Drive roughly twenty clicks south of Chacala and you’ll find Lo De Marcos. Another small, authentic, tranquil town on the Riviera Nyarit. It’s bigger than Chacala… probably about 1200 people. And even though it’s technically still shoulder season, we are THE ONLY people camping here. It’s a really pretty bit of coast that we have almost all to ourselves.
Much of the town lines an old stone street that’s about a kilometer long and ends at the beach. It’s alive with color. Bright whites, yellows, blues, and reds, decorate homes and small markets. Their reflections in the well-worn sheen of the cobbelstones mix with the different greens of hundreds of unique species of palms to give the impression of a LeRoy Neiman painting tucked underneath an endless deep blue sky.
We’re now close to the same latitude as Hawaii. I’m seeing many of the plants and birds that I’ve become familiar with there, and the weather is very similar. Long term forecasts are unchanging 31C (88F), 24C (75F) and humid. One difference: The wind here isn’t as consistent as it is in Hawaii but it’s every bit as crucial. When the wind lays down here the heat get’s on you quick.
Heliconia Lobster Claw…
Our arrival at a new campamento usually draws some attention. First the two cars. Then the kids start piling out. Then the dogs. It’s like watching a bunch of clowns crawl out of a little car. And the question that’s always asked… with either their mouths or their eyes is… “Wow, what’s that like?”
I tried to imagine long term travel with our tribe before we blasted off. I knew that for sure the kids had to come… people sort of frown on attempts to kennel your kids for a few years. Actually… it just occurred to me that that’s not entirely true. They frown on you calling them kennels… when kids are involved they call them boarding schools. Anyway, that wasn’t in the budget.
But dogs can be kenneled, or housed elsewhere. We all talked about it and decided that the dogs were full fledged family members with all attendant rights and responsibilities. In other words, they were coming.
A year and a half on the road and I can honestly say that it’s everything I never thought it would be. First, the kids really don’t add that much expense… unless you’re crazy enough to take Wyatt to dinner… in a city… at a full service restaurant…… that doesn’t offer free chips. That one will leave a mark!
Wyatt vs Taco…
So we cook most of our meals. Which means that feeding the bottomless pits costs just a few bucks more per day. And the plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables that we currently have to choose from, as well as the availability of fresh fish makes going out to eat a step down. When we do go out to eat it’s generally to tacos that average around ten pesos a whack (about sixty cents), or to a small loncheria. Even Wyatt can eat to his belly’s content in places like that.
As we’ve gotten farther south into Mexico the campgrounds have started to charge us by the kid. But they’ve been rather negotiable… and once they get to know the kids… EVERY single place has stopped charging for them. But… I’m not sure if that’s out of pity… or it’s because they like em.
There’s a new crimefighter in town…
The biggest expense associated specifically with the kids so far was the trailer. That wasn’t cheap. But… it got their tent up off the ground – which they’re currently very happy about since they’re now sleeping in the land of scorpions, iguanas, snakes, and large spiders. And it brought us some much needed storage space. So we’re thinking that our camping remodel / room addition has worked out rather nicely thus far.
Traveling overland with kids doesn’t add much logistical complexity either. Unless you’re one of those parents who needs their kids to be in an organized activity every minute of the day. In which case you probably shouldn’t be here. They swim, surf, paddle board, check in for meals (of course). And about once a week Kaila asks to go to a kids place like Entre Amigos… and we give her five pesos and send her to the highway to hitch a ride there… (I’m kidding!).
I will also tell you that people in Mexico love kids so much that their presence has done nothing but open doors for us… and shorten our stops at checkpoints.
The analysis on the dogs is a bit more complicated. If you’re not boon docking, or camping in primitive camps, traveling in the States with dogs is a hassle. They have to be factored into every decision. In National Parks and most State Parks… no dogs on the trails. National monuments and other attractions… no. A greta many beaches… no (no dogs on beaches, C,mon!). Most restaurants don’t allow dogs. Museums… no. Most hotels… no. Our one bright spot was at Lewis and Clark caverns in Montana. They had a shaded and fenced area where you could leave your dogs while you took the tour. Montana’s a good place for dogs… in the summer.
On the plus side… Dogs are very good for security, and they don’t add much to the expenses. Feeding them costs less than $10 a week. Our single biggest pet expense thus far was the $70 we spent for each dog to get an international health certificate… which we were assured that we’d definitely need to get them into Mexico. No one’s ever asked to see it.
This surprised me but… I’d have to say that so far Mexico is a fantastic place to explore with your four legged little buddies. They’re welcome in restaurants, many of the small city buses, and beaches are no problemo. We haven’t even run into a leash law yet. Leash suggestions, yes. But no actual leash law.
Another benefit… most Mexicans are quite wary of dogs. There’s so many free range dogs down here that the default approach is all dogs bite. That makes them very effective security here.
So… what’s it like traveling with this tribe of kids and dogs? It’s awesome! Not only do I get to see this adventure with my own eyes. I get to see it through the eyes of our kids as well. New languages, experiences, customs, and friends… for us all. They were the target of so much fear mongering before we crossed the border. Now they know how little those who were counseling them knew. A valuable lesson.
Wyatt gets a lesson in exploring from one of the all time greats…
Our kids have become different people. They’re stronger, more confident, more self-reliant, and learning to think independently. That’s good for them… more challenging for us. And they have no interest in the soft, overstuffed, large screen life that seems to have hypnotized large swaths of our species. They are stripped to the bone and chasing the horizon. Fully engaged, and loving the challenge.
Body surfin’ border collie
As for the dogs… well, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen a border collie body surf! Now, if I could just get the chihauhau to mellow out…