Traveling to Paradise

We drove a total of 2054 miles through thirteen states in six days.

Texas, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Estado de Mexico, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco, Hidalgo, Campeche and Yucatan.

We spent $303 USD in fuel and $395 USD in accommodations.

We spent $164 USD in tolls for the privilege of interstate type highways.

We left Midland in frigid 12 degree F. weather on January 11, 2011, the coldest temperature in Mexico was in Monterrey at 32 degrees F., arriving in Merida to a comfortable 82 degrees F. on January 16^th.

We passed through arid valleys, high mountain passes, small villages and bustling cities, fields of prickly pear, mountainsides covered with coffee plants, majestic volcanoes, lowland pineapple and banana plantations, marshes, salt grasses, and the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico.



Peña de Bernal



We ventured off the highway a few miles near Querétaro to see the colonial pueblo of Bernal. It was founded in 1642 and is dubbed by Mexico as a Pueblo Mágico. The Peña de Bernal is the 3rd highest monolith in the world. We had a hard time finding a hotel that would accept our little dog but finally found a place where a family had built a couple rooms behind their house that they were renting for the night. They were very clean and had a great view of the town. We walked into town in the evening and had a great meal and did some looking around.

Downtown Bernal





On the border between Puebla and Veracruz is ''Pico de Orizaba''. It is the highest peak in Mexico and the highest volcanoe in North America (18,619'/ 5675 meters). It is ''dormant'' but not extinct. The last time it erupted was in 1846.



The first road sign we saw with ''Mérida''




Sunset on Isla Aquada, Campeche


Of course, there's alot more that we saw and we have a ton of pictures. I'm sure Sara will be writing more about our trip in the future.

On our trip we never felt threatened in any way, never paid off a cop, and never witnessed any violence. Could it happen, yes, but we always felt perfectly safe. Bad things can happen anywhere any time. What we experienced were good roads, clean accomodations, and warm friendly people who love their families and their country.