towacross

Meet the next cool campers we met: Elly and Jos from Belgium. They are a lovely couple with a Mercedes Benz 316CDI 4x4 from 2005.

They purchased the cabin and the chassey from the factory and then custom built a wheelchair accessible interior themselves! The drivers position is also customized as Jos is driving from his wheelchair. The build took a year, the outer shell is fiberglass.

Since then they built two more RVs, one for their son and one for them used in Belgium. They covered over 240.000 kms in South America, the USA, Canada and Alaska.

The Malinche is another volcano nearby Puebla, a bit to the North-West to the city. We heard the news that the first snowfall of the season happened so we decided to go and see the snow.

We had to buy new boots to the kids as they outgrew their previous pairs, but you can get anything and everything at the local market. Mission completed in the morning, then a 1,5 hours drive to cover about 50 kms (you can guess from the average speed it was a slow drive) let us arrive to the parking lot. We started our walk in a very nice pine forest.

The walk from there was uphill and we did not reached the snowy part, after about 3 kms we were exhausted and turned back. Even the smallest (2yr old) did climb almost all the way alone so we were quite proud of him. Not surprisingly in the dense forest, far away from anything there was a couple selling sweets and chilly-pops.

Arriving home we recharged with Domino's Pizza, a rare treat just next doors to our campsite in Cholula.

About 30 minutes from Cholula there is another small town with a very similar temple on a hill which we wanted to check for long. This Sunday the idea came from a classmate of our son and we met their lovely family at Atlixco.

We walked a bit in the center, at the Zocale which is a lush green park with a lot of articrafts on sale and a temple. A few years ago major earthquake caused some damage to the church and we heard that one of the bells even dropped to the ground.

After the walk we visited a very nice restaurant nearby called Topolino and spent around 3 hours there, kids playing and we adults talking. Finally we visited a large garden center checking the plants for sale. Funnily the pricing works exactly the inverse way of Hungary: what is cheap there is very expensive here and the other way around.

So all in all we met a very nice family and it is a pity we did not organise this meeting earlier as in two weeks we will be on our way South. However in February we might meet again once we return to Pueble!

When google maps predict 1 hour and 30 minutes for a 50 km drive you better prepare for rough roads or really twisty and steep sections.

This was the case when we drove to Cascadas de Ahuehuetla and after driving up to the mountain next to Whitehorse, Yukon we knew what to expect.

After the first 40 km on fairly fine roads the last 10 km was a rough dirt road, with steep sections and countless bends. Was perfectly ok to drive but the speed was really slow, around walking speed.

After parking the car we started hiking under shady trees, in the dry riverbed, next to a small stream of water.

About 3,5 kms later we arrived to the waterfall which was a nice place, offering an opportunity to cool off in the fresh and very clear water.

Before returning to the car we met one of the local taco provider carrying wood for his stove on a donkey. During the hike we have seen goata, cows, horses and a snake.

A young and smooth German couple arrived with a classic. A 32 years old Volkswagen Caravelle, in which the engine was swapped from an 1.6 liter turbo to a 1.9 liter diesel engine for reliability.

The inner furnitures are beautiful oak and walnut wood, all done by the young gentleman (the name I did forget, sorry.) They celebrated a birthday in Puebla and went on their journey further South. In one year they plan to complete the full Pan-American from Alaska to Argentina, just like our fellow Hungarian Overlandsite, who just completed these days!

After walking in and watching the celebrations of "DÍa de los Muertos" in Huateuchula we got tired of the noise and crowd. So after our lunch (tacos and burritos) we planned to drive another hour to visit a waterfall, Cascadas de Tetela del Volcán. The map was not exactly right as after our planned arrival we had to keep climbing on a narrow, curvy and steep road. It was much better quality than our last adventure to Popotepecl but it took about another 45 minutes to actually arrive to the parking spot.

After a short walk we crossed on a small bridge to the bottom of the beautiful waterfall and Echo also came over down through the small stream of water, being remote controlled from above.

About an hour drive from Puebla there is village called Huaquechula where "Dia de los Muertos" celebrations are famous - so we also visited.

After spending the day in Puebla, we also walked a short walk away from our campsite to the cemetery of Cholula to remember our beloved family members who are already passed away.

We walked in the historic centre of Puebla to see the altars created to commemorate the "Day of the Dead" - or Día de los Muertos in Spanish.

The holiday is celebrated from November 1st through November 2nd in Mexico. It is a time for families to honor loved ones who have passed. On this day each year, it’s said that the border between the spirit world and living world dissolves, allowing the souls of the dead to reunite with their families.

Families build altars with flowers, photographs of the loved ones who have passed and they also include the favourite drinks and foods of the deceased. Many Mexicans paint their faces with calaveras (skulls). The altars are decorated mainly with marigolds, a bright orange flower. It is also common to draw a line from the street to the altar as a pathway back to the living and attract souls with their scent and vibrance.

There were lots of sculptures installed on the main square.

We did not miss the great churros next to the cathedral which we ususally grab if we are in the city center.

Then we visited several public altars. Some of those celebrated the workers on the fields, some other professions.

While being stationary in Puebla the number of campers arriving (and leaving) is increasing. The real "snowbirding" season starts in November and already in October there are more travellers coming. They usually just stay one or two nights here and then continue.

Today we have seen a really special camper, a hotelbus. There is a Czech tour company called Pangeotours and they organize longer road trips for groups of 12-16 people across the globe.

Passengers sit in steps, like in an amphitheater or cinema, in the front part behind the drivers' cabin. For a better view, the large front window of the passenger cabin even has wipers. During the ride, tourists sit on comfortable seats that they know from long-distance buses. There is a dining table in front of everyone.

The back of the bus is intended for sleeping and resting. There are eleven single cabins and two with double beds. Passengers sleep in their own sleeping bags. The hotel bus is equipped with a kitchen and also a chemical toilet.

I have made some pictures and also link a video from the website of the tour company.