So people just took it easy. Some puttered around on the beach looking for shells. Some puttered on their vehicles.
I had noticed Sherman's left headlamp wasn't as bright as it should be. Not that it matters, because we so rarely drive when we need headlamps. Anyhow, I looked for a bad ground, and found some corrosion on the plug and an almost broken wire... but that didn't fix the problem. I gave up for now. As I said, we rarely drive at night, so this is another good reason not to.
The fruit and veggie truck pulled into the campground. Ruth bought a head of lettuce, a bunch of carrots, and a cucumber. A little pricey by Mexico standards, at 40 pesos ($2.70 CAD, $2.20 USD).
Then the water delivery guy came in. 15 pesos ($1.00 CAD, $0.80 USD) for a 20 liter (5.3 gallon) jug of purified water.
I needed to get to an ATM, and there was one 5.8 kms (3.5 miles) down the road. I thought about riding my bike, but I don't like carrying that much cash alone. Three of our group have pickup trucks and one of them, Michel, offered to drive me.
Ruth and I were in this area in November of 2008, almost ten years ago. There are about 12 RV campgrounds along this stretch of the coast but they don't make enough money to be a viable business so once they are built, they simply deteriorate. The one we are staying in right now at Mar Esmeralda Trailer Park is probably the nicest of the bunch, but considering it was built only 9 years ago, it is also getting pretty rough.
On the way to the ATM, I saw a place that we had stayed for a night back in 2008 and Michel and I stopped in to have a look.
Sherman, parked with his friend Harry back in November 2008.
The place was pretty much brand new at the time, with a beautiful pool.
But now, although the pool still looks nice, the rest of it is in a state of disrepair. They installed a bunch of RV hookups at some point, but they've had no maintenance at all. The building beside the pool had the roof blown off and the windows were all broken.
The pool still looks not bad though!
At the back of the pool area the land has all eroded from the various storms over the years.
Where we had parked 10 years ago.
Today, the bus is coming at 9:00am to take us to the El Tajin archaeological site. Despite the weather forecast that calls for a 100% chance of rain! I guess we'll see. On the bright side, there shouldn't be many people there! Oh well. At least it's still warm.
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Best price I've ever seen for a digital bathroom scale...
And in Canada...
It is so sad that beautiful things get built here in Mexico and no one maintains them.
ReplyDeleteSorry Carol and bill, not sure what happened but your comment go sent to our spam folder, I only just found it.
DeleteIt is a shame that that happens but it is just the way it is here and we just have to learn to expect it.
Wow, what a shame about that RV park. Looks like such a nice spot.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a shame and unfortunately this happens to so many places in Mexico and it isn't just RV parks. People have grand ideas but don't think about the upkeep that it takes to keep them nice years later.
DeleteSad to see such a lovely park deteriorate so badly. They need more tourists going to Mexico to use these parks but I think a lot of people are still afraid to travel there. Enjoy your stay and be safe.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad but that happens so often in Mexico with so many places. It isn't just foreign tourists, they do get lots of Mexican tourists that flock to the beaches on weekends and holidays that use these parks for tent camping too. The owners of these parks just need to put a little work into keeping them nice. For instance the bathroom facilities need to be clean but the whole time we have been here we haven't seen anyone cleaning them. It really won't take much elbow grease or money to fix things up and have it half decently workable. :-(
DeletePerhaps because they have so few customers they don't have the money to maintain the park more than they do.
ReplyDeleteTake care, be safe.
That is possible but they also get Mexican tourists that come on weekends and holidays so it isn't just RV'ers using these parks. Still it really doesn't take money to keep the bathrooms clean or the palapas at each site swept and wiped down, especially when you know you have a big group coming in.
DeleteVery infortunate to see these nice places left to deteriorate even if there are also Locals who use it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately that is just something that happens quite regularly here in Mexico. We have learned to accept and expect this, it seems that it is part of the culture.
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