Catemaco To Veracruz

We got away from the Hotel Tepetepan RV Park fairly early (before eleven is “fairly early” for us) and headed for Veracruz. It was a typical Mexican secondary highway, going through all the towns along the way. I actually prefer these roads to the cuotas which are the equivalent of Interstate Highways in the USA. You drive a lot slower but you get much closer to the people and you can watch them as they go about their daily lives and smell the food at the many roadside food stands. As a bonus, almost every kid we pass waves and smiles at us.

One smell that really hit us in the nose was the overpowering stink of a cattle feed lot we passed. We have passed these before and remarked how much better they smelled than the feed lots in the States but this one was the exception! It stunk!

Jim and Bonnie, a couple we have run into a few times down here gave us a tip on a shortcut to the Campamento El Rey RV Park just South of Veracruz. It was a great suggestion that saved us fifty or sixty kilometres of driving, much of it through congested areas.  Thanks Bonnie!

There was a caravan here when we arrived, the same one that got us kicked out of our spots in Isla Aguada, and they had taken up all but one very unlevel space. Claude and I nosed in to the beach at the end of the park and are surviving without water or sewer. We may be blocking some of their view but “tough”! A small payback for having us kicked out of our prime spots a few days ago! We ran extension cords to a couple of available outlets so we have some power although not high enough voltage to run much. I tested the voltage this morning and it was only 94 volts! It has come up a bit since then but is still hovering at around 100.

I had more trouble than usual finding the Starchoice signal. Maybe a result of the way too many beer, brandy, wine and scotches Claude forced me to drink last night! We decided to rest up today and explore Veracruz tomorrow.

We have had a couple of swims in the Gulf since we arrived yesterday and the water is extremely warm here. The outside temperature right now is 29 and the water is not much cooler than that! This is the warmest ocean water we have found yet. Just to think it was actually snowing in Veracruz in January! Well, back to the search for a place to hang my hammock. Life is good!

The car wash crew washing Claude & Danielle’s rig: