Mexican TV, Mexican Roads, Mexican Foods, Mexican Tequila

Short Version:
We drive a long way, eat delicious foods, see things, drink a lot

Long Version:
Our first Mexican morning was hot. We watched some Mexican breakfast television, which was completely incomprehensible. It appeared to be total chaos, interspersed with insanity. I'm pretty sure that it wouldnèt have made much sense even if we DID understand what they were saying. We hit the road, and found a petrol station, at which a short woman (not Janine or Anoushka) made a valiant attempt at cleaning the van's high windshield and was tipped accordingly, then we carried on south, past some bloody big trucks travelling bloody fast on bloody narrow roads, and past wandering cattle and roadworkers, both of which were seemingly unconcerned at the imminent carnage heralded by the 130km/hr approach of the big white van. Had our first up-close-and-personal encounter with the local flora and fauna when we stopped for a roadside wee; Janine saw a snake, and a cactus bit me. Could have been worse; could have been the other way around.

We saw turkey vultures eating a dead dog, we saw volcanoes (The Three Virgins), we saw the oasis at San Ignacio, and eventually we saw the sea, although not before we'd driven through the odour cloud generated by the Santa Rosalita rubbish dump and that of the fish processing plant. Sought and stopped at the Gustav Eiffel-designed church and heard the cheers as Mexico beat France at the World Cup. Next stop was Mulege, which was the coolest-looking Mexican town we'd seen yet, with tiny shops nestled in next to each other, winding, narrow streets, and clear evidence of hurricane devastation being set to rights.

One of the great things about Mulege was its proximity to our intended beachfront cabana destination. Instead of what we sought, though, we found Bertha's, a beachfront restaurant on Playa los Burros** which we liked a lot. The woman who waited and cooked looked appropriatey Bertha-like, and we noted that she snuck out the back and applied a lot of red lipstick when a group of Americanos arrived, but she cooked the best quesadillas, chimichangas, and other assorted delicious Mexican foods, and by the time we left she was among our favorite people in the world. She pointed us back up the road a few km to Playa de Naranjos*, where we found a cheap waterfront cabana to rent for the night.

And what a night! Apparently I ascended the van, claiming the stars would be clearer from the roof, all the while declaiming loudly about the relative merits of CHP Officers Jon and Ponch. I don't recall. I do recall some beer and some tequila, with some card games and some pelican-watching. A sheepish morning followed.









* = Orange Beach

** = Donkey Beach