It being Christmas Eve Eve, we wanted to send holiday greetings to one and all from the home of Christmas on the Costa Alegre, la Barra de Navidad. We would have sent a general PC "Happy Holidays!" message, but being that neither of us has ever celebrated anything but Christmas, y'all will have to hold your noses and accept a warm Merry Christmas!!
The holidays in Mexico are an interesting time, indeed. Many of the shops in big cities like Durango are buzzing with well-intentioned people buying presents that their loved lones will never really use just like in the US (don't worry, Mom, I've ALWAYS loved your presents!!) Also just like in the US, the roads are FILLED with holiday travelers. so we've ducked off the main highways for a spell to head down the coast and enjoy a little down time.
In Mexico, there seem to be only two designations on all roads and thoroughfares, passing lanes and pass if you really want to lanes. No matter what the speed, slope, road condition, or severity of the turn, Mexican drivers seem in enough of a hurry to pass. We've only encountered the "Holy Shit, what's that car doing in our lane coming around a blind turn" scenario once, but once is enough for a while. We were going slow enough that we slowed to a near crawl while he pulled back into his lane.
After that we had a bye day in the cute surfer town of San Blas, which is not so cute anymore after a class five hurricane decimated the town two months ago. The destruction was depressing, but the determination of the people to rebuild was inspiring.
After finding anti-freeze in the oil (what a lovely sight!), we stopped for an additional half day in San Blas to tear apart half the engine to rebuild the water pump. Luckily it was the one major engine part I knew would go some where in the teens of the engine, so I had the parts on hand. I just didn't expect it to go in the thirteens -- 13,714 to be exact. After 4 hours we were back on the road with fresh oil, coolant, and water pump.
Not wanting to get any email from friends bragging that they saw the latest installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we went and saw the Two Towers last night. The bonus was that instead of paying $8.50 as in the US, it was only 35 pesos, a hair under $3.50.
The rest of the night was not so enjoyable, however, as a rooster set up camp directly under our window and started cockadoodledooing not at 6, or 5, or even four. No, it must have begun seeing daybreak a little earlier... at MIDNIGHT, and continued all night long. Zelie, with her supersonic traveler's earplugs slept like a baby, but I was sentenced to a night of fantacizing about breaking that rooster's neck with my bare hands.
With Oaxaca still days away, we are hoping for a quaint beach town like this for Xmas. We'll do New Year's instead with the Oaxacans.
Until we write again, Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!!
- The EZ Riders
Posted by Sully at December 23, 2002 09:40 PM