Saturday 30 August 2014

The trip so far - Budget ?


While sitting and relaxing at Lake Atitlan, I have had a look at all my trip costs so far, and compared them to what I had anticipated before leaving. I put some of them up here for any of you interested in doing a similar trip, or even those who just wonder how much something like this costs.

Distance. Kms
Expected by San Diego
18391
Actual by San Diego
22937
Fuel Quantity, Litres
Expected by San Diego
2706
Actual by San Diego
3116
Fuel Cost, $
Expected by San Diego
$2,891
Actual by San Diego
$3,634
Days on road
By San Diego
107
Cost per day for accomodation
(Plan $20/day)
$19.06
Cost per day for Food
(Plan $30/day)
$38.00
Cost per day for fuel
$34.93
Average kms per day
214

So you can see that by the time I got to the Mexican border on the 28th July, I had done 4600 more kilometres than I had expected, used 400 litres more fuel than expected, and spent $700 more on fuel than expected. (That doesn’t surprise me as Janet and I drove virtually every road in Alaska !!)    However my budget for the cost of accommodation per day was almost spot on at $20, while I had spent $8 per day more on food than budgeted.   Not too bad.

Additional costs that I hadn’t really budgeted for were as follows :-

      1)      Car (Oil, servicing, and a new set of 6 tyres, plus a few other bits and     pieces     $2200  
(This includes $1100 on the 6 new tyres, so isn’t too bad)

2)      About $800 on cold weather clothes, but we knew that was coming !                   $ 800

3)      We have spent some $3500 on entertainment (Boat trips, tours, museums etc as well as several meals and alcohol which could have perhaps been in groceries) But as I had budgeted $5000 for this we are still under, but will be over by the end !!             $3500

4)      Also spent some $1200 on “Supplies”, which covers everything from Maps, Park Passes, and Int Drivers Licences to a small stove, batteries, fans, and bed sheets !                   $1200

So not too bad.  I do not include the cost of preparing the car last year, or the cost of shipping it to Seattle, or air tickets to fly to the US from Australia.  Just our costs since being here.   Overall, that works out to about $208 per day, or about $6000 per month, and as that is about what we were spending when we were living at home in Australia, that is not too bad, IMHO. 

In order to keep all the costs on the table, as far as the vehicle costs preparing it for the trip are concerned, I spent just under $25,000 on it after I had purchased it.  These costs included all the mechanical work done on it, the new suspension, tyres, brakes, clutch, bearings, dual rear spare wheel holders, etc, servicing the vehicle for a year of driving, plus every single penny I spent on new seats, carpets, seat covers, wood, varnish, screws etc kitting out the inside.  But I do not include these costs in my “budget” because hopefully all (or at least most !) of these things will still be there and in use after the trip is finished !!  Things like clutches and suspension and spare wheel carriers will (hopefully) last much longer than the 40,000 kms of the trip – So I guess they are just “overheads”. 

0093 Panajachel

28th August.  Had a good nights sleep – Probably over 10 hours when added together, although I woke up a few times during the night and read for a while, as usual.  At least, until my Kindle battery went flat !  Grrr.

After the overcast skies last night, woke up this morning to clear views of the lake and three volcano peaks, and just slight cloud cover.  I have the car sheltered from the morning sun by a row of trees, so I was able to get up in relative cool and have my breakfast before the sun came over the trees. 
 
 

Thursday 28 August 2014

0092 Caterina to Panajachel

Woke up, had a nice (hot) shower, and sorted the car out in readiness for all the Guatemalan military check points I had heard about, and went over to the gas station to ask how I got to the road to take me to San Marcos.  As there was a cop car in the gas station with “San Marcos” written on the side, I figured they would know the way – Wrong !!  All three of them pored over my map, turning it this way and that (no spacial awareness ??), and discussing the answer to my question.  When I tried to say something, one of them held his hand up for me to be quiet while they were busy thinking.

Eventually they all agreed that I should turn right, so after much muchas graciasing, I went right.  The reason I was a bit unsure was that my Tom Tom which covered US, Canada and Mexico only, was now a blank screen, while my (relatively) new Garmin was waking up after 6 months lack of use, loaded with (non Garmin) maps I download for central America only a week ago, so I just didn’t trust it 100%   Although, when I turned right like the cops told me to, Garmin seemed to agree !!  So off I went into Guatemala.

0091 Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico to Caterina Guatemala


Woke up in the morning and got ready to hit the road for the last time in Mexico.  Had a chat to Marshall and Heather who were next door to me over night, and are from BC – They are going to spend a little longer in Mexico before heading south to Guatemala.

My first need was to do a last shop in Mexico where I can buy a lot of “good things”, and the supermercado was just down the road, but seeing there were massive road works in between, Marshall suggested walking would be quicker / easier.  So after packing up and having my shower, off I went into town, crossing a complicated walkway bridge to get across the big main city intersection right outside, and then down, tip toeing through the roadworks to Walmart.  Got rather too much, including beer and a roast chicken (so good here, and for $5 you get these excellent peppers in with it !!), and then suffered trying to carry everything back to the car !  So much for a shower – I felt like a pack horse – Assuming packhorses get aching arms ! At least none of the plastic bags split en route !! Anyway, made it back, packed everything away as much as I could, knowing military and police checks would be in the back digging around, and set off towards Guatemala.  The plan today was to travel on the Cuota so that the day was not as long as yesterday had turned out to be on the windy and slow (but fun) mountain passes. I intended to stop overnight in Tapachula, or as close to the border as I could get, so I could be up early and at the border early, leaving me most of the day to get to my target Guatemala campsite in Panjachel, on Lake Atitlan. 

Tuesday 26 August 2014

0090 25th Aug - Isla Aguarda to Tuxtla Gutierrez

Wow - What a day !!   Left the Isla Aguarda camp site and thought I had about a 4 or 5 hour drive up into the mountains.  10 hours later, in the growing darkness, I arrive in the big city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, having seen beautiful seas of the Gulf of Mexico, an enormous oil fire, the never ending banana growing plantations of the lowlands north of Villahermosa, had an amazing mountain climb on twisty roads only to find that in one village, I think it was Pichulalco, the villagers had blocked off the road and had banners and sticks and were demanding a fee to pass through (cost me 100 pesos, to many whoops of glee from the largely toothless throng !!).  After that excitement, I spent the rest of the day climbing through clouds to over 2000 metres, seeing some incredible views, and generally having just an amazing drive.

Unfortunately it was getting dark when I arrived in TG, and there was a traffic jam (a truck had tipped over !!), so I spent an hour or so wandering around trying to find the hotel where I knew you could camp in their car park.  Suddenly found it, much to my relief, and got set up and went straight to bed, exhausted.

Now its off to the border so I can cross into Guatemala tomorrow.  Need to get moving and pooter battery running out, so brief entry today (sighs of relief all round) but I just wanted to get this posted up before I head off into the void........

Pics here https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0091IslaAguardaToTuxtlaGutierrez?authkey=Gv1sRgCLv4waXUw4TsVg#

Sunday 24 August 2014

0089 22nd - 24th Aug - Isla Aguarda

Been here longer than anywhere else on this trip !  It has been just so pleasant sitting still, working on routes and camp sites, and talking about travel type things with my German friends Peter and Christa who have been in Mexico for about 7 months already !!  They were in Alaska a year before we were, so 2013, but they are spending a lot of time going almost everywhere – They will not be going to Guatemala for another 3 months or so. 

It is just such a nice place.  The owner Thelma started this place with her American husband many years ago, but he has since died, and Thelma keeps it going her self.  She is so friendly and helpful, especially if there is anything you need because he is fluent in English so can make phone calls for us and make sure we do things correctly !!  There always seems to be a sea breeze off the beach, and there is so much shade here,  so it is actually very pleasant just sitting around watching the day go past.

Friday 22 August 2014

0088 21st Aug - Coatzacoalcos to Ciudad del Carmen

While I was packing up, someone let the cows out, and they were obviously very surprised to see me in their” field.  But they made a beeline for the recreation room, so I was correct – That was where the cows spend a lot of their day, in the shade of the building !!

Off down the road fairly early, as there was no reason to hang around in the field.  As before, the road is long and flat, so jumped on the toll road and headed towards Veracruz, crossing lots of bridges over waterways en route. Coming into Villahermosa I suddenly saw the M-I SWACO office – The company I used to work for for so long.  In fact, back in early 2008, my first trip after my throat issues was to come down to this office and work with them on their logistics, and also to do a presentation for their Ciudad del Carmen field office, down the road, so I know the area a little.  I didn’t bother to go into the office because the company has now changed hands, and I am sure the people have all changed too, but it was nice to see something familiar in a foreign country.

0087 20th Aug - Veracruz to Coatzacoalcos

A cloudy therefore relatively cool pack up, and I then set of back to the road on the track through the jungle. (No monkeys in the trees yet, but that apparently comes next month !!)  I had to drive about 15 kms back to Veracruz because the road I had camped near was a dead end road up the coast to a little village of Anton Lizardo.  Drove along the beach front of Veracruz, and before long came to a traffic jam.  Normal pushing and shoving, and eventually find a march of some kind, banners and all, marching down the road covering 3 lanes, leaving just one lane for cars !  I don’t like to be too obvious taking photos of these kind of things in case either they or the accompanying police get upset for some reason. 

Thursday 21 August 2014

0086 19th Aug - Tlaxcala to Veracruz

Rain had stopped when I woke up, but it was still cold so I had to dig into the storage bins to find some long trousers, shoes and socks, and a fleece !!  Packed up and set off to explore what exactly this amazing place was where I had camped.  I knew it was a government resort that at weekends and school holidays is apparently over run with locals, but as my night there was neither of the above, I was as usual at this time of year, on my own again ! Driving around the grounds I found a 50 metre outdoor pool, a large area with a kart track laid out, picnic areas, a putt putt golf course, fountains, turnstiles for entry, fake viaduct waterfalls, and motel style accomodation all over the place, but all in beautiful old stone buildings.  I went up to the main centre where I had checked in last night, and asked if I could go for a wander, and
they said “Si Si” (they say that a lot here !!) and I found two enormous restaurants (including one with a stuffed bulls head from a local bull fight in 2003 hung outside !!) , conference rooms, an enormous indoor swimming pool, and various other things – What was this place ?  It certainly wasn’t “just a camp site” !  So got chatting in my Spanglish with the guy on the front desk, and it turns out that from 1897 to 1974 or so, this was on of the biggest textile mills in Mexico.  Then recently the government had turned it into a resort and conference centre – And that just happened to include a camping area !!  The photos explain the magnificence quite clearly, I think, including the beautiful old church on site.  A very enjoyable couple of hours wondering around exploring.  Tlaxcala is at 2200 metres, 120 kms east of Mexico City, and 32 kms north of Puebla.  And between neighbouring Apizaco and Tlaxcala, history and buildings (a Franciscan convent) dating back to the 15th century.

0085 18th Aug - Atlacholoaya to Tlaxcala

I mentioned last night that the camp site was down a little alley way in the back of this unpronounceable little village, way off the beaten track.  I find it hard to take pics when I am going in at night because I am not sure if I am going to the right place, and I am a bit stressed and tired by the end of the day on the roads here !  So if it is worthwhile, I start the next morning taking pics on the way out of the campsite – Did that this morning and you can see what I mean !  There is no what one would
normally risk going down such a laneway !  Even Tom Tom says “Limited map information” !!

It was only the small sign at the top of the lane that gave you any clue at all !!

And as for the motorcycles just in this area which have a trailer and then call themselves Taxis…..Words fail me !!

Sunday 17 August 2014

0084 17th Aug - Acapulco to Atlacholoaya

As usual, the days never turn out to be quite what you expected – Which is most of the fun of a not overly planned trip like this.  It rained again during the night, but not a big storm like the previous night, but at least it was quite cool and overcast to pack up.  Went into have a chat with Rafaela and her sister (I found out later) before I left, and gave them a little Koala, which they loved.  She is a sweetie, and I strongly recommend their camp site in Acapulco as being clean, friendly, and Rafaela being so helpful.  Acapulco Trailer Park, Playa Pie de la Cuesta, www.acapulcotrailerpark.com.mx, tel 744 4 60 00 10

Saturday 16 August 2014

0083 - A slow day in Acapulco



We had a thunderstorm and a half last night – certainly the heaviest rain and wind I have encountered on the trip so far.  Those of you who know me and my habits will understand that I spent quite a bit of the night checking for leaks around the van, and making sure everything was OK !!  Answer ?  Yup – All my work in making that fly sheet to surround the pop top worked !  It could be stretched a little tighter but that’s a minor point – We were rocking and rolling in the wind last night, and I lived – dry – to tell the tale !!


Friday 15 August 2014

0082 15th Aug - Zihuantenejo to Acapulco

Another not very long day of driving, but as usual some interesting views and sights coming along the coast and through the many little villages on this very country highway.  It is very slow, but I am actually really enjoying going through all the little villages every few miles as I am not in a hurry.  Already getting a bit sick of all the topes though – They are just endless.  Only one I didn’t see today, and that work me up in a hurry !  The trouble is that some are sign posted ahead of time, some are not. Some are signposted right beside the tope, some are not.  Some are brightly painted so you can see them, some are just black tarmac.  And some sections are painted like topes, but are just flat bits of road, so you have already slowed down by the time you realise you don’t have to !!  And as usual the locals use them to sell drinks, nibbles, corn, or just to beg.  We got stopped at one bridge for roadworks for about 15 minutes today, and a young girl did a roaring trade of drinks in plastic bags (a la Singapore style) – She kept carrying 2 or 3 drinks, selling them, then rushing back to her little shop at the front of the traffic line and getting some more.  I was laughing and clapping my hands as she went past and she saw me an burst out laughing and called out “Bueno, Bueno” as she ran past !!  Another time an army truck with about 40 soldiers stopped in a village and the kids went beserk selling drinks to them all !

Thursday 14 August 2014

0081 14th Aug - Playa Azul to Zihuatenejo

A day of beaches, beer, and iguanas !!  And even crocodiles !!   As often happens, a day turns out so different from what one originally imagines when you wake up !!  After I had packed up the car and showered (ah, bliss, even if it is cold !!) I went in to do my blog on the hotel’s wifi in their lobby, which took a couple of hours just to upload the photos and what I had written over the past couple of days.  And while I was on the internet, I had to check a couple of things about campsites.  It is turning out that camping is very difficult at this time of year because it is the dead season – So not only are a lot of camp sites closed until November, but also it is so sticky at night that you want to sleep with the van open to catch whatever breezes there are, but if you free camp in the bush, this is not such a good idea !!  So I find myself between a bit of a rock and a hard place at the moment.  But as usual, there are more ways to skin a cat…….

0080 13th Aug - San Juan de Alima to Playa Azul

Windy night, but that meant it was quite cool.  Unfortunately no shower available, but that was the first time in a while, so not too bad !!  Set off down the road, on highway 200 heading south. On maps it looks as though the road goes along the coast, but it doesn’t – It actually wanders in and out, up valleys and over rivers and then up steep windy passes to get over rocky mountains.  And all  the time you are in thick thick jungle, so you keep getting glimpses of the magnificent beaches and surf, but no where to really pull over to admire them properly or to take pics.  And there is always rubbish everywhere you stop too, which is a shame.

0079 12th August - P Vallarta to San Juan de Alima

I ended up staying in PV another day.  I had packed up and set off with all intentions of heading down the coast, but decided to drop into Starbucks to do my blog, banking, etc.  As often happens when you get on the computer only occasionally, there are so many things you need to do, and one thing leads to another and suddenly it is well into the afternoon before you know it !!  So at about 4 pm I got most things done, even had a couple of short skypes, and I also got a Mexicab SIM card for my phone because using the US one was getting too expensive, and then just drove back to my camp site up the road !  Mike was surprised to see me, so we had a chat before I cooked some supper and turned in.  I am not sure if it is the heat or old age or what, but I find I am exhausted by about 8 or 9 pm !  Tomorrow I would have another go at leaving !!

Monday 11 August 2014

0078 10th Aug - Puerto Vallarta

I decided to stay around Puerto Vallarta and have a lazy day today.  It wasn’t too hot,  and I got some good early shade from the palm trees I was under, so it was actually a pleasant morning.  And the shower was almost too cold !!

Went down to do a shop for supplies, and after doing that, I left the car in the shaded car park and went over to check out a big Mall.  Nice and cool inside, so I went into Starbucks, and sat and had a coffee and did some emails on my phone.

0077 Aug 9th - Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta

As previously mentioned, many of the RV parks are virtually empty due to this being the low season weather wise, but this campsite was the liveliest yet.  Also a lot of the motorhomes and 5th Wheels are permanently here, and are bricked in with thatched roofs for shade, and decks and bbq areas etc.  People bring them down and then leave them here permanently, along with their boats and ject skis and even cars, and then just fly down from Canada and the US for their holidays.  You can see in the pics how they set them up permanently.   

Friday 8 August 2014

0076 - 8th Aug - Topolobampo to Mazatlan

I woke up at about 6, and found that right behind us it the kind of village sewer !!  Luckily not too smelly as it was quite cool, although the local dogs and cats as well as chickens all run free round there !!

Anyway, breakfasted and had a cup of tea before Mark and Bri woke up, and then after a few photos of our location, we set off down the road.  Mark and Bri want to get some miles under their belt so they intend to use the faster toll road, while I decide to wander on the “free” road.

0075 7th Aug - Los Barriles to Topolobamp. by ferry

Nice cloudy and cool morning, so slowly packed up and showered and set off at about 8.30 am on the 1 ½ hour drive back to Pichilingue to catch the ferry to the mainland.  As mentioned yesterday I couldn’t get space on the ferry to Mazatlan until the 12th, so I am off to a little place called Topolobampo – Just south of Los Mochis in case you try to find it on a different map from that kindly and painstakingly provided by me in the Photos section in Picasa !!! Anyway, much shorter ferry ride (5 hours instead of 15), and then only about a 3 hour drive south to Mazatlan.  I guess I will find out if there is some kind of major problem with this alternative, but at the moment I don’t see one !

Got to Pichilingue port at noon for a 2.30 pm sailing – And here I am on board and its only 1.15 !!  Good job I got here early – lesson learned re timing for Mexican ferries (and maybe buses and planes too) – Be early !!

Wednesday 6 August 2014

0074 6th Aug - Cabo to Los Barriles, via Pichelingue

Packed up and left the very empty and boring site near Cabo, with the intention of just wandering up the coast towards the ferry terminal at Pichelingue, just north of La Paz, so I could book my ride to Mazatlan on the mainland.  The first hour or so continued with a lot of quite nice development along the coast line, but still quite sporadic.  One minute you pass a spectacular Hilton resort, then there is an empty stretch of land with rubble on it, then there’s a Hyatt or similar resort !!  But I can see that one day this will be quite a resort coastline, and very much within reach for North Americans during their winter time – only a short flight down here.  Surf beaches, apartments, hotels – It is all starting to be here.

0073 5th Aug - Todos Santos to Cabo San Lucas

Nice cool and cloudy morning to start with again today, so a pleasant pack up and breakfast temperature wise.  Finish off with a great shower, then leap in the car and turn the a/c on high !! I keep several small bottles of drinking water in the fridge so they are icy cold and ready whenever I need one !

Said goodbye to Pablo in the campsite – Been very pleasant talking with him over the last couple of days.  Also met another long term resident, Patrick, who is an architect in Todos.  Into town for one last use of the bank to build up my stock of pesos, and then it was off round the coast line towards Cabo San Lucas, which is right at the bottom tip of Baja. 

0072 4th Aug - Todos Santos

Actually managed to lay in for a while this morning as it was a bit cloudy, and I managed to park under a palm tree that shaded me from any morning sun, so it was cool enough in the van to stay there. (It is normally the reflected heat on the canvas of the pop top which makes the morning heat unbearable in the van.) So I read my book, and enjoyed it until about 8.30 am !!  Luxury.

Monday 4 August 2014

0071 3rd Aug - Loreto to Todos Santos

I tried to sleep in a little while it was still cool, but by about 7.30 it was already hot, and I had no choice but to get up and get moving.  By the time I was packed up, I was wringing, and even after I had my shower, it was impossible to get dry !  But at least I was clean after a couple of nights sleeping on beaches !!  But it was a major relief to get into Troopie and turn the a/c on !  In fact, for the first time on almost the entire trip, I even forgot to take any photos of the camp site – I just wanted to get in and get the a/c on !!

Sunday 3 August 2014

0070 2nd August - Santa Rosarita to Loreto

Well it had been a beautiful cool and peaceful night on Santa Rosarita beach with the fisherman.  By the time I woke up there were 10 pick up trucks all lined up below me – The locals had come down while I was asleep and were all out fishing already !!   Well, if you can’t sleep in a little on your birthday, when can you ? !!

Saturday 2 August 2014

0069 1st Aug Colonet to Santa Rosarito

It was hazy and quite cold this morning when I got up about 6 am – I even put a pair of long jeans on to keep warm !   Slow pack up over breakfast, and as no one had rolled up at the restaurant yet, I hit the road by about 9 am.  Most of the first part was through built up villages, so lots of Altos and Topes to keep an eye out for.  Also quite a lot of traffic lights.  I noticed that most of the traffic is local – it is always overtaking you at great speed, then turning off up a side road !  Early excitement was provided when I saw a whole lot of people riding horses at the side of the road, so I was snapping away, when suddenly the green ford with bags on the roof in front of me decided it knew someone on a horse, and suddenly traffic was going everywhere as the Ford slammed on its brakes and turned left across the traffic without any indication.  That woke me up for the day !!!

Friday 1 August 2014

0068 31st July - Mike's Sky Rancho to Colomet

Up reasonably early in the cool of the morning – But my first job was to wipe the whole car and everything else down as a nearby tree had decided to drop blobs of sticky stuff all over me during the night !!  Anyway, got all packed up and showered and was out of there by 9 am, still cool, and today even a bit cloudy and hazy in the mountains.  Over the river and out along the track – 30.9 kms back to the road, and the markings along the road ARE correct and in kms – I guess it just seemed longer when I was coming in and didn’t quite know where I was going !!  Saw a couple of burros beside the road, and a jack rabbit or two, but that was all.  No cougars or pumas or whatever they have round here !!

Once out and back on Hwy 3 towards Ensenada, the scenery seemed to alternate between rocky passes and open plains. Still not a lot of traffic, and it was actually quite a fun drive at a leaisurely pace – Spending my time getting used to everything, trying to work out signs, and how the drivers “do it” !!  You really have to have your wits around you because overtaking will be done regardless of whether there is a double yellow line in the middle, or signs saying “No Overtaking” !!  Driving is not easy here, but I think it is like anywhere else – You just have to get used to the differences.  There is certainly no point in tut tutting about their driving habits because that is just the way they do it here!!  Viva la difference !!

I loved the “Farm Vehicles” warning sign – A guy on a tractor, but he is wearing a sombrero !!  And of course you see quite a few “painted rocks” where someone has died on the road. (Maybe a link to the driving methods mentioned above ?) 

Had my first Military Checkpoint of the day this morning, and the young guy was in the back fossicking around, and he kept asking me if I drank tequila, or smoked, or had any marijuana – Over and over again. “In here ?”   “In there ?” Not nastily, but with a smile on his face as he prodded and poked around.  I kept saying “Khoobiyardo, khubiyardo” and laughing (“Jubilado is the word for “retired” !).  Eventually he prodded the porta potty and asked what it was, and when I told him it was my “bagno” or toilet, he almost leapt out of there and said I could go !!!  Must remember that one and steer them towards it first in future !!

After about 140 kms I came into Ensenada, and the traffic started to get a lot busier.  No pics of driving through Ensenada – I was concentrating far too hard to take photos !!  Not too bad a city, but I made sure I watched how others did it (like a roundabout at a road junction, even signed as a roundabout, but if turning left you don’t go round it, you cut across the other side !!) and usually tried to make sure I stayed behind someone all the time so I could copy them.  There is just SO much to keep your eye on – The traffic is one thing, but then you have people cutting across you to suddenly stop (usually without indicating), all the mini buses zooming down the inside, and then, apart from traffic lights there are those blooming Alto signs that just appear in the middle of nowhere !  I got a photo of one where there was no visible cross roads – Just an Alto sign in the middle of the highway out of town !!  And today I got my first “Topes” experience. Topes are speed bumps, and are all over central and south America.  Usually there is no warning, and some are severe enough to rip suspension off if hit too fast.  Today they mostly had signs, but even so, they do occasionally forget to sign one !! Locals know where they are, but foreigners like me have to be ever alert.  So it is a constant motion of swerving to avoid idiots, screeching to a halt for an unseen Alto sign, or braking hard to a Tope that suddenly appears ! You sure have to concentrate !

In Ensenada I found what appeared to be a supermarket which had a parking lot, and got in there without too much trouble even though it was on the wrong side of the road right down town, so busy busy.  Went in and wandered around with my dictionary and found I could work most things out, so got a few things, and think most of them are indeed what I intended to buy !!  I also bought a small bread roll from a bakery as I heard they were very good, and thought it would make a change from tortillas for my lunch – And when I ate it later, stuffed with cheese and ham and tomato and anion etc, it really was a good roll.   Anyway, in Ensenada I also found another money changer and got some more pesos – Trying to build up a few in case country Mexico shops and gas stations won’t take Visa – And then topped up with diesel at a Pemex station, and headed out of town.  By now it was about 2.30 pm.

The suburbs of Ensenada go on a long way, but eventually we were out in the country – only to hit quite major road works.  Now if you think it is fun driving on normal roads, dirt road works roads are a free for all !!  Signs saying no overtaking and 40 kms max are well forgotten, and every corner is like the first corner on the first lap of a motor race – Piling into blind corners or over crests 3 abreast – And with all the dust, you can’t see a thing !!  I just couldn’t stop laughing it was so ludicrous.

And sure enough, a few miles later, a white van which had been one of the “competitors” was on its roof on the side of the road, with police and ambulances all arriving as I passed.  Hmmmmm.

 Saw a cactus farm today.  Logical I suppose in Mexico, but funny to see all these cactus growing in neat rows !!  They had them in the supermarket too – not just the “ears”, but even all chopped up.  Must find out how they eat them !!

And as for the road sign indicating “Cattle ahead” – I reckon he looks like a sad old bull, with his head dropping in the heat !  Brings a smile to my face everytime I pass the sign.  Never have seen any bulls or cows though !!

On one of the windy (as in curves) sections, I had seen an enormous pile of tomatoes beside the road – some poor farmer must have tipped his truck over.  Also saw smaller quantities of tomatoes beside the road elsewhere – The farmer must have just lost a few in the corner !!  Then, not far down the road I understood how it could happen – There in front of me was an old pick up with his tray piled high with tomatoes, and behind him a ramshackle old trailer also piled high, with one mudguard missing and wobbly wheels – And just as I was about to overtake him, he suddenly turned left up a dirt track, not only almost collecting me, but also nearly tipping his trailer over !!  I am now waiting for a water melon truck………

By now it was 5 pm, and I was getting weary.  (No siesta today !!!)  I had seen a few camping signs, but couldn’t ever see where the camping was, then, as I came into a little town called Colonet  I saw a sign saying “RV Park on the beach – 2 kms” !!  Found what I thought was the turning, (no sign of course !) chatted to some kids about whether this road to the playa or not, and so headed down it.  2 kms later came to a half built restaurant that was open, and went in and asked if they had camping, to which they replied in the affirmative, took US$5 (didn’t want pesos), and left me to find a spot.  Well, apart from an old abandoned (I think) motorhome, there was only me, and the sites have water but no power, so I just parked on the cliff overlooking the see, and set up my camp !  How good is this ?  Lovely breeze so nice and cool after that horrible heat in southern California, and I cooked myself “Mild Italian sausages” for dinner, and they were excellent.  Even got two left over for cold lunch tomorrow !!

No wifi here again, but done my blog, and as it is now dark, time to turn in, and wonder what adventures will be in store tomorrow !!