On the Road in the US...

We stayed at the KOA outside Louisville in a Camping Cabin. As usual the people in the office were friendly and almost everyone we met were retired; easy and attractive lifestyle of travelling through the US with a trailer. One boy came over to play with Xena and tell us about their imminent visit to the home of the Louisville Slugger factory. It was refreshing to see kids playing outside and getting excited about a visit to see how they made baseball bats; not just any bat, but still.

So far it is considerably warmer and traffic has been great. We are progressing well. We are driving through a lot of thunderstorms but have luckily avoided the tornadoes.

Nashville looked beautiful from the interstate but we just passed by and are taking a break tonight in West Memphis.

We travelled to Houston and so far have been lucky to avoid any serious storms. However, we decided to delay our departure this morning until a storm cell passed, which gave me time to update our  blog.

So far we have not made any videos because uploading videos take long and the free wi-fi in  motels is not conducive, but that's just an excuse, because we are not making videos... As a matter of fact we have hardly taken pictures. I will have to change that LOL.

Right now, sitting in the Motel waiting for the storm to pass and still aiming to cross into Mexico tomorrow.

Last supper and day one on the road.

We had dinner at my daughter’s apartment Friday evening. It was the best lasagna and conflicting emotions. We said goodbye and no hysterics but a profound sadness settled over me. Herman and I were both feeling the pressure.

Saturday morning Herman got up shortly after 5 in the morning and started loading everything in the car. We had so much stuff, but somehow he got everything in. Both our son and his partner were a big help, but I was bitchy and irritable and tried to leave the townhouse clean. I must have filled up another five garbage bags. We had a lovely breakfast at a local diner and said goodbye again. More emotions but finally we were off.

Crossing the US border was now the next hurdle. The drive was busy in pouring rain, but the feared crossing was normal. The customs officer just wanted to know why we would want to retire in Mexico, and then said: "Just go." In record time we were driving down the I95.

About an hour into the US, we both started relaxing and Herman said: “We are really doing it!”

We drove through a lot of rain and the temperature gradually started rising. We decided to stay in Medina, OH. After driving around for about 40 minutes to find the KOA only to find out it was closed for the season, we bought grilled chicken and salad and had a picnic. Our little dog, Xena, was a champion and was great all day. She was a little nervous in the Motel, but started relaxing during the night and we slept fitfully.

Last week before we leave

Get rid of house content - check.
Say goodbye to family and friends - mostly checked and ongoing.
Close bank account - check.
Change address - check.
Get pet medical clearance - booked.
Violin - check (poor Herman).
Countdown to departure: 4 days.

The last four days before we leave is a whirlwind of checklists. The biggest challenge is that our urgency is not anyone else's. Everyone else is still going to work and doing normal life stuff, but for us it is a matter of deciding having dinner with one friend means missing dinner with another, or maybe not saying goodbye to our son who is on the road most of the time.

Timing is important. You don't want to close an account until you have stopped direct debits, but you cannot cancel your insurance until you have new insurance in Mexico. Timing is everything!!

"Do we take a duvet or a sleeping bag?", becomes a discussion. So, we are packing, while living here for a few more days, while juggling when we return the house keys vs what we can pack in the car. In between we are delivering items to kids and friends of kids and hoping that we are not throwing anything away that we may need. Unlocking phones and setting up electronic mail is done between shuttles to the donation bin. Mostly everything becomes either a donation or a garbage item. It is really not difficult to do once you get going.

The best comment from Herman: "We really don't have a lot of things to pack in the car." Music to my ears because I thought we had too much. HeeHaw!

Three more days and we tried fitting everything in the car; and we did! Time for celebration. Off to the LCBO.

Saying goodbye

It is really difficult to say goodbye.

Over the past four weeks I have had to say goodbye to a lot of comforts and objects of some sentimental value, my children, family, friends, coworkers. On a scale of 1 to 10 the possessions are a definite -1. But people is a different kettle of fish.

I was touched by well wishes and reactions from people that I didn't realize I had impacted and each day I became more aware that I will miss a lot of people. People at work were amazing and if only I knew how great they would be...or maybe not.

The "A-Team" was amazing as usual; you know who you are and you have always been there for us. We love you guys!

Of course family goodbyes were very difficult, but every day is another day closer to when we  spend some quality time in Mexico.

Of course, since our children are here, we will come back for visits from time to time, and with all the invitations, we will definitely have to visit.

We woke up in paradise

I can probably write a book about or first vacation in the Yucatan, but I will spare you.

Our rental car had broken down, and we received excellent service from the rental agency in Cancun. We had to drive the car to the Plaza Americana, which was known to everyone in Mérida, which was a great adventure for us. We walked up and down Paseo de Monteja and were amazed at the beautiful architecture along the way. We realized that the people were helpful, friendly. We had an excellent lunch at a street cafe. What really surprised me, was the general attitude of caring for older people. We would walk through Progreso and see a teenager help an elderly lady to cross the street. It was interesting that this was impressive, when we come from the "advanced" society.

All I will say is that it was amazing and we thought we had died and gone to heaven. Our little house was on a beach. We had a grounds keeper who took great care of everything and we learnt how everything worked very fast even though everything moved at a slower pace. We had our own little piece of heaven and we were comfortable with it.

Our days were divided into getting up early, having fresh fruit outside on the porch, going to the market, making dinner together and every second day visiting another amazing tourist site which makes the Yucatan so popular.

We were taking each day at a time and Herman might have mentioned that this was where he wanted to retire. I loved the solitary existence - no big surprise - but moving here was not my vision at the time.

Getting to the vacation property

The Yucatan province is known for its cuisine. The capital of the province is Mérida. Our first Mexican vacation took us to Progreso which is about 45 minutes outside of the capical along the Gulf of Mexico.

As I explained previously, we flew to Cancun, where we would rent a car and drive to our rental home on the beach to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary.

Cancun airport is bustling with tourists on their way to resorts. Lots of tour operators are waiting outside to transport their passengers to hotels and many taxi drivers are around to help the visitors find their destinations. We had no problem finding our driver to our car rental agency and with our mini-phrasebook in hand we made it to our rental company about 10 minutes away from the airport. We rented a VW Cross Fox and received some rudimentary instructions to drive towards the toll road that will take us towards Mérida and ultimately Progreso. Our car had no GPS and no paper map.

Cancun's traffic is insane but Herman made it out onto the toll road and the signs were very clear. The toll road is a beautiful highway and because it is so expensive it is also devout of traffic. We drove the speed limit, fearing retribution from the local police should we put a foot wrong as suggested by fear mongers. We drove for two hours and the arrived at a rest stop where we got some coffee and something to eat. We were still very nervous; we securely locked the car and didn't leave our passports or deposit for the house out of our grasp. I was carrying my "fake wallet" rather than my real one, which was hidden somewhere in the depths of my backpack. True South African style is was leaving no zippers unzipped and holding on to my bag with white knuckles, keeping my bag on the side of the wall not the street...if you are not South African you will lose me just about now.

We sat down had the best cheese empanadas and cappuccino. No one spoke English. Of course we do not speak Spanish at all.

We drove another 2 hours and somewhere along the way our car had started to  make a really weird sound. It was now getting dark outside. Herman seemed to know exactly where he was going; I have no idea how, and did not ask at this stage. Usually I am the navigator but as I mentioned before I have no map, so we are relying on Google Map printouts we made before we left. Darkness had fallen and in rural Mexico, it is dark.

Our destination is the gas station as you enter Progreso, which is next to the grocery store and across from the Polices station. We have to meet the property manager who will have the key to our rental property and who will lead the way. Coming off the highway you enter the town over a bridge and the roads in the towns are mostly one way; one south, the next north, the next in and so on. The cross streets are the same - one west, one east. Of course we did not know this, so having passed the gas station, Herman made a u-turn and raced back up the road. Yes a one-way! We narrowly missed an 18-wheeler, and right in front of the Popo`s, he turns left into the parking lot of our destination. I do not know what they must have been thinking, but probably `crazy gringos`and since we did not kill ourselves or anyone else, they ignored us.

We arrived about 10 minutes late. According to our standards, this is disastrous. We are late. In Mexico. Somewhere. In the dark. I am envisioning taking turns standing watch while the other gets some shuteye. OK, maybe I dramatise but in my mind I am saying goodbye to my kids and blaming only myself for my tardiness.

Herman rushes into the store and in his non-existing Spanish asks the store manager if he can make a phone call. We do not have a  He tries to make a call to the cell number for the property manager. No luck - calling a number in Mexico is apparently an art. We sit in our vehicle and decide to wait. Good decision, about 15 minutes later the brown pickup that we were on the lookout for parked beside us and our extremely friendly property manager apologised for being late, because she had to pick up her daughter from school and her husband was driving the car, not wanting her to meet strangers alone in the dark. How completely normal.

Our love story with the Yucatan began.

In the beginning...

Anyone who knows Herman and I know that we love motorcycle touring. The freedom of riding on your own bike with only wind noise. Spending solitary time with your own thoughts and not planning ahead. There is nothing like it. It was no surprise then that we started thinking about taking a trip around the world and watched DVDs from Horizons Unlimited, or followed other adventure riders with the hope that we will one day do that too.

That was the plan more than 5 years ago - start saving and one day, pack up and leave.

On a fateful day about 6 years ago, we started talking about where we want to go for our 25th wedding anniversary. I was ready to book the all inclusive trip to Cuba that we always enjoy so much, but craziness overtook Herman and he suggested we rent a vacation home. No, of course not in Florida, one in Mexico! I think my mouth must have gaped, for who would want to vacation in Mexico in a house rental? Isn't that where people go to get shot? If you're not in a resort, will you not get pulled over and robbed? BY THE POLICE? WTF Herman?!

As persuasive as he is though, we decided that if you are African and survived 30 years of your life in South Africa, Mexico will be a breeze. So we booked a house on a beach somewhere along the Gulf of Mexico, just outside the Port of Progreso and flew to Cancun.