This year I went on a road trip through the USA, Mexico and Guatemala with my family in our 1984 TDI 110 Land Rover, Brighty, and I'm lucky I went with my dad, Henry, because he’s the overland master. This was my first type of trip living out of the car, while my dad and mom had gone on many before- except without me. Having three in Rover with no air conditioning doesn’t make the BO any better and I sweat for three. But my father taught me a lot about overlanding, land rovers, and how to deal with bribes in Mexico. For example, he taught me what not to do by handing his driver's license over to a crossing guard, putting the bribe up 200 pesos(I’ll never let that one go). We had fun exploring ruins like Tikal, Palenque, Teotihuacan, and Mitla. I even caught a glimpse of my father picking up the locals trend of the mankini.
Being 12 years old it was hard for me to adjust at first, I was very homesick and found the heat unbearable. I often broke down pleading to stay in a hotel for the night. I think America was the most troublesome for me, what with the excruciating heat and it being the first country on this journey. We were trying to fly right through so we could get to Mexico leaving plenty of time, so I didn’t really get to see much of it. The daily routine was drive, pickup and make a lunch, find a cheap campsite and then repeat. We stayed at some places for longer but we all felt anxiousness to get back on the road. But as we started to slow down and actually experience things I decided I really enjoyed overlanding! Although America was a scary start to our adventure - it also had its perks.
But - America will never be forgiven for the dreadful and boring trip to the Alamo, my parents seemed to love it.
One of the things that got me through the hardest times was looking forward to a nice big juicy burrito!!! Ironically I first got sick in America, barfing and diarrhea, after eating a full bag of dried apricots. I did get sick after but nothing as bad as that. Most of the time the Mexican cheese just didn’t sit right in my stomach. My mom sure did get sick though after eating some salsa verde, lets just say it came right back out the other end. I could never get over the tacos, moletes, quesadillas and burritos each place has to offer. I remember a delicious concoction of corn, cheese and mayo that we picked up at the side of the road. So unhealthy yet so good. We also enjoyed burgers and lasagnas there, giving us a nice change. Even the McDonalds there was good, we often escaped there from the heat to enjoy a nice Jamaica juice. Commodore Lupita will not be forgotten with her delicious roadside pumpkin flower and cheese quesadillas. There was always a tiny piece of her with her food. In our case I found a long black hair in my quesadilla.
Our day to day drive could be anywhere from 6-12 hours a day. I had a little nook in the backseat with everything at hands reach. Everything was in perfect order, which is why I freaked every time my father messed with it. Pssh, the hiking boots go in the front- jeez!! We often stopped at a grocery store and assembled our lunch while driving. One large jug of lemonade was passed around. Occasionally we would go out for lunch, but most of the time we prepared one ourselves. To entertain myself I would read, write in my journal, or watch my downloaded Netflix episodes. If we were in a particularly beautiful place I would look out the window. Sometimes the road could be rough though and we drove into altitudes at the highest of over 10,000 feet. Through mountains, rocks and over rivers. We rode this big raft, with tons of other cars on it across a river and in America Arkansa through flood waters that reached halfway up our tires. One day we were driving in this deserted area, there was barely a road. We crossed this rickety metal bridge and drove over rock, a cliff on our right. We don't know how we would've made it without the help of this nice Mexican man who was riding on a motorcycle. When we couldn’t see the rock he would guide us and make sure we got out OK. We said it was OK but he still waited for us. What a kind man, that was the scariest experience on our trip.
Some of my favorite memories came from the ruins, hearing howlers in the trees, spotting wildlife like birds and pizotes afoot. We visited many including Tikal, Palenque, Mitla, Teotihuacan, Monte Alban and Iximche. Tikal was huge and extremely hot, we got lost on our way out and circled the same spot four times. We climbed up these towers in the center town that overlooked the entire city. We spotted beautiful birds in the trees, and pizotes hidden within the bushes. The heat was so excruciating that by the end of our visit we broke down and decided to stay in a hotel.
Palenque was one of the hottest ruins we visited, although it wasn’t as big as Tikal it was still a wonder to see. We heard howlers in the trees as we moved through the jungle. At the beginning we took a wrong turn and I led my parents up this huge staircase. If we had gone the right way we would have only needed to scale a light hill. The temples were beautiful and Palenque was where I bought my Mayan calendar and first learned to negotiate.
Mitla was small but interesting. It was a series of old churches and tombstones built on top of ancient ruins. A new market wove its way through it. It was cool with a nice breeze so it was easier to enjoy. At the end I got a delicious refreshing ice cream with three scoops flavoured rose petals, pina colada and three milks from the market.
Teotihuacan was a huge ancient city with the sun and moon temple as its focus. We climbed them both and could see Mexico city from the top. Both climbs were a long and tiring journey - but the views were worth it.
Monte Alban was located on a plateau, we climbed a steep hill and stairs to find a flat stretch of land on the top. Tombs, temples of worship, and towers were scattered all around. We climbed the tower, and with the added height of the hill, it was one of the tallest we’d been on. Plus we were already in the mountain range which gave it even more altitude. At the top there was a garden and a beautiful lookout place. We spotted huge lizards and learned about animal gods worshipped by the Mayans.
Iximche was a very small and cozy place, at the back there was a fire where they were burning sage as worship. We climbed the stone structures of the theater and center town. I could have stayed there all day, the temperature was cool with a nice breeze. Many people were picnicking. The best part is there was this litter of stray puppies that were playing in the ruins. They were so friendly, letting you hold them and pet them.
When the trip ended it was weird being back in the house. After driving so much short errands to the grocery store seemed unneeded. Even today we still laugh about memories and stories on the trip. It was a truly unique experience. We made friends that we will never forget, like tucks truck and the owners of overlander oasis. It has provided memories that will last a lifetime and I can’t wait for our next trip overlanding the world!!