Countries: Mexico
Miles Driven: 515 miles
Song of the Week: “Heartlessâ€-Kanye West
Book of the Week: “Free-Wheelin’ â€-Richard Lovett
Free-Wheelin’: A Solo Journey Across America
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. Barra de Navidad is a small, country beach town on the Pacific that has many small craft shops, restaurants, bars and a
neat little pier. From here we made the trek on Monday to the spring break hot-spot of Puerto Vallarta. We were graciously accommodated by the Oasis Hostel, and enjoyed everything they had to offer. The hostel was spotless, had great rooms with cable tv and a dvd player, a lounge room with computers and television, an awesome roof top area, great receptionists, laundry service, and its location just outside the main downtown area was perfect. Tuesday was our chill day in Puerto Vallarta, and Wednesday was departure and arrival day. The departure flight took Katie and Nate back to Denver. The week we had with them was a blast, and it was great to have them on the road with us. It’d be hard to find two nicer of people. All of us are looking forward to seeing them soon. The arrival flight brought new crew member, Celeste Tenuta, into town. Her photography experience and creativity will be a great addition to our cast of characters.
Thursday took us from Puerto Vallarta to the incredible, small town of Tequila. The Hotel Plaza Jardin was able to accommodate us, and we were thrilled to stay right in the town plaza. Friday was by far the highlight of the week. We started the morning off with a VIP tour of the Jose Cuervo factory. It was nothing less than incredible. We were lucky enough to see the entire process from the harvest in the fields, to the baking of the agave plant, to the press, fermentation, and then to the distillery. The finale of our tour brought us down into a cave that holds wooden barrels of tequila that were rated the 2nd best liquor in the entire world. We were able to dip a pouring device into one of the wooden barrels and pour a glass. Then our guide, who was so professional and thorough that we really didn’t even have to ask questions, instructed us on how to taste test the elite tequila. The tour is a must if you are visiting Tequila, Mexico. After an excellent meal we passed the night observing a town celebration in the  plaza. A few speeches started things out, followed by a parade of little kids dressed up in animal costumes, and ended with a musical performance on the main stage. Men, women and children were having more than a great time. If smiles and laughs were scary, it’d be the only way that this town would make me afraid. I’d take everyone from my parents, grandmothers, brothers, and friends to this town. 
We all must remember to not judge a book by it’s cover. What happens in one town doesn’t directly correlate to another. The happenings we’ve read about Juarez aren’t even close to the cities we’ve been in Mexico. The only things we’ve come upon are amazing sights, excellent food, and the gracious, nice and caring people of Mexico. Your opinions, I’m certain, of the safety of Mexico would surely change if you would have been able to spend the wonderful day with us in Tequila.
Special Thanks:
Jose Cuervo
Agave Plant which produces Tequila
Head Jimador, Ismal, get the agave ready for the factory
TWBR Crew bearing arms accompanied by guide, Mark, and jimador, Ismal
Attentive listening at it’s best in the Jose Cuervo Cave
While approaching home and traveling through Central America, we have started to encounter many of our accommodations and activities being owned by expats or foreign owners, many times from the United States. The enthusiasm these people have gained for the local culture or people has somehow inspired them to decide they want to be part of the local community with their very own property. Some might argue that there is something wrong with an outsider starting a business in these communities, saying that they are raising real estate prices for the locals, but this could not be farther from the truth.
Monica because we wanted our guests to feel like they were in their own house but enjoying all the benefits of a luxury hotel. Our guests enjoy the fact that they can see children playing in the streets and people discussing the news of the day in the neighborhood plaza.” Carlos is a sales engineer for Google in the Bay Area who has worked in the technology industry for most of his career and his wife Monica is a mechanical engineer for Loral Space systems. After finding out that both of them are engineers, it was easy to see that their work trickled into their hotel. Their property is a true extension of how you can not only restore these old beautiful buildings, you can take them far beyond their original architectural excellence.
The inside of the casa is finished with fine detail, a small wading pool on the roof with a view of the fortress, and a layout that truly makes one wake up with a smile while staying here. While the rooms have air conditioning, the bathrooms have open air windows, again with a view of the old city, complete with a giant fixture on the shower giving a feeling like taking a shower outside in the rain. After waking up and enjoying a little sun on the rooftop in the morning, you find yourself in the kitchen with Alisa and Luis there to serve a delicious breakfast and help to figure out what you might do in Cartagena for the day. The two have both been Cartagena locals for quite some time and are a wealth of information about the town. Their warmth and genuine interest in helping us out certainly made each morning a treat. After getting fueled up with fresh fruit or traditional Colombian breakfast, your first steps are out to the beautiful neighborhood of El GetsemanÃ.
Due to the usual shipping delays, we were stuck in Cartagena for an extra handful of days when Casa Veranera came to our rescue. This property has equal merit as a model of restoration excellence and for those who want to be closer to the center, it is right in the heart of the old town of Cartagena. Owner Diana Chen is a friend of Carlos, who also lives in California and fell in love with Cartagena years ago after traveling in the area, which led her to invest some money in her own property. Diana told me, “I fell in love with the city, its heat, and the irresistibly charming colonial homes. I visioned to interlace the modern touches with its colonial architectures in a setting that captures the spirit of the fashionable Cartagena people.” She also mentioned the important fact that this enchanting city is only a 2.5 hour flight from Miami, which makes its charm easily accessible to anyone in the states even for just a long weekend. I imagine Diana takes regular “business trips” to check in on her beautiful property, as I would do the same.
Travis’ place is no less of an example of this. With an incredible view of the sea, it sets the stage for an excellent home base while fishing off the coast of Nicaragua. This house lets you get an incredible view of where you spend your day, and if you are lucky enough to catch a fish here, his staff will cook it to your liking so that you can eat it while watching the sunset over the Pacific. Inside the house each room has its own view and the whole house is decked out with details like model fishing boats and a kitchen that is stocked with all the equipment you need to have a proper holiday feast.
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. I can speak for the entire crew in saying, “She will be missed.â€Â Fourteen hours in the trucks got us to Veracruz, and sure enough, just as I was about to park the Tundra I was pulled over. Yes, we know one of the brake lights is out, but his other claims were false, resulting in Shoppman giving the transit officer a lesson in his own regulations, and getting us out of the ticket. Monday we were able to explore the largest port city in Mexico and check out the massive ships carrying an unreal amount of containers, which from previous experiences, made Bouey shutter. A group of us later that night had the opportunity to see an amazing flag presentation that packed the entire town plaza, had two marching bands, government officials on the stage, a little kid looking like GI Joe, two men singing their city’s song, and a school group of girl’s that marched the flag from the pole to it’s resting place for the night. It sure was a spectacle.
and a half hours later we reached our destination and met up with two more stellar humans, Shoppman’s sister, Katie, and her husband, Nate, who will be taking the trip up to Puerto Vallarta with us. Wednesday was a highlight of the week as we saw the famous cliff divers of La Quebrada jump from death-defying heights up to 140 feet. Their performance and guts were beyond impressive. We headed out and happened upon a beach town half-way between Acapulco and Zihuatanejo called Playa Escondida. It’s not even on the map, which makes it even better. We had our own beach to swim, had a great dinner of stuffed peppers, pork and steak, made a fire, listened to some chill tunes, and watched the waves crash and the moon shine.
ar, 
d people were wonderful.
o a local cover band at one of them the first night. I was the youngest in the bar, by far, at the age of 25, but had a hard time keeping up with the mostly middle-aged to late-aged folks tearing up the dance floor. Happiness was showcased by the huge smiles on all our faces.