Hotel Villa Del Mar Veracruz

... a great thing to witness!<br><br>Our lunch in Antigua consisted of rice, a tamale with pork, and a fried pepper. Yes, I tried everything. No, I did not appreciate the taste of everything. All part of soaking in the local culture! :)<br><br>We had some free time to explore Antigua and I bought some local jewelry while visiting there. I also made the treacherous journey across a rickety bridge over some murky alligator-infested water in Antigua. I ...

... The dog quickly noticed and let out a wine. He walked over and dropped another fish in the place were the first laid. I decided to once again leave this group alone. Later that evening the dog got me back. I had been gathering trash on the beach and had two small bags set aside. He sneeked up and drug one of them off to who knows where.

... grosse Tanzgruppen ihre Show vorfuehren. Um uns herum scheinen fast nur Veracruzaner zu sein. Man sagt ihnen nach, dass sie das Tanzen und Feiern im Blut haben. Was sollen wir sagen, stimmt genau! Wir sind ganz vorne mit dabei und so unglaublich dicht bei den Vorfuehrenden: waehrend den Stopps der Wagen tanzen wir auch mal alle gemeinsam. Erst als uns durch die laute Musik nach einigen Stunden fast die Trommelfelle platzen, verabschieden wir uns, was sich als gar ...

... it became and we missed the turn onto the overpass. The sign was missing and we ended up in a  tiny village.  Using our little Spanish, the map and lots of gestures we got directions turned around and around and got to the right road.  For about 8 long miles we jostled and bounced along at less than a snail's pace.  This is the worst supposed major road we have found in Mexico.  Finally back on ...

... picked the new Veterans bridge of the 3 in town as waiting times were short and parking was better we were told. We drove straight through the US checkpoint and stopped to obtain our tourist cards and vehicle permit. After an hour of paperwork we were ready to roll, a green light meaning no customs inspection and away we went with a few butterflies in my stomach after all the stories about Mexican roads and drivers I have heard and ...

... for only about US$5.!! In the last couple of days before we left the Emerald Coast, a group of four RVs and then a caravan with 22 RVs arrived at Alba Yuri's! It was fun watching them all maneuver and fit themselves into the spaces. They really filled up the park. Unfortunately, all those extra RVs really drained the already weak electricity, making it difficult for most of ...

... was. Then it was on to the mts. The first stop was at the head of the falls. In the pics you can see how much water is going over. As you walk down to the falls there are coffee plants growing all over. The beans when they turn red are ready to pick. If you take and eat the outside of the bean it is just like coffee.{Bonnie loves them} I cant belive I didnt take any pics of them but I didnt. Then it was down to below the falls ...

... the shake and bake.....the chickens and live stock never knew we were coming. So far the road kill tally is 2 dead birds, one for each rig.. The score is juan to juan. Roads were in excellent condition for driving, with exception for the manhole-sized holes and the huge speed bumps in every pueblo. Fueling up with high octane gas can come in handy with all of the passing, especially getting around the seemingly hundreds of cars in tow from the U.S. We saw ...

... out to eat at Veracruz until around 10. The place was packed with people...even families, with children who in the US would be in bed by 8 pm. And this was at a Denny's-type place, only Mexican-style. Unfortunately it was either that, something really expensive, or McD's. I'll take the Denny's-type place, thank you very much! The next morning we had a lot of free time so we did some more swimming and then went exploring in the (air-conditioned ...