Well our odometer turned 88,000 miles today. We started at 82,037, so we’re making time,although these mountain roads are very treacherous in that they are wicked curvey with lots of up and down hills. We’re in second gear much of the time. It’s a very rural road with speed humps every few miles where a small village pops up each with a few taco stands. Carne asada tacos are the best.
Sterling has done the vast majority of the driving. I spelled him one afternoon and hit a dog which just rolled under the rig, I mourned him for several hours even tho he got up and limped away. Someone was passing me and three dogs ran into the road in front of the two of us. Ce le vie!
We got LP gas, gasoline, and choose a small village to stay in for the night. Most communities of any size down here all have a Central Plaza near the church where everyone comes out to visit after dark. We park there because we feel safe.
Well tonite, Kevin and Dan left the rig immediately to go find a beer as they often do and check out the general area to make sure we are safe. Kind of reminds me of our dog Oscar who takes a pee on every corner to stake out our territory.
Anyways, I said I’d make spaghetti and went about my duties. Well I let the pot boil over and flames shot everywhere. Sterling had been sitting in the front seat and came to the side door to grab the fire extinguisher at the same exact time I grabbed the burning pan and went to throw it out the same door he was coming in. He ducked and I threw it over his head and sent the scalding hot water right down his head and neck.
His hair caught fire and luckily he remembered the stop, drop and roll routine. His hair kept flaming and some Mexican guys came out of their hammocks and houses and tried to help but there wasn’t much to do but give me back my pan.
Sterling pulled his T-shirt up over his head to put his hair fire out but it singed his arm and leg hair too. I really got him! So I went to find ice. The first well lighted house I came to had a freezer on the porch. Bingo I thought! I said “ICE” and he opened the deep freeze and there were a 1/2 dozen Popsicles in the bottom. I explained cubes and he said 2 or 3 for a big one. We struggled over if it was 2 or 3 cubes, or 2 or 3 pesos and I just said FINE!
That well lit house asked me to come park my “home” in his yard and he got me a large cube of ice. Sterling laid flat and I kept putting ice and cold water on him until Dan and Kevin showed up with drunk Paco who they met in the bar which probably was really a taco stand during the day. Paco invited them for a sandwich so Sterl and I feasted on red peppers, chips and guacamole which has become our meal of choice.
Paco was so excited 4 Gringos had come into his village for him to practice his English. They hadn’t had any tourists for 2 years and it showed. When Dan asked where to pee, Paco said any wall and asked them to please pee on his house. Go figure!
I’m sure Sterling will be seen as a shooting star for some years to come in this village. We really got everyone going and they all know we’re here. The local skinny dogs all got to feast on 1/2 cooked macaroni. Once Dan got back and was able to smooth the fellow over with his Spanish, I gave the ice owner 10 pesos and Dan and Kevin went to find a hole to climb into for the night.
The cat and the chicken is fighting and the old women just yelled at them but now the Rooster is crowing. Most every night as we fall asleep we hearing barking dogs but this time we added in a few Roosters who howled on and off all night.
I was kinda freaked out at this point and finally admitted to Dan I hoped he’d stay with us long enough to cross into Guatemala. Once you exit Mexico and enter into Central America you can use one Visa for the other 4 countries and Costa Rica doesn’t require one. Sounds easy.
We found Dan and Kevin had spent the night on top of the jail which was covered with glass but it was better then the night they spent on the beach with the crocodiles. Back in the Peace Mobil and on our way again thank heavens!
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