Chapter 1: My Journey East

  Zihuatanejo to Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

    I love a good relaxing road trip.  From the time Vidal left Zihuatanejo for the east coast of the Riviera Maya at the end of March, I had my heart set on making my west coast to east coast trip by land.  I'm no stranger to bus travel in Mexico; they have a wonderful system here - much more comfortable, less stops and more efficient than Greyhound.  The deluxe buses all have powerful air conditioning, bathrooms, reading lights, seat belts, drink holders, movies until midnight, and with bigger windows to enjoy the scenery and comfortable seats (with foot rests) that give you plenty of leg room and no worries about suffocating the person behind you when you decide to recline all the way for a comfortable snooze.  Some even have a waitress on board.  Wait, is that politically correct?  Bus attendant doesn't sound right, makes it sound more like someone to change the tires instead of pouring coffee and offering sodas and snacks.   Hmmm... If a stewardess is now a flight attendant and not an airplane attendant, then maybe a waitress on a bus wouldn't be a bus attendant but a land attendant?  Road attendant?  Aisle attendant? Trip attendant?   Who do I even contact to find out that answer?
  Back to the trip... After a six week battle with Vidal over plane vs. bus travel, the airlines sided with me by keeping their rates sky high, making it cheaper to travel to Europe than to travel within Mexico, and the bus company I was going to use had a special promotion, and I was finally able toconvince Vidal that the bus was the way to go... I bought my 10 0'clock pm bus ticket from Zihua to Mexico City and made a reservation for an 8:30am connection to the Playa del Carmen bus station in the Riviera Maya; with a 2.5 hour break in between connections, there would be plenty of time to get from one bus station in Mexico City to the other eight miles away.  PLENTY of time.  I was all set.  Packed my bags, got the housesitting family settled in and attempted to kiss the kitties farewell... All three promptly ignored me, glaring at me, and shooting guilt darts with their eyes into my heart... Found my coat, grabbed my hat, made the bus in seconds flat...
My journey East began May 7, 2002 from the West coast bus station of Zihuatanejo on the Futura bus line, departing for Mexico City at 10 o'clock pm.  There, I bid farewell to my sister-in-law Mari and my dear comadre Beni, with many hugs and thanks for seeing me off on my adventure and assisting me with my luggage - just a duffle bag full of clothes, backpack full of camera equipment, a tote full of food and drink for the road and another tote bag full of bricks... That is to say, a care package to Vidal and his brother Ricardo (who lives in Cancun with his family) packed to the brim with love, plus a few dozen hand made thick flour tortillas, about 30 lbs. of tamarind candy and a hunk of cheese the size and weight of Jupiter - I kid you not. The bus driver had to put all passengers on the left and my baggage on the right just to balance the bus.
The bus departed Zihua twenty minutes late, unbeknownst to me at the time setting the tone for the trip. Into the dark, we traveled 150 miles South on the winding coastal Pan-American Highway, turned left at Acapulco, and headed Northeast from there on the tollway to Mexico City; typically just an 8 hour ride. We arrived on our nonstop journey in a record 9.5 hours. Okay, just a bit late, but l wasn't concerned. After all, the other bus station, where I had to go to catch my connecting bus, was only fifteen minutes away, and everyone knows that any taxi driver here in Mexico City could easily make it there in five. I grabbed my bags of bricks and dragged them (literally!) to the taxi stand, and we headed towards the Tapo bus station. Traffic was moving well all around us. Literally. I swear I saw a turtle laughing at us as he cruised past us. How had I managed to get the slowest taxi driver (or should I say, ONLY slow taxi driver) in Mexico City? Isn't there a law against that? I didn't think such a person existed!
As we coasted into the Tapo terminal at 8:10am, I had worked up a good sweat. I still bad to purchase my ticket and had no idea if lines were long here. Ignoring the luggage porters (big strong macho woman that I am), I grabbed my bags and burst into a run (or at least a glorified limp) into the terminal, through a long winding tunnel, and stopped short in disbelief at the last turn to stare at the mountain of stairs in front of me.  There was no way I could manage those or the steep ramp next to them on my own.  I quickly looked around for a porter... Of course, no porter or anyone else in sight.  Probably all hiding around the bend behind me, snickering away hysterically.   So, with a deep breath and a prayer for strength, l reached for my bags with uncertainty, at which moment a gentleman ina business suit appeared out of thin air and asked if he could help me, and inquired as to which bus line I was traveling on. I had no idea the station was so huge nor so busy- The O'Hare of bus terminals for sure!  As this man said he was also traveling the ADO bus line, he insisted on helping me all the way to the check-in line, and then disappeared again before I could thank him for the hundredth time. 8:20 am, ticket in hand, prayers answered, thank you, my luggage angel!
Before getting on the bus, I took a minute out to call Vidal to inform him I made the connection, no problem - he had previously told me he didn't think I would have time to make it!  Ha! As the ticket agent had reconfirmed the travel time of 2l-21.5 hours with only three stops, I told Vidal to pick me up at 6 o'clock am the following day in Playa del Carmen. The bus departed right on schedule at 8:30am. I had reserved a window seat on the right side, and as the bus never got more than 75% full, the seat beside me remained empty for the duration. I had a good view of two of the TV monitors with their nonstop movies, none of which I would watch until after dark, preferring the view outside,  of which included A.I., Joan of Arc and some ridiculous Chuck Norris flick... That is to say, that is what was viewed on the TVs, not the outside view!
We drove through the crowded streets of the nations capital, even caught a rare glimpse of a blue sky over this metropolis of 30 something million souls. Heading out of it's valley and into the surrounding mountains, we passed alongside the national park Desierto de los Leones with it's towering pine trees, and into the lovely state of Puebla... Winding through it's majestic mountains and valleys, passing an occasional pueblo below.
The scene changed dramatically as we entered the next state, Veracruz - land of history and mystery.  Incredibly green with rolling hills. It was here that we made our first stop, in the colonial city of Córdoba.    We passed right through the center, giving us a glimpse of the centuries old buildings that just begged for horse drawn carriages to stroll lazily along them. After a 30 minute stretch, we headed beck on the road through the steamy jungle and swamps of mystical Veracruz, with glimpses of the occasional bursts of flowers blooming in tropical splendor.
We stopped once more in the late afternoon in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. The bus driver announced we would be there for 20 minutes only. Ninety minutes later, we were back on the road, and soon in new terrain- the state of Tabasco. While equally as green as Veracruz, Tabasco has much different foliage, and is very flat. I saw fields of plants totally foreign to me. We passed a strange field of what at first looked like corn, but as I squinted to get a better view, I realized it wasn't corn in those towering stalks at all, but tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce.   The secret is safe with me! As the sun was lowering, we passed by the city of Villahermosa.  I didn't see any villas, but looked pretty hermosa.
We entered the state of Campeche right at dusk, so I didn't get much insight into that state. What I did see lots of were soldiers, every few miles.   We were stopped upon entering the state and at least 4 times after that. Each time, the luggage compartment below the bus was searched, and a soldier came on board to check us out... Only once a passenger was singled out and questioned... Me!   I was asked to show my passport, where I came from and what was in the box in the row next to me (which wasn't mine, but belonged to the elderly lady in front of me). I assumed they just wanted to know why was smuggling Jupiter cross country in my tote bag, disguised as bricks. I found out later that the highway we were on was just north of the borders of both Guatemala and Belize, and the soldiers were doing their sworn duty of keeping an eye out for r suspicious people.  I guess I needed a haircut?
Our last official stop was around 11 o'clock pm in Escarcega, Campeche for the official time of 30 (okay, it was really 45) minutes. I am not sure when we crossed into the final state of Quintana Roo, as I dozed off sometime after midnight.  I awoke before sunrise, saw first light around 5:15am, started to get very excited that the long journey was 45 minutes away from the finish line, and I fought off the sleep that threatened to take over for a few more minutes. Having no idea where we were, I just kept glancing at my watch and looking for the "You Are Here" signs, as we were supposed to be pretty close according to my calculations (as well as the hour). More jungle, no signs... More jungle, no signs... More jungle, no signs... Finally! I saw a sign for Tulúm, the town and ruins that was to be 10 minutes South of our hotel apartment... At 7:20am!  We pulled into the Playa del Carmen bus terminal at 8:00am, a mere 23.5 hours of travel. Yes. I was the first off the bus, and yes, I had Vidal collect the bricks - I mean, the bags!
I was too excited that first day to rest.  Vidal had gotten a 2 day pass for me to use the hotel facilities, so we went off to explore the buffets, beach and pool.  While our apartment was on the Bahia Principe Hotel grounds, it was outside the security entrance where a bracelet is needed to enter to use the facilities, including the beach.
I insisted on exploring, so we headed off in the afternoon to Rancho Grande, for our choice of horseback riding or All Terrain Vehicles.  As I had not packed my cowboy boots, I opted for the ATVs. We cruised through jungle paths to the beach, and all around the fun dunes there. Paraiso! It was a blast, shaking awake the muscles thought for dead after the long bus haul, so it was a fitting welcome and finale for my Journey East.
The area we were in is beautiful. Our apartment building was surrounded by jungle on 3 sides. While this means lots of bugs (translation: Mosquito haven!), the beginning of May is also a time for butterfly migration!  The first two weeks I was there it was incredible.. . Butterflies the size of birds, and everywhere! I believe they were Blue Morphos. Anyway, they were definitely blue, and huge. When driving, it looked like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Everywhere, butterflies roamed. And suddenly, they were gone.  No goodbye, no Dear John letter, just gone. .. 
Three days here and fully rested, I decided to go exploring.  There was a gravel path that parallels the highway in front of the hotel, and I saw a sign that read 500 meters to a cenote across thestreet from us. So, at 11 o'clock am, armed with sun block, mosquito repellant and a hat for protection, I headed off along the jungle path to see what I could see.  I meandered quietly, enchanted by God's wonderful creations all around me, the butterflies, the birds, the iguanas, the jungle...and the slithering snake that crossed my path half a foot ahead of me. Not feeling like conversation, I just waved and headed past him, crossed the street to the entrance of the cenote, where I saw another sign that read 3.5 miles from this point to entrance. Well, as I was already there, I headed inland down that jungle path. Forty-five minutes later and at the entrance, met with the guides and saw a few photos, but decided against their outrageous entrance fee, so I head off back home. Fifteen minutes into the walk back, I felt the blisters starting on my sockless feet. So much for padded-sole Keds.  But it was a beautiful day, and worth it .
Vidal's job was keeping him busy. He had to spread himself between the Bahia Principe Tulúm hotel and 4 other hotels daily, the furthest being 20 minutes away. His clients keep him nonstop busy from 9am to 8pm daily, so the only friends he had made were the ones he knew back in Zihua that had relocated here, about 5 of them spread out in the Riviera Maya, not counting those in Cancun. However, when Xel-Ha hosted a beach volleyball tournament in Playa del Carmen for travel agencies, 2 agencies wanted Vidal on their team. He went with our friend Joseph's travel agency team. It was quite fun... and educational.  If anyone has seen the Thompson family play volleyball at my brother Rob's annual July 4th party, or occasionally in my sister Mary's backyard, they would know why I opted for sideline cheerleading in the tournament instead of showing off my inherited volleyball skills...I couldn't risk breaking a nail, either.  I mean, hey- We Thompsons are in a league of our own in this game. We have moves that the average person has never seen. We can play just as good blindfolded as we can with open eyes. We've got POWER! Power to whack the ball 50 feet over Rob's back fence every serve. Amazing family skills! It didn't amaze me to see Vidal and Joseph and their team beat their opponents the first night. What amazed me was the knowledge that the Thompson family could have, too.  I wanted to call my brothers and sister right there and have them charter a plane with my nieces and nephews and get into this game! Come on down, we could actually win! But, not wanting to take the glory from my husband, I sighed and cheered him on that night and into the semifinals and finals the following evenings. They eventually came in 3rd...
So, I kept busy this side of paradise. And for a month longer than originally expected, as Vidal was asked to stay on another month, until the end of August.  That would give me plenty of time to visit with friends such as our dear amigo Carlos and my soon to visit mom and cousin Maggie, as well as add a few more chapters of my incidents of travel ...