San Diego was our last stop before the border to Mexico. We enjoyed Sea World and all its wonderful sea life shows. The Grand Canyon was superb and Las Vegas got our money. We are looking forward to the start of our Central American trip.
20th October 1995
As I write this, the third torrential downpour of the day is in progress and the grey skies crackle with lightning above the greenery of the Mexican Jungle. We are holed up in the mysterious town of Palenque, home to the Mayan tombs of Patal & Chan-Blaum, waiting out the ravages of Hurricane Roxanne that have devastated most of the Yucatan Pennisula. 5 bridges between here and our destination of Chetumal on the coast have been washed away and we, like most of Mexico, have to sit back and wait.
Fortunately our campsite is cheap and filled with travellers. We've befriended a Swiss cyclist who is also heading south and a Danish couple who are returning from Costa Rica: they, ironically, have also traversed Africa and we had a wonderful time reminiscing.
If, within the next few days, the road does not open we will have to detour 450 km's to the north. Our visas have run out and we were only able to get a 10 day extension, as the more it rains the less time we have available to explore the coastal areas. We may cross the border to Belize, get new visas and return to Mexico but there is still the matter of the 5 bridges...
We were in the highland city of Guadalgara, when the second of Mexico's earthquakes shook the earth, it measured 7.4 on the Richter Scale at the epicentre some 400km's away. The van and surrounding trees swayed noticeably and great waves leaped over the sides of the nearby swimming pool. So it seems that the forces of nature are adding to our adventures in Mexico.
My husband Alan had also been a bit under the weather (pardon the pun) and so the 6 days we've spent in the tropics, resting, have been good. At night, we hear the Growler Monkies in the distance and I had the unfortunate experience of a face to face confrontation with a toad the size of a football. I detest amphibians. An abundance of butterflies flitter amongst the grassy paths and the colourful parrots chatter amongst the branches. Life is good!
We are lookig forward to the beaches and snorkelling opportunities along the Caribbean coastline. We may even take a PADI Scuba diving course in Honduras so that we can explore more of the world's 2nd largest barrier reef. But for the moment, we have to be content with the wonders of a wet Mexican Jungle.
Adios Amigos!
Tracy & Alan
Part I: An Introduction to Alan and Tracy's journey
Part II: Canadian Capers
Part III: Not such Bad Lands
Part IV: Northern Exposure
Part V: Southward Ho!
Part VI: Hooray for Hollywood!
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