Day 1
Its not feeling like a real vacation yet.
We have raised our kids to love the beach. Apparently any beach will do.
It was supposed to take 4-4 1/2 hours to get to our beach destination. It took 7 1/2, including at least 3 wrong turns (and realistically more).
Our limited Spanish is way easier to get by on in Magdalena than at the border between Guate and Mexico. Muy frustrado! Yet we made it safely!
I really don't like black sand! I was spoiled by my years on the white beaches at Fort Morgan. Little boys and black sand equals black boys. :(
Sunsets are gorgeous no matter the country, as long as you can see them!
90 plus degrees is wonderful after a long freezing winter. It's not nearly as appealing after a 65-75 degree "winter". My children disagree. I'm fine with that.
Interesting. On 2-lane highways in Mexico, it is common courtesy to merge to the berm of the road to let faster cars pass you. What a smooth concept. I highly recommend this practice to the rest of the world.
Fact: Three and five year old boys with no naps cannot be expected to last more than 4 hours on the road before having total melt-downs.
Taking a family who loves the beach for less than a 24 hour visit is not recommended, especially after a 7 1/2 hour stressful car ride. They will proceed to make logic for staying an additional day. And never give up. The parents, who are the reason these children love the beach, will give in easily...especially if it means putting off border crossing one more day.
Staying at a place, where running out of water is NOT a worry, is heavenly!
Adding to that, staying in a place with no flies is also heavenly.
Sometimes, just getting away can give you a whole new perspective on life. Life just makes more sense.
I realized how tall my big boys are getting. As I stood on the beach tonight, I was starting to feel a bit short. They are not allowed to grow up like this!
Vacations are for reminding moms why they wanted to have kids so desperately...after the long car ride.
Thank you Jesus for seven beautiful blessings!
Day 2
Black sand is incredibly hot. I almost cried running on it. Reagan did.
The waves are ginormous in Mexico. Bigger than my kids are used to.
We were the only ones on the beach several times.
If you need drinking water, don't wait until after dark when most of tiendas are closed. Kids get grouchy when they're thirsty. Adults too.
Day 3
Leaving earlier than on the way there for the long trip home doesn't help get you home earlier.
After 6 months of living in Guate and never getting stopped at a check point, it took five minutes on the road in Mexico to be stopped for a bribe...in the name of "no seat-belt".
After 6 months of living in Guate and never getting stopped at a check point, it took five minutes on the road in Mexico to be stopped for a bribe...in the name of "no seat-belt".
It is possible to drive across the border from Mexico to Guate without anyone stopping you and asking for your passport. Of course, this results in having to return and go through the whole border passing process a second time so you CAN get your passports stamped (the reason for the trip in the first place). We are that dumb.
Three signs to know there is a speed bump in the road. 1) People standing beside them on the road selling food 2) vehicles passing over them in front of you 3) or you pass over it full-speed causing squeals from all the passengers in your car.
Home is where your heart is. So it was sweet coming home even if it's not that for long.
Los topes (the speed bumps) in Mexico are one of the only manners in which traffic (and speed) are somewhat controlled. I had to laugh when we passed by a father and young son who had painted bright stripes on one of the topes. They were standing in the middle of the road next to it between two lanes of traffic, hands held out in expectation of a few pesos in payment for their service to drivers!
ReplyDeleteYes, we saw the same idea several times on that trip. What a clever way to make some money, right?
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