Day two of the drive to the Yucatan

Just some plants alongside the road.

Day two started off really nice, we had a good breakfast at the Best Western, packed up the car and off we go...

Thank the gods for our gps or we would never have found our way out of town, road went right then left, then circled around and we are on the Mex 180 headed to Varacruze. Took us about 30 min just to get out of the city, can not even think how long it would have been if not for the directions from the GPS. Once out of the City a whole different type of fun begins. Now the roads are narrow and winding, not to mention the slow going because of the weather and all the trucks on the road. Traffic ranged from 18 wheel semi- trucks to overloaded pickup trucks. Also came across one funeral procession. Now for all you folks in the North keep in mind this is a major HWY we are on not some back road. It was another day of few photos, I started shooting every thing and anything in hopes of getting something. We have traffic, men fishing in the rain, type of plants along the road, and then the Gulf..I will let you be the judge of weather or not any of them are good ... I

This one is a funeral procession that came down the middle of the street.

First look at the coast, sort of gray...

Spent more then a little time behind this truck going up one hill and down the next. Kept waiting for him to tip..

Fishing.. But first lets put on a motor...

Is this person fishing or????

After eight plus hours we made it to Varacruze, that is 352 miles in eight plus hours.. Now to find a place to sleep and get some food for the night ... OOPSSSSS...

Tried a holiday Inn express but no go with the dogs... So started looking else were.. Big mistake was getting off the 180 to go and check out hotels at the airport.. All airports have hotels, at least in the states, right??? Well in Mexico the answer is no..... not all airports have hotels.. So now back to the 180, only problems is the gps has us going in circles. For over two hours we go this way then that and back again, until we think of looking for a sign for the beach ( Playa ) in hopes of it leading us back to the Mex 180.

Ha.... It worked sort of, or at least we found ourselfs back on the 180... By this time we are cranky, hungry, and out and out ready to call it a night. So we take the first place we can sneak the dogs into, yes I said sneak!!!!!

We spent the night in a hotel that is paid for by the hour... Oh my !! LOL... guess what type of place that could be.

Who cares day two of a less then fun trip so far comes to an end.. One can only hope tomorrow will be better..

I am hoping for sunshine and an early end to the day for a change... Today started at 0600 ( wake up ) and did not end until 2000 ( stopped at hotel. )

Headed for the Yucatan..

Today we crossed into Mexico from Brownsville Texas. The crossing was almost painless, we drove over, went to the office got our papers, and paid for them all in less then 30 min. On the way out I took one photo of the inside of the building, and two outside showing the sign for the border. I was stopped before I made it to the car being told I was not allowed to take pictures in the area, had to delete all three photos. I think the reason I had to delete them was because the outside ones showed uniformed security with guns. Not show if it was army or what but I think that is the reason why I had to delete them.

After that we tried to find our way out of Matamoros , we went this way then that way and ran at least one stop sign. Then we were stopped by Jimmy, a " tourist guide " he tried to tell us how to get to the HWY, and at the same time lectured us on the wrongs of running stop signs. According to him it could mean three days in jail, and a fine of 1300 pesos. After he got in and showed us to the HWY ( took maybe 5 min. ) he requested to be dropped off and wanted taxi fare back. For the trouble he saved us we were more then happy to pay the few pesos it cost. His information and company were worth it all..

The rest of the day was , how do I say this BORING..... Nothing worth shooting for photos, mostly because the land was flat and boring, but also because the day was gray and overcast.

Only thing I took photos of was one of the several road construction areas we drove into and out of.. A drive of just over 300 miles took the best part of the day, we start at 0800 and finished at 1600 this evening..

Found a Best Western for the night in Tampico, so all of us Kay, Spencer, Shelby, PIA, and myself will get some rest and start over tomorrow.. Tomorrow we head for Veracruz...

New Work Boat

Well today I saw the new work boat for the first time, it does not belong to the Snapper, but I wish it did. We on the Snapper are expected to keep up with our training at the same rate as the people on the large streamer boats, yet are given less equipment and often it is of lesser quality. A big example is the boat, we no longer have any that we can use to go out in, and the streamer has this boat. Hard to train on small boats without one... Enough about training......

I get off the boat Monday the 23rd of Nov, if the weather is nice... if not then will be on the boat for Thanksgiving... Forecast at the moment can go either way... We will get off by helicopter the same as the big boys, as you can see the chopper looks small on the boat in the photo. If I could get a photo of one on the Snapper it would look a lot bigger, because the Snapper is smaller..

One good thing about being on the Snapper is it is an all American crew, big boats are mixed and we folks are not always welcome... Truly can not say I blame them seeing how we are always telling everyone that "we" are the best of this and the best of that... About the only thing we are "best " at is tooting our own hone..... I have been to several other countries and no longer see how we can say we are better than anyone.... it is just not true... Enough of that also...

Been trying to learn Spanish and so far feel like a great big failure, if my mother was still alive I can hear her calling me stupid.... Thinking back I wonder why a mother would call her own child stupid.... Yes, I had subjects that I had problems with, but what I needed was help, not name calling. have lots of bad memories about growing up that center around my mother. Funny thing is that none of my really good ones center around her.. She is in some of them but never as the center, then again I do not think her children were the center of her life anyway.

This is turning into a bitch and cry session, so be it... Not a lot of people read my blog so I guess I can say whatever I bloody well please.

Thinking a lot of my trip to the Yucatan coming up in a week.... Hope the drive is worth it, I am looking forward to stopping to take lots of photos and maybe stopping along some small beach? Sight seeing, eating, taken photos, and being with Kay and the fur kids will be fun no matter what. We are hoping to cross into Mexico on the 25th or 26th of Nov. all depends on when I get off the boat..... Hmmmmm How many times have I said that???

Bye, bye Port Galveston

Well it has been a lot of fun... NOT... But we are finally leaving Galveston to go and make some money... Only have a week before crew change so my feelings are split on leaving, I want to get back to shooting so we make money, but at the same time would like to crew change at the dock and not have to take a long helicopter ride.

Did a lot of work on the equipment when in port so hoping it will all work the first time and we do not have to fool with it for the rest of the trip... Have picture of the way in so here are some of the way out..

With anyluck the next entry will be about the trip into Mexico, driving to the Yucatan.... Should be fun and some good photos...

Galveston Texas

Seems I have been here before, Going into Galveston Port for repairs Nov. 5 2009. Seems the Snapper has developed engine problems and needs some port time. Hoping it will only be a few days but we never know. Other thing is IDA is on radar headed North to Galveston, it is still a long ways off and we will have to wait and see.

Pictures are of us coming into port, believe me it is much more scenic on the way in then it is at dock...

Friday Nov. 06, we are headed back out for at least 24 hours to test the fixes. If all is well we go out just in time to meet what is left of IDA..

Back to the boat I go

Wednesday the 28th it is off to the Airport, then on the 29th I am back on the boat until at least the 23rd of Nov. When I get off Kay and I are planning a trip to Mexico.

Still waiting for confirmation on a place to stay in Mareda, hoping to get a cheap hotel or room to stay as we look around. It will take a few days to figure out were we want to stay and if we want to sign a long term rental for six months to a year or not.

My main object when on the boat is to find time to study Spanish, so that I am not at a total loss when in Mexico. So far I have tried Rosetta stone, Spanish for Dummies, Rush Hour Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Spanish in a week, Quick and simple Spanish,Spanish in 10 minutes a day and Synergy Spanish.

To date I can say hi, tell you my name, count from 1 to 12, Days of the week, Most of the Months of the year, ask for the time of day, ( still having problems giving time )... Everything else is hit and miss, just a lot of odd words bouncing around in my head. So the question is have I made progress???? Yes, I have made progress, but the question is will I make enough before I go? This is a question yet to be answered. Time will tell.... If we do go I will look for a local willing to teach me to speak and read.

Hoping to get good news soon ( maybe before I go to the boat ) about a place to stay. We sent off several emails asking about places, but no respones as of yet. Will ad to this page if things change before I leave. So ,,, Hasta Luego!

Hola!!!! We have an update...

May have found a house to rent in Mareda, It accepts pets and looks really nice from the photos. We have sent email asking a few more questions about the place, but I think it may be the one at least to start. See pictures below.. VILLA EN COLONIA MÉXICO Not the best pictures but the best I could do...

As of 10/27/09 it is not a done deal..












1st floor:
Guest bathroom, cellar, furnished living room, furnished dining room, kitchen with fridge & stove, service room, .
2nd floor.- Bathroom, 3 bedrooms with closets, a/c’s, mosquito screens.
Pets & children allowed.Totally private, in a closed street.
Close to main shopping centers and Prolongación Montejo.
Mínimum stay: 6 months
Payments: $460 usd monthly.
1 month payment in advance
1 month payment as a deposit
1 month payment for lawyer/contract fee.

TOTAL: $1,380 USD TO MOVE IN.

The Yucatan the next stop??????

Well, we have been looking at sites with information about the Yucatan. At first we talked about Lake Capala, Ajijic, and San Miguel, all have become to expensive for our taste. So we have shifted our attention to the Yucatan.

So far the city of Merida is leading the pack on were we will go, at least in the beginning. Kay ( check photo ) has been busy looking for a place to rent when we get there. She has several leads that are being looked at but nothing solid at the time.

As Kay looks, I study Spanish. Took it back in High School, and have tried several times over the years to learn it. Never seems to sink in for any length of time. This time it is crunch time, if I can not learn it I do not want to live in Mexico for any length of time. So I will study now, and get a tutor when I get to Mexico. Then we will see what happens.

This time all plans getting us to Merda are up to Kay, I do make suggestions and have let her know what I must have. The rest is up to her...

My must haves are

• (2) two bedrooms, or at least a big room with two beds
• Fenced in back yard for the dogs
• Workable Kitchen
• Close enough to places to walk to when bored
• Able to take the dogs for walks
• Able to have the dogs in the house
• price is not so much I can not save

Rain, Rain and yet more rain

Been home since the fist of the month, it is now the 13th and I have only seen two days of sun. The rest of the time it has been raining, the ground is so wet now that we are getting our own ponds. Hoping we do not get any lakes in the yards.

So with all the rain I have had time to read and do puzzles. Have also been "working" on learning Spanish.... Okay, over the years I have tried to learn, French, German, and Spanish. So far I have been able to learn a small amount of English, and not very well I might add.

I have tried Rosetta stone, Spanish for dummies, fast learn Spanish, pocket book types, to name a few... None seem to help, have now sent away for a few more just to see what will help... I do not learn well from books so do not hold much hope, but will continue to try. Maybe if I go to Mexico I can get a person to teach me one on one???? That maybe my only hope... Will see what happens. Even through I am getting upset with myself, I am not ready to call it quits.

If I can learn a word or two a week then at least I will feel like I am making progress... Just wish the rain would stop and the sun would come out... I would feel better if I could take a walk in the sun once in a while.

Currently looking at a trip to the Yucatan ( Merida Mexico ) to see what it is like. To be honest I would love to move out of the USA. The land of the free is fast becoming the land of Big Brother. Seems like just about everything we do or say ( including this ) is taped, or recorded and can be used against us... Question is can I learn enough Spanish to be comfortable in Mexico??? If not then what????

Off the Boat

Well been off the boat for a week now, not much going on. We go to Wal Mart, and other stores. It is better then being on the boat, but I find the "farm" extremely boring without and animals. Nothing to do except read, sleep, watch television, and play on the computer.

Talk is of going back to Mexico again.... Would feel better about it if we did not have the house payments on this place in Texas. I do not make the money I did last year because of loss of certain extras. Not sure I can handle duel payments and still save for when I can no longer work at this job. I find the job more difficult each time I go out, I am now 55 years old and my body will not be able to hold up to the amount of work involved for much longer.

So what happens if we go to Mexico and I get laid off???? I will have to come back to the US to even hope to find any work. I do not qualify for SS for at least 7 to 8 more years so no help they..

Guess I have to do what I always do, say fuck it and go with the flow.... Feel like a leaf in the wind.....

I WAZ Here

Returned to the boat on Sept. 3rd, five days before scheduled, due to a change in crew change schedules. We will get off on or about Oct. 1st if all goes well.. Get to take a 2.5 hour long ride in a helocopter, oh joy.. I hate flying and helocopters scare the SSSS out of me... Not much to say except I will be glad to get off, as always..