Hello from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico,
On the 9th of September, I went into Mexico City and met my new group. This group was dominated by a bunch of British people who like to drink.
On the 10th, we went to the ruins of Teotihuacan in the morning and camped in San Miguel de Allende that night. On the 11th, we looked around town, went to some nice hot springs and drove to Guanajuato in the evening.
On the 12th, we took a tour of Guanajuato. We visited the mine, the church, the view point, the mummy museum, and drove through the extremely confusing tunnels beneath the city. In the afternoon we moved on to Patzcuaro. The next morning they took a boat trip to Isla Juanitzio and then we moved on to the Paricutin Volcano.
We got a very early start on the 14th and did a 19 mile hike. It was a very difficult hike, over sharp wobbly lava rocks and past some steaming fissures in the ground. After we reached the top of the crater, we ran down the ash slope. On the way back to town we visited the church that was covered by lava in 1943.
On the 16th, we went to Guadalajara. This is Mexico's second biggest city. We were there for Mexican Independence Day. We bought sombreros, noise makers, fake beards and mustaches, and got our faces painted with "Viva Mexico" We watched the fireworks and had a great night downtown. It was very crowded and a lot of fun.
On the 17th we went to the town of Tequila and toured a tequila factory. After the free tasting the group was a bit wobbly but a lot of fun. We spent that night in Sayulita, on the Pacific coast. We had a nice sunset and then it rained all night.
On the 18th, it was still raining a bit. We went into Puerta Vallarta and they found a bar. We danced the night away and then went back to camp.
On the 19th, we rented a sail boat and cruised out to the Marietas Islands for some snorkeling. On the way back everybody fell asleep and it was a nice sailing experience. It rained a lot that night at camp.
On the 20th, we drove all day, in the rain, south along the coast. We got to Playa Azul well after dark and found a cheap hotel. The next day we got a very early start and drove most of the day through the rain to Acapulco. We spent two very long days on driving very slowly on really bad flooded roads. That night we went to see the cliff divers. That was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. They stand around on the edge of the cliff until the water level is right in the canyon below them. Then, when they judge the waves to be just right, they dive off from up to 110 feet in the air. To get up to the diving spot, they have to first climb straight up the cliff. I looked for a sign up sheet after the show, but could not find one.
We spent the next day on the beach. I did an illegal U-turn, in a country with no apparent road rules, and got pulled over by the Transit Police. A policeman waved for me to stop after I did the U-turn. He was just standing there, so naturally I drove on. Then he hopped into a police car and followed me, so naturally I stopped. He spoke perfect English and told me that, behind the tree, was a no U-turn sign. He wanted me to come to the police station and pay a $30 fine. I was looking for the Fed Ex office and was late to pick up my passengers. I explained all of this and then asked if I could pay the fine there. He emphasized that he did not want any trouble and I assured him that neither did I. I gave him a copy of my drivers license. Folded into the copy was about $15. He went to his car and then returned to my van with the copy of my license, minus the money. When he returned, he was very happy. He said that I now have a friend in Acapulco and if I ever need anything to call him. Then he gave me a police escort to the Fed Ex office.
After my exciting afternoon, I rejoined my group on the beach for a bungee jump. This was my sixth jump, so they let me use a chest harness, instead of the normal ankle harness. I took a running leap and did a few flips before the bungee arrested my fall, just above the swimming pool, and I flew back upwards. After a few more bounces, it was all over and I collected my video and t-shirt.
On the 22nd of September, we drove to the hillside town of Taxco. On the way, we stopped to do a jet boat tour. The boat went really fast and did some fun spins. The driver also took us very close to the rocks and scared us. We had a fun last night dinner and spent the next morning looking around the silver jewelry producing town of Taxco.
On the 23rd, we returned to Mexico City. Six of the British passengers joined me and we went to a soccer game that night. Nexcaca beat Atalante 4-1, but it was still fun. I like Latin America soccer because the fans bring fire works and build little fires.
The next day I went to the town of Amecameca, usually just called Ameca. On the 25th, I drove up to Paso de Cortez, between the Volcanoes of Popo and Ixta. I wanted to climb Popo, but it is smoking too much. I parked the van at about 13,000 feet (4000 meters) and spend a night in the La Joya parking lot. The next morning, I put on all of my long underwear and jackets. It took me about four hours to climb up to a minor peak at about 15,500 feet (4700 meters). Most of the climb was in fierce wind in a cloud. I rarely got any good views, but the side of me that faced the wind did get covered in ice. The last hour was spent climbing up a snow covered ridge to the peak. I did not get to the highest point of the mountain, but from the peak I climbed, I could not see any higher peaks because of the fog. The weather cleared on the way down and I stopped to read a book. That night I went back to Amecameca.
On the 27th I drove back into Mexico City to meet my new group. I took the highway into town and got pulled over by the police. They tried to give me a ticket because cargo vehicles are not allowed on the highway. I showed them that the van contained seats and told them that I was going to pick up passengers at the hotel. They agreed that the van was a passenger vehicle and not a cargo truck. So, they tried to give me a ticket because I only gave them a copy of my license and not the original. I eventually gave them the original. Next they tried to give me a ticket because the license plate is all letters and no numbers. It is TREKAMA. They told me that every license plate has numbers, and despite the registration showing that I was correct, they insisted that I was breaking the law. I have a letter, in Spanish, from the Mexican Minister of Tourism. It says that I am driving a cargo and passenger vehicle and to give me any assistance that is possible. They read the letter, got back in their car and drove off. I proceeded to the hotel and met my new group.
On the 28th, I loaded up my eight new passengers and we drove to Oaxaca. We spent three days there and visited the ruins of Monte Alban and Mitla, toured a Mezcal factory, visited a rug weaving town and a town that makes little wooden animals with unique paint jobs, went salsa dancing and saw the giant Tule tree.
On the 1st of October, we went to Playa Muzunte, on the Pacific coast. It is a beautiful secluded beach area. There are big waves to play in and I had a lot of fun in the water. The next day some of us went to Zipolite and went swimming. Three of us were quickly sucked out in the riptide. One of my passengers was unable to swim back. Luckily, some local surfers saw that she was in trouble and came out to rescue her. In the end they had to get one of those red floats on a rope, like in Baywatch, and pull her in. After that bit of excitement, we went back to our relatively safe beach and took a walk to an empty beach on the other side of the point. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the waves.
On the 3rd, we drove to Tuxtla Guitierrez. On the way into the city they spotted the McDonald's and got very excited. Guess where we had dinner that night. Yesterday, we took the boat tour up the Sumidero Canyon and saw some crocodiles. There has been a lot of rain lately and the waterfalls on the sides of the canyon were bigger than I have ever seen them before. After the boat ride, we came up here to San Cristobal. Today everyone went on a tour of the Indian Villages with Mercedes and I am using the day to get caught up on all sorts of odds and ends.
Obviously, I am still having lots of fun and am looking forward to the next two weeks in the jungle and on the Carribbean beaches.
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