In the time we've been here at Mision Surf Mexico we've made real connections with the kids and the people who run this place. This morning one of their young ladies who was 19 and in their youth transition program passed away from some kind of autoimmune disorder.
These people operate as a family so they lost a child or a sister depending on their role here. As you might understand, things are rather subdued here today.
On the brighter side, quick and strict intervention in Ecuador seems to be working as their new cases dropped two days in a row. It is amazing what can happen with quality leadership.
Please stay well and know that we are exactly where we should be in the world at this time.
Peace and love peeps and more soon.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Not Stir Crazy Yet
We remain at Mision Surf Mexico because it is the best plan for now. We are pretty isolated and we have been together for more than a week now. Nobody here is ill and only one person has an underlying condition - high blood pressure - so she is being very careful about distance.
Our friends from New Zealand heeded the call to return home and have been sequestered in a hotel for the last few days. The hotel staff leave their meals on the floor outside of the door, ring and take off down the hall. Our friends are to wait 10 seconds to let the hotel staff make their getaway. The food quality and portions are both going down and it's only been a few days. Welcome home? Hmmmm.
The situation here is stable and sustainable at the moment and the situation in the US seems anything but stable so we will continue to monitor things, but stay in as much heat and humidity as possible and as far from large population areas as possible as well.
This whole situation is like some zombie apocalypse movie without the scantily clad teenagers. I had hoped to live out my life without seeing such a situation as this, but life gets in the way of even great planning sometimes.
On the plus side, there is a lot of evidence that suggests that the planet is healing itself with the massive reduction of emissions. The ozone layer is repairing and the jet stream is returning to a more normal flow.
Find your peace where you can and we'll keep you posted on what is going on here.
Peace and love peeps. More soon...
Our friends from New Zealand heeded the call to return home and have been sequestered in a hotel for the last few days. The hotel staff leave their meals on the floor outside of the door, ring and take off down the hall. Our friends are to wait 10 seconds to let the hotel staff make their getaway. The food quality and portions are both going down and it's only been a few days. Welcome home? Hmmmm.
The situation here is stable and sustainable at the moment and the situation in the US seems anything but stable so we will continue to monitor things, but stay in as much heat and humidity as possible and as far from large population areas as possible as well.
This whole situation is like some zombie apocalypse movie without the scantily clad teenagers. I had hoped to live out my life without seeing such a situation as this, but life gets in the way of even great planning sometimes.
On the plus side, there is a lot of evidence that suggests that the planet is healing itself with the massive reduction of emissions. The ozone layer is repairing and the jet stream is returning to a more normal flow.
Find your peace where you can and we'll keep you posted on what is going on here.
Peace and love peeps. More soon...
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Unexpected Stuff
We were just about sure we had to go north, but Tammie from our convoy was determined to go to the beach to relax and recover. We had called the place here and we were told that they wouldn't be open, but she came anyway and was welcomed in (turns out that camping was still open).
Our happy result at the other border gave us the freedom and the band of covid 19 refugees reunited at this place.
Pam and I were thinking we would stay 2 nights, but now we have been here almost a week and we find ourselves engaged in some of the daily work that makes this place special. It seems that whatever we are willing to share or teach the kids is great with the people who run this place so cooking, ukulele, talking, swimming, playing games, bike maintenance and exercise routines have become daily activities for us.
Along the way we have reached out to friends and family for directions to look for ways to help some of the kids who have difficulty reading because of dyslexia and other teaching techniques.
What a journey we are on! We could never have known that we would be here now. The "plan" was to be in Costa Rica now exploring the Caribbean coast, but this is so much more than that. Anyone can go to the coast and explore but fewer can find a place where people give well beyond the safe area and give their all for kids who need it.
Know that we are happy and safe... And exactly where we should be for now. Find your own peace where you can. The planet is healing right now. Maybe we will come out of this as a better world.
Peace and love peeps. More soon.
Our happy result at the other border gave us the freedom and the band of covid 19 refugees reunited at this place.
Pam and I were thinking we would stay 2 nights, but now we have been here almost a week and we find ourselves engaged in some of the daily work that makes this place special. It seems that whatever we are willing to share or teach the kids is great with the people who run this place so cooking, ukulele, talking, swimming, playing games, bike maintenance and exercise routines have become daily activities for us.
Along the way we have reached out to friends and family for directions to look for ways to help some of the kids who have difficulty reading because of dyslexia and other teaching techniques.
What a journey we are on! We could never have known that we would be here now. The "plan" was to be in Costa Rica now exploring the Caribbean coast, but this is so much more than that. Anyone can go to the coast and explore but fewer can find a place where people give well beyond the safe area and give their all for kids who need it.
Know that we are happy and safe... And exactly where we should be for now. Find your own peace where you can. The planet is healing right now. Maybe we will come out of this as a better world.
Peace and love peeps. More soon.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Magic In Chiapas Mexico
As we were heading back to Mexico there was stress and disappointment and the insecurity from some disappointing border employees, but now that we have settled in at Mision Surf Mexico and got to witness the magic these people do with abandoned and abused kids all of our "issues" seem so small and insignificant.
Twenty years ago this Australian couple gave themselves to a program they designed to help kids that had no chance to have a good life without them. They feed and teach and house and love these children like their own. To be fortunate enough to see this in person fills our hearts and gives us great hope for the future.
I promise to never ask again, but I want you to donate on their website. Your donation will not be wasted. It will take a kid from despair and end a cycle of violence and abandonment.
These kids have among them some who were prostitute by their grandparents and worse and now they are safe and on their way to do great things.
MisionSurfMexico.com is the site and the Donate button is easy to see.
Peace and love peeps.
Twenty years ago this Australian couple gave themselves to a program they designed to help kids that had no chance to have a good life without them. They feed and teach and house and love these children like their own. To be fortunate enough to see this in person fills our hearts and gives us great hope for the future.
I promise to never ask again, but I want you to donate on their website. Your donation will not be wasted. It will take a kid from despair and end a cycle of violence and abandonment.
These kids have among them some who were prostitute by their grandparents and worse and now they are safe and on their way to do great things.
MisionSurfMexico.com is the site and the Donate button is easy to see.
Peace and love peeps.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Distress and Destress
The situation in Guatemala was getting bad so we opted to backtrack to Mexico. The problem is due to the fact that Guatemala only guarantees school for two years for free and then they have to pay something like $75 per child per month so most of them can't read or write so they are influenced by what they are told. Currently they are being told that foreigners brought Covid 19 to Guatemala. It's entirely predictable that they would react badly.
We were in a small convoy of 3 vehicles and 7 people to the Mexico border and crossed at about 2 PM. All vehicles needed Temporary Import Permits which took an excruciating 3 hours and they would only give us 7 days on our visas and TIPs. I suppose it would be possible to get to the US border in that time, but it would be a crazy drive and we don't want to backtrack that far.
We headed to Tapachula for some pizza, beer and a hotel and in the morning we said our goodbyes as we were fairly sure we were not going to get more time. We went to the border at Ciudad Hidalgo prepared for a no and found wonderful, helpful people who changed our visas, TIP and our lives by giving us six months in Mexico.
With our new documents in hand we headed to the beach to get the band back together joining our convoy family at a place ran by an Australian couple called Mission Surf. The funds from their campground fund their charity that helps Mexican children who are at risk and abandoned. They have adopted 2 of them along with their 6 natural kids.
Our Kiwi convoy friends are waiting on an original document to get their paperwork so they can store their van in Mexico while they fly home. We celebrated her birthday which is the same day as my brother Mike's while we were in Guatemala and today we will celebrate his which is the same day as my sister Mary's.
Our other convoy family member is a woman from Oregon who has temporary residence in Mexico. Her path will lead her to Oaxaca eventually.
When our band breaks up again we will have to decide what to do next. A return to the states is an option, but we would rather wait and head south. Other travelers have said that the farther north you go the more masks and random stops where they take pictures of your vehicle there are.
We won't rush either way. Today, however, is Carl's birthday and we will celebrate that.
That
We were in a small convoy of 3 vehicles and 7 people to the Mexico border and crossed at about 2 PM. All vehicles needed Temporary Import Permits which took an excruciating 3 hours and they would only give us 7 days on our visas and TIPs. I suppose it would be possible to get to the US border in that time, but it would be a crazy drive and we don't want to backtrack that far.
We headed to Tapachula for some pizza, beer and a hotel and in the morning we said our goodbyes as we were fairly sure we were not going to get more time. We went to the border at Ciudad Hidalgo prepared for a no and found wonderful, helpful people who changed our visas, TIP and our lives by giving us six months in Mexico.
With our new documents in hand we headed to the beach to get the band back together joining our convoy family at a place ran by an Australian couple called Mission Surf. The funds from their campground fund their charity that helps Mexican children who are at risk and abandoned. They have adopted 2 of them along with their 6 natural kids.
Our Kiwi convoy friends are waiting on an original document to get their paperwork so they can store their van in Mexico while they fly home. We celebrated her birthday which is the same day as my brother Mike's while we were in Guatemala and today we will celebrate his which is the same day as my sister Mary's.
Our other convoy family member is a woman from Oregon who has temporary residence in Mexico. Her path will lead her to Oaxaca eventually.
When our band breaks up again we will have to decide what to do next. A return to the states is an option, but we would rather wait and head south. Other travelers have said that the farther north you go the more masks and random stops where they take pictures of your vehicle there are.
We won't rush either way. Today, however, is Carl's birthday and we will celebrate that.
That
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Hunker No More
We are well and in a good place!
The situation at our camp was going along great until the owner decided that he could make more money and forced some people into rooms on the property at much higher prices than camping. He dumped it all on us at 4 PM yesterday and told us that we had to accept it or he would close the camp and send us all away.
Along with his greed the locals had begun to get much less friendly. It is important to note that in Guatemala kids go to school free for 2 years and after that they have to pay so most never go past 2 years. The mayor explained that Covid 19 was brought by foreigners and scared the crap out of them so the rest is fairly predictable.
I had heard enough from the owner so we joined a group that wanted to head to Mexico - our only other option - and this morning we headed to the border. The drive was pretty and the locals along the way were scared. At one gas station we were able to buy gas, but the convenience store wouldn't touch the money we tried to hand them for fear we were infected.
We reached the border and signed out of Guatemala and as we signed into Mexico we were surprised to find that they were limiting visas and vehicle permits to 7 days which we will attempt to extend down the road.
Our plan will likely be to go to a "free zone" like \the Baja where you don't need a permit for your vehicle and hang out until we can easily travel south again.
We are all in uncharted waters right now and we hope you are all well and safe.
Peace and love. More soon....
The situation at our camp was going along great until the owner decided that he could make more money and forced some people into rooms on the property at much higher prices than camping. He dumped it all on us at 4 PM yesterday and told us that we had to accept it or he would close the camp and send us all away.
Along with his greed the locals had begun to get much less friendly. It is important to note that in Guatemala kids go to school free for 2 years and after that they have to pay so most never go past 2 years. The mayor explained that Covid 19 was brought by foreigners and scared the crap out of them so the rest is fairly predictable.
I had heard enough from the owner so we joined a group that wanted to head to Mexico - our only other option - and this morning we headed to the border. The drive was pretty and the locals along the way were scared. At one gas station we were able to buy gas, but the convenience store wouldn't touch the money we tried to hand them for fear we were infected.
We reached the border and signed out of Guatemala and as we signed into Mexico we were surprised to find that they were limiting visas and vehicle permits to 7 days which we will attempt to extend down the road.
Our plan will likely be to go to a "free zone" like \the Baja where you don't need a permit for your vehicle and hang out until we can easily travel south again.
We are all in uncharted waters right now and we hope you are all well and safe.
Peace and love. More soon....
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
None Of Us Are Used To Long Stays
The whole idea of overland travel is to see more than you can traveling any other way.
The current information for Pam and I is that we couldn't enter Colombia until June which leaves us with a lot of time in between if El Salvador opens the borders April 12th as planned.
It also means that my birthday will likely be celebrated here at our camp and our anniversary will be celebrated in Panama as we make arrangements to ship the van to Colombia.
This is all very foreign to us, but we understand the importance of sitting still for now.
We are well and happy. Peace and love.
More soon....
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Many Closures
Right now virtually all countries are closing their borders. We remain safe and sound at our campground with our new friends in about as safe a place as is possible right now.
Take care and listen to the health authorities.
Peace and love. Pam and Paul
Take care and listen to the health authorities.
Peace and love. Pam and Paul
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Stuck For A Bit
We are camped at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala and had planned to head to Antigua today and Sunday cross to El Salvador, but last night El Salvador closed the borders to everyone who isn't Salvadoran so we are stuck for a while. The current border restriction is supposed to end April 1st, but there are no guarantees so what are our options?
We could backtrack to Mexico or Belize or route through a longer route of Honduras and go around El Salvador. The problem is that Guatemala is already banning travellers from Europe and some other places so they could add the US to the list as well and we would then be stuck further north. The trip through Honduras is interesting except for the fact that it was the place we have already decided to go in and out in one day because of the instability of the country which makes it much less safe.
The last option is to wait it out and hope that none of the other countries south of El Salvador impose border closures or restrictions as well. If the border does open on April 1st as currently planned we will likely not spend much time in El Salvador and run the borders in Honduras on our way to Nicaragua.
That isn't super high on our to do list so we would make our way to Costa Rica where other options open up. In Costa Rica we could arrange shipping directly to Ecuador or the Pacific coast of Colombia. That would mean we would skip Panama and possibly Colombia for now. All of that, of course, depends on the borders of those countries staying open to US travellers.
Where we are now is a great campground where we quickly made friends with the whole gang including Germans, New Zealanders, French and Americans. It runs 75 Quetzales a day or just shy of $10 a day. Produce is inexpensive and plenty as is beer and wine. We will wait a while here to decide what to do next.
Please follow the scientists and medical people's advice and be well.
Peace and Love and more soon....
We could backtrack to Mexico or Belize or route through a longer route of Honduras and go around El Salvador. The problem is that Guatemala is already banning travellers from Europe and some other places so they could add the US to the list as well and we would then be stuck further north. The trip through Honduras is interesting except for the fact that it was the place we have already decided to go in and out in one day because of the instability of the country which makes it much less safe.
The last option is to wait it out and hope that none of the other countries south of El Salvador impose border closures or restrictions as well. If the border does open on April 1st as currently planned we will likely not spend much time in El Salvador and run the borders in Honduras on our way to Nicaragua.
That isn't super high on our to do list so we would make our way to Costa Rica where other options open up. In Costa Rica we could arrange shipping directly to Ecuador or the Pacific coast of Colombia. That would mean we would skip Panama and possibly Colombia for now. All of that, of course, depends on the borders of those countries staying open to US travellers.
Where we are now is a great campground where we quickly made friends with the whole gang including Germans, New Zealanders, French and Americans. It runs 75 Quetzales a day or just shy of $10 a day. Produce is inexpensive and plenty as is beer and wine. We will wait a while here to decide what to do next.
Please follow the scientists and medical people's advice and be well.
Peace and Love and more soon....
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
San Cristobal de Las Casas - Not The Same Place as 14 Years Ago, But Well Worth The Visit
Friday morning we headed out from Huatalco to San Cristobal instead of Puerto Arista because the wind was insane in Arista. That didn't keep Pam from driving in the worst wind of her life, and she drove our old RV into Reno from the south about 10 years which was scary too.
At first we were going to find a hotel that supposedly had parking, but there parking was actually off-sight, so we toughed it out, winding our way out of narrow streets in Centro as it is Colonial and not made for 18 ft. vans. We finally opted for the Walmart parking lot which was a GREAT decision.
We arrived to find two vans already parked there - one from Chile and the other from Argentina. It wasn't long before the neighbors came back and we had a nice Mexico atlas that we no longer needed as we were heading to the border to Guatemala next so we asked if they wanted it and they did. We then spent a long time chatting about life on the road and places to go and not go. The magic of like-minded-ness erases language and age barriers in an amazing way.
We woke up early Sunday and walked into Centro where the town was still waking up and reminded us much more of the San Cristobal we had visited in 2006. We took a ton of pictures and were able to mail four postcards to Pam's nephew Dakota in Alaska. They are using the postcards as a geography lesson of sorts.
When we got back to the van we cleaned up some and prepared Vincenzo for departure and our new friends came over and made sure we would say goodbye before we left. As we were heading over a family pulled up to the Walmart that looked like the grandparents and maybe a three or four year old who wasn't happy, but was decked out in his Caballero outfit. I had a soccer ball already inflated so I grabbed it and walked over and tossed him the ball and told him "disfruta mucho" which means have a lot of fun. He lit up and held the ball like it was a treasure.
Our new friends were watching and the grandpa and the boy came over so he could give a proper gracias. Our friends were blown away by the whole thing so I inflated two more so they could have the same experience down the road somewhere. I know the balls were the best idea I ever had.
Lagos de Colon
We left and headed to Lagos de Colon which is near the Guatemalan border and spent the night for a whopping 50 pesos or $2.50 USD. After the swarms of families left, we had the place practically to ourselves. You'll be amazed, but we met another couple with a tween boy who were travelling in their Landcruiser as well. We talked for hours about lots of stuff, especially Guatemala since they were fairly in love with it. Pam got to swim in the lagoon in the little waterfalls several times, and enjoy the fully moon, so she was has happy.
That's it for now. Peace and love to everyone.
At first we were going to find a hotel that supposedly had parking, but there parking was actually off-sight, so we toughed it out, winding our way out of narrow streets in Centro as it is Colonial and not made for 18 ft. vans. We finally opted for the Walmart parking lot which was a GREAT decision.
We arrived to find two vans already parked there - one from Chile and the other from Argentina. It wasn't long before the neighbors came back and we had a nice Mexico atlas that we no longer needed as we were heading to the border to Guatemala next so we asked if they wanted it and they did. We then spent a long time chatting about life on the road and places to go and not go. The magic of like-minded-ness erases language and age barriers in an amazing way.
We woke up early Sunday and walked into Centro where the town was still waking up and reminded us much more of the San Cristobal we had visited in 2006. We took a ton of pictures and were able to mail four postcards to Pam's nephew Dakota in Alaska. They are using the postcards as a geography lesson of sorts.
When we got back to the van we cleaned up some and prepared Vincenzo for departure and our new friends came over and made sure we would say goodbye before we left. As we were heading over a family pulled up to the Walmart that looked like the grandparents and maybe a three or four year old who wasn't happy, but was decked out in his Caballero outfit. I had a soccer ball already inflated so I grabbed it and walked over and tossed him the ball and told him "disfruta mucho" which means have a lot of fun. He lit up and held the ball like it was a treasure.
Our new friends were watching and the grandpa and the boy came over so he could give a proper gracias. Our friends were blown away by the whole thing so I inflated two more so they could have the same experience down the road somewhere. I know the balls were the best idea I ever had.
Lagos de Colon
We left and headed to Lagos de Colon which is near the Guatemalan border and spent the night for a whopping 50 pesos or $2.50 USD. After the swarms of families left, we had the place practically to ourselves. You'll be amazed, but we met another couple with a tween boy who were travelling in their Landcruiser as well. We talked for hours about lots of stuff, especially Guatemala since they were fairly in love with it. Pam got to swim in the lagoon in the little waterfalls several times, and enjoy the fully moon, so she was has happy.
They weren't up when we left for our border crossing that was easy and even fun since our guy in the Guatemalan Aduana was a kick in the ass and made the process very easy. We headed straight to Lake Atitlan and were glad we did as it is absolutely beautiful - the rutted and rocky road the last couple of miles notwithstanding.
That's it for now. Peace and love to everyone.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Three Ruins, One Weaving Town and A NAtural Wonder All in Under 74 Miles.
We reluctantly left our great campground near Oaxaca and headed to some ruins in the area.
The first was Dainzu where the caretaker had a young son which meant a soccer ball was in order. The ruin is smaller but well worth the short drive.
The second ruin was Yagul which required a little more effort as there was a mirador to head up to for a full view from above and the sun was a little higher in the sky making it hotter. It was great and another worthy stop.
Next up was Mitla which includes both an older ruin and a not as old church that had some crazy short passageways and was, again, worth the effort. We took a bad route from Google Maps which didn't know that exits no longer exited and decided it was time to stop at one of the bazillion mezcalerias to taste some Mezcal. We were on the Camino de Mezcal afterall. After our sippage we headed back to Mitla for dinner which was not only inexpensive, but really good and elegantly plated.
The last stop for the day - and for the night - was Hierve el Agua which is described as a petrified waterfall which is limestone being eroded by mineral water that creates a spectacular formation. After a quiet night we hiked down and around the formations and were guided by a couple of local dogs who were happy to have someone to walk with.
Afterwards, we cleaned up and changed and planned to go to Salina Cruz, but the winds were high there and we headed back up the coast a couple of hours to Huatalco where we found a huge public beach parking area where we camped for 100 pesos or about $5 USD. We were quite hot as the low was in the mid seventies, but our morning beach walk included a beautiful sunrise and an ocean swim before showers - included in the price of camping - some fruit for breakfast and a stop for coffee on the way out.
We made our way after another visit to the high winds and heat to San Cristobal de Las Casas which was a fairly long day. Tonight we'll rest and tomorrow we will stroll the city and develop a plan for the next couple of days which will include crossing into Guatemala to begin the Central American part of our trip.
The first was Dainzu where the caretaker had a young son which meant a soccer ball was in order. The ruin is smaller but well worth the short drive.
The second ruin was Yagul which required a little more effort as there was a mirador to head up to for a full view from above and the sun was a little higher in the sky making it hotter. It was great and another worthy stop.
Next up was Mitla which includes both an older ruin and a not as old church that had some crazy short passageways and was, again, worth the effort. We took a bad route from Google Maps which didn't know that exits no longer exited and decided it was time to stop at one of the bazillion mezcalerias to taste some Mezcal. We were on the Camino de Mezcal afterall. After our sippage we headed back to Mitla for dinner which was not only inexpensive, but really good and elegantly plated.
The last stop for the day - and for the night - was Hierve el Agua which is described as a petrified waterfall which is limestone being eroded by mineral water that creates a spectacular formation. After a quiet night we hiked down and around the formations and were guided by a couple of local dogs who were happy to have someone to walk with.
Afterwards, we cleaned up and changed and planned to go to Salina Cruz, but the winds were high there and we headed back up the coast a couple of hours to Huatalco where we found a huge public beach parking area where we camped for 100 pesos or about $5 USD. We were quite hot as the low was in the mid seventies, but our morning beach walk included a beautiful sunrise and an ocean swim before showers - included in the price of camping - some fruit for breakfast and a stop for coffee on the way out.
We made our way after another visit to the high winds and heat to San Cristobal de Las Casas which was a fairly long day. Tonight we'll rest and tomorrow we will stroll the city and develop a plan for the next couple of days which will include crossing into Guatemala to begin the Central American part of our trip.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Puebla Magica San Antonio De Ibarra
About a year ago Pam reached out to a couple who are artists from San Antonio de Ibarra which is north of Quito because they were going to h...
-
Our month in San Cristobal De Las Casas is coming to an end and our goals for this time have mixed results. As far as our Ecuador visas ev...
-
The situation in Guatemala was getting bad so we opted to backtrack to Mexico. The problem is due to the fact that Guatemala only guarantees...
-
About a year ago Pam reached out to a couple who are artists from San Antonio de Ibarra which is north of Quito because they were going to h...