One of the prettiest campsites in Mexico

We were happy at the place we had stayed Wednesday night, and would have been prepared to stay another night. But Ruth and I had found a better spot just a couple of kms down the road. The sign at the entrance had said it was a community campground and it was 50 pesos per person to camp overnight. But there was nobody around and the gate was wide open. We had paid 200 pesos per rig where we were, so not only was the place down the road better... it was also cheaper.

We set off at 9:00am for what would be a very short driving day!

Yet another beautiful campsite in the mountains

We left the little ejido village of Tuliman right at 9:00am. Our host Josue insisted on leading us out of the area and up to the main road. Really nice people.

We were headed up to Mineral del Chico National Park.

An adventurous hike with waterfalls!

We hired Josue to take us for a hike into the canyon. He brought along Carlos, one of the local boys to bring up the rear so nobody got left behind.

Ten of us set off at 9:00am. We first went to the ridge of the canyon, and then walked the road down to the park entrance.

This is why we come to Mexico

9:30am start for the group yesterday after a great week in the Cholula/Puebla city area. But, it's time to get back into the countryside.

As I mentioned yesterday, the next couple of weeks are going to be interesting. Not many RV'ers to Mexico visit the region through which we are headed. As such, there aren't many official RV camping areas and we kind of have to wing it.

Not every day you see something like this. Especially here in Mexico!

Sundays are a great day to explore downtown Puebla... there is so much going on!

So yesterday morning at 10:30am, we ordered some Uber taxis and took the group downtown to central Puebla.

Bike ride in Puebla, and new dinette cushions for Sherman

(I posted February's expenses last night... you can read about it here... February Expenses.)

Eight of us set off at 9:00am yesterday for a bike ride into Puebla.

Puebla is a modern city of about 3 million people. It is located at an elevation of 7,000'. It's also one of the cleanest cities in Mexico... very little graffiti, and lots of green space. We purposely didn't go into the historical area itself since we are taking the group in there today. Plus, the "cyclopista" doesn't go into the central area.

February Expenses

Not a bad month, pretty much exactly as expected at $1,900 CAD ($1,415 USD).

We started the month in Cuernavaca and drove all the way to Ocozocoautla and back to Oaxaca so we actually did a fair bit of driving in February. So of course gasoline took up a fair chunk of our February expenses!

Steak for dinner!

It just occurred to me that I never published out February expense report... and I don't have time to do it now. We are headed out to do some cycling around Puebla this morning and we are leaving in 40 minutes... so this will be a quick post.

I'll get to the expenses later today.

We had to go to plan B

We had a van coming to pick us up at 9:00am to take us on a planned hike in the national park located between the two volcanoes.

The town of Cholula where the campground is located is at 7,000' altitude. The park where we were going is around 12,000' altitude, so it's a bit of climb by vehicle just to get to the trails.

This town doesn't get many tourists!

Great day for a hike.

But, it was a great day for other things as well because some of the group chose to go bike riding, and some took the Cholula trolley tour.

We set off with Bob and Denise at around 9:30am.

A great first day in Cholula

We really like this area. There is so much to see and do, and the weather is absolutely perfect in our opinion.

First thing we did was to walk the 2.5 kms or so to the Great Pyramid of Cholula. This is the largest pyramid in the world, built over a period of more than 1,000 years between 300 BC to 900 AD. When the Spanish came, they built a church on top of it, and they may not have even known it was a pyramid.

Mexico RV Caravan Travel Day - Oaxaca to Cholula

Long driving day yesterday as we made our way from Oaxaca city to the Puebla suburb of Cholula.

It's a distance of 369 kms (229 miles), and we had thought about taking the free road and breaking it into a two day drive, but due to a variety of reasons we chose to take the toll road and do it all in one shot.

Market day in Tlacalula

The Tlacalula market just east of Oaxaca city is a huge Sunday market that has been operating since before the Spanish arrived. Many of the indigenous people from the surrounding hills come here on Sundays to sell their goods and socialize.

A group of us hopped on the local bus at 9:00am to do the drive out to the town of Tlacalula.

Alebrijes and Cactus... more touring around Oaxaca City

Yesterday was another great day out touring for the group. We once again booked a van for the excursion and driver Omar showed up right on time for our 9:00am departure.

We headed directly to the alebrijes studio of Jacobo y María Ángeles located south of the city of Oaxaca in the town of San Martín Tilcajete.

Into the city of Oaxaca

There is so much to see and do around the city of Oaxaca that we haven't spent much time in the city itself. Ruth and I were here at the beginning of March 2013 when we spent a week or so in the city, but otherwise it has only been the surrounding area.

Friday, we went with some of the group into the city.

Hierve el Agua and Mitla Ruins

There is a lot to see and do around the Oaxaca city area, but a prime attraction is Hierve el Agua... that's why we keep returning there to show it off to some of the new people in the group. Also, Ruth and I have been there 4 times now and we never get tired of it... the scenery is simply beautiful.

We headed out with the group at 9:00am Thursday morning.

I wonder how many people are getting taken advantage of?

Just a few things to talk about today.

Yesterday was a day off... nothing planned for the group and everybody just did their own thing. Aron and Owenita got new rear shocks shipped to the campground so they were waiting for them when we arrived. And Mona and Roger got a new toilet! So they both had projects on the go yesterday.

The rest of us just puttered about. We took some laundry down with a few others. Ruth went for a long morning walk with Denise and Bob and Scarlett the dog.

Mexico RV Caravan Travel Day - Ojo de Agua to Oaxaca city

Up early and on the road for an 8:00am start. It was baking hot overnight. The temperature inside the motorhome was 26C (79F) when we got up in the morning at 6:30am. Too hot, and too many bugs.

Once again, we are reminded how much happier we are away from the coast.

5 Awesome Things to Do on a Countryside Getaway

 Sometimes we need a break from our busy lives, and a great way to do this is an action-packed, countryside getaway. Perhaps you live in the city and are dying to connect with nature, or maybe you spent lots of time in nature as a child and want to relive those memories.

Whatever the reason, a vacation in the countryside is a great way to destress and have fun. If you’re planning your getaway and need some ideas of what to do in the middle of nowhere, here are five awesome activities to keep you busy!

Mexico RV Caravan Travel Day - Ocozocoautla to Ojo De Agua Balneario

Well, Monday began the final leg of our four and a half month Mexico RV trip. Don't get me wrong, there will still be lots of adventures over the next five weeks, but Monday turned a corner as we started our return trip towards the U.S. border.

We set out from the orphanage at 8:00am. We had to retrace our route back through the wind tunnel corridor of La Ventosa where we exited the toll road towards the balneario (water park).

Carnaval in Ocozocoautla, and thanks from the kids!

It's that time of year when carnaval is going on in many countries. Here in Ocozocoautla, they have been celebrating for over 500 years and the annual event has become quite famous in the area. It's one of the reasons that we hung around a few extra days!

We had been told that you want to get there early... so a bunch of us set out at 8:30am Sunday morning...

Shopping day 2 at the orphanage and lots of work going on!

Busy day for the group yesterday here at the orphanage! Those who wanted to, met up at the main hall to do some painting work at 8:30am. Ruth and I were headed out shopping again at 9:00am, while three of the men were tasked with helping with the pump installation and associated electrical wiring.

Oh, and right at 9:00am the new living room furniture set showed up for the older boys residence...

Shopping day for the orphanage

You might have missed last night's blog post... go there first!

https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2020/02/sumidero-canyon-photos-and-fundraising.html

So, we had a total of 64,000 pesos (($4,482 CAD, $3,380 USD) to spend.

We sat down with Lily, the director and her husband Juan to discuss what their priorities were. The first thing they brought up was a new water pump. The old one is well... old! And it's not strong enough to begin with. And it keeps breaking down every couple of months and they need to send it out to be repaired and it costs 3,000 or 4,000 pesos every time, and then of course the residence buildings are without water during the downtime.

The proper replacement pump is almost 20,000 pesos.

Sumidero Canyon photos and fundraising total

First things first... our caravan group and a few readers of this blog raised a total of 64,000 pesos ($4,482 CAD, $3,380 USD) for the Hogar Infantil orphanage.

To those of you who contributed, thank you sooo much!

Today (Friday) will be shopping day. Looking forward to showing you what we purchase for the kids.

The indigenous town of San Juan Chamula

First things first... fundraising update!

As of this morning, we are at $4,281... well surpassing our original goal. Can we make it to $5,000? Maybe, or maybe not.... I like to hope that perhaps some of you are waiting until the last minute to surprise us with a big donation!

Today is in fact the last day to donate through our channels... we have to provide a cut off date in order to know what we can buy with the proceeds because Friday is shopping day!

Trip to San Cristobal and fundraising update

Lets get to the important stuff first!

We have broken through the $3,000 goal and are now headed for $4,000 with two days to go. As of this morning, our total for the orphanage stands at $3,541 CAD!

If you can afford twenty bucks (most of you wouldn't even miss it!) this is a great cause where your money goes directly to help the kids.

Some photos of the orphanage

When we arrived here, it was on Sunday. So there were quite a few visitors about, spending some time with the kids. There are somewhere around 70 children who live here, but not all of them are orphans. Some simply come from dysfunctional families who can no longer care for them properly, and so Sunday is family day.

But Sunday is also family day for the employees and caregivers here. So the directors and the people we need to coordinate with were not here either... they were spending time with their own families.

Mexico RV Caravan Travel Day - Salina Cruz to Ocozocuatla. And, donation update!

Lets get to the donation stuff first, because it is the most important!

Our group has arrived at the Hogar Infantil Orphanage in Ocozocuatla, Chiapas, Mexico. Ruth and I have been here before, and we have learned about the care that goes towards the kids who call this place home. If you haven't done so already, please take the time to read the following..

https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2020/02/ruth-and-i-will-start-things-off.html

Mexico RV Caravan Travel Day - Huatulco to Playa Brasil

We hit the road at 9:00am Saturday for a planned 130 km (81 mile) drive. We are actually headed for the Hogar Infantil orphange in Ocozocuatla, however to do it in one day would be too much, so I had found a possible overnight spot at Playa Azul (Playa Brasil) just west of Salina Cruz.

Sure enough, it all worked out as planned... in fact, if you take into consideration the delicious food at the little beach hut restaurant, it turned our far better than planned!

The donations are rolling in...

Yesterday was a relax day with nothing planned for the group. Roger went scuba diving and Larry went snorkeling along with him. They went out in a boat to a couple of different dive sites.

The diving was not the highlight though... while they were out there a big humpback whale put on a show for them that lasted about 45 minutes, including coming right out of the water and doing spins and flips and everything. They got some video footage so I'll try to post it another day for you.

I've never had a chamoyada before!

Yesterday, we took the gang to a roast chicken restaurant for lunch in the nearby town of La Crucecita. It's a pretty basic place, but they make great roast chicken.

Afterwards, we walked over to an ice cream place where I decided to try something different!

Ruth and I will start things off...

Next week our group will be staying for most of the week at the Hogar Infantil orphanage in Ocozocuatla, Chiapas, Mexico.

For Ruth and I, this will be our fourth or fifth visit to the orphanage and we are looking forward to showing the rest of the group why this is such a special place.

Please, continue reading right to the end...

Beach day with lots of fish and birds!

We had a good day yesterday! Everybody hopped in Roger and Mona's rig and Aron and Owenita's rig and drove over to Playa la Entrega. They decided to camp out there for the night, and they wanted to bring their stand up paddle boards.

We got there early and got ourselves seated in the shade at a restaurant overlooking the beach.

Mexico RV Caravan Travel Day - Puerto Escondido to Huatulco

We left La Barra de Colotepec at 10:00am headed further south towards Huatulco. And actually, during the drive we would be at our furthest south point on the trip! Really though, it only feels like we're headed south. In reality we are actually going east!

It was only 112 kms (70 miles), but I knew that would take well over two hours, probably closer to three hours when we include a gasoline break.

Beach time and baby turtles

Yesterday morning, we drove from the laguna to the parking area at Playa Carizalilo in Puerto Escondido.

The parking area is not great, but there's enough room for all of us and it gives us the opportunity to get some groceries and laundry done and spend some time at a nearby beach.

Our campsite and some bird photos

Yesterday was just a relax day. I got caught up on some computer stuff, and even put my hammock up and had a snooze!

Four of the group went into town and found a beach club with a swimming pool where they spent the day. Not a bad idea. You pay 200 pesos entrance, and then can use that 200 pesos as a credit to uy food or drink if you wish. And you get to use the facilities for the day.

Searching Puerto Escondido

Finally caught up on the blog posts. When I get a day behind, it's been difficult to get caught up because we're either too busy, or the internet connection is not decent. As it is right now, we are parked up at the Centro Turistico La Alejandria where they advertise free WiFi... and it is, but it is slow as molasses, and especially when everyone is trying to use it. But even when everybody is sleeping, it is still slow. Takes forever to upload photos. And, we do have a cell signal as well but it is not much better!

Anyhow, first world problems, right?

Mexico RV Caravan Travel Day - Playa Ventura to Puerto Escondido

And on top of that, Friday was my birthday!

Despite the long drive, I had a great day.

We hit the road out of Playa Ventura at 8:30am. We knew that including stops it would be a six hour drive. Ruth and I have done this route in both directions quite a few times. I'm only guessing, but we've probably done it seven or eight times. And it's a long drive.

Beach day - Playa Ventura

Just getting caught up on some blog posts since we didn't have decent internet while at Playa Ventura. In case you missed it, I posted one last night...

https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2020/02/heading-further-south.html

So, we made the decision to spend an extra day at Playa Ventura. It's a pretty quiet place midweek, and everybody enjoyed a relax day.