http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip I've created this travelogue so that we can share with you our adventures as we drive from Utah to Costa Rica where we plan to live for 6 months or more. We are excited for this very new adventure for Greg and I and our four children (ages 4, 3, 22 months and 2 months)and Greg's brother, Kevin. We thought that it might be interesting for others to read about our experiences, good and bad, as we take on this exciting challenge. We hope you enjoy! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/2091 Nicaragua Managua http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/2091-Nicaragaua-and-Costa-Rica! We stopped at the Department of Migration on the way out of Tegucigalpa, so that we could get entry visas stamped on the kids passports, so that they could give us exit stamps at the border. We arrived at the border in about 2-3 hours, it was deja-vu, as we had been here before! We even had the same guys looking to help us for a "propina." They gave us a little bit of trouble crossing over, just because they could, and had to check with their boss to see if our visas were legit. Once that fact was established, we were on our way. The only problem was that we didn't have enough cash to pay the exit and entrance (to Nicaragua) fees, and the nearest ATM was in Choluteca, an hour away! So what did we do? We sold my Ipod Shuffle for $40 to one of the money changers that Greg had been chatting with. Improvising is what it's all about! Then the real adventure began! As soon as we crossed into Nicaragua, I wouldn't even say that we were on a road anymore. It was more like a bunch of holes in the ground with a little bit of asphalt here and there. These were seriously the worst roads I have ever seen in my entire life! It would have been a better road if it had been just dirt. Right away we got stopped by the police, they wanted to check our papers, and it took them awhile, who knows why. (A little interpolation- the whole trip, Mexico to Nicaragua border where we got "caught", we were only pulled over a two or three of times, and they only asked to see our vehicle paperwork and Greg's passport. As soon as we left Tegucigalpa with passports in hand, we were pulled over left and right and every time they wanted to see everyone's passports. Coincidence?) Finally we were on our (very slow) way again. It was like being on a driving course, swerving through cones, except that they were potholes. At (great) length, the roads improved as we neared major cities. But then the police increased. We were pulled over again, by a woman officer. When he rolled down his window, Greg made a joke about being pulled over because he was white. Well, she did not like that at all!! She was mad now, and was going to make him pay! She indited him right on the spot for not wearing a seatbelt and for not having a license plate on the (front of) the car. He needed to pay his ticket right then or they would take his driver's license. Greg explained that we didn't have any money (which was true, we just spent the last of our cash on gas and food, and our card had a freeze on it-fraud protection), and he would have to go to court tomorrow or the next day and pay it. Well, she would be kind enough to remove the seatbelt infraction and reduce the fine if he would pay it right now to her. :) Greg told her in all earnestness that we didn't have anything. Now she didn't know what to do, but they (now she had a partner) weren't going to let us go without something. So finally Greg told him he would give them our sandwiches that we just bought (we already ate our fill), they agreed, and let us go. We arrived in Managua, the city's capital, after dark, and found a reasonable hotel. The kids swam, then we went to bed. The next morning I realized that Managua stunk, literally. At least the part we stayed in, and we were surrounded by strip clubs- great. We just wanted to get to Costa Rica as fast as we could. As we were heading out of town, we got pulled over by a police officer (surprise!) He wanted to ticket us because we stopped in the middle of the road (to ask for directions) and so we needed to pay a fine. Again we told him that we had nothing (our card had miraculously worked for the hotel). He wasn't too happy about that and started to get upset. He had Greg's (international) drivers license, and said if Greg didn't pay then we was going to keep it. "Go ahead," Greg told him (he could still use his U.S. DL to drive). "I'll have to go to court to pay the fine." "You can't leave here, you can't drive without your license." was the officer's reply. "Well I'm not staying here and I don't have any money to pay the fine. I'll pay it at court later." "They'll through you in prison, you can't leave without paying!" He was really mad now. While we tried to think of something we could give him, all of a sudden he just got so frustrated with us he just waved us on. You didn't have to tell us twice, we were gone! As we neared the border of Costa Rica, the roads got really bad again. We finally arrived, and after waiting at the border (at least that's what the kids, Kevin and I did while Greg handled paperwork), we finally crossed over into Costa Rica! Only to wait on that side forever while we filled out all their paperwork. (It's quite a process.) It was finally finished, we drove away, and "Oh What a Feeling!" We made it! We were finally here! Costa Rica Baby! As we drove along the (very nice) road and looked at the beautiful scenery (yes, it was more beautiful than Nicaragua), I thought to myself, this is fantastic! We actually did it. We had a thought, an idea, a dream, and we have made it come true. We did it! We actually moved to Costa Rica, and DROVE all the way there. Now who do you know who has done that (besides us) and with four kids nonetheless! We did it, and that's what life is all about! Making your dreams come true. We have a quote on our vision board (really just a wall with pictures taped on it of things we want to accomplish) by T.S. Lawrence that says, "All men dream, but not equally. Those men who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the morning to find it was but vanity, but those men who dream by day-- these are dangerous men, for they dream with open eyes to make their dreams come true." We are definitely day dreamers, we dream with eyes wide open. Pura Vida! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/2090 Honduras Tegucigalpa Embassy http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/2090-Stories-Wanted Well, the consensus is that you want to hear the stories, at least abbreviated versions. I last left off at the Nicaraguan border when we finally convinced the official to let leave so we could get a hotel room for the night. Feeling a little dejected and unwanted, like strangers in a strange land, we drove back to Choluteca, where we had stayed the night before, and stayed at Hotel Casa Real again. The next morning we started making calls as soon as we could, and soon came to the conclusion that the best option was to physically go to the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. We arrived in Tegucigalpa around 2 pm, and went to the embassy, but they were closed for the day! They only worked from 8:00- 11:30 am (that's government efficiency for you!). We checked in to the Hotel Excelsior, then headed over bright and early the next morning to wait in line (or so we thought). We were actually able to get right in because we were Americans, and we were the first Americans there. When the windows opened at 8:00, we spoke with Bonnie Anderson, told our story to her, she explained what we needed to do, then she said, "If we end up staying in town for awhile, let me know. I'm a member of [your] church also, and I can help you out." What a "coincidence." To make a long story short (as my grandpa Lazear used to say), what needed to happen was for us to get the kids passports expedited from San Fransisco, or if they were not close to being done (they should be done after 2 1/2 months!) to re-apply, which ironically would take less time to get them when applying in Honduras, than when applying from the states. We ended up being in Tegucigalpa for about a week and a half, and it turned into a very wonderful experience. I'll admit, for a little while (only a few hours) I felt a little homesick, culture shock and frustration. We couldn't get the internet to work on our computer, we couldn't figure out how to fix it, (in the states I would have picked up the phone and called my brother) but we couldn't call anyone or communicate with anyone, and they didn't even know what quesadillas or salsa (ketchup? No!) were when we ordered them at the hotel restaurant (seriously). But Greg, in his usual, insightful way, reminded me that we had it nice and that life was great, as it usually is. We dealt with our problems, waited patiently for our passports, and had a delightful time meeting wonderful new people. Bonnie Anderson, from the Embassy, and her husband, Craig, showed us around town and where the church was, which we went to on Sunday. Then that evening we were able to get together at the Scherbel's house for dinner where we got to meet several other American families who were members of our church, including both mission presidents for the country. We became good friends with the Scherbel's and they were so kind in showing us around and entertaining us for the remainder of our stay in Tegucigalpa. Paul works for the U.S. Embassy also, so during our stay, we were able to go to the U.S. Ambassador's residence to swim in their pool and play a game of night volleyball. It was a lot of fun! Monday morning we received news that San Francisco had put our passports in the mail and we would receive them in about three days! Hallelujah! So we continued to enjoy the rest of our stay and visit with our new friends. Thursday afternoon we checked out of our hotel, The Excelsior, (which we absolutely loved, they have excellent staff!), and checked into the missionary "hotel," the place where the missionaries stay when they first arrive. It was very simple, filled with bunk beds, and the President was kind enough to let us stay. That same day we received news that our passports had arrived! Sarah Scherbel picked me up and took me to the embassy to get them (Greg took Kevin to see the mission doctor because of his swollen leg/knee- we later took him to the hospital where he received a few shots!). I was able to go into the Embassy parking lot with Sarah (the security is tight!) and Bonnie Anderson brought them out to us. While we were waiting we actually got to see the Ambassador, he walked by and waved at us! After the night in the missionary hotel, we stopped over for breakfast at the Scherbel's before heading to Nicaragua. We have very fond memories of Tegucigalpa and were grateful for the layover and the kindness of and opportunity to meet so many like the Scherbels, the Andersons and the mission President and his wife. Next stop, Nicaragua! Livin' the dream, baby! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/2085 http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/2085-Hello-from-the-Land-of-the-Lost! I'm sure you must all be wondering what happened to us!!?? Last I wrote we were stuck at the Nicaraguan border, and then nothing for a whole month! Well, rest assured, we are all alive and doing VERY well! God guides and provides, and life couldn't be better. We just barely got internet hooked up at our house, so I'm finally able to update. But now I have a problem, I'm behind, so I don't know if I should back track and tell you the story up to this point, or just start from here and go forward. Give me your feedback, email us at denninglove@gmail.com and tell me if you want the whole story, or starting now, or you don't care and want to be off the list. Once I get an idea of what you want to hear, then I'll post our story(ies) Pura Vida!! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1934 Honduras Tegucigalpa Choluteca Nicaragua border crossing http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1934-Nicaraguan-Border-May-3-2007 After a leisurely continental breakfast at the Hotel Casa Real, some trading on the stock market and a little swimming, we set out for the Nicaraguan border. We enjoyed the usual sights of livestock, horse and ox drawn carriages and beautiful country. When we arrived in the border town we were accosted by the usual group of border crossing friends, those who want to help you through the crossing for a propina (tip). We were experienced now, so this time we weren’t frightened and knew more of what we were doing. We parked at the government building, and Greg went inside to pay. Then he came back out and we were ready to go, until a man came over to Kevin’s window and asked him to roll it down. He looked inside at all of us, then went over to talk to Greg. He wanted to see all of our documents for all the kids- uh oh. (Remember, according to the Mexican consulate, all we needed to cross the border was birth certificates for the kids, and when we did cross, all they cared about was the two older kid—the younger ones were of no concern to them at all. Entering Guatemala and Honduras they didn’t ask for anything at all.) So Greg took all the birth certificates that we had (we still didn’t have Kimball’s) and went inside. Well they didn’t even look at the birth certificates, as soon as they saw we didn’t have passports for the children, chaos ensued. “How did you get into Honduras without passports? You’re illegal immigrants!” and on and on, drama, drama. They just didn’t know what to do with us. They had no phone at their office, so Greg rode into Nicaragua with one of the officials to talk to their “boss.” Well to make a long story short, basically all that happened all day long, after five hours of sitting in the car waiting for Greg, being hounded by cute little street urchins begging for food and money, and fun bathroom experiences with small children and third world toilets that you have to pay for that don’t come with toilet paper, all that was accomplished was more government inefficiency, U.S., Honduran and Nicaraguan. The US Embassy in Managua, Nicaragua was going to try and get us special permission to come to Managua so that we could work with them to get the kids passports, but the consulor decided he would rather take a long lunch. We finally just told the guys at the border—We can’t sit here all night, we have to go get some food and a place to stay. Give us our driving permission slip back so we can go back into Honduras. With some persuasion they gave it back to us, but they tried to get us to pay again, and then we drove back to the Hotel Casa Real in Choluteca. http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1933 Honduras Tegucigalpa Choluteca http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1933-May-2-2007 Except for Kevin’s pit stop at the outhouse with a view, our drive through Honduras was uneventful. We drove through some absolutely beautiful country, the most beautiful I have seen so far. If Costa Rica is anything like this, I will be in heaven. Some of Honduras reminded me of the Rocky Mountains, we drove through mountains that even had pines, and the smell outside was of campfires and pine! Ahhhh! Other parts of Honduras were very tropical rainforest, green and verdant with banana and mango trees. We drove through mountains and valleys and by lakes and rivers; it was absolutely beautiful! We arrived in Choluteca after dark, and tried to find our way to a decent hotel. The main road was having some construction, so we had to take a detour on some dirt roads leading who-knows-where. We had no clue where we were going, and we were being followed by a truck full of men with who-knows-what intent. After following a taxi we finally found our way back to a paved road, and then found the Hotel Casa Real. The guys following us finally stopped when we pulled into the hotel, which had secure parking. We checked in for the night, and after a quick swim, we went to bed. Tomorrow, Nicarauga! Livin’ the Dream Baby! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1932 http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1932-Honduras-May-1-2007 We crossed the border into Honduras yesterday afternoon, near Copan ruins. Every border crossing should be that easy! It was smooth and fast! We then drove a few kilometers to Copan and spent some time looking at the ruins. I love ruins, they are so fascinating to me. I am intrigued by the people who built them, how they lived, what they were like. What languages did they speak and what motivated and inspired them. It’s like walking back into time when I visit them. Copan was very neat, despite the challenge of visiting it with small children, (“I’m thirsty, I have to go potty, I’m tired, I don’t want to walk, It’s hot, Carry me!”) It was cooler than when Greg and I visited Chichen Itza, but it was still plenty warm. After visiting Copan, we headed toward San Pedro Sula, where we arrived after dark. Because Greg had been sick, combined with a lot of elevation climbing and swimming, his ears had been unable to pop for quite a few days. (While in Puerto Escondido he woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain in his left ear.) His ears still hadn’t popped, and as we were nearing the city, there was so much pressure in his head, he started to plug his nose and blow trying to relieve it. Instead the pressure just kept building and building, but wouldn’t release. Suddenly, something happened, he completely lost equilibrium and everything started to spin fast to the right. He yelled for Kevin to grab the wheel and then started to fall over and lose feeling in his arms and legs. Kevin pulled us off on the side of the road and Greg managed to brake, even though he was completely collapsed over and couldn’t see straight. He became extremely nauseated (naturally), but after closing his eyes for awhile, at length was finally able to regain his equilibrium and we continued on our way, only to stop a few hundred feet down the road for him to throw-up. We stayed at the very nice Intercontinental Hotel. I thought the Conquistador in Guatemala City was nice, but this surpassed it! San Pedro Sula is a large manufacturing area, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and many other company’s have manufacturing plants there, so there are a lot of business travelers—this hotel is geared toward them. Greg picked up the phone while we were in our room and heard, “Hello Mr. Denning, what can I do for you?” He wanted a pizza, and they called every pizza place in town to see if one was open. All of the staff went out of their way to learn our names, the bathroom was all travertine and the beds were overflowing with pillows and had down comforters and suede bedspreads. It was very posh! I loved their slogan, “Do you live an Intercontinental Life?” Livin’ the Dream Baby! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1931 guatemala http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1931-Guatemala-City!-April-29-2007 Hola from Guatemala City! We made it to the border yesterday around 6:00 pm, after driving through southern Mexico, which was the most beautiful part of Mexico that we have seen yet because it was so green and verdant. It is an area that gets more rain, so everything was alive and beautiful, while the rest of Mexico was still in their dry season. We actually had a few raindrops while driving in this part of Mexico- the first rain we have seen the whole trip. We stopped at a gas station in this beautiful country (after driving past an LDS church!) before crossing the Guatemalan border. There were two boys trying to “sell” things, but mostly busied themselves with asking us to give them our stuff. They asked Greg to give them his mountain bike, which was strapped to the back of our vehicle, and asked me for our volleyball. This was actually the first time we have encountered this annoying behavior- thankfully. Greg kindly told them no way would he give them his bike, it was his favorite and cost dos mil dolares (about $20,000 pesos). That blew their mind I think. When we arrived at the border, I was a little nervous. First of all, we were followed through town by some men on motorcycles who wanted to help us through the crossing for a propina (tip). We weren’t sure if we should trust them or not, so Greg tried to ignore them, but they were very persistent and followed him through the whole process. In the end they were very helpful, and we probably wouldn’t have made it through without them because the customs office was closed, but our new friends negotiated a way for us to get in anyway. After we were in Guatemala, they got a paper for us that we did need to have, some permission slip, but told us it cost $180 dollars. Greg laughed, and gave them $12 instead (who knows if it really cost anything, but that was their propina). We still have no passports for the three children, and no birth certificate for Kimball. … I must say that I was afraid when we entered into Guatemala. We were in a new country, and were unsure what to expect from the people. My first impression was that everyone was staring at us and many people tried to ask us for money, and the driving was a little crazier. I realize now that my fear was unfounded, and based more on my uncertainty of what to expect, anticipating the worst. Nevertheless, the fear was very real at the time, and being insecure in this new land, we decided it would be best to head to Guatemala City where we know we could find a nice hotel. This meant driving at night, but in our current state of anxiety we decided a moving target was better than a stationary one. Believe me, it was an experience in itself, and not one I recommend to the faint at heart. There are people walking all over on the side of the road, and of course the same crazy driving, which is a little scarier at night. The roads were still really good though, with only a few potholes. We arrived safe and sound around 10:30 pm, which ended up being 9:30 pm because somewhere we changed time. We found an excellent hotel (somehow) called The Conquistador. It was beautiful, the nicest (as far as décor, building and furnishing quality) that we have stayed in so far- but it was only $80 per room! Each room had three beds, two queen size and one twin. We had room to spare. The best thing was the rooms had carpet! That is something I haven’t seen since Tucson, AZ. It was a very luxurious place. This morning we awoke to the view of a gigantic city, and an excellent continental breakfast, before we started on our way to Honduras! The most exciting thing on our drive was the dead horse on the side of the road that was being eaten by vultures! The people let there livestock roam freely all over, they are often grazing on the side of the road; horses, cows, pigs, goats, whatever, sometimes roaming in the road. I guess this poor horse got hit by a car, and now is vulture food. Oh wait, there was another exciting thing! Often along the road there will be roadside stands selling the locally grown produce, etc. like mangos when we drive through all the mango orchards, or coconuts or watermelon, even honey sometimes. There will be a whole row of stands, all selling the exact same thing- either all mangos, or all watermelon, or all honey. Well we drove through a town that was selling grapes, cold grapes and grape juice. We decided to stop and get some- they gave us our grape juice in an old coca-cola bottle, and when I went to take a drink, I got a big whiff of…wine! Kevin was happy to taste it for us, and suggested that we not give it to the kids! I dumped it out a few miles down the road instead. Next stop, Honduras! Still Livin’ the Dream! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1871 mexico juchitan http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1871-April-28th-Church-and-Guatemala Sunday morning we got up early and headed over to the church (which we found with some difficulty). When we walked into the chapel they were singing a hymn ,which I recognized, and I immediately had this overwhelming feeling of being at home. There were probably only twenty people in there (we discovered it was Priesthood/Relief Society meeting). The lesson given by the bishop was about faith. He talked about Noah, Lehi, Christ, and Joseph Smith, all living their lives and accomplishing what they did by faith. I feel that we are doing as they did, living our lives by faith. I have often felt like Lehi and his family in the Book of Mormon, leaving all of their belongings, going into the “wilderness” and being led to the “promised land.” There are many stories in the scriptures similar to that; this is our own version of it, we are being led to our own promised land, which is nothing more than the fulfillment of our dreams. Sacrament was two hours long because it was ward conference. The kids lasted for part of it, but we spent a lot of time out in the “hall” (which was only and outdoor corridor between the chapel and the building with classrooms). Of course everyone wanted to hold Aaliyah, and take pictures of her and all the kids with their camera phones. I spoke with two elders from Mexico City who told me there were four wards that went to that building, and two stakes in the city of Juchitan! It was really neat to visit with the people and interact with them. I continue to understand that as human beings we are all the same, we are all children of God and branches on the same tree of humanity. My love for others is really growing- I love the people of Mexico. After Sacrament we visited with a tall, handsome Elder Wesley from Orem, whose family moved to Hawaii while he was gone (his father teaches at BYU Hawaii). He will be going home in about a month (to Hawaii), then going to school at Utah State on a basketball scholarship. He has been trying to decide what to major in, but was very intrigued by what Greg is able to do (work on the stock market via the internet, and be able to do it anywhere in the world.) He asked for some advice and we told him if he wants to be a doctor, lawyer, etc. study to do that. If he wants to make money, study people who have made money and do what they did. So we gave him a few recommendations of books to start reading, like anything by Robert Kiyosaki, Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen. We also told him to read The Secret- a must. It was neat to be able to share with him some of the “secrets” that have helped us to become successful. Something I am passionate about is sharing with others ideas that can expand their realities and improve their lives. We emphasized to Elder Wesley the power of reading- when you read great books about great people and great ideas, it changes who you are. And when you change and grow and improve, success comes to you, in all aspects of life. I love reading, and I know that it is the one single thing that has made the biggest impact on my life and taken me from where I was to where I am today; where it will take me in the future is beyond what I can presently imagine. After church, we went back to the hotel to get Parker’s beloved Pooh blankey, which he left there, and then set off for the Guatemalan border! Livin’ the Dream, Baby! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1869 http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1869-April-27th-Acapulco-to-Puerto-Escondido-Mexico On the drive from Acapulco to Puerto Escondido, we were stopped at our first military checkpoint. We have passed through them all along Mexico, but they have always waived us through. This time they pulled us over and asked to look through our vehicle. Greg was very friendly to them, and so they started talking with us and were very nice. They had the adults get out while they casually looked in the car, pushing on seat cushions and knocking on door panels. (We later learned that they look for drugs and weapons at these stops). They didn’t require the children to get out, but as they told us to get back in, one of them saw Kyah as she was hanging over the back seat trying to show off. He asked Greg and me, “La nina, quien es?” (“The girl, who’s is she?) “She’s mine,” Greg replied in Spanish. “Tiene documentos?” (Do you have documents?) We did, in easy access, so we quickly showed him her birth certificate and adoption papers. He then let us go. I still have never felt afraid or threatened, because I know that God is watching over us and when we are carried in his arms, all things will work to our benefit. We arrived in Puerto Esconidio early evening, found our way to the main beach and picked out a good hotel, the Arcoiris, which had a beautiful garden that reminded us of El Rancho back in Mazatlan. We checked in and had dinner at their upstairs restaurant, then went for a swim in the pool. After a very warm and humid night with no air conditioning in our hotel, we went to the beach to play and then ate breakfast at a beach restaurant that had hammocks we rocked in while waiting. The best part about breakfast is the fresh squeezed orange juice. They don’t give you juice out of a carton, you watch them squeeze it- it is so good!! We really liked Escondidio, it was a very laid back surfer town (a lot of surfers come from all over the world) and we considered staying for church the next day, but decided that we wanted to get closer to Costa Rica, so we left mid afternoon to get closer to the Guatemalan border. Along the way we stopped in some town at a “grocery” store for some food (if you go to a local restaurant to eat, it takes took long. The locals don’t do “fast food,” so if there is no McDonalds, we go to the grocery store). It reminded me more of a MacFrugal’s or a dollar store, but it had a small produce and meat section in the back. There was no air conditioning in the store and the temperature was 101 degrees F. I was walking around sweating, carrying Aaliyah who is wearing only a diaper. In the “produce” section, there is a very pleasant looking Senor, who lights up when he sees Aaliyah. He begins talking to her, and then asks me how old she is. “Ohh, muchisima grande para 4 meses.” (She is very big for 4 months!) He was so very warm and friendly, he could have been my own grandfather. He then began blessing her saying, (in Spanish) “May God bless you to live to be 100 years old and to have health and blessings and every good thing.” It was beautiful. We later saw him at the front of the store, where he saw the rest of our children, including Kyah, and he raved and praised them all, how beautiful they were and what a lovely family. He was a wonderful man. We grabbed some ice cream before we left (the weather was sooo hot!), and then drove to Juchitan (Hoo-chee-tawn) where we stayed for the night at the Hotel Santo Domingo, a very bare wall, bare bulb, but clean and nice hotel. They had a fun pool and children’s playground, which looked like it had been long forgotten, but would be really nice with some care. They also had air conditioning, which was much appreciated! Livin’ the Dream! http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1867 mexico Ixtapa Acapulco http://www.tripdiary.com/travelinfam/roadtrip/1867-April-26th-2007-Ixtapa-to-Acapulco-Mexico We had a great 2-day stay at the Tesoro in Ixtapa. When we arrived at our hotel, we stopped at the gate and the guard came over with his clipboard. Greg said (in Spanish), “Hello, we are the owners of this hotel.” Well you should have seen him move and put down his clipboard and run over to open the gate for us! “Just kidding,” Greg called after him, but I don’t think he fully recovered!. We really enjoy this city. (Ixtapa (Eek-stop-a) is the newer, hotel and tourist zone, Zijatenejo (Zee-wah-tuh-nay-ho) is the neighboring, older and larger fishing town.) I worked on my tan some more; we had all the food and drinks we wanted, including pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris, sin alcohol, of course. They even had a pool bar, with stools underwater so we could sit at the counter and get drinks while we were swimming. The kids loved that. Greg played some beach volleyball, Kevin stayed in the room most of the time though, because his foot is still hurting. Kyah learned how to swim while at Ixtapa! There was a little girl about 6 who was swimming with us in the pool at our hotel, and she would swim with her head underwater. Well, that was all Kyah needed. She decided that she wanted to do it too. So she did, and now she can swim up to 10 feet with her head underwater. She can dive down and get things off the bottom of the pool and jump off the side into the pool with no one catching her. It’s awesome. We left Thursday the 26th from Ixtapa and drove through Zijatenejo to pick up our laundry from a Lavendria ($12 US dollars to have it all washed and folded). Then we stopped at the Bodega to get some snacks and drinks, and finally headed toward Acapulco (Ah-kuh-pool-co). We drove into Acapulco from the north, poor side of town, and our first impression was—CRAZY! The roads were small, it was extremely crowded, and they had some of the worst driving that I have seen yet! We at length made it to the tourist district, where we stopped to talk to some people representing a travel agency to find out about hotels. Three people came up to us and started talking and talking. They were drunk (but very nice and helpful) and they wanted to ride with us to go help us find a hotel We didn’t have any room, so they hopped a taxi and we followed them to look at some hotels, and then to the travel agency where they worked. They got us a good deal on a nice hotel on the beach, the Calinda. It was a very nice hotel that is built in a cylinder shape so that there is a view from every room. Greg was a little frustrated because they charged us for parking (we had to pay to park at their hotel!) then because our vehicle wouldn’t fit in their underground parking (because of all our stuff secured on top), they charged us more to park next door! Unfortunately many of the tourist destinations seem to take advantage of the “wealthy” visitors that come (like when we had to pay US $35 for two medium Domino’s pizzas in Puerto Vallarta! “Just because we can” is what they said about why it was so much.) By then it was very late, so we walked next door for a quick dinner at a restaurant owned by Walmart called Vips, a Denny’s, Mexican style. Then we all went to bed. When I woke up at 2:30 am with Aaliyah, I heard (faintly) music from a discotheque across the street that was still thumping, and when I looked out the window, there was plenty of traffic on the road still- crazy town! After breakfast at Vips the next morning, we took off. We had a little bit of a bad taste in our mouth for Acapulco because of the craziness and the parking fiasco. We were also anxious to progress in our journey because we are a little tired of living out of the car. You wouldn’t believe how filthy it is. The kids’ snacks and drinks are spilled all over in the back- smashed bananas, mushy crackers, sticky juice. I think there is mold growing- and yes, I do clean it out every morning before we leave. But then they eat and drink in it all day long. As soon as we get to Costa Rica I’m going to get it detailed! We came into Acapulco on the poor side of town, and left on the wealthy side (near the airport), and it was quite a contrast. It is really a very beautiful city, built right into the hills around a beautiful bay. It is somewhere I would visit again, but next time I would fly in! Our plan was to pass through Pinotepa Nacional and to stay at Puerto Escondido. As we neared Pinotepa Nacional we stopped to fill up at the Pemex gas station (they have the monopoly in gas in Mexico). We asked if they take credit cards, because we had no cash, dollars or pesos. They did accept cards, so we filled up and the total came to $599 (pesos, remember). We gave them our card and…it was rejected. We just used it for breakfast two hours earlier. Now what do we do? I remembered an emergency credit card I had in my wallet, so I went to look for it in the car (while holding Aaliyah and sweating in the 94 degree humid heat, with Kyah screaming that she wanted to watch a movie—on the DVD player that is not working AGAIN!—and Parker saying that he needed to go poop). I soon began to worry because my wallet was nowhere to be found. Greg then reminded me that I took it into the Bodega in Ixtapa (two days ago) to buy snacks and drinks—and that was the last time we saw it. So now what, no cash, no credit cards, nothing! With visions of my credit card being stolen and all the money in our bank gone (our bank puts a freeze on the card when large or suspicious purchases are made), and being stranded in Mexico, wondering how I would call my mother for help, we gave Greg’s cell phone to the gas station for collateral and told them we would drive into town to try and withdraw money from the ATM, and I wanted to get on our online banking to see if there was activity I didn’t recognize. We found an ATM in Pinotepa, and Kevin and I waited nervously in the car while Greg went to use it. He climbed back in the car and said, “Well, I claim this seat to sleep in. It reclines!” He was just joking, he was able to pull cash out, go back and pay for our gas, and when we checked our account online at the Internet café, there was no unusual activity. I still don’t know where my wallet is though. Perhaps someone will mail it back to the states. Livin’ the Dream, Baby!