We made it!

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Roxanne

We are now in, wow, where are we…we’re in Chiapa de Corzo which is a small town of nearly 40,000 just outside Tuxtla. It’s supposed to be nice. There’s a canyon and you take a boat to the waterfall. I dunno. Me and boats.

Anyway, the trip wasn’t bad, though, of course it was exhausting. When we were trying to get off the plane in Mexico City, we were all standing and waiting for the doors to open. But for some reason they wouldn’t. Then we were all told to sit down because the ‘authorities’ were there. Then we saw a couple of the Policia Federal come on the plane, grab one guy with blond crazy hair and they escorted him off the plane. THEN we were allowed to leave. Nobody could figure out what he had done but he was a business class flyer.

We made our way through immigration and customs and waited several hours for our plane to Tuxtla. I have to say that we got some beers and a few sandwiches and those beers and those sandwiches were the BEST BEERS AND SANDWICHES EVER. Hell, I don’t even like beer all that much but I sucked down two of them. So, I had the mother of all headaches afterwards, but for that one glorious hour, I was REALLY enjoying myself. Then, it was just fighting to stay awake.

We decided to stay in Corzo instead of Tuxtla because Pedro started talking to this guy while we waited for the plane and he said this place was way better than Tuxtla. Good enough for us.

When we got here, we found a place to stay ($28 for all three off us) and went for tamales which were awesome and about a $1 a piece. The lady who made them was short and rotund and she smiled as she swatted the little flying ants off her arms.

Then, we came back here, I took a cold shower (Shout out to Peru) and then… that’s all I remember. I blacked out for the next 10 hours.

Now, I have to repack everything and the adventure officially begins.

Just as soon as Huppy takes his shower.

We are at the San Antonio Airport

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Roxanne

LOooooong drive.

It was fairly uneventful until we went for breakfast at Shoney’s. Because I’m with my father-in-law and my much younger husband, the stupid woman server assumed I was a senior citizen as well and gave me the senior discount on the buffet breakfast. Huppy is not helping matters. He’s wearing converse high tops, a fedora and his Brooklyn t-shirt. He looks like he’s about 12.

{sigh}

I told him we should’ve walked back into the restaurant and french kissed and groped each other in front of her. He didn’t want to bother. He can’t figure out why I even care.

Again. {sigh}

Two hours to Mexico.

Oh and Lagniappe slept all by herself on her stinky blanket. She’s moping. She’ll get over it… or hate us forever.

Forgot to mention the pat down. Ms. Melanie Mann did a very professional job on my opt-out pat down. Huppy’s pat down wasn’t as thorough, but he still felt like she should’ve tipped the guy. Remember people, if we all opt-out of walking through the x-ray machines, they’d have to get rid of the x-ray machines. Force the kabuki theater performance. It’s costs them time and money.

My Mother-in-Law is a Goddess

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Roxanne

We were having a hard time finding a place for Lagniappe (our spoiled dog). We thought we had it sussed before we left St. Louis, but none of it was working out the way we thought it would. It was looking like she would have to be boarded for 10 days or so and I had a meltdown thinking of her sleeping in a crate all by herself and being surround by other furry creatures she sadly cannot relate to. My mother-in-law, god bless her, said, “Of course I’ll take her. Relax.”

So now, Lagniappe is staying at Spa Abuela. She loves it here. There are lizards to chase, birds to bark at, a fenced in backyard, an equally spoiled playmate named Fannie to play with and a loving abuela to coddle her.

As for us, we leave in two hours to drive to San Antonio to catch our flight to Mexico City. I have the muscle relaxants in an easy pocket of my bag so I can sleep while my father-in-law and Huppy figure out what should replace capitalism (since it’s obviously a failed system) while they make the 10-hour drive to San Antonio.

It’s 5am

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Roxanne

and we’re off. The boy was just shoved out the door… literally. He hadn’t finished packing. He was still cramming stuff into his bag as he walked out the door in his stocking feet. He has a very odd concept of time so even though we tell him, “Do it now,” it doesn’t get done for hours, no matter what the chore. I’ve honestly never seen him move fast. Late for school, he stops to pet the dog. We’re in the car waiting, stands in the doorway and stuffs his mp3 earbuds in his ears.

Anyway. The dog is nervous. Peter is tired. I’m exhausted. The 10 hour drive to NOLA should be fun fun fun.

I’ll check in when we get there.

The worst thing about prepping for a trip

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Roxanne

is the cleaning. Today, I spent five hours on my living room and dining room, scrubbing the floors, dusting and washing the rugs and couch cushions. (And no, mother, I did not do them in that order.) Tomorrow, it’s the oven, kitchen floor and bathroom along with the laundry and packing. I HATE coming home to a dirty house.

THEN, we wake up to get the boy to then airport for his 6am flight to Oregon and then drive to NOLA with the dog and all our stuff. That night, we’ll go see a brass band in the Marigny, go to the in-laws for a serious Cuban dinner on Sunday and then leave for San Antonio Monday afternoon for our cheap flight to Mexico City on Tuesday.

Apparently, dear husband forgot to budget in any time for sleep between now and Wednesday. He says he’s keeping me young. I say he’s wearing he me out.

I’ll let you all know on Thursday who is right. Finger’s crossed he is.

Oh. I have to share this. I probably should tweet it but I saw the most awesome vanity plate last night: TUSHDR

I know! Seinfeld’s ASSMAN!

We have our dates

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Roxanne

Peter has managed to find THE CHEAPEST way to get to Mexico. Unfortunately, we have to take an eight-hour drive to San Antonio from New Orleans. That should be fun.

We fly into Mexico City on the 12th and hop a domestic flight down to Tuxtla either that afternoon or the next morning. And, awesomely, because I did a few spot illustrations (Senior Vagabond and Vagabond Cookbook), Wade Shepard over at Vagabond Journey hooked us up with a place that’s pretty damned affordable. $180/month. We haven’t seen it, but we trust his judgment. Man’s been traveling for over 15 years non-stop. I suspect he knows what he’s doing.

Alrighty then.

Let’s just hope Mt. Popocatépetl behaves himself until we’re out of Mexico City.

Getting Ready for Another Trip

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Roxanne

I’ll write more later, but our next destination is San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. That’s where the Zapatista Army of National Liberation are!

This year, we’re going to be chill. We are going to stay put and see if we can make a life there. Sure, we’ll get around a bit. We’ll see Pelenque and go to Puerto Angel, which is where the University del Mar is, somewhere around Ziipolite. But for the most part, we’re going to try day-to-day living. After last year’s epic trip, it’ll be a nice change of pace.

One thing I’m sure about however is the coffee in Chiapas is supposed to be out-of-this-world good. After Ecuador, all I can say about that is “Whew!”

Friends and family have an open invitation to visit. Fly to Mexico City or Cancun and then either bus it or plane it down there. The bus is about $70 and 14-16 hours and the plane is about $130 and less than two hours. (You’ll have to fly in to Tuxtla Gutierrez airport.)