Category Archives: Mexico

Photo of the Week (Special Edition): Mustaches = Bigotes

So… we noticed that a big part of Latin-American culture was for the adult males to sport mustaches. What better way for us to spend our final month in Latin-America and Mexico in particular then for all the caballeros on the crew to grow them. Here we are showing the overwhelmingly successful results of our efforts. On this night at our campfire on the beach in Nexpa, Mexico, I was informed that mustaches are called “bigotes” in Spanish.

Photo of the Week: Little Drummer Boy

After an early dinner in Veracruz, the Steves, Nels, and I happened upon a lengthy flag ceremony in the square directly outside the restaurant. It featured retired and current sailors of the Mexican Navy, local high school students carrying out the flag ritual, and the high school band performing a song that must be titled “Veracruz.” The highlight for us was the very young boy seemingly out of place with his camoflauge fatigues, pouting face, and random drum beats.

Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans March 15-20, 2009

The crew and our week-on-the-road-warriors (Shoppman’s sister, Katie and her husband, Nate) awoke Sunday morning in our ocean-side rustic cabana in Nexpa. Nate did some masterful mechanic tricks on the Sequoia over the weekend, so we were set to head to Barra de Navidad.

Photos of the Mid-Week: Boo-man

Bouey, filming the Saturday market on a long drive in Guatemala. Bouey, driving the Tundra, in the zone. Boo-man, with his friends, the habanero peppers.

Cruising The Open Roads

Mexico is a big country, the 14th largest country in the world by land area to be exact, and because Mexico is also a fairly developed country, that means we have a lot of pavement to put behind us before we cross the border back into the States. It is no real surprise that the roads in the major tourists areas such as the states of Quintana Roo (Tulum, Cancun), Yucatan (Merida) and Jalisco (Puerto Vallarta) are in really good condition, but you may be surprised to find that the roads in the rest of the country so far have also been in pretty descent shape.

Photo of the Week: Casa Cenote

During our stay in Tulum, our first destination in Mexico, we were fortunate enough to go scuba diving in two of the famed cenotes with Maya Diving. Here, in Casa Cenote, Bouey is doing some fine underwater filming. Nice work, Steve.

Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans March 08-14, 2009

There is no normalcy on the road. We’re always coming and then going, saying “hello” one day, and “goodbye” the next. It is how it has to be. On Sunday we awoke early in Merida with a long day of driving ahead of us, and had to say goodbye to the stellar Hungarian, Zsofi, who was with us for a five-week stint.

The Heat Is On

Spicy pepper heat that is. I am a spicy foods person. It does not matter what type of food it is, the spicier the better. Maybe it stems from my development as a child. When my brother and I were younger, if we were ever caught swearing in the house or around my parents, the punishment was a few dabs of Tabasco pepper sauce on the tongue.

Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans March 1-6, 2009

As we awoke on Sunday we said farewell to Placenia, Belize for a day on the road. We traveled from southeast Belize to the eastern city of Tulum, Mexico. Our 10 hours in the trucks were broken up by a really smooth border crossing in which the Steve’s, for the first time in the entire expedition, didn’t have to do anything with the trucks. No registering, no paperwork, nothing.

Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans Feb 23-27, 2009

Rain awoke the occupants of the big tent, Craig, Melissa, Steel and I, Monday morning, after a night of celebrating Melissa Terry’s 26th birthday in San Ignacio, Belize. Our destination Monday was a campsite 22 miles outside of the Caracol Ruins. The road made us feel like we were manning a jackhammer for a day.