DAI DE MUERTOS

Here in Mexico they celebrate “Day of the Dead” (DOD). It is a time to remember and honour those who have gone. And of course there is the party side - Halloween (these Mexicans cannot resist a party). The 2 events have fused together into not just the 2 official days, but a whole week. Everywhere we go there are massive selections of DOD lollies,  racks & racks of DOD bread, DOD decorations,  skeletons, skulls, flowers (1,000’s of them, mainly gold & crimson ) They go and clean the graves & hold an all night pilgrimage in the cemetery. They also build a shrine/memorial in their homes & cover it with flowers, food, tequila….all in memory of the deceased.

But back to our travels, where DOD activities are in progress everywhere. We leave Oaxaca to head further south into The Valles Central to explore the craft villages. Our first stop is El Tule to look at the “world’s biggest tree”. The cypress is actually pretty amazing (apparently 11m in diameter & 42m high). Then on to Teoitlan Del Valle, stopping at one of the many weaving shops where they specialize in natural dyes. I just had to buy another table runner.  Then on to the Sunday markets at Tlacoula. (Again, full of flowers, DOD lollies & stuff – mountains of stuff!)  Before heading over a mountain range to Hierve El Agua where there are amazing mineral springs that flow over a clifftop, creating limestone pools. Sadly it was too cold to swim. We stay overnight & after more exploring the next morning head north again this time stopping at the ruins at Mitla. A village & church have been built on the site, so there isn’t too much left, but there are 100’s of craft stalls desperately wanting to sell their wares.

We now have a long drive ahead of us across some mountain ranges heading towards Veracruz. The road is narrow & winding, but it is a spectacular drive through misty forests. Cloud forest is the perfect name! There are waterfalls everywhere & lots of slips. It wouldn’t take much to close this road. We try to overnight in Los Llanos de Flores Nat Pk, but they are not impressed, so we find a spot near some trucks. It is a very chilly night. The following day we continue driving through more forest. Finally we are on flatlands with bananas & sugarcane, eventually stopping at a Pemex Station at Chocoman. It is here we meet Jose, who invites us to dinner at his house tomorrow. He lives in the next town, so we decide to explore the local area.  First we head to Coscomatepec. The streets are clogged with markets for DOD (Jose tells us they are on all week.) We stop & explore. The town is situated in the shadow of Mexico’s highest Volcano – Pico de Orizaba at 5610m. We decide to head up the mountain to see if we can see the volcano. It is hidden in the mist so we eventually give up & retrace our steps, trying to avoid the congested town. We leave GR2 guarded at the Pemex station & head to Jose & Marta’s house for a lovely dinner.  Jose makes beautiful leather shoes & boots & Marta is a nurse. They have 3 lovely children. After a lovely evening Jose takes us back to GR2. The Pemex is very noisy, so we move on to the supermarket. The next morning the sky is clear & we can see Volcan Orizaba above the town. Wow.

It is a very scenic drive through an amazing gorge. The slopes are covered in coffee, macadamia trees & sugarcane.  We drive slowly through the colonial town of Coatepec (the perfect way to see a town if you don’t want to stop & explore) & continue on to the city of Xalapa. We have planned to stop at the huge museum there, but lack of signs & no GPS coordinates means we give up trying. After some rough roads & 1’000s of topes we are glad to get onto a toll road – so much more relaxing (definitely worth the few dollars it costs). Finally we arrive at the camp ground at San Juan Teotihuacan. There are 4 other overland vehicles in storage, but no one else. Not even staff to give us the Wifi code (bummer). From here we plan to visit Mexico City – the biggest in the world with a population greater than the whole of Australia

We have read all the warnings & are prepared. We find the bus & head into the city. It is only $3each for the 60min ride to Central Norte Station. Then we have to get on the subway (cost here 30c each) – we must change trains 3 times. All good & eventually we arrive at the Zocalo (plaza) right in the middle of the city. Wow, where do we start. Coffee first, toilets at a nearby hotel (essential) & then shopping. John wants a Mexico bike riding shirt. No joy with the shirt so we head back to the Zocalo to buy tickets for the on/off tourist bus. There is enough time for a look at the magnificent Cathedral before we head off on the tour. We don’t get off, instead watching the city spread out before us (albeit very slowly through the congested streets) for the next 3 hours.

Finally off the bus we return to the Zocalo to join the throng looking at “Day of the Dead” ofrenda’s/alters on display. Most of the children are in Halloween costumes carrying plastic pumpkins for their treats. Then it is an early dinner of Burritos before we head back to the Metro. It is getting late & the first train is pretty full. We get to the second train & it is packed. Masses are waiting. When a packed train arrives there is pushing & shoving to get off & then more pushing & shoving to get on. The queue is still huge. Then of course there are dubious looking guys leaning against the walls. Hmmm, not a good feeling. We look at each other & simultaneously say “Taxi”. Above ground it is dark & we leap into the first free taxi. 30 minutes later at the tiny cost of $5 we are at our bus station. The best $5 we have ever spent. We buy our tickets & join the queue. We go through an x-ray machine & get frisked! Another queue. Getting onto the bus I am frisked again (never been frisked twice), an armed guard comes on board, & we are all videoed! Scary stuff – I guess all the checking should make you feel secure, but somehow it just makes me think about things going wrong! It is quite a relief to get back to GR2.

Church bells & noise continue all night for Day of the Dead. The next morning we decide NOT to return to the City, but instead head to the Teotihuacán Pyramids (hopefully our last ruins in Mexico) & find people pouring in. After all it is Saturday. Fortunately the place is so huge it doesn’t really matter. Before heading in we watch another troop of Voladores doing their thing on a pole. We then walk for miles exploring, & climb the Pyramid Del Sol (the world’s 3^rd largest pyramid – note we climbed the 2^nd largest at Cholula a few days ago- the one with the church on top)

It is time to head off out of Mexico State while it is the weekend. Our next destination, after finding our way through all the ring roads, is San Miguel de Allende. We don’t arrive until the following morning. Our campground is beside a plaza. Church is on & the street is full of parked cars, in fact one is parked over our entry gate. So we clog up the whole street while we wait for someone to open the gate. John pushes the offending car out of the way – luckily it isn’t locked, & we squeeze in. Now all those cars can stop tooting! Finally we meet some other Overlanders. There are 6 other vehicles here from Canada, USA, Germany x2 & France. It’s great to chat to other travelers & glean some tips. Another bonus is great Wifi. We pull ourselves away to explore town. It is chookers with restaurants, craft shops & Americans. Very pretty, with a gorgeous church, but too touristy for us. Back at the campground a young Aussie couple (Anita & Andrew) have arrived. We spend the evening chatting before heading to a local taco stall for dinner.

Our next destination is Mats Hammerlund Racing. He specializes in building racing cars, but also does work on motorhomes. John has emailed him & we also met him on the rally – we have been told to come after the rally. So we head off, eventually finding his yard. The next 3 days & 2 nights are spent here (John tells me it has fulfilled his dream of sleeping amongst so many racing cars!) John is busy helping the Mexicans modify the front screen protection bars, repair the washing machine, repair the spare wheel carrier and various other things that have shaken to bits after about 120,000km of rough roads and tracks .

Sadly the Wifi is so weak I am forced to do a massive spring clean. GR2 hasn’t looked so good for ages. Until next time.

Adios Amigos

RAIN & RALLIES IN MEXICO PHOTOS

Our camp spot on Playa Brazil - the only sound is waves

Exploring the beach & swimming

Our camp spot at Zipolite Beach

Zipolite Beach - we didn't swim here - the surf was a bit wild

Turtle release time

Acapulco - rain rain rain & blue & white beetles

The silver town of Taxco

Volcan Popocatepetl - this one erupted just a few months ago

Police are everywhere - even on this little back road - usually the guns are held at the ready!

Yum!!! Lunch is cooking

The Voladores have just leapt off their pole

Spinning Voladores

For sale with the sweets - cooked insects - I thought they tasted disgusting! John said he didn't mind them, but he didn't go back for seconds.

A long walk up the pyramid to the church built on top (I was puffing without carrying anything)

View from the top - Cholula town near Puebla

The sellers are out at many of the roadworks.

One of the many old cars at "La Carrera Panamerica"

The Aussie car

The decorated Cathedral at the Zocala in Oaxaca

Lots of gold gilding in Iglesia de Santo Domingo (Oaxaca)

The outside

The wedding parade: out front is a very tall bride & groom

Dancing at the parade

Everywhere is getting ready for "Day of the Dead"

The main plaza(Zocala) & Cathedral in Oaxaca

Photo from our friends website of the eruption

Another "loaned" photo - amazing!!!!

RAIN & RALLIES IN MEXICO

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

WE LOVE GUATEMALA - PHOTOS

On leaving the flatlands in Mexico, we come through this gorge in Guatemala

After Huehuetenango we head into the mountains

Massive road slips being repaired by hand

More road slips

The biggest road slip of the lot - the whole mountainside went down

Our lovely campspot in the Hotel San Rafael before Coban

John & Peter talking & talking

One of the tiny orchids at Orquigona - just before Coban (they also offer free camping)

Time to head on to Semuc champey

What a magic spot for a swim

Here the water goes under a limestone bridge (we actually swim above the bridge)

Heading back to Coban

One of the ladies in Coban town

Our great campspot in gaol in Antigua

One of the many ruined churches. Markets take over the road.

The gorgeous cathedral here in Antigua

Antigua town - wish that cloud would lift for my photo (there is a perfect volcano behind it)

Street sellers in Antigua

All the chicken buses bringing people to the markets

We bought some vegetables from this lady. That's why I am allowed to take her photo

On leaving Antigua we spy this collapsed Monastry & church. - Convento de la Recoleccion

Here we are told - Drive very fast...it is dangerous!!

Finally the lovely Lago de Aititchan

The lovely girls at Santa Cruz la Laguna - with their back strap loom

A little furniture workshop in town

The ladies coop in Santa Cruz - making apron (every lady in Guatemala has an apron)

We spied these 2 girls walking uphill - they stopped for a rest, so I asked if I could take their photo.

Our gorgeous campspot on the Laguna near Panajachel

One of the guys at Solola

Church in Solola

Inside on Wednesday!!! I am very impressed.

Amazingly bright church at San Andres Xecal (Sadly closed & we don't want to wait a few hours for it to open)



Leaving town in crazy traffic (it often gets worse. Great if we can follow a chicken bus)

The fantastic hot pools at Fuentes Georginas - hot water runs down the cliff face. We have this pool all to ourselves.

Harvest time.....John decides to shop

More workers

Ladies laundry day (every day here)