This group is great... always ready to go right on time! One by one, we made our way down the steep hill and on to the rough gravel road towards the village. It was pretty quiet going through town... until we hit the cattle drive!
Another beautiful sunny day.
A man and his dog.
Hmm, what's that coming at us up ahead?
Cattle drive! This was taken from Sherman's front window!
Too funny. Here's Sherman, leading a row of 12 RV's, with inches to spare on either side, and these cows had to get through. Somehow, they made it but I do remember Sherman being nudged by a horn or two!
Oh, a mom horse and her foal had to get through as well!
Clear sailing!
On the main highway. That is the tail end of our group who have not done the return ramp yet.
Scenery along the way.
Nice four lane highway.
A taxi carrying a big drum.
Strawberries and peaches for sale.
Scenery along the way.
Entering the state of Mexico from the state of Michoacan.
A few of our group.
Scenery along the way.
Pretty busy as we got close to the town of Tepotzotlan. We managed to all squeeze into a fairly small parking lot at a Bodega Aurrera grocery store (owned by Walmart) and do a quick grocery shop.
Then, it was back on the narrow streets though town to get to Pepe's Hotel and RV Park.
Pepe's has been welcoming RVers to Mexico City for about 30 years!\
He even had a huge banner welcoming our group yesterday!
Office.
GPS 19.722421, -99.220196
The owner Pepe, and his employees.
Wow. Pepe welcomed us with free beer and snacks, and he introduced his family and employees. He's quite the guy. They also had a price list up and you had to sign up for getting your laundry done, getting propane delivered, getting your vehicle washed, and pet sitting services.
Everybody is really impressed with this place.
Pepe's has 60 full service sites. and yet there is nobody else here but our group. There are maybe six or seven RV's in storage. We can't figure out how so many people can come to Mexico and then just spend their time at the beach. Each to their own, I suppose, but in our opinion the interior is the best part of Mexico. Pepe's makes for a great base for spending some time in Mexico City.
Big rigs on the right.
And smaller rigs on the left.
We finally got our schedule for our four nights here. Today is another free day. Yay!
Friday morning, the bus will come and take us into the Big Tamale. We will spend the morning at the huge anthropology museum, then have lunch out. Then you have a choice of the hop on hop off Turibus, or free time. Then we will check into the popular Hotel Catedral in the center of Mexico City and then go for dinner. Next morning, a few more stops, lunch again, and the Teotihucan ruins in the afternoon before heading back tot he RV Park.
Yesterday's drive, 251 kms (156 miles).
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Fantastic deal on a 6' x 9' RV patio mat...
And in Canada...
Mexico reminds me of Native American villages and/or towns i.e. cows and horses roam the streets and the man with a load of fire wood on his back. In fall you'll see truck loads of fire wood at flea markets for sale as well as hay, animal feed, and open air eateries with delicious stews and breads. Probably there are lots of areas like this in the world. I read the book The Kite Runner where the author describes the market place with lamb kabob, flat breads, etc. It must have beautiful country before the wars tore up the middle east. Anyway, I enjoyed the photos. Oh, the other thing I noticed about Mexican folks is they joke a lot just like Natives do in USA.....they had us laughing all the time. Yes, the local folks do watch out and very helpful to visitors to their town.
ReplyDeleteYep, these are all normal sights in rural Mexico, even in the small villages and sometimes the towns. We love seeing it and experiencing it. Memories like this always stick with us and we often chuckle about it when we think back on it. :-)
DeleteAnd, yes there are many countries that are still like this. Sometimes being "modern" isn't always the answer to life!
Glad you are enjoying our posts and photos of life in Mexico.
Pepe's sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say amazing but it is a nice place and Pepe and his family are great.
DeleteI actually ran into a cattle drive in Texas last year, interesting procedure. Grandma drove a pickup slowly down the road while grandson tossed cattle treats out the back from time to time to lure the herd down the road. Son drove a four-wheeler behind to chase stragglers and wanderers.
ReplyDeleteModern day cattle drive! :-) It is still fun to see though.
DeleteLooks like an entertaining start to your drive!
ReplyDeleteYep, if was definitely a fun start! :-)
DeleteThose unexpected issues will probably be part of stories told forever. By the way, how is it finding diesel fuel in Mexico? Thanks--looking forward to joining you next year.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are memories that will stick with ourselves and the others for years to come. We have had similar experiences and we always look back on them and laugh. :-)
DeleteSo far we have been able to find the ULSD fuel here but we may have some stretches where it will be hard to come by. We only have two trucks that need it and both carry plenty of extra fuel along with them just in case. There is supposed to be a full roll out of i by the end of this year where all the stations will be carrying it.
Another great travel day with only the Cattle Drive to deal with. Be Safe and Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIt's about time.
Yes, it was another good day and dealing with the cattle drive was just part of the experience, one that we love by the way! :-)
DeleteWow those streets sure are narrow and then you have to contend with a cattle drive as well. Better you than us! The RV park your staying at looks very interesting enjoy your stay. I cannot imagine even 1 month of all this traveling let alone 4 your guys are very courageous for sure,
ReplyDeleteYes, they are narrow but not for a very long distance. Everyone in the caravan thought it was a fun experience and they loved the cattle coming down the road at us too!
DeleteWhere we are staying right now is really not much more than a parking lot but with some trees planted it makes it look quite nice, a little prettier than some of the dirt/gravel campgrounds that we have seen in Texas or Arizona.
Yes, it has been a busy start to the trip but it should slow down a little now. We are only doing this for 3 months not 4 but we want to work out a route that will last 4 months in the future that will be at a much more relaxed pace.
Those are pretty narrow streets for some of those bigger rigs. I'm holding my breath just thinking about the cattle and horses getting by. The RV park sounds nice but the spots look pretty close together. Didn't look like room for even an awning to put out.
ReplyDeleteI noticed you said there were options of doing a tour or just relaxing but what if someone had no interest in any of the tours being offered in the city, could they simply stay at their rig and just enjoy the down time or are some of these things mandatory?
Yep, that was a very narrow street and when the cows went by they had to get up on the sidewalks to past the units but everyone was laughing and loved the experience.
DeleteNope not a lot of room for awnings here but we also don't really need them out either. We have our happy hour out in the middle of the compound and I haven't heard any complaints from anyone.
Nobody is made to go on the tours, they are all voluntary, in fact one couple isn't coming to do the Mexico City tour with us today and 4 other couples are going to come into the city and do the tour and dinner but then take an UBER ride back to the campground for the night and then another UBER ride back in the next morning rather than staying at the hotel downtown for the night. They have dogs and don't want to leave them alone overnight even though they have pet sitting services here for the day.
Today i decided to see where my neighbours, Randy and Elaine are! Sounds like it was quite the day! Drive on, L & F
ReplyDeleteWe'll let Randy and Elaine know that you stopped by the seeing what they were up to. Pretty sure they are enjoying the trip. :-)
DeleteYour trip looks so much fun. I think I would fit right in down there going through those narrow streets with cattle on them. I was wondering if you could post the daytime high temps for me so I can feel warm through you. lol It would be neat to see how the temps change in different locations. Safe travels.
ReplyDeleteLorne and Sue, I am sure you would both love it down here!
DeleteYesterday's high was 20C and the low was about 5C. It will warm up even more once we hit the coast on Sunday though.
Thank you again Kevin and Ruth for an exciting read through your eyes! Your blogs make our winter days in Edmonton pass quickly by and the photos warm our hearts! Stay well and safe travels to the group.
ReplyDeleteWhen we think of Edmonton and winter all we can think of is brrr... We hope that our posts help to warm you up a bit.
DeleteThe museum of anthropology is amazing. We spent two days there but could have used a third. So much to take in.
ReplyDeleteYep, we were there back in 2012 for an afternoon and it wasn't nearly enough time. The Anthropology Museum is rated as one of the best museums in the world. The caravan people are in for a treat! :-)
DeleteMy best guess is cattle do not have to stop for traffic signals or one way streets:)
ReplyDeleteYour guess would be correct! ;-)
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