Yucatan Adventure Tour #1
Trip Report

by Vice President/General Manager Fred and Director Gloria Jones

This turned out to be one of the most memorable, exciting adventures of our lives. Every expectation and much more was realized as we explored the best Mexico has to offer and felt safe while doing it. As scheduled, we all crossed the border at Matamoros south of Brownsville, Texas on February 1.

Our companions for the two months of travel through the Yucatan, Chiapas and the Highlands of Central Mexico were: Harry and Doris Colledge, Ed and Penny Cusick, Dick and Arlene Giroux, Jerry and Gloria Lampf, Herb and Deana Lewis, Dean and Sally Montagne, Howard and Barbara Peregrine, Bud and Ginger Shinn, Glen and Lorraine Spalding and Russ and Yvonne Wiley. Of this jolly group of 10 couples, we had already shared other Vagabundo adventures with five.

Highlights of the Most Lasting Memories

The major Mayan ruins we viewed on a previous trip, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Tulum, Coba, Kohunlich and Palenque were still spectacular, as were the other ruins of El TaJin and Monte Alban. Some of those we were revisiting had newly uncovered areas to explore. Each has special entrancing features and we loved them all. There are now fine museums at many of the sites.

The two weeks we spent at Paamul in the Yucatan went rapidly. There were several Mayan ruins to see, as well as beautiful, casual and unspoiled resorts with all the amenities. We found ourselves drawn to Akumal time and time again for the beach, snorkeling, windsurfing, dining and general tropical ambience. We hope to arrange a future Vag fly-in trip there for scuba diving and fishing.

We found swimming in Cenote Azul near Cheturnal to be a special experience, with the adjoining restaurant adding to the pleasure. Farther along, the waterfalls at Agua Azul near Palenque far exceeded our expectations of grandeur. We struggled mentally about going up into Chiapas where the Indian unrest had captured headlines. But, after talking to everyone we met about conditions for tourists, concluded that we would not be involved in the strife between the Indians and the government. So, onward we went high into the mountains to delightful San Cristobal de Las Casas-one of most enchanting cities we visited and one we will return to. There is only one way into San Cristobal-up, up and up. And only one way out--down, down and down. A boat trip through Sumedero Canyon was an unexpected adventure where we marveled at rugged, towering cliffs blotting out the sun, spider monkeys swinging in the trees and caimans lurking in the weeds.

A remote RV park near Tehuantepec proved to be in a most pleasant old plantation among towering mango trees. Then it was up and down the ridges again to marvelous Oaxaca. We were taken in hand by a charming family of two professors and their son, Juan, Esther and Apolo Bonilla, who run the best guide service to be found anywhere-011- 52-951-61806. They also took charge of arranging mechanical repairs and service for half of our group, ferrying us back and forth and making certain that the mechanics did what they promised. We thoroughly enjoyed everything about Oaxaca and will revisit it, too. From there to Puebla it was, again, up and up through immense canyons, then down to town.

Having worked our way around Mexico City, we settled down in famed San Miguel de Allende, visiting nearby Guanajuato as well. Both are thoroughly engaging. From there it was back to Ciudad Victoria, not to be reached, however, without another stretch of mountain climbing, and on to Brownsville.

We enjoyed the whole experience, except for perhaps, the usual rash of mechanical problems, and fell in love with much of it. Herb Lewis was the master mecanico who helped his buddies with a cache of spare parts. The group exhibited the inimitable Vagabundos camaraderie and esprit de corps. They helped each other and we wound up spending a night in a Pernex station and a restaurant parking lot to get a buddy off the highway. Glen Spaulding went back a few hundred hard miles to retrieve a buddy's stranded fifth wheel. We learned a lot about getting around the country and in and out of the cities. Next year's Yucatan Adventure Tours will be that much easier with our experience from the two this year to guide us and we will make a few changes to improve the experience.

Police Assistance

There we were, tootling along through the small village of Alamo between Tampico and Vera Cruz when the Commandante of the area's Federal Highway Police waved us down and asked us to close up ranks and follow him. He explained that he was merely following the Government's policy of helping tourists. In Poza Rica traffic was a mess at an intersection in front of a bridge under reconstruction. The Commandante stopped all traffic coming in from the side to allow all of us to turn and thread our way over the narrow bridge.

On the other side we were picked up by another Federal Highway Police officer and led to the ruins of El TaJin. As he departed he asked when we were leaving and the next morning a third officer took us in hand and led us to Nauda. Had we been able to tell him when we were leaving there we would have been met by another officer to be led into Vera Cruz.

We met another caravan that had a similar experience with Federal Highway Police elsewhere. In Villahermosa we met a stranded tourist who was waiting for his tow vehicle to be fixed after an accident. We encountered him again at Paamul and learned that the chief of a special tourist unit of the city police had finally taken him in hand, dealt harshly with an uncooperative insurance adjustor and mechanic and got him on his way.

We stopped in a couple of Federal Highway Police offices to obtain information on upcoming road and travel conditions in the Chiapas highlands. They were very cooperative and gave us sound advice. Going around Mexico City to the east, we were taken in hand by a city police officer who led us through the town of Tlaxcala on his motorcycle, simplifying our journey.

Green Angel Assistance

We met one of these helpful fellows who directed us to a tum-around so we could go back on a four-lane divided highway east of Puebla to help one of our group whose engine quit. Then, near the end of the trip on our last night in Mexico at Ciudad Victoria two Green Angels worked on the Club truck all one day to get us on the road to Texas.

All-in-all, we were very impressed with the helpful attitude of all of the representatives of the Mexican government we encountered.