Episode Four - December 1, 2007

So….. up and on the road by 6am. Not what we had expected. But, it did get us through Villehermosa – a large town, before the worst of the traffic was up and about. The morning was uneventful until about 9 am we were driving past a Pemex (the state run gas/petrol stations) when we saw a large 5th wheel. ‘Hey, that’s Bill from Monte Gordo’ said Gerald. So we pulled in to say hi. As he saw us coming Bill noticed that we had a problem. We had forgotten to tie up the loose umbilical cord. This is the electrical cord that gives power from the truck to the trailer. When hooked up between the two it hangs loose in the middle and has to be held up with a bungee cord. In the rain and the early morning light we had forgotten the bungee cord and now not only were we dragging the cord, but we had torn some of it. We had no brake lights on the trailer – a very dangerous thing. Luckily Bill saw it and even better, he had the equipment and parts to fix it with. He possibly saved our lives that day. Thanks Bill. His wife Jean had brewed some coffee and we supplied the cookies while they told us what had happened to them during the last few days.

First of all, they are in a muuuch larger and heavier rig than ours. A big 1-ton diesel ‘dually’ (4 wheels on the rear axle) with about a 35 or 36’ long 5th wheel trailer behind it. Apparently Bill had taken one of the topes too fast and done some axle damage to his trailer. Enough damage that they spent the previous night in the yard of the solderer while the axle was being repaired.

Quick aside: TOPE (pronounced toepay), known elsewhere as speed bumps, sleeping policemen or, in Santa Fe, a speed table. If you have ever driven in Mexico you will never forget the topes. They are used instead of traffic lights in the smaller towns. The sleepy fishing village of La Pesca had 22 topes. Some of them are vicious. Nobody messes with them. Even the craziest truck drivers slow right down for topes. Once you have hit one at speed you will try never to do it again. We very nearly jack-knifed the trailer because we saw a tope too late. They are not always marked. In fact it seems that the signs are not repaired or replaced. The tope lasts just about forever – the sign doesn’t. They are a very effective way of controlling traffic.

Bill and Jean told us that they had decided to continue on into the Yucatan after all and leave the west coast for later. So after coffee and cookies we all decided it would be a good idea if we travelled together. Of course, we promptly lost them after they stopped at the next Pemex with an ATM. Credit cards are not used in gas stations they are cash only. Luckily some of them do have ATM’s. Sometime during the morning we crossed into the state of Campeche. At the state line we were stopped and the camper was inspected. The state officials were looking for chicken. We had two packs of chicken breasts in the freezer that were handed over and tossed in the trash. We thought it would be nice if they had given it to the drivers going the other way where there were no such restrictions. About 12.30 pm we realized that we had just passed our planned camping spot for the day (remember we had started much earlier than normal) so we pulled off to the side of the road and made sandwiches while we waited for Bill and Jean to catch up. Over lunch we all decided to keep going to Chetumal, the state capital of Quintana Roo and just about as far south as you can go on the East coast of Mexico.

That afternoon was uneventful except to say that as we crossed the state line into Quintana Roo the sun came out, the sky turned blue and the roads improved immensely. We drove much further than we had planned that day. We were heading for the town of Calderitas a small town just north of Chetumal. We had to drive through Chetumal to get to it. Unfortunately the driving directions in the guide book were out of date and incorrect. From our one visit to Calderitas 2 ½ years ago Gerald and I knew that we had to keep heading east to the Bay and then head north. It was Saturday night, dark and the road seemed to be getting narrower and narrower and the area more and more congested. We stopped a couple of times and I got to practice my Spanish asking directions which did not really help. At one point we ended up in a dead end – luckily with enough room for both trucks and trailers to do a U-turn. We found the RV park eventually – more by luck than by skill. Good thing too – the next morning we discovered that the paved road we were on petered out about 100 yards beyond the RV park. That would not have been fun in the dark.

Imagine our surprise the next morning when we woke up and found we were parked here:

We had driven 373 miles to get to Calderitas. It doesn’t sound far but on these roads, pulling a trailer, it was a long day. We were on the road for nearly 12 hours by the time we found the camp ground.

Bill and Jean moved on the next day and are now just north of Puerto Vallarta on the west coast. That is the area of Mexico they are most familiar and comfortable with. We are comfortable on the Caribbean side. To each his own. Thank you for the photos, Bill.
If you are interested, here is their blog site: http://the-haulin-as.blogspot.com/

We contacted Stan and Mary in Bacalar about 45 minutes from Calderitas and arranged to meet them later that day. Then we stayed in Calderitas for 6 days decompressing from ‘the trip from hell’

I know the weather and the roads don’t look so bad in the photos. Believe me I only took photographs when weather and road conditions permitted. I felt like I was holding my breath most of the time - trying to help squeeze us through the small spaces the trucks left for us! Also, if next time you see me, I suddenly yell ‘tope’ do not be surprised. The navigator is also responsible for seeing all the bumps in the road and making the driver aware of them.