Friday 12th November 2010….Viva La Mexico!!

Had a good sleep and was up at 6.15am and it was just getting light so off I went…

The border was so easy, no line-ups and the Immigration officer even filled out my Tourist card for me, I was through in maybe 20 minutes and that included a little detour I had to do because I was so silly and a couple of months ago applied for a permit for Ramona when I already had one, so I had to cancel the new one.  All I did was after I cleared Immigration did a U turn and went to the booth where you return the permit when you leave, I explained to the lady in broken Spanish and English how silly I was , she cancelled the permit another U turn and off I go!!!

Most of the roads I drove today were like this..

There was this one incident…

I had decided to drive until dusk so set cruise control at 57 m.p.h. and stopped a few times for breaks and the many Toll booths…

I spent 67 dollars on tolls today…wherever there is a toll road there is also a free(libre) road but these roads are slow and go through many little  dusty towns and lots of these

They call them topes and they are usually signed but sometimes not and if you hit one of these at speed goodbye undercarriage….So I have learned to always take the toll roads plus they also have The Green Angels patrolling the toll roads, they are like the old English AA or RAC, vehicles that will help you with break downs…

This is the team bus of the Culican Baseball team…

I like to drive and my GPS is

helpful and I also enjoy listening to my sports

When not listening to sports or CBC news I have it on this music channel

For those that remember one of my all time favourite songs is by Tim McGraw entitled “ Live like you were dying” a very moving song and it now appears that I hear this song at particularly interesting times in my life, well I had crossed the border about 2 hours when the song came on the radio!!

I was making good time and I had promised my friends and myself that I would not drive at night and when I took this

I knew it was time to find a Pemex gas station to spend the night and after 495 miles of driving I did find one and stopped for the night after asking permission and filling up with gas.

I feel very safe here and as luck would have it there was another motorhome parked here for the night.  This was the first RV I saw all day.  I went over and introduced myself to the couple and got invited in and had a chat for an hour, they are lovely and from Vancouver and going down to Puerto Vallarta for the winter.

So a good first day…I plan another long drive tomorrow and maybe  hit the little town of Rincon de Guayabitos where I plan to have a few days of beach…..

WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In hind sight I should have parked next to the other RV because I went and parked in the corner away from the traffic and I have just been robbed at gunpoint!!!!

I heard a knock on the door so I turned on the outside light and heard this voice shouting at me to open the door, I shouted back no and the next thing there is another man standing outside the small window by the sink he pushed in the screen and is aiming a gun at me and telling me to give him my money……..I remained very calm and told him OK OK my money is in the front so I grabbed the keys pulled in the slide went to the front where he was telling me to open the door so what I did was open the window a crack and threw him my wallet and I immediately started up and drove around the parking lot, I saw them leave in a black car at a fast speed, they were really only young men not scruffy and I have no idea if the  gun was not real BUT>>>>

One of the security precautions that I took this year was to order a new visa with a 500 dollar limit, bought a wallet put 200 pesos(20 dollars) in it and some old cards and kept it by the drivers side door and that is what they got…..not the 500 dollars I had gotten earlier in the day at the bank machine which is hidden in the RV….

I tried calling the emergency number of the police from the phone at the gas station but I could get no reply so I will try and report the crime tomorrow.

So after all these years of coming to Mexico this is the very first nasty incident and I just feel lucky that it could have been much worse..there was no way I was going to fight with a gun pointed at my head…..….I am now parked right behind the other RV .

I am surprised at myself and pleased that I remained calm I could have challenged them in the parking lot but what is the point, didn’t get the licence plate number nor really a good description..  ………I think a cup of tea is well earned!!!!

I know some of you will be alarmed and worried for me but now 2 hours after the incident I feel OK and just thankful that it went down the way it did the last time I had to face a similar situation was in the Police in Bermuda but that was a totally different scenario……

What a shame my first night this happens but it will not deter me from my journey but I guess tomorrow I should buy another throw away wallet…..blessings to all.

WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woke up at 5.30am and decided to do another long days drive, went to the drivers door and there under the wind shield wiper is my WALLET!!!!

 

The 200 pesos are of course gone but all the cards are intact including my credit card!!!!  I have no idea how it got there I don’t believe the punks had chance to go through it and ditch it whilst running to their car, did they come back?  What happened did the attendant find it in the bushes I have no idea all I know is that it is awesome that I don’t have to go through the hassle of reporting the card…so there is good news!!!

I will post later about todays drive but rest easy I am happy, safe and at my favourite beach town, parked 50 feet from the water safe and doing good!!!