The long drive across mexico

not our favorite part of the trip.  There were two parts of the drive back home that we were less than excited to endure.  The multiple border crossings of central america was the first.  That one is behind us, and was honestly better than we expected. The drive across mexico from east to west was the second.  It's over 2500km and almost all without a beach.  Ouch.  Back in the states, that kind of mileage would take us from portland to Kansas... and we'd likely drive it in two days or less.

We figure the drive across mexico will take us 12-14 days instead.  Certainly doesn't help that we don't drive after dark, that our average speed is probably under 75km (45mph) and then there's the topes.  Fast we are not.  We are having a pretty good time however.  We've decided all the way along on this leg of our journey that we aren't as focused on the absolute cheapest option as we were during our trip south.  Rather than paying $20 to camp outside a hotel, we opt for the $30 to sleep and shower inside.  On this portion that means instead of winding side roads through towns with countless stops were hopping on the cuota (toll road).  It means instead of pulling off the highway to sleep in the gas station parking lot we find a nearby hotel to reduce stress and get a good nights sleep.

It will be interesting at the end of our journey to see how much those choices change our budget and spending for the trip...but it's certainly making our days happier and more enjoyable!

The highlight of the last few days has without a doubt been Merida.  It was our first time in the city and like most of the old colonial cities we've experienced in mexico we were pleasantly surprised.  The architecture is spectacular, the streets remarkably clean and the food is impossibly good.

We wandered in and out of a few shops admiring the handmade mayan goods, hit a fantastic restaurant for local food and watched a few performances after dark in the square.  We had a great time, slept well in our hotel bed and got an early start in the morning. A few days down- a few too many to go.