You rock Ernie! Welcome home. On Feb 2, 2012, at 5:08 PM, Ernest Garza wrote:
> Mexico Lovers, > For those concerned about traveling in Mexico, here is how it came down on > my trip to the Sierra Mazateca in Oaxaca. > I crossed at Laredo, paid my $200 deposit on my vehicle, and traveled on toll > roads all the way to near Tehuacan. There is > a new road that goes from near Queretaro, going east and bypassing Mexico > City and Puebla, at a costly 275 pesos. Not one > hint of trouble all the way to Huautla and on to La Carlota on the eastern > side of the sierra. I was hauling ropes for a British recon > of Sotano de San Agustin, so this seemed the safest. > There were two other vehicles that made it to La Carlota, one from Ohio > and a van full of cavers from Colorado, all without > incident. All other personnel flew to Oaxaca City or Vera Cruz. On the way > back I chose to run the gaunlet and take the usual > for me, the Gulf coast roads. It meant countless topes and slow moving > trucks, and driving only during daylight hours. There > are now roads that bypass the towns of Papantla, Tuxpan and Posa Rica, but > not Tampico. > Driving north, before the Reynosa/Matamoros division, there is a highway > that goes to Tampico, which I took last year; a > creepy experience as I was the only one on the road for many miles. At the > intersection, there is a major PEMEX gas station, > and I headed for it intent on relieving my bladder. I turned into the drive > up to it and seemed as if I had stumbled into a Hollywood > set. The whole place was empty of cars or people, the snack store closed up, > the rest rooms shuttered. I went off to the side > and watered the grass, then opened up the back of the truck to rummage > around. Suddenly, as if they had materialized out of > thin air, I saw these camouflaged soldiers walking around, paying more > attention to the permitter of where I was. Then I saw > the two personnel carriers, armed with heavy caliber weapons, driven by > menacing looking young men. The leader came up > to me: he was straight out of central casting, with a swagger and armed to > the hilt. He asked me what my purpose was, I told > him about going caving in Oaxaca. He asked about drugs (mota) and I told him > I don’t use now, perhaps in my youth. He looked > inside the truck and found a rolled up map which he unrolled, the Huautla > topo quadrant. I pointed to where we had been, and > all that vast jungle area without roads or trails, “full of caves.” I asked > why they had closed the station, and he answered that it > was now a very dangerous area. Satisfied, he said I could resume my trip and > extended a hand, which I shook and said to him, > “well done.” > Just a couple of miles down the road, a regular military checkpoint, I > pulled off the road into a deep pothole-ridden area. A > young guy asks the usual, wants to see inside the truck, he asks how > expensive the caving gear is. As I close the back, another > soldier joins him and is told that I went caving. The newly arrived soldier, > a dark complected fellow asks me if I’ve been to Puebla. > I reply I have been to Cuetzalen. I could not contain my surprise when he > said he was from there, and he mentioned the cave, > Chicicasepan. I told him I had been in it and considered it one of the finest > river caves anywhere! With that I got a pass to go. > At the border, I was almost out of gas and money, due to a loss of my > debit card. With the $200 deposit in my wallet-they did > not even bother to inspect me at the US side-I headed for the first > Whataburger and feasted on one. > > Travel safe, > Ernie G > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit our website: http://texascavers.com > To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com > For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com > --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
