When we decided to cross into Mexico for the winter, we researched the border crossing rules and regulations extensively. We knew exactly what we could and couldn’t take into Mexico. Heading back into the states, we didn’t. Our only thought, as they were talking about closing borders, was to get across. And hey, we are US citizens, they have to take us…right?
Surprise, surprise, the trip back into the states is just as strict, if not stricter than leaving. And since we didn’t do any research, we got our hand slapped…because we had 1 rotten potato at the bottom of our bin!
We tried to keep a straight face as he lectured us about the rules and regulations and how hiding 1 potato could mean we were carrying much worse contraband.
Veterans International BridgeThe no mans land between 2 great countries. Hurry up and wait.They say to watch put for illegals crossing the border…this guy is quite brave hitching a ride in plain sight.They let us back in!!!!!
P.S. The fault was ours, we should have done our due diligence. We have nothing but respect and admiration for the men and women who work the border.
The 300 mile run from Tampico, Mexico to the border at Brownsville, Texas on Route 101 was once known as The Highway of Death.
Ten or so years ago the drug cartels pretty much owned the road. Kidnappings, murder, mass graves, and gun fights were common. Buses even stopped travelling the route as they were routinely stopped and robbed, or worse.
The military and police presence have cleared up the route and it is now a pleasant drive through farmlands and small towns, but the evidence is still there in burned out buildings, vehicles, and a general creepy feel.
Our only issue along this stretch of road was when we pulled off to fill our fuel tank from our jerry can. We had been stopped all of 5 minutes when the police pulled up and hopped out. They wanted to make sure we were OK, and when they saw M holding the funnel, they would have none of that! One of the officers grabbed the funnel and held it for me to pour the diesel.
We thanked them and boogied north to the border, not realizing that the world around us was about to change.
The ominous clouds as we started our 300 mile trek added to the creepy feeling.But, they cleared and miles and miles of farmland awaited us. We could have been in Kansas.
We bought 3 extra fuel filters before heading into Mexico; be prepared and all that! The first swap came in Loreto, Baja. The second made it all the way to the Belize border. The third made it a few hundred miles after we picked up some really bad fuel.
On our way to Celestun and the flamingos, the Wee Rover started sputtering and bucking. We opened the bonnet and found the fuel prefilter packed with packing tape! We drained the front tank, replaced the prefilter and crossed our fingers.
A few hundred miles south of the US border, the final fuel filter sputtered to a slow death. Unfortunately, Mexico is not the land of diesel cars so no fuel filters to be found. Luckily, the Napa near my parents had them in stock. My parents made a quick trip there and FedEx’ed a new set of filters to us. Problem solved.
Thanks Mom and Dad!
The remaining bits of what looked like packaging tape after cleaning out the filter as much as we could.The elusive fuel filter. We now have a healthy stash of them, again.
After 3 months in Mexico, today we were hit with our first real scam. We have been asked quite a few times at military & police check points for “dinero?”, at which point we play dumb and get waved on. Maybe, we have paid an odd “gringo” tax for food or something along the way, but today was our first real scam.
We were driving into a large town when a car came scooting up beside the Wee Rover. A woman is yelling and pointing at our wheels. We pull over and hop out. A truck driver says in broken English that she saw something wrong with the front tire.
As she drives off, a guy in mechanic coveralls just happens to show up. We figure out that he works for the garage across the street, and that he would take a look. He has us pull around the corner on a side street so we can get off of the main road. Another mechanic shows up and they check the front wheel. He pulls out an old, beat tie rod end, and says that ours are shot. He then sends the other guy off for parts.
The other guy comes back with a woman and a nice sealed box. Here are your parts! I say…you have parts for a 1962 Land Rover all set? Sí.
I then take out my jack to look at the supposedly broken part. The guy begins to look worried. While I am jacking up the rover, M tells him that I built the car….he looks more worried.
I wiggle the tire, the tie rods, etc…all good…and tell him ‘No Gracias’. He slinks away with the 2nd mechanic and the woman with the nice box of parts, who just happens to be the woman in the little car that yelled that something was wrong with the Rover.
We have started our journey around the Gulf of Mexico to Texas from the beautiful beaches on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. This part of the swoop isn’t overly populated with camping spots, they are downright few and far between. A search of iOverlander gives us 2 choices; a restaurant lawn or a chocolate plantation. Hard choice😁
We ended up spending a couple of nights at the plantation relaxing in the jungle and drinking fresh homemade hot chocolate! Yum!
And of course we had to buy a bit to take with us😎
We felt like we were going back in time as we entered the old gates.Sweet camping spot on the plantation. Flowers for pollinating. Bush with seed pods.Seed podAdd hot water, never milk, and yummy hot chocolate!!
Once again, the road has surprised us by putting us exactly where we ought to be. If only we could learn to let it lead instead of constantly stepping on its toes. But, I get ahead of myself. Lets go back a few days.
A few days ago, as we were visiting our 5th cenote, we started contemplating our next move. If you have been following the blog, you know we don’t plan very well…just not our travel style. So, we look at the map, check iOverlander and decide we will bypass the busy city of Merida and go to Campeche for restock, and either camp at Walmart or do a long overdue hotel night. It will position us nicely to start our swoop around the Gulf Coast and back to the good ‘ole US of A. Perfecto, all planned, all set, we are good to go.
The next morning, Darrin starts mumbling something about flamingos, and tuk tuks. As usual, I ignore him for a while until the mumbling starts to form into a new plan that involves a place in Celestun, an owner who takes you on a Tuk Tuk tour of flamingos and restocking in the busy city of Merida instead of Campeche. I am not sold on the idea as it is miles and miles out of our projected path, so Darrin starts to waver, perhaps we should stick with our original plan.
The next day, he brings up the flamingos again. And just like that, the unplanned plan disguised as The Universe sends us off on a tangent. 100 miles later, we have restocked in Merida and are pulling into a camping place way, way, way out on the Gulf of Mexico in Celestun. We look around at the only other rig there. The camper is white, German plates, looks familiar…it is our friends Jens and Susanna who we first met over a year ago in Oregon.
Once again, we are right where we should be. Good friends, flamingos, tuk tuks, and beautiful sunsets.
All is good.
Oregon…almost 2 years ago!Hmmmmmm…what do you think? The food that makes the flamingos here pink.A little tuk tuk cattle herding.We made it back in one piece!The owner’s horses wander the beach during the day, but head home at night for dinner.
We have reached the western coast of the Yucatán Península and have begun preparing the Wee Rover for the 1500 mile push around the Gulf of Mexico to the US border in Texas. The preparations are taking place between cooling swims in the various cenotes that surround where we are camping. Our count is up to 5, as of today!
Back to Chipmunkin’ – We dug into the winter clothes box in order to consolidate some things and create some storage room for a couple of souvenirs. This is what we found…..Fig Newtons….from Arizona!
Chipmunkin’ also refers to when we are camping in cold weather and every piece of extra clothing ends up in the bottom of the sleeping bag, just in case one needs another layer…putting on cold clothes when chilly isn’t any fun.
Darrin laughs at my Chipmunkin’, as he calls it, but he was quite happy to have a Fig Newton after months in Mexico without them.Cold weather Chipmunkin’. Every piece of clothing is either on, or tucked down under the covers waiting to be put on.
We have been to two cenotes that were very ‘touristy’, one that was ‘otherworldly’, and one that was ‘gone to the birds’. Today, we visited one that was ‘amateur splunking’ with a small cenote on the side.
We are camping at La Candelaria Grutas y Cenote, a small establishment in Homún, Yucatan. In the middle of the compound is a large tree growing out of a hole with a steep staircase leading down. Darrin being the adventuresome one headed down immediately to check it out. A few days later, he convinced me to descend.
Our fourth cenote was Yaxbacltun in Homún. Like the other cenotes, the water was cool and refreshing, especially after a hot 100 degree drive. The cool feature of this cenote was the swallows. I am not sure who was following who, and why they don’t get dizzy…it was amazing to watch.
A small sign jumped out at us as we passed by a Mexican Jail ‘Prison Made Crafts’. Hmmmm…sounds interesting. An hour later, we had purchased handmade Mayan hammocks. Each hammock takes weeks to make, depending on the size, and the profits help support the prisoner’s family. We were happy to make a purchase we knew would directly help a struggling family, and they are gorgeous. I can’t wait to get home and swing in my new hammock, or perhaps even sleep in it as many locals do.
