Mapastepec, Mexico to Salina Cruz, Mexico
December 20, 2009

Salina Cruz
Night camp beside the toll booth
Chilies in the market
Mountain range

Well after last night today was an easy drive. As you may recall we were in what I thought would be a nice quiet Pemex station last night. Well just as we were about to go to sleep the trucker bar/restaurant across the road started to blare their music. It did not stop until about 4:00 AM and was loud, Mexican country music. Then after that the trucks started up their engines getting ready to roll for the day.
The good news was the roads are definitely better, mostly Mexican 3 lane roads that have a large shoulder on one side that you are supposed to straddle so that traffic can pass easily from either direction.
We have also encountered rain almost all day and there was rain yesterday and last night. Too bad, because we could have seen the coastline most of the way if it had not been for the overcast and the rain.
I was told when we left that Salina Cruz which is on the coast would have lots of places for us to stay at. Well you must realize that we do not stay in hotels but in hotel parking lots. Unfortunately the town sits in a small enclosed valley and the central area has no hotel parking lots and there were none on the outskirts of town. So we are tonight at a cuota booth (toll booth) outside of town and in a secure area with parking in a kind of rest stop.
We did stop in Arriaga on the way here and went to the central market in town to pick up some vegetables and fruit that we needed to replace for what was confiscated at the border. Central markets in these towns are always a fun place to visit with lots of activity going on. Even for a Sunday there were lots of stalls open and the sidewalk was crowded with vendors and their small trucks or just sidewalk stalls overflowing with fresh fruit and vegetables. We came away with everything but bread as I was not able to find a panaderia.
We had lunch at a pollo chicken place. A barbequed chicken, tortillas, limes and rice for about $6.00 and then I got a macaroni salad and some drinks. You just can not beat the Mexicans at cooking barbequed chicken. They are large and butterflied on a wood grill and seasoned to that El Pollo kind of taste. That was great.
Just one day’ drive today made a dramatic change in the vegetation. We went from tropical jungle to a sort of scrub oak and Manzanita brush. There was not as much rainfall you could tell as there were large areas of brown grass on the mountains. Next we were in almost a sort of California dessert type of climate except with a few more trees and the scrub brush was more dense and higher. The volcanic mountains gave way delta perhaps 10 miles wide, and we continued north along the coastline.
There were still many rivers at first coming out of the mountains but even these dwindled as we got further north.
The city of Salinas Cruz has what appear to be lots of farmed fishing in as large estuary north of town and I wish we could have stayed there because the views coming down the hill into the city were really great.
Tomorrow we go to Oaxaca and this should be a great time to see it as the Radish festival is there in three more days. Yes that’s right the Radish Festival where they carve dolls heads and things from radishes. Oaxaca is also known for its artisans and silverwork so it should be an enjoyable stay. I hope to have internet there and maybe I can finally get all of these blogs posted. No we have not fallen off the end of the world good friends.
Lastly today is the day that I married the beautiful Beverley Raia some 40 years ago. So, lucky man that I am I chose wisely and what she saw in me there is some question about but I won her over with charm or wit or maybe she just felt sorry for the geek who was always studying.