Sorry that there are no pics. I was gonna upload some, but internet is slow.
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TUE, Nov. 5, ‘13
Today, our last day (of 2013) in the USA, was spent with
missionary friends we had spent time with in MX in other years. These reunions
with ones who have become like family to us were so special and sweet -
definitely a great way to spend the last day, of 2013, that we had in the USA!
WED, Nov. 6, ‘13
Normally at border crossings, an hour to process all the
necessary paperwork and get everything checked out is a pretty good time for
us. There have been occasions that it’s taken less or more than that, depending
on how busy it is at the time, the officials’ attitudes, etc. However, never in
our past experience has it been as easy to get into MX as it was this morning!
We never even got out of the bus, never filled out visa forms, never used our
passports, or anything else we were expecting to do - things that are normal
for entering most foreign countries. At the main building, one of the officials
motioned our bus to the side, checked out our bus registration and Dad’s
license, asked where we were going, then directed us on to the military
check-point. Two of the soldiers there asked where we were going, one of them
walked thru the bus, checked out things at face value but never opened
cupboards or extra doors, then, they motioned us on – never asking for anything
else. About half an hr. down the road, there was another check-point where the
official, once again, asked for the bus registration, Dad’s driver’s license,
and where we were going, but nothing else! We, very much, felt God’s guiding
hand and protection with us. We don’t know if we’ll run into trouble at the
Mexcio/Belize border for not having our passports stamped, but there really was
nothing else we could do, and God has promised to direct our path as we follow
Him.
We had a little police incident in Tampico. They tried
fining us for driving thru downtown with a commercial vehicle, even after we
showed them all the proper paperwork proving that our bus is a private vehicle.
We’ve run into police problems in times past for things that don’t make sense.
A lot of them are out looking for bribes; it’s a very typical problem that many
ppl we know have run into, as well.
We also saw our first mountains today.
THURS, Nov. 7, ‘13
We stopped around 10, this morning, for a brunch of biscuits,
sausages, and eggs. Problem: we found out our oven isn’t working; bring in the
creative juices and you get fried biscuits! I think food in his stomach helped
mostly cure the headache Dad had.
It was raining till noon, so today was nice and cool as
opposed to the stuffy heat we’ve been in since we got to TX. We reached the
east coast a lil’ before noon and have been catching glimpses of the Atlantic
Ocean/Gulf of Mexico. Pools of water and semi-flooded fields are not unusual to
see as a result of the rain combined with being at sea level. At the same time,
we have also been driving thru small mountainous areas with some curves and
ups-and-downs.
We stopped early, mid-afternoon-ish, at a large Pemex
station. Dad decided to call it a day and start out early tomorrow morning. (The
government owns “Pemex”, which are basically the only gas stations available in
MX; most of these stations also have water, air, service ppl to pump your gas
for you, and a place for large vehicles to park overnight.)
FRI, Nov. 8, ‘13
Because of stopping so early yesterday, Dad was up and ready
to take off at 3:30 this morn. Our muffler came loose about an hour later, but
thankfully it didn’t break off completely before he stopped, so we didn’t lose the
part. Around quarter after 6 we got stuck in a traffic jam… and sat there for 4
hrs! They were working on the bridge crossing a big river and only let one lane,
out of the four, thru at a time.
A lil’ before noon, it started raining again, giving us
breezy and cool traveling weather – something we are always grateful for. As
we’ve been traveling we’ve seen a lot of actual flooding in nearby fields and
streets. We’ve been going thru mostly low-lands and flat terrain since
yesterday.
Very early afternoon, we ran into some backed-up traffic
(because of work on a bridge again!), which forced us into a city, so Dad
started looking for a mechanics place to get our muffler fixed. He found a
small shop that got it all welded back on within an hour.
Because of the unforeseen expense, we needed more money
exchanged, so after finishing up at the mechanic’s, Dad and I headed off to
find a bank we’d been given directions to. Two banks, 2 “techy” places, and
about 10 blocks of walking later, we finally found an advanced
electronics/techy place that exchanged our dollars for pesos. That done, we
bought some MX sweet bread (pastries) and some bananas (especially for Mom) cuz
you just really can’t visit MX without getting some of those!
We only have one more day of driving left till we reach the MX/Belize
border, Lord willing!
SAT, Nov. 9, ‘13
We had another day of breezy, cool weather, and lots of
rain. The closer to Belize we get, the more serious flooding we see. Today we
saw several small huts submerged in water almost to their roofs.
While at a gas station early this afternoon, Dad noticed
that one of the tires was getting pretty low in air pressure. After checking it
out farther, he found a leak, so he and Lewis had the ‘fun’ job of changing a
tire. The process is a bit more involved than changing a normal car tire!
Thankfully, this Pemex station was fairly new and even had a bunch of showers,
which we made good use of :)
We found some Mayan ruins in a town located right on the
road we were on, so we stopped for several hours and had fun getting soaked in
the occasional light showers while climbing all over the large structures (in
ways that would never be permitted in the States!)
We could have gone on to the border tonight, but Dad opted to
pull over before dark and then head out in the morning.
SUN, Nov. 10, ‘13
We’re in Belize! We got stamped out of MX by 8 this morning;
they said we were supposed to have an entry stamp from when we got in, but
didn’t give us much trouble about it. Customs into Belize went great. They
speak English here, so the communication thing is a lot easier. They also
wondered why we didn’t get stamped into MX, but since we had the exit stamp,
there wasn’t anything they could do about it. We went thru the normal
procedure: getting our passports stamped (they also took our pics), getting a
visa for the bus, getting it fumigated then searched (they almost took our
hotdogs but let us keep them after all), and finally, getting insured for the
month that we plan to be here.
This stage of the journey is over, yet on we go!
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I had almost forgotten how normal it is to see all the trash
on the sides of the roads; how normal it is to drive on toll roads that are
like our two-lane state roads back home; how normal it is to drive thru lots of
‘cities’ that smell, look, and sound
like Mexico; how normal it is to go thru mini-towns with all kinds of roadside
stands and mini-stores with lots of fresh fruits and honey from bees that roam
thru the orange groves; how normal it is to see houses painted all kinds of
colors; how normal it is to have ppl standing in the middle of the street
trying to sell their wares or jumping on the hood of your vehicle to clean your
windshield; how normal it is to see all the palm trees and lush green along the
coastal areas; how normal it is to see ppl with food stands on the side of
‘highways; and so much more! but all this has definitely brought back a lot of memories
and given new ones to add to the collection :)
{Psalms 91:11}
For He shall give His angels charge over
you, to keep you in all your ways.
{Proverbs 3:6}
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct your paths.
{Psalms 37:23} The
steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.
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