blancheque

Once back in Mexico City we got caught up on general housekeeping things and prepared for company from Canada. Annette and Lionel arrived at 1 AM on Sunday morning with big smiles and a backpack each. A short cab ride to the apartment and lots of visiting took place before we settled for the night. Maurice and I took the couches while our guests took our bedroom. Early next morning we were up and off to church a few blocks away. Even though the service was in Spanish we attempted to follow along and have our Spanish lesson for the day. After a quick change of clothes we all got on the ecobikes and headed for Reforma to ride and see the sights. We made it close to the zocalo, parked the bikes and walked to ... read more

Nicaragua. January 24, 2012 5 a.m. and we are on the bus once again, this time much wiser than on our first trip. When we crossed the border, the money changers were very close to the daily rate posted on the net. We gladly exchanged our excess US dollars for cordobas. The rate was about 23 cordobas per US dollar. Our Nicaragua plan was to take a cab from Managua to Granada and then find a room there. We picked an older cab driver who knew of a nice, reasonably priced hotel and took us there. He also provided us with a bit of history during our drive to Granada. He explained to us that currently, Nicaragua was very safe, the economy was doing well and the people were generally quite content. In Granada he took ... read more

On Monday January 16th, we flew from DF to Guatemala City to begin our Central American Adventure. We settled into a nice older charming hotel called the Pan American, located only a block from the Centro Historico and spent the afternoon wandering through the Zocalo, which they call the Centro. We enjoyed the flavor of Latin America finding Guatemala City similar but also different than Mexico. We found that there were no restaurants with outside tables visible anywhere. There was a lot less music in the air and that there was a greater weapons presence than what we are used to. There were armed guards carrying shotguns or AK 47's posted in front of all the banks and most of the stores as well. Imagine, a shotgun armed security person guarding a Payless Shoes store! There ... read more

Facts about Belize. There are only 4 highways in the country, totalling 508.5 kilometers of pavement. Other roads are sand/gravel, washboard and tend to wash out. 36.8% of the population is under 15 years old and the average age is 21. There are lots of young unemployed people and 43% live below the poverty line. Babies having babies and then leaving them at orphanage doors is a problem. Tourism, agriculture and marine products are the main industries. Oil was discovered in June of 2005 and in May of 2011, 11 wells produced 4,000 barrels of light oil per day. It is trucked to the southern coastal town of Big Creek, then shipped to Costa Rica, Panama, and Texas. Banking is also important, as the Belize government is proud of their off-shore banking status. Anyone can hold ... read more

Merida, capital of the state of Yucatan, on the Cancun side is our next destination. Monday, October 31, we flew with Interjet, our favorite Mexican airline. They still serve free drinks! We landed in the sunny, warm, and humid city of close to 1 million people. A short cab ride delivered us to Casa Mexilio, our first Bed and Breakfast experience. Filled with the trappings and echos of other centuries, this is where, in 1936, President Lazaro Cardenas debated the conditions of Mexico’s expropriation of the Henequen Hacienda owners. After having been abandoned like so many other elaborate Merida homes, it was restored and turned into a small hotel/bed and breakfast. What a beautiful old building with a multitude of terraces, narrow stairs going in many different directions, a pond/pool in the courtyard, with plants and ... read more