to go back into Mexico
State. The dirt road eventually becomes tarseal & we head across paddocks
of crops before we reach Cholula (this was where we had planned to camp last night.)
We stop to explore, & what a lovely find. There is a gorgeous bright yellow
monastery & church, then rows of brightly coloured buildings, then a huge
market area before the ancient pyramid with the church on top. As we head up to the church we spy 4 men on a
pole. They are Voladores getting ready to do a show. We hurry back down &
watch as they throw themselves off the top and revolve in circles to the
ground. Awesome.
Then trudge slowly back up
the hill, just as a procession arrives at a cracking pace (really puts me to
shame). Finally back down before indulging in some yummy stuffed tortillas. Finally
time to get out of here. We are on a schedule: to reach Nochixtlan tonight, so that
we can catch the “La Carrera Pan-American” Rally. We survive the maze of Pueblo
before finding the toll road to Oaxaca. We are not too sure where the service
will be, so decide to stop in the Pemex station right on the toll road. A good
move, as the rally back up crew start arriving at 7am the next morning. John
spends a few happy hours looking at cars & chatting. Indeed they are a very
relaxed & friendly lot. We even see an amazing Aussie car - an amazing
extensively modified FJ Holden especially built and shipped over for the rally.
About half of the 80 cars have been trailered down from USA. Others are from
UK, Germany, Switzerland etc, and of course plenty of locals.
Finally it is on to Oaxaca
& the camp ground there. Later in the day we taxi into town to explore the
gorgeous churches & eat some local cuisine. The cathedral is covered in
flowers inside & out, and the interior of Iglesia de Santa Domingo is
practically covered in gold leaf. While
we are drinking hot chocolates (a local specialty) we watch a few parades. The
first appears to be a group of people in Halloween dress or is it for Day of
the Dead? Both seem a bit entwined. The second is for a wedding & the third
for uni students all clutching tall beer steins.
Only one more detour
before we head north finally
Adios Amigos
Lynda loved your photo's especially the one of the steaming volcano, and still laughing about you bumping, almost literally, into the little men. Keep sharing. Take Care Ann
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