Home again, Sophies’s happy to be back in ‘Sunny’ (the children’s name for our mobile gypsy wagon) with our memory foam mattress and the ability to make a proper cup of tea. Frankly I’m glad to not have to carry 80kgs of luggage any further in a tropical climate and be back on the road making forward progress with beer in the fridge.

The boys were just happy…

Leaving Chetumal – our southern most city in Mexico – we were all packed to drive when my typical response to Sophies question ”do you need me to guide you back?” was an overly confident ‘no, no, no, I’ve done this a thousand times’ etc etc. Somehow, a palm tree, that was clearly not there a few minutes ago did this to our carrier rack….

Though the tree looked almost happy about it

Of course we found a metal workshop up the road and within an hour, the guy had rebuilt the whole thing, better than new, for 500 pesos or about 30 quid. Love Mexico.

Education wise, Jonah asked me what ‘ruins’ are – aside from his parents – and wanted to know why we are looking at more stones. Good question. But these are truly stunning. Coba was the most vertigo enducing and is a place where Mayans offered sacrifices to the gods in the hope of a good harvest. A confident mother tries to look glamorous half way up, but look closely at the white fist clenching the rope

In awe of his surroundings, obviously Jonah then gave the summit his ritual blessing…

before the obligatory foot photo

and returning safely to base camp

for much needed refreshments

Then the BIG drive – 108 miles. It doesn’t sound much but it took 7hrs.

Mexico has had a policy of slowing traffic by placing speed bumps or topes, before every town, village, settlement, hamlet, slope, incline, bend.. you get the picture… So even though the roads look endless

I crashed over these bumps every few minutes crossing the Campeche border where pork and poultry are confiscated from anyone carrying them, Sophie was literally saving our bacon, hiding it in cupboards, but following a convoy of lorries transporting pigs on their way to, erm, piggy heaven, where we were sprayed in pig piss. You could smell the irony.

If that wasn’t enough children risk getting run over by holding ropes across the road to slow you down to a stop to beg, sell or generally hang on to the window in the hope you’ll take them with you.

Then obviously beware of the bats!

To take their minds off our conversation and learning the history of Mexico, the boys organized a disco

and an ice cream eating contest.

Next stop the beautiful ruins of  Palenque

but watch out for the scary Iguanas

beautiful waterfalls with creepy bat caves that Milo insisted his mother crawl into

then more driving through incredible countryside

with some surprising road surfaces

and a wealth of visual images

and local countrymen

and countrywomen

to arrive at yet more ruins, the highest in the county…yep that’s Soph in her running gear at the top! Can feel the smug look from here.

Before a leisurely ride back on the one horsepower mexican motorbike

heading to the mountains and the beautiful town of St Christobal, where the roads to the campground were so tiny, an extra coat of paint and we wouldn’t have made it

and the campground is filled with 4×4 campers, Sunny looks suspiciously out of place

The town is beautiful and we could spend weeks here…eating tapas and listening to musicians, though I look more interested in the menu here, its really a great place.

a few of our favorite shots from today

Please forgive the indulgent shot of my little cowboys. They’re reading Marvel comics in Spanish now. Yes I’m too tight to purchase, bless the patient shopkeeper…

And this is what I want as my next toy, in Sunburst orange.

This is what I’ll likely get. In Gay Cowboy Lemon..

More to follow shortly, the journey north continues this week. OK we’re actually driving west to Acapulco but sort of north…and away from the sound of howler monkeys. It sounds spoilt, but Google it and think of being woken by that racket at 5am….

R & S xx