We made good time and Peter didn’t speed once… so ya’ll should be checking for the four horsemen.
The boy made it to Oregon with nary a hitch. He is now gainfully employed for the next six weeks with the North West Youth Conservation Corps. We’ll see how he does without his playstation. Though, he’ll have a lot of pretty scenery. He’ll be at Crater Lake and the Sequoia National Forest.
Probably won’t be able to post until after we arrive in Mexico on Wednesday.
So begins the journey.
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.
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!
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.
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.)