So Kristel left you hanging with our laundry (too punny?). Just as we had given up hope on getting it back that last day, we noticed Victor’s truck pull in. We hurried over but there was no Victor and there was no laundry. Kristel approached the young man behind the wheel and inquired about our clothes. She thought he replied that he would go to Orita’s right away and bring them to us. I was doubtful but within half an hour he returned with our laundry in hand, clean and folded. We asked how much we owed and tried to pay him but he refused, saying only that we’d need to talk to Victor. As it was too late to leave that day anyway, we decided to stay for one more night and hoped to catch Victor in the morning or just leave money at the Café. Nothing is ever simple in La Ticla, though. We did find Victor in the morning (apparently he quit hiding out) and inquired about payment. This led to a lengthy explanation in Spanish that we couldn’t understand…we certainly heard nothing about the price. After a few minutes of struggling, Victor called upon one of the local surfers to interpret for us. Apparently Orita doesn’t usually do laundry and really doesn’t know what to charge. He explained that we should pay whatever we think is fair. Last time we had our laundry done, it came to M$200 so we offered this to Victor. He seemed to think it excessive but finally accepted when I insisted.

Finally we were on the road again. We decided to try to make up a little time due to our overly long stay in La Ticla. We hoped to make it halfway to Mexico City so that we could arrive in time to avoid the “Hoy No Circula” driving restrictions. This policy is intended to help with air pollution by restricting the amount of traffic in the most congested areas. For us, this means we can’t drive in the Federal District or the State of Mexico on Tuesdays (because our license plate ends with a 7) or between the hours of 5-11:00 am on any weekday (because our plates are out of state).

The drive started with about 150 kilometers along the coast. I started with about a quarter tank of gas but didn’t think much of it. The road was gorgeous but very windy and hilly and spent most of the time in second gear. Before long, we started to see people selling “gasolina” out of various containers in every village. I asked Kristel if she could figure out where the next gas station was. Sure enough, there was nothing until we joined the major highway – still 70 kilometers away and we had dropped to less than an eighth of a tank. I can usually get 50 kilometers once the light comes on so I suggested we carry on rather than risk any of the questionable gas we’d come across (despite Kristel’s advice to the contrary). We had 30 kilometres to go and had just passed the last village when the light came on. Kristel asked about that 50 kilometers with the light on: “Is that with the camper on?” “No.” “Is that on a straight flat road?” “Perhaps.” It was going to be close. The gauge was below the empty mark when we saw the Pemex sign but the joy was short lived when we saw the station was closed (Kristel’s edit: and by closed, he means abandoned). We continued into town and discussed what we should do. Kristel suggested we pull off the highway and head to the center of town in hopes of finding a station. I was about to do this when I spotted a taxi stand with several drivers standing around. I pulled in and asked desperately “Gasolina?!?” One of them pointed down the highway and said “dos kilometros” (or at least I that’s what I heard). As we pulled away from the town (with no gas station in sight), Kristel asked if I was sure about the directions. “Maybe not positive but committed.” It was with great relief that we finally spotted the station and filled up. Only 63.7 liters in our 65 liter tank… we had lots to spare! A while ago we had decided that the camper was too small for blame, so I sheepishly asked if this applied to the truck as well. “It does when we make it to the gas station” was the only assurance I could get.

There was one other anomaly along that coastal highway. At several villages, there where groups of civilian men stopping traffic. At each stop, there was a sandbag bunker with hand written signs saying “Autodefensa”. The men were carrying weapons varying from hunting rifles to old military guns. We were happy to be waved through at each of these stations but we still haven’t figured out exactly what they were about.

The rest of that day was uneventful except for a lunch stop at a roadside stand. There were no menus and we were asked whether we wanted “barbacoa or menudo”. Our blank stares were met with a call to look in three large pots. We both decided that the two “barbacoa” pots looked like pork and neither were sure what the third contained. We chose pot #1 and enjoyed our tacos. After getting back on the road, Kristel decided to look up “menudo”. Apparently, it is tripe (stomach lining or some such delicacy). Relieved by our choice, we decided that choosing moderately recognizable food had a certain wisdom.

We overnighted in Patzcuaro in a lovely little Motel/RV Park. It had a wonderful little building with a couple of couches in which to relax and stay out of the rain.

At last we made it to San Juan Teotihuacan, not far from Mexico City and the site of the most famous pyramids in Mexico. We set up our camp in time to find a table at the local pizza place and watch the World Cup Mexico/Croatia match. Despite some minor misgivings (due to my heritage), we felt we had to cheer for Mexico. The crowd in the restaurant was intense and we had a great time cheering Mexico on to Victory. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the screen: the patrons, the bartender, the cooking staff. Just outside the restaurant, there was a policeman directing traffic but even he was rather distracted as he tried to catch as much of the game as possible through the window. The entire nation is caught up in the excitement. Mexico’s next game is Sunday against the Netherlands. It will be a tough one but we are already planning to be somewhere to watch it.

We had reserved the next day for relaxation “catching up with the world” (Kristel’s edit: our four days on the beach hadn’t really worn us out) before visiting the pyramids. We found an internet café and I noticed that the lady running it was also cutting hair in the adjoining room. I took the opportunity to get a cut. Despite our almost total lack of verbal communication, I managed to come away with a rather good haircut if I say so myself.

Later that day we decided to head to the restaurant across the street for a light lunch. Kristel decided to be adventurous (having apparently learned little from our near miss on the Menudo) and ordered something she had never heard of before from the list of appetizers. She thought it said something about it being spicy but really had no idea what it would be. I, in the meantime, just ordered some boring ravioli with three cheese sauce. The waiter brought our food and I got exactly what I expected while Kristel’s exciting mystery meal turned out to be a huge plate of hot wings!

The next morning we decided to walk the three kilometers to the Teotihuacan site. We wound through narrow village streets headed for the grand sounding “Avenue of the Pyramids”. Despite the name it was not much more than a dirt trail (complete with random farm animals and rubbish piles) but it did get us there.

The Teotihuacan site is truly astounding. The major structures are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. We climbed the Pyramid of the Sun, and several others, for a wonderful view and a great heart and lung workout.

These structures are huge and awe inspiring but two items that we really enjoyed the most were the palaces associated with the Pyramid of the Moon and the much smaller Temple of Quetzalcoatl which has wonderfully preserved carvings and gives an idea of how ornate the whole city was in its time.

Of course, Kristel was particularly impressed with the ancient drainage system…

After walking the entire site (and uncountable stairs), we were both tired enough to take a taxi back. We went out for supper that night and had perhaps one of our most memorable meals at a little restaurant called Antares Restaurant and Café. We almost walked by this place as it had an unassuming sign and was located up a flight of stairs and around a corner. Glad we found it, though! The service was wonderful and they even finished our meals off with complimentary cappuccinos and strawberry cake.

Back at camp, we met a German couple who have been travelling for two years in a converted 1980s German Army Radio Truck. This park was obviously a stopover for a number of overlanders. The previous night, we had also met a Swiss/Argentinian couple who had been on the road for years. Apparently they built the interior of their van while touring Africa. It is fun to meet such interesting people and we often wish we had time to get to know them better.

Chester also met a new friend. One of the four dogs that live at the RV Park is a lovely golden mutt and she spent endless hours chasing and flirting with Chester. She also enchanted Kristel and I was getting a little worried that we would soon be traveling with two dogs.

The next morning we had a slow start as we aren’t allowed on the road until 11:00 am (still dealing with “Hoy No Circula”). We have stopped for two nights at Cholula which is a suburb of Puebla (Kristel’s edit: can you call a City that’s been around a couple thousand years a suburb?).

This afternoon we decided to check out their main tourist attraction. Although it has never been excavated, the largest pyramid in the Western Hemisphere is here; it appears to be simply a large hill with a church on top. You really would not know it was a pyramid at all but for the underlying network of tunnels. You can tour through a portion of these and see the connecting corridors leading up and down stairways and every which way.