We´ve reached Mexcio!

Ray´s Post:

Dear Mexican Primetime Blogspot, So this Is my first time bloggering, I feel pretty important knowing that there might be some people out there deep in internet land checking upon our travels. Well I was informed that the blog was paused in Atlanta so there is some catchup for you all. We left Atlanta after a delicious breakfast with Jenny’s Grandfather better known as “Papa” or “Al”. He served a nice fare of Lox, bagels, whitefish spread, and sent us on our way with supple advice for a safe travel. The words ring in our ears“and if you can keep it above a half tank…….”

I pretty much slept from there straight to New Orleans. I was still fighting something in my body. We reached The city they call nawlins by late evening. Newt, Christie and Trout offered us a place to stay. We spent the night sleeping and the morning eating breakfast and ice cream at the famed creole creamery. The border was the next goal. We crashed out in a truck stop an hour north of Matamoras. Fell asleep to an all night diesel hum and a big ol Texas sky. After one more American meal at the International House of Pancakes, we went to the Mexico. The border was simple and easy, we got visas, insurance, permits etc... Then we drove through the arid north for the rest of the day, only struggling a bit with directions. Turns out Robin Spanish recall from high school is pretty impressive and has helped smooth the trip out. The rest of us have been dubbing around with the language a bit as well and have had some positive success but also some good laughs.

We spent our first two nights in La Cruz just south of Bardadel Tordo. Did some relaxing, ate some fried fish, swam, slept, and gammed. The people of this seasonally sleepy town took good care of us and gave us a nice place to camp. We all agreed that we could have stayed for much longer but decided that we would look for warmer climates and calmer water.

The third day in Mexico we spent rolling through more verdant hills of agriculture. Hillsides of orange groves for hundreds of kilometers, valleys of sugar cane, with soft powdery flowers and bananas checkered the landscape. In between them were pastures of grazing beefherds and goats. Burros and Horses grazed the edges of the road. Passed through towns each with their own flavors. Fruit stands, taquerias, tire shops and mini supermarkets and men selling what they could on the speed bumps.

We finally found a place before night fall some ways north of Veracruz calledTecolutlo meaning roughly, area of plenty owls. This was much more of an established town than we had stayed in prior. A central square with a fully decorated Coke xmas tree showcased the center. We ate pozole and finally found them good Mexican palletas (poppysickles). We happened to camp right next to a turtle conservation area, and Fernando a generous chap who ran the institute, explained what was occurring there and filled us with stories and warm cups of coffee. His English was pretty good so the conversation was well mixed with stories of whale penis and heritage and turtles of course.

It rained all day and Robin drove and jenny navigated and Ronan and I looked out the windows and Ronan pieced through bird books and readings while I held the shunkers like a baby, and courtney sang and primetime rolled on. And we ate coconuts and pineapples and more tacos and primetime rolled on. We stopped last night in Santiago Tuxtla and it rained on so we splurged spent 30 buckstotal on a hotel suite for 5and slept under cover. And I sit here now on this bed telling you we are fine and still heading south. The Yucatan and all its pleasures come next.

----Ray