March 8, 2008 Traveling up the road toward Dallas
Did you think you were rid of me yet?
So this last night and this morning at our Texas Trail RV Park, we let our water run for a long shower, kept all lights on and put on all TV?s. We could run water through our taps for coffee. (If we had drained all Mexico water yesterday) Welcome to 50 amp full hoops US style!
After a tearful good bye to our friends who got up early enough to see us off out of Pharr, Texas, we hit the road again. I felt at a bit of a loss today. I had no trip log book to follow landmarks. Terry?s GPS was doing all of the navigating. The roads were like butter. We stopped at a Speedco for an oil change and lube and had a brief encounter with rig not starting. After a bit of priming, we were on the road again. While we were close to Ned and Lorna we were not close enough to make our visit happen. We are spending the night at Cabalas and I am making linguini and clams. While driving today Terry and I commented on many things that we think were significant pertaining to our Mexican experiences.
1. This trip is not for everyone. The exact text of the Adventure Caravan Brochure reads: These trips are for the adventuresome and not for those who put a high priority on the importance of RV facilities and roads. These are exotic trips with a great appeal and exciting lifetime experiences but the roads are poor in some areas and RV accommodations are rustic in many areas we travel.
When the trip information we received said ?full hook ups? the services could vary from water (non potable), or maybe sewer and an electric outlet like that you might see in an old home in a fence. The dump station might be not very accessible for a big rig. Terry never found a ground on any of the Mexican hook ups. He used his meter to verify that the power ranged from well over 130 volts to 80 volts and in some park that range fluctuated between the high and lows. So basically we ran our generator ? of the time even in park that had ?power.? I share this only for those who may come with high expectations. We dealt with this as a feature of travel in Mexico. Thank Goodness we had some experience with travel in Mexico. We were NEVER disappointed with our Mexican RV Parks as we kept our expectations realistic to a poor country. We saw fewer than a dozen private RV?s on our entire trip. If there are no customers, why would any one want to invest in upgrading or maintaining an RV Park? Caravans are the lifeblood of many of the places we enjoyed.
2. Security for Tourists is not an issue. We welcomed the many Military checkpoints with armed youngsters fulfilling their mandatory 1-year military duty at age 18. The armed presence is a deterrent for the potential drug runners. At almost every checkpoint, those of us in a caravan were waved through. The Mexican Government sees tourism as an asset and basically left us alone. We did not see any banditos nor did I ever feel unsafe deep into Mexico at any time.
3. We did not see any low sulfur diesel anywhere. So much for buying a new RV.
4. I have a much better appreciation for the term ?dirt poor.? Chiapas is a very poor state but many of the villages have little more than cinder blocks around their homes. The basic building material of homes in Mexico is the Cinder block. There are no ?building codes? and Terry cringed at the wiring issues. Rebar sticks out of construction so families can ?add on? later when funds may allow or families grow. I think of ?stick house? construction as having wood 2x4?s and we saw almost no homes with this material.
5. I have a much better understanding of the will for a Mexican to immigrate to the US. They are warm people with a desire to do well by their family. The worst neighborhood I?ve seen in the US is considerably better than many in Mexico. NO wonder immigrants send a portion of their salary back to family in Mexico.
6. Topes (killer speed bumps) control speed in small towns but are worse than any frost heave we ever encountered in Alaska. Many are unmarked and some are inverted. They give lots of business to tire and alignment places. They do control speed without radar cops!
7. The fuel stations are Government controlled and called PEMEX stations. They are well designed for easy access, large and come at very regular intervals. Flying J should take a lesson. The Mexican diesel fuel was very reasonably price compared to US prices. Of the hardships in Mexico, getting fuel was not one of them!!
8. A few of my friends have commented that I seemed unhappy on the trip. Not so. This was a trip of a lifetime with some inconveniences compared to US standards.
Some on our caravan coined the phrase ADR (another damn ruin) while we did see many ruins; I loved to learn the history of the Mexican people. I have a much better understanding of the Olmec, Toltec, Mayan and finally Aztec Civilizations. I wish I had a better understanding of the American Native and their development over similar time frames. The history of mankind is fascinating. I hope we do not repeat any mistakes of the past.
This was quite a trip. I am glad we had the comfort of friends on a caravan to make things fun all along the way. After all without people we have nothing. Thank you for following our trip and for your kind words of encouragement along the way.
I am so glad to be back in the USA. We are still far from home and life issues have caught up with us (via cell phone) quickly, but we loved every moment of our Mexican Adventure.
NO matter how I may have painted the hardships, the bottom line is that I learned so much about another country and I?m glad all of you were with me for the journey!
I am so blessed with privileges!
Betty Brewer