Bee in the face!

  Acapulco, Mexico
Sunday, March 18, 2007

In the morning at Zihuatanejo, we took our time getting ready in order to let the sun heat up our shower water.  We spent time cleaning the van, washing the floors, throwing out trash and generally just giving 'Nilla a much needed once over.  We put on our game faces and hit the cold showers before changing and hitting the road.  It was not long on the highway that Michael heard a strange noise from Geraldine and peculiar look on her face.  She was actually hit in the face by a bee that flew in the window while we were rolling down the highway at 100km/h.  Too funny.  Geraldine was baffled by the experience more than anything and was not hurt in the least.  Unfortunately for the bee, the impact with Geraldine's face at 100km/h was a bit much to handle and the bee did not survive the encounter.
 
 

Scenic drive to Acapulco

We were again riding along Mexico Highway 200 and stopping at most every viewpoint we could find.  It was Sunday and most families travel on this day.  The parking lots of nearly all of the roadside restaurants were filled with locals.  We stopped off at one of the first places we passed as we noticed that the restaurant was on stilts from the cliff over top of the beach and ocean below.  After we parked, we found a set of stairs that led down the cliff to the beach.  The beach area was untouched and there was little development on the cliffs above.  It was very pristine and wonderful to see.  We occupied ourselves on the rocks taking photos and soaking up the view before jumping back in the van and once again hitting the road.
 
 
We passed through numerous little towns and villages each time getting smiles and waves

Cemetery in San Luis San Pedro

from the locals.  The next time we actually stopped was in the little town of San Luis San Pedro.  We parked next to a cemetery to head into the traveling market for a look around.  As we got out of the vehicle we noticed the beauty of the cemetery.  The structures over the graves were painted bright colours with elaborate headstones.  Mexicans truly do celebrate their dead.  It was a sight to behold.  After snapping a few pictures of the cemetery and walking around, we headed across the road to the market.  There was nothing that grabbed our attention in the rows shirts, shoes, pants, shorts, and undergarments nor along the plethora of fruit and vegetable boxes.  We were back in 'Nilla in no time and back on the road to Acapulco.
 
 
Our travel book told us on only one place to camp in Acapulco.  We were focused on finding this place first and then to see what other options we could find.  It had been a long

BBQ anyone?

sweaty day and the directions to the campground were anything but easy.  We drove up and down the street with the correct name, however were unable to find anything that resembled a campground or urban trailer park.  Hours passed and we were no closer to getting 'Nilla parked for the night.  We even looked around for street camping, but we were no more successful in that quest either.  Somewhere during our driving in circles, we came up with the thought that the road may continue across the four lane road at the dead end.  With a new plan in mind we drove up, over, around and part way back when we found a sign for the campground.  Please do not ask us for formal directions because we will be of no use.  Furthermore, the campground was scheduled to be closed at the end of April 2007, so it is certainly of no use.
 
 
The campground was called Playa Suave and each site was nearly 50 feet long with a private bathroom, shower and dish washing area.  This was one of the nicest trailer park/campgrounds that we have ever been in in Mexico.  The grounds were covered with palm and mango trees and guests are allowed to have as many mangos as they can pick.  The trouble is reaching the mangos that are hanging on these massive tress around the grounds.  We managed to get a handful as snacks for our future drives.
 
 
After we both grabbed quick showers, we headed out onto the main drag and walked around.  There were three different beaches within walking distance.  It was late afternoon approaching early evening and we had no real use for the beach at this time.  The restaurants along the water were generally busy with locals and tourists alike.  We hopped on a city bus and headed into the heart of the action.  Spring break was just gearing up, however the town was still quiet as we walked among the street vendors and peeked into the bars.  There was not much happening and not much to see from our standpoint.  We figured the party was not quite started yet when we walked past a bar that was blaring rock tunes at extreme decibels yet there was not a soul to be seen inside the bar.  Obviously there was nothing happening here.  We were both tired and decided to catch an early night.
 
 
The next morning on March 19, 2007, we took our time getting ready for the road.  We had a nice breakfast and spent time cleaning up the van yet again.  With our small confines, keeping the place neat and tidy is a must.  Bellies full, we rolled out of Playa Suave and took one last look at another place that will be no more.  We aimed 'Nilla toward the highway and got ready for another adventure. 

Traffic in Acapulco

This time we decided to head north to the interior of Mexico.  The fastest way across town was the highway tunnel, which we opted to take.  Taking the tunnel does come with a price, however saves tons of time by not having to battle traffic through every light across town.  The tunnel was dark, dingy and covered with carbon deposits from vehicle exhaust.  It was dreadful just passing through once, and we cannot imagine the impact it has on commuters that take this route daily.  On the other side of the tunnel, we drove a short distance along the street light covered interior highway before reaching the only major route north....a toll highway.  Locally the highway is called the 'Rio Papagayo' Highway as the viewpoint for this river is the pinnacle of the drive north.  The tolls were expensive considering that we had to endure three lengthy traffic jams due to construction along the highway.  No use in complaining as the free highway was just not an option for the elevation and distance we needed to go.  The free highway would have likely taken a day or two to get to Mexico City.
 
 
Just shy of reaching Mexico City we ventured back west along Highway 95 to reach Taxco. 

Donkey at the bus stop

Within minutes of changing highways we were faced with another traffic jam.  This time we passed a fatal accident and the deceased person was still on the highway partially covered up with a blanket.  The persons shoes and personal effects were strewn all over the place including the lane in which we were driving.  It was eerie to pass by a scene like this, given that most locals were unfazed by the sights.  We pressed on and tried to bury the images we just saw.  Not much further down the road we reached a small town and noticed a donkey tied up at the side of road.  As we moved closer we realized that the donkey was actually hanging out in the bus stop.  As if donkeys can ride buses!
 
 
We pushed on down Mexico Highway 95 through small towns along the free highway.  We actually stopped at the viewpoint outside a little town to capture pictures of the sunset changing the sky colour in the mountains.  The tranquil colours were similar to those at home in Alberta changing from fiery oranges and reds to soft shades of purple, pink and light blue.  When we finally made it to Taxco it was night fall. 

Taxco at night

We drove 'Nilla down the narrowest of streets and were greeted by waving hands sending us in all directions.  What a treat it was to see a traffic officer point and whistle at us sending 'Nilla down a side street toward public parking.  We appreciated the help.  We found an open-air parkade that was able to fit 'Nilla in and agreed to allow us to camp there as well.  What more could we ask for!  We quickly hit the town to take some pictures of the town lit up at night.  Taxco is a place built in the middle of the mountains and the town is literally a spiral of homes and business from the bottom up.  Nabbing some photographs of the town lit up at night was too hard to pass up.  A nice hotel owner saw us snapping shots and allowed us on their property to climb up to the roof for a better view.  What a deal.  We briefly walked around an outdoor market that was set up in an alley before heading back to 'Nilla to get some rest.  Interestingly enough, we were fortunate to have free internet access in the van at the parkade.  The lucky ball keeps bouncing our way.
 
Photos:  http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=16xvaj2z.997t74cf&Uy=e96amh&Ux=0