Here We Go Again

Today was the first day of my second trip down here in Mexico.

THE TRIP:
A three week trip that starts in Mexico City, circles around the Yucatan and into Chiapas and then finishes back in Mexico City. 7 of the passengers are continuing on for another 3 weeks on the trip that immediately follows this trip. The two trips combined are a total of six weeks beginning in Mexico and ending in LA.

THE ITINERARY:

1/16 – Acayucan – Hotel.
1/17 – Palenque
1/18 – Palenque – Ruins and Jungle tour with Ernesto.
1/19 – Uxmal – Ruins of Uxmal.
1/20 – Merida – Hotel.
1/21 – Chichen Itza – Ruins of Chichen Itza. Cenote Ik-kil.
1/22 – Ek Balam – Genisis Eco-Lodge
1/23 – Isla Mujeres – Ferry to Island. Hotel.
1/24 – Isla Mujeres – Hotel. Snorkeling/Boat trip with BBQ fish lunch.
1/25 – Xpu-ha – Ruins of Tulum.
1/26 – Xpu-ha – Hidden Worlds Cavern Snorkeling. Playa Del Carmen nightlife.
1/27 – Xpu-ha – Chillin’.
1/28 – Bacalar – La Laguna. Cenote Azul.
1/29 – Agua Azul – Misol-ha and Agua Azul.
1/30 – San Cristobal – San Cristobal at night (Club Blue).
1/31 – San Cristobal – Indian Village Tour.
2/1 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Huge Drive (12 hours). Sumidero Canyon Boat Tour.
2/2 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Ruins of Monte Alban.
2/3 – Oaxaca – Hotel. Ruins of Mitla. Mescal Factory. Carpet Weaving Demonstration.
2/4 – Cuernavaca – Hotel. Tacos Orientales. La Plazuela.
2/5 – Mexico City – Tepotzlan (Market and Nieves).

THE GROUP:

Passengers for 6 week trip:
Miriam S. – 23 - Switzerland
Miram H. – 23 – Switzerland
Martina – 24 – Switzerland
Anna – 22 – Britain
Sophie – 18 – Holland
Maria – 23 – Scotland
Sarah – 19 – Britain

Passengers for 3 week trip:
Maurice – 28 – Holland
Soo Youn – 30 – Korea
Lee Hokyong – 30 - Korea

It is never a good start to a trip when a passenger’s luggage doesn’t arrive. I spent the first 2 hours of the day trying to track it down. We stopped at the airport and Anna ran in and (thank the Lord) it was there.
Then we were off, but not without a little Mexican City Police interference first. As I was leaving the city on Avenida Zaragoza, I cruised through a yellow light and stopped at the red light that immediately followed it. Right then 2 police officers on foot stopped me. They said that what I had done was illegal and that I needed to show them my license. Well, I had learned my lesson from my first encounter with the cop in Cancun, so I handed him a copy of my license and said that the original was in the hotel. When he asked why I told him it was to avoid cops from taking it and trying to extort money from me. He laughed when I said this and then told me that I had broken a law and then flipped through his infraction book randomly pointing to things and said I needed to pay a fine. I pulled out a pad of paper and told him that I would pay, but first I wanted his name and his badge number. This surprised him… he looked at his partner and then gave me a totally bogus name… the name of a former Mexican president. I laughed and then asked again for his name and number and then he just closed his book and walked away. His partner walked over and waved us to move on. It was a perfect example of the Mexican Matrix – things are never as they seem.
We stopped in Puebla at one of my favorite rest stops so that I could go to The Italian Coffee Company and buy myself a Mocha. Then it was drive, drive, drive. Made a stop on the highway that stretches from La Tinaja to Acayucan to buy jugs of fresh pineapple juice and pineapple with chili. Then onto Acayucan where we unpacked, moved into our hotel rooms and I gave the crew some time to check out the city while I got all my info together and nailed out some last minute reservations. I met the crew for the “talk” and then it was off to the neighboring restaurant for our first “Mexican” dinner (most people ordered spaghetti… pretty typical). Then I bid the crew adieu and went to my room.