Food, national holidays and history

Yesterday we visited the Slow Food Market in Mérida. It is a small market that is found on Ave Colon and Ave Reforma (Calle 72) and is open Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Some interesting food stalls and music. We enjoyed it a bought a quiche and some veggies. Very gringo-esque but nice to be able to speak some English with other people :) We are learning a lot of Spanish, but far from being in any way competent...

Herman made a short video of the live entertainment:

Tomorrow is May 1st and together with many countries all over the world, Mexico is celebrating Labour Day. In Mexico it is a compulsory national day of rest and most stores and all schools will be closed.

Its origin was an ancient European spring festival, which reminded me that I was in a musical in elementary school called May-Day in Welladay, which is about this ancient celebration.

However the current labour day celebration was as a result of the 8 hour movement who advocated 8 hours to work and 8 hours to rest.

Friday is Cinco de Mayo, which is not celebrated much in this region, however it is a big day in Pueblo where they celebrate the victory over Napoleon III. It is not actually Mexican independence day as some people believe.

Mexican Independence from the Spaniards is celebrated on September 16. It commemorates not the day when independence was declared but when Miguel Hidalgo cried out against the Spanish oppression in the small town of Dolores and is referred to as the "Cry of Dolores" of 1810.

From Villahermosa to Mérida

The drive from Villahermosa to Campeche was nice and peaceful. We crossed several bridge over large bodies of water along the Gulf of Mexico.

We went through small towns that were charming and stopped at Atasta where we were taken in by this peaceful town along the water. After a nice break we travelled through Ciudad Del Carmen, which is one of the most beautiful stretches of beach and clear water we've seen. A marine and land protected area carries on for miles. We were stopped twice by the Federales to check the ownership of our vehicle and to check us out. These police officers speak English and in all our visits to Mexico they have always been helpful, friendly and professional.

After spending our memorable night at the San Sebastian Hotel, we left shortly after a great breakfast heading towards Merida on the newly built 180. The lights along the highway seem to be aluminum poles with LED lights that are solar powered, which I thought was exciting.

When we were travelling over the past couple of weeks we realized how alone we were and it heightens the feeling of homesickness. When we did this 21 years ago, we had our small family with us and it was somehow better because of that. This time, we do not have to make it work to keep our young children alive, but we have to deal with that immense sense of being just us. Not even being able to communicate freely with people around us definitely makes this experience more difficult.

When we crossed into the Yucatan state from the state of Campeche, we were jubilant.

Arriving in Merida on Tuesday morning, felt like coming home. It was amazing to see places we recognized. Especially when we realized that the room we are renting, is only a few blocks away from the Zoo we enjoyed so much on a previous visit! It is a bitter sweet feeling of "being home" but not near anyone we love. Most of the spring flowers are in full bloom.

Homeland Monument on Paseo De Motejo

Right now, we have a lot of boxes to check; register with immigration, get cell phone number, view potential properties, etc. It keeps us on a level of stress that we can definitely do without, but it is also the feeling of the unknown that makes it exciting.

We are visiting the local parque de las Americas at least twice a day. It has so many things happening every day, including several outdoor sessions of Zumba, which I plan to participate in next week. We are getting to know this neighbourhood really well and have found a grocery store we like, but still need to find one that sells really good wine.

 Parque de las Americas

We are happy and enjoying the freedom we have and looking forward to settling down in our new home (as soon as we find it).

In limbo

We drove out to Chabihau where there was a house we were interested in. This small fisherman's village is along the Gulf of Mexico, East from Progreso. It was hit hard by a hurricane a few years back and the closest houses to the ocean were wiped out at that time. The drive there was pretty through the usual Yucatan dense low vegetation. From the 180 we headed North on a single lane highway. There are small outlets on either side for cars to pull off for oncoming traffic. The road was pretty busy, but everyone is courteous and we arrive at the small village without incident.

Before you enter the town, there is a lagoon on either side of the road. This area is known for its flamingos and nearby there is a natural sanctuary for these birds.

 We parked the car and took a walk on the beach.

Some of the houses were clearly still damaged, but it was shocking to think that an entire row of houses had disappeared and that the town was now one street smaller. The force of a hurricane was unimaginable on a clear day like this.

The town was small, but really lovely and clean. We liked the town and met some really nice people who invited us into their home for some local coco frio which is a delicious cool creamy ice cream made with coconut. If we didn't find our house two days after this visit, we would have bought a house here and stayed. We had a lovely time driving to this quiet town and then headed back to our rental in Mérida using the coastal road through Progreso. It is a lovely paved road along the coast going through all the small villages along the way.

Once home, Xena went back to doing what she loves...

 Herman cuts up some veggies for dinner...

These little orange fruits fall to the ground and Xena loves eating them.

One of our regular visitors is this little lizard in the tree and he often comes into our room. So far they have been too quick for Xena to catch and I am sure it will stay that way.

Most of the time, we study Spanish, walk to the park or sit in the garden. Xena sleeps or runs around chasing lizards, "catching large scary leaves" and eating little orange fruits that fall from the palm tree outside our room.  Most of all we miss our kids. We are bored and cannot wait to move into our new house. So much to do once we get there!

Dancing in the park

This week we had two afternoons and nights filled with lovely rain and thunderstorms. The weather that followed was downright frio and I almost had to wear a sweater!

When we walked to the park tonight, there were some young girls dressed in beautiful hoop dresses and some young men in tuxedos. They were part of a dancing presentation held in the outdoor theatre.

The park was filled with people as usual. Just another night in the local park. Beautiful music, lots of food and lovely entertainment. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me. 😧

I also had my first candy floss in Mexico!

All in all a lovely end to another week here in Mérida.

Monday is our appointment at the immigration office for fingerprints. Checking off one box at a time!

Finding a house

When we left Canada, we had a list of properties that we wanted to see. Once we got here, we scaled that back to two properties that we really liked, because it was getting difficult to get some of the agents to set up visits.

When we saw these two houses again, only one was what we wanted and since this was our second time seeing the property we made an offer. This offer was not accepted by the home owner, so I decided to visit a few more real estate sites.

Once I figured out the difference between searching for USD prices versus Mexican pesos, it became quite clear that when working with local sellers, making offers in Mexican currency works better. We found a local real estate agent who was very helpful last time when we visited Mérida and we found a second one this time. So far our experience with the real estate agents were either super responsive and helpful or not responsive at all. The agents were very informative about the properties and the process for non-citizens. Having different real estate agents give you the same summary of the process boosts your confidence that the information is accurate. It also helped a lot that they were fluent in English. Herman also had a good understanding of the process after all the research he had done, so all in all we didn`t feel too stupid.

Here is the process:

• When you like a property, you make a verbal offer, then email or text that offer to the agent who then shares that with the seller. The seller either accepts or makes a counter offer. It is expected that the offer will come in slightly under the asking price.
• When or if accepted, you sign a contract for promise of purchase, which your lawyer reviews once the seller has signed.
• You then have 5 business days to pay a 10% deposit. This deposit can be held by your lawyer, but it is more likely that the owner gets the deposit directly.
• The deed, title and plans of the property all have to be updated and submitted to the lawyer. Some delays in getting the plans reviewed by the municipality can be expected when you are not in a large city like Mérida, but in Mérida this takes about a week.
• The lawyer sets up the fideicomiso (which is required for property within 50km of a border or the beach, purchased by non-citizens).
• The purchaser pays a purchasing tax (dependent on the Municipality it is between 2 and 4%), the lawyer`s fee (around $1800 CDN) and the fideicomiso fee (around $2000 CDN).
• There is an annual property tax (varies between municipalities but very little) and an annual fedeicomiso fee (around $600 CDN). 
• All the paperwork is handled by the seller, realtor and the lawyer.
• The realtor transfers the electrical and water ownership to the new owner`s name.
• The buyer`s interests are covered by a very clear and understandable contract which makes the sale null and void if any of the documents are not accurate.

Keep this in mind as an expat: Similar to Canada, the house is evaluated for tax purposes. However, if you and your spouse both die and your heir(s) (if non-residents) decide to sell the property, they will have to pay 35% of the original purchase price in capital gains tax, which makes the offer price here much more important; especially in properties at higher prices.

We looked at several properties and found a few that we were really interested in. (There were quite a lot more in our price range once I altered my search methods.) I found one that was amazing and new and not in the middle of the busy city - you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince - or in this case our dream house. We are happy to say that we have signed an offer to purchase and will hopefully have our house by June. Our closing date is 60 days from date of offer and can be extended if any of the paperwork is delayed due to an outside party. If everything moves faster, the closing date can be earlier. (Once we have the house officially in our names, I will post some pictures.)

Things are falling into place and emotionally the roller coaster is continuing. BUT we are getting closer to our intent of living a simpler life and already I am so much more relaxed and have not once even lost my temper. Honestly I have had to tell Herman to relax a few times. Score!

Figuring things out...

Down in the dumps

One week into arriving in Mérida, and we both hit a low. It was Sunday and things had not been going as planned with the house hunting. We had to revisit the immigration office again with more changes to our forms; our lack of Spanish. We are stuck in the room with no outside to speak of. We are struggling to speak or understand and we both just felt sorry for ourselves. Herman also had a stomach bug which made him tired and sleepy. I was sitting reading and lethargic and missed the kids. Why did we come here again...?

We expected this; it's a normal thing when you start over in a new country and have to figure things out. Add to that the language barrier and it's definitely not easy. But we had a good night's sleep and Monday things were better again.

Easter is one of the biggest holidays in Mérida (all of Mexico) and on Palm Sunday the patrons of the church were carrying palm leaves to symbolize the palm leaves that were thrown on the street for Jesus. It is amazing to see that Easter is a religious holiday here. No Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs. Such a nice change. The schools are closed for two weeks and many parents are on vacation as well.

Immigration

Should it be this simple?

Our experience with INM has been amazing. The staff have been super helpful and even though we were only successful in obtaining an appointment after our third visit, it was a positive experience. Celebratory drinks are served!

I guess having worked in government in Canada, made me accept the requirements easier that those who hate the steps that is required by governments. Ultimately their system works really well and considering how long it took for us to get approval to immigrate to Canada, we are super happy with a one month period for switching from a temporary visa to temporary residents' cards in Mexico. Next step fingerprints and fotos.

There is an internet cafe (Fl@sh) on the corner of Calle 35 and 82 in Mérida where you can get the paperwork filled out online and printed with the help of a young Canadian who opened a business a block away from the INM office. He also has the ability to print the fotos needed for the application's second step..

Walking the dog

A real gringo thing to do here by the way. In our boredom on Sunday we decided to try out a new park where we can walk the dog. On our way there Xena was almost killed by a doberman who escaped from her front yard. Luckily for us Xena is seriously fast and Herman was seriously brave and chased the dog away! Out of breath and shaky we proceeded to the park only to find out it was closed on Sundays.

It made me remember that in South Africa, same as in Mexico, people do not usually walk their dogs and if they do, they are seldom on leash. Anyway, that was back in 1996, which means it could have changed. But dogs are animals here and not really seen as the member of the family as they are in Canada. They sleep outside and guard the house. Their exercise is from running around outside in the enclosed yard. If they get out, they usually come home again or you chase them down threatening bodily hard until they return. Just some tiny differences between cultures.

Shopping

Water, veggies and fruits, food: stores, markets and filling stations.

As in Canada, everyone here drinks bottled water. There are automatic filling stations along the road where you can pay a few dollars and fill your 1, 5 or 20 litre bottles or you can go to the corner/grocery store and get a replacement. Coca Cola is king though and large pop bottles are 2.5 litres - not the usual 2 we are used to in Canada. There is no Diet Coke, but Coke Light and Coke sin sucre.

Vieggies and fruit stores are everywhere and there are also local markets where you can buy really fresh local produce for a steal. Grocery stores sell everything you could want including alcohol, toiletries and clothes, however their fresh produce is often not as great as the fresh markets. The cheese and milk is different from Canada, but still really tasty.

Getting gas for the car was a shocker. The fuel price here is really high since it's been privatized. We paid more to fill our car here than in Canada, which we did not really expect.

House hunting

When we were here a couple of years ago, we looked at some real estate and saw two houses that we really liked and was in our rock bottom price range. When we saw them again this weekend, we were not so impressed with one of them anymore. The other houses on our list were also not what we really wanted. Except for the one, which we made an offer on, however probably not what the owner wanted, we have to consider finding something different. We are waiting to hear from the owner about our offer and we are hoping to see two more properties this week. One seems too good to be true; let's hope not.

Daily life

We are in a routine now: getting up early, checking online accounts, walking the dog in the local park and then off to do the one item we want to complete today. When we return we check for property for sale and contact agents. Have a light snack and a beer. Nap in the afternoon (Herman) or read (Denise). Make dinner and walk the dog again in the local park. Read/learn Spanish (Denise)/watch tv (Herman). Pretty much what we are doing right now. Once we have the house and the acceptance of an offer, there will be lots of paperwork to do and new hoops to jump through, but we will get 'er done.

Getting a cell phone in Mexico

So we finally went to Telcel and got our number in Mexico. We walked for about 45 minutes in 40 degree midday heat to get to the client services location. Not sure anymore why we didn't just drive, but sweat was pouring down Herman's shirt. Everyone who works there was dressed in suits and here we walk in, speaking only English. The girl at the counter asked us to wait when she realized we could not speak Spanish and found someone who could help us in English. He was super helpful and explained to us that until we have our residents' cards pay-as-you-go would probably be easier and was not more expensive. Definitely not compared to Canadian cell rates!

We paid $15 for a new SIM card and connection fee, which includes unlimited calling and texting in Mexico, US and Canada plus 150MB data for a week. When we reload for 45 days, we will renew at the max plan for $45 which will include unlimited calling and texting in Mexico, US and Canada plus 2500MB data plus 1500MB data  just for fb, Twitter and Wattsapp.

Not too bad at all! Considering that the entire Paseo De Montejo has a Wi-Fi corridor, and all local public parks have free Wi-Fi access we are set to communicate!

San Sebastian Hotel

The best kept secret in Campeche!

The property described in this blog is for anyone who prefers excellent hosts in a quiet tranquil setting while being completely relaxed, but have to keep an eye on a budget.

On our last day on the road we left Villahermosa and headed towards Campeche. I did not want to struggle through traffic to stay downtown and I further realized the high cost of some of the hotels in this popular city along a beautiful turquoise stretch of ocean and pure white sandy beaches.

I started using Booking.com when we found the hotels in Veracruz and Villahermosa, so I decided to try my luck again; what a great decision!

After listing a few hotels that allow dogs at astronomical costs per day, I noticed a sentence below stating: "If you are flexible..." I scrolled down the page and found two resort-like properties and the one I picked this one for the simple reasons that they welcome dogs and someone could speak English. After further investigation I noticed it was literally one minute off the 180 towards Merida. Big bonus points for that. The the price was $30 USD per day for a room excluding meals and drinks, The hotel is in a quiet rural setting on a large property, with a large pool, each room has its own bathroom, and is air conditioned. Since the temperature was at 42 degrees Celsius, this was a definite plus. So I made the credit card free booking. One note of caution: they only accept cash; local Pesos preferred.

We found the location without incident and were we ever impressed! This hotel has a large reception area - similar to a small resort - with a palm leaf thatched roof. They serve your meals in this area and you can sit and relax with some drinks. It is a good idea to order what you want before you arrive - they will buy any drinks for you and add it to your bill.

There are 8 rooms with bathrooms and a large double bed, and 3 additional rooms separately from the main building, with 2 double beds each. There are two large palapa structures that can be used for entertainment or just to relax next to the pool. You pay extra for meals and drinks. The hostess prepares the meals and the food was great.

For those who are spiritually minded; one of the newer structures currently under construction is going to be an aromatherapy sauna type hut of which the entrance and exit are placed in a north south direction, which is symbolic for cleansing your mind and soul.

The property is large and enclosed by a wall with a gate that is closed at night and there is a very large structure as big as a barn where they locked up our vehicle overnight. (This would be perfect for any adventure bike riders travelling through this state. The barn is big enough if you need to do any repairs.)

Our dog ran off leash and was happier than I had ever seen her. She was allowed everywhere off leash, and even stole the cat's food once - the second time she got slapped and learned her lesson. I could truly relax.

The Owners and Tourist Host

The owner, Marrio Muradio Ruiz and his wife Aida Rosa Ortegon are excellent company and Marrio is a veterenarian. Their hospitality was outstanding and when we asked for anything they would head off to buy it. It would be really helpful to add any preferences in the initial email with the booking to save them some running around.

They employee a tourist host, Sergio du Jesus Rios Chi, who was the person who spoke English and is an exceptional addition to this hotel's staff. He is Mayan and is extremely proud of his heritage and knowledgeable about the region. Plan to stay for a few days and ask Sergio to arrange some personal tours for you to the small town of Tenabo, or the Kanki ruins, where he was born. Sergio is a young man who studied tourism at university and is also active online.

To contact this hotel:
981 11 7 92 18
981 11 7 74 91
Av. Jacinto Canek S/N Tenabo, Campeche
or book it through
Booking.Com
International #: 52 981 819 4664
Email: romimerodio@hotmail.com
Hotel San Sebastian Tenabo

Going East

We left Veracruz early this morning as the sun rose over the Gulf of Mexico. We had a wonderful time there and as usual the service was excellent. I can understand why so many people stay there. Seeing the water first thing is always thrilling and we have missed it since we left our home in Port Elizabeth 21 years ago.

We made it onto highway 180 towards Villahermosa without incident and the toll road was not too bad, but expensive. Once we turned onto the toll road towards Cancun and Mérida, the road was really great. We made the turn at the gulf and were finally heading east. We saw the first directional sign for Mérida and Cancun and felt like our new home was within reach, but we decided not to rush it, to slow down and enjoy the trip.

We made good time and got to our hotel an hour earlier than planned. We are staying in the Ritz Tabasco which is on the busiest street right in downtown Villahermosa, but as usual Herman was a champion driver. Don't let the name fool you, it is a small inner city hotel, but exceptionally clean with wonderful staff. We booked this one online and the price was perfect.

With the car locked up behind the hotel in a secure garage, we set off to find some green space for the dog. She is getting used to Mexico and in the 37 degree heat she was breathing heavily and standing quietly under the shade of a tree, just taking in the scene without any nervousness. Herman was in his happy place. After seeing him so happy on the beach yesterday I was glad to see he enjoyed the busy little square with all the activity just as much. It's the heat he craved and it is super hot. I don't mind it as much as I expected to and feel great being in a busy Mexican city. So many shoes; why don't I have any room in the car?

The church at the square was packed for mass. We bought a pineapple freezy made right there in a blender, with ice and pineapple pieces . This province produces lots of pineapples, so they are everywhere. In The State of Veracruz, there were orange groves everywhere and we bought a litre of freshly squeezed orange juice at one of the "topehs". The juice and freezy were both delicious simply because it was so fresh. "Topehs" are the severe speed bumps that are all over Mexico to prevent speeding in populated areas. Very effective, but if you miss slowing down for one you could be replacing your vehicle's suspension, exhaust system, and possibly some other essential item like a radiator too.

It is Sunday, so many businesses closed early and we missed the hotel's restaurant open time. We bought some grilled chicken and salad from one of the stores on our street and ate in our room. Earlier today Herman had bought a small bag of "chirros". Yummy deliciousness.

I will take more pictures. I will take more pictures.

Border crossing

We  were woken by the dog barking at 4:30 am. She was restless all night and Herman didn't sleep well either. We were both restless because we were crossing into Mexico. The person in the room above had a dog and it sounded like they were playing ball, or building a small house. I decided that it was too early to get going, so I got Xena to go back to sleep. We woke again at 6:30 and got ready to leave. We had some coffee and packed the car, checked all the paperwork we needed and by 8:00 we were on our way.

We drove down the highway and took the wrong exit. Luckily we could reconnect 2 minutes later and followed the GPS and signs in Brownsville, Texas to the International Bridge.

Within minutes we passed some US customs vehicles and then we were stopped at a small booth to pay $70 pesos. We crossed a very short bridge. Following the cars in front of us we zig-zagged past some concrete barriers and were driving in what seemed Mexico. We kept going, thinking that we would find a sign for customs, but it became clear that we were in fact in downtown Matamoros. We pulled over and searched for the "aduana" on the GPS and the directions took us 30 km NW to an abandoned lot.

I wanted to just drive on but Herman said that it was important that we get our temporary import sticker for our vehicle.,.so we headed back to Matamoros. We laughed because Herman is usually the "cutter of corners", so to speak, and I joked that he would make Cindy proud.

Our dilemma is that we do not yet have a Mexican phone and will probably only have one in Merida, so there is no way we can do any online searches without Wi-Fi. We are so used to being connected... We also haven't yet bought a printed map.

Luckily I have my iPad with me and we could look at the basic Google map to figure out where we thought we would cross the border. Herman recognized the other crossing from his Google street view research before we left home, and we figured out where we had to be, so we headed in that direction.

We drove back to the Mexican/US border and after receiving directions from one of the Mexican security guards in the parking lot just before the border, we managed to make a "retorno" before we had to enter the US gates again so that we could enter the Mexican customs area where we would have entered to register our vehicle and ourselves.

We were super happy with the friendliness and helpfulness of the people working in the customs office. The required documents and rules are typical government, which is similar to what we do in Canada as well, but we figured it out and paid and registered our vehicle. Our insurance policy was accepted and we were again on our way; this time with the coveted registration sticker on the front window.

We cheered and giggled after a stressful halfday heading into Mexico. Our next destination Tampico.

Hotel Suites Mediterraneo Veracruz

What an amazing place to stay! It has small apartments right across the beach with its own pool and restaurant on site. They also deliver to your room - for those of us who have a pet and don't want to leave her alone too long...

The staff here are super friendly and helpful and the rooms are clean and large. Television, large fridge and microwave. Free Wi-Fi, so I can update the blog. Here is the link to their site: www.suitesmediterraneo.com/

Here are some pictures:

Accommodation fun

We drove from the border to Tampico to spend the night. We did some searched online and identified that there were very few hotels who allowed pets in Tampico, but we had the address of the Comfort Inn in our GPS and after a really long drive, we arrived in another very busy metropolis. First the GPS directed us to turn left into a triple lane one-way. After that we ended up in a residential area and again it directed is left into oncoming traffic. We pulled over and searched for the Best Western, which I remembered was on a main highway, and also indicated a pet friendly policy.

On our way there, we noticed the Hampton Inn and took a chance, but no luck with pets. It was around 6:00pm and we did not want to struggle around in the dark, so we pulled over again, and searched for motel accommodation. In 4km there was one, so we headed that way. This time making no wrong turns and finding it within 15 minutes. As we drove in there was a small booth at the gate, so the place looked secure. They did not blink at us asking if the dog can stay, and said yes.

However, as soon as we entered and was asked how many hours we would be staying, and noticed that each room had a garage, Herman said: "This is a Mexican hotel for sex." I was still excited about having my own locked garage, so didn't really think much when the reception smiled widely when Herman indicated we wanted to stay the entire night!

This was super hilarious considering that we would have slept in the car, but ended up in a posh hotel with mirrors everywhere, an innovated circular dumb waiter for deliveries and probably the cleanest hotel we have seen ever. Loved the tiles on the floors - which is everywhere and just awesome to not have carpets!!

We haven't eaten since the previous night, but we were not even hungry.We did some research about our next destination trying to fin a pet friendly hotel in Veracruz, and found they had lots - if we can believe the internet...

Driving in Mexico

Driving in Mexico means that you are focused ALL the time. Inside the cities there are a lot of people, cars, bikes, motorbikes, buses and a lot of things are happening at the same time. Driving there while looking for a place, is extremely difficult and Herman is absolutely amazing at it.

We left Matamoros and drove on an exquisite road to Tampico with mountains in the distance. Really nice views and very few cars and lots of transport trucks, but overall pretty quiet.

The GPS maps we purchased for Mexico are adequate, but they did not totally get the one-ways right in Tampico.

On "Throat Punch" Thursday we left our hourly motel on the designated hour and it was still dark outside. Herman wanted to got to an ATM to get some cash and we followed the GPS up a dark road and ended up turning into a one-way. Herman immediately realized, stopped and turned back to the right street to continue. Unfortunately, there was a cop car quietly driving along which immediately turned on its lights. He came to the window and indicated that he was going to ticket us for the infraction. We both said OK, and then he asked where we were headed. Herman said we were looking for an ATM. After some broken Spanish and lots of hand signals, we understood that we were to follow them. They drove us to the ATM in town. After some serious negotiation and demanding to go to the police station, Herman ended up paying the two cops $140 pesos. We did not get an official ticket, but we did pay a fine, which was not too much overall.

The rest of the morning was absolutely the worst driving conditions we had ever seen. We paid $300 pesos in toll fees throughout the day and until just after lunch, Herman had to dodge potholes that looked like the ramps in Ottawa for 300 km without fail. In the afternoon about 100 km outside Veracruz, the road condition was good again and the scenery immaculate. At the last turn we made a major mistake and took the wrong exit going through the most expensive toll booth of the day twice in 10 minutes. Luckily there are "retornos" on the highways, so you don't have to go forever once you go the wrong way.

In Vercruz, the GPS directions worked well and we found an awesome pet friendly resort type hotel: Hotel Suites Mediterraneo. I think we will chill here for an extra day to give the driver a well deserved break. Bring on a meal and a beer!

Travelling with Xena

When we decided to bring our dog to Mexico, we did not hesitate. After all it is not as if she is large and scary. Xena is a spoiled min pin aged almost 3 and is used to be in the car. She is great outside and friendly with other dogs and people, but she's not sure about small children. She absolutely hate hats, distrusts sunglasses...so anyone in uniform is usually something she wants to attack.

Getting the dog's paper work from the vet was painful and expensive. I had to time it just right for our departure, but we had no other options. Dogs have to have a Rabies Certificate for the US and Mexico and a Medical Health Report for Mexico as well.

My big concern was how she would behave at the US border, so I took some peanut butter as a snack which makes it almost impossible to eat and bark at the same time. Worked really well!

Another thing to consider is that you cannot eat in restaurants, cannot go into shops together, someone always has to stay with the dog. Not such a big deal but can be inconvenient.

We crossed into the US without incident and stayed at KOA or Motel 6 without any issues. She was a great dog to have along and behaved well. She started to get a little out of sorts after the second night and seemed to take on a role of protector. She was not loud; she just seemed to stop sleeping unless we were sleeping (at night only) and would not even put her head down in the car.

When we stopped she was fearful of the loud noises made by the trucks and buses. Herman was great with this and figured that taking her off to the side and just away from any activity calmed her down. Of course at night and in the morning at the rooms we stayed in, she would eat and drink as usual and adapted well to different food, but would watch the door until we were in bed.

What we didn't know, was that we would have a difficult time to find a place to stay our first night in Tampico. No one allowed pets! We tried Best Western, Hampton Inn and Comfort Inn; two of these hotels advertise online that they do allow pets. In fact the only place that allowed a dog was an hourly motel. That's another story LMAOROF.

So far she met a few friends in Mexico who were blissfully unaware of the fact that they were off leash, and mostly when Xena approached them, they would run away. Yesterday she scared off a German Shepherd at a gas station. But we keep a close eye in case the other dogs realize that she is only 1 foot high!

Now that we are in Veracruz, taking a break at the beach in a small apartment, she is happy and her usual self. Here there are a lot of hotels who are pet friendly and we found an awesome place: Hotel Suites Mediterraneo right on the beach!

Xena is a rockstar of a dog and I will travel with her anytime.