Aaron and Amy Young

Welcome to our home page!!!

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:46:38 +0000

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Welcome to my website which documents nearly two years of traveling in a 24-foot class C RV with my husband and two dogs through Mexico and Central America. We began our trip on December 21, 2005. To find a travelogue by country, choose one from the categories on the right hand side of this page. To find a travelogue in chronological order you may access them under the Archives, also to the right. There are many wonderful pictures which can be viewed by going to the tab "Photo Gallery" above. The most recent photo album appears at the top but albums from the rest of our trip are found on multiple pages. If you are new to the site please register in the lower right of this page so we can send you e-mails regarding updates to this website. Also, please send a second e-mail to us after registering telling us a little about yourself (when you register we are given nothing more than your e-mail).

Whether you are researching a trip of your own or are living vicariously through others, please enjoy this website of my amazing Latin American Adventure by RV! Don’t let people tell you this kind of trip is too dangerous! It’s just NOT TRUE! As you will see many people travel by vehicle through Latin America and have a wonderful time getting to know its people and culture.

Camping

Aaron and Amy — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:28:10 +0000

Camping: For all of the following listings you may assume that eating or patronizing your host in some way is appreciated and in some cases expected while “free camping”. All information is accurate as of the date we visited. With many of the sites your own ability to negotiate or interact may affect what services are made available to you and at what price. We have converted prices from local currency to US dollars at the exchange rate in effect at the time of use. The amount shown is the amount that we paid per night for two people. Although rare you may encounter additional fees if you are traveling with multiple people.

Mexico – Dec. 21, 2005 to June 7, 2007

December 21, 2005
Ciudad Victoria, Tamualipas
Wal-Mart Parking lot
Free
No services
No Coordinates

December 22, 2005 to January 2, 2006 Happy New Year!!!!
San Miguel De Allende, Guanajuato
$14.00 per night
W,E,D Showers and Toilets
N20 53.955 W100 45.077 (more…)

Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador & Guatemala June 23 to July 8, 2007

Aaron and Amy — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:13:33 +0000

We arrived in the colonial town of Granada, Nicaragua and were looking forward to visiting our friends Greg & Karen and their two daughters Daniela and Emma. We had some time to kill before they were expecting us so Aaron decided to find a welder to create a stand for his new small motor. There was a tiny hair “salon” right next to the welder so I got a much needed haircut. It consisted of a large gold framed mirror on a tiny table underneath a tin roof. There were only three walls so it was open to the welders working in the dirt lot right next to us. While Aaron waited for the guys to start his project he watched them build a gate. He realized there was a much easier way to build a stronger gate and offered to show them how. (more…)

Chiapas, Mexico July 8 - 26

Aaron and Amy — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 06:59:59 +0000

July 8 to 26, 2007 Chiapas, Mexico

We drove forty-five minutes to the border and left Guatemala entering into Mexico at what Aaron described as a modern, clean and efficient border (La Mesilla). Once all the technicalities were taken care of we drove into Mexico playing James Taylor “Mexico”. We high-fived with glee, “We have returned to our beloved Mexico”! We are ALWAYS asked what our favorite country has been. I still hold true that I don’t have any favorites, but after having been south of Mexico for almost exactly one year, we were both really looking forward to returning to Mexico. We had already spent seven months in the country and there is still so much more to see and experience. It is an enormous country with a wide range of geography, culture, people, accents, food and attractions. We are happy to be back and look forward to another eight months in this welcoming neighbor of the United States.

At the Mexican border we asked where we could find propane and were directed towards the city of Comitan. It wasn’t that far off our route so we headed in that direction. We were originally turning at La Trinitaria towards the Lagunas de Montebello, Yaxchilan and Bonampak but Comitan was only a few kilometers beyond this intersection. (more…)

April 26 – May 27 Portobelo to David, Panama

Aaron and Amy — Sun, 27 May 2007 20:29:10 +0000

While in Portobelo, we camped at a hotel owned by a Panamanian woman named Nilda. She had a small boat with a 15 horse power motor that she let Aaron take out on several occasions. After our first week of sunshine in Portobelo the rainy season began and we were getting a hard rain at least once a day. One day after the skies cleared up Aaron decided he wanted to take out the boat and go spear fishing at a trio of islands called Tres Hermanas (Three Sisters). He was able to convince me that the water would be clear enough out by the islands so I went along with him to go snorkeling. As we left the bay, the calm water turned a bit choppier. As we made our way to the islands the waves grew in size and our teeny tiny boat rolled up and down over the dark blue waves. (more…)

#22 Azuero Peninsula to Portobelo, Panama March 29 to April 25

Aaron and Amy — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:23:20 +0000

We left David and were headed to the Azuero Peninsula for the Semana Santa (holy week) celebrations. The peninsula is full of small towns that hold many traditional festivals, and the village of Los Santos is supposed to be one of the best for Semana Santa. We were a bit early but wanted to stop at the tourist office to get the schedule of events so we could go hang out on the beach for a few days and return in time for the events. The tourist office in Los Santos is defunct, but there were several men at the small museum that were extremely helpful. We were headed to a beach called Venao, but found a great place to camp that was a few kilometers before it. Aaron saw several clusters of rocks in the water and decided it would be a great place for fishing. Oddly enough, on the side of the narrow dirt road there was an old RV sitting in the sun rotting away. (more…)

David to Bocas del Toro, and return to David, Panama 03-08 to 03-29 2007

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 22:48:06 +0000

After spending two days in David researching the cost of new brakes and a new generator, both prices were prohibitive so we decided to wait until we get to Panama City. (They wanted $ 5500.00 for a new generator, specifically designed and fitted for our RV, and the Ford dealership wanted $2,300, 2100 parts and 200 labor, for new brakes).

Upon leaving the grocery store, I spotted another RV in the parking lot. You normally don’t see many RVs south of Mexico, so they really stick out like a sore thumb. A gringo walked towards our RV with determination and I could only assume he was the owner of the RV coming to say hello. He and his wife were moving from Baja, Mexico to Panama City where they will open a tattoo and body piercing parlor. They had time restrictions and had made the drive in about two weeks. We were able to speak briefly before they had to leave for Panama City. (more…)

Accident in Rambala, Panama

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 22:39:45 +0000

We left Sergeant Major Vila on the temporary U.S. Army base near Chiriqui Grande and were headed to the beautiful islands of Bocas del Toro in the Caribbean Sea. Shortly after we turned onto the road to Almirante, there were two bicyclists on the right hand side of the road several hundred yards apart, going the same direction we were. Just as Aaron has done for the last 15 months of driving in Latin America, he veered to the left giving the bicyclist plenty of room. (more…)

San Jose, Costa Rica to David, Panama February 9 - March 7, 2007

Aaron and Amy — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 23:57:56 +0000

We eagerly left the Multiplex mall in the capital city and headed for the beach. It was a beautiful drive through valleys and mountains as we wound through small villages. After a while we came to construction where we waited in line for about 20 minutes. As we passed by the loud machines that had finished working with the hot pavement long enough for us to drive on it, we saw a small river and an upcoming bridge we would cross. As we rounded the corner, we approached the bridge and encountered one of our worst nightmares on our entire trip. A small stone arch spanned the entrance to the one-lane 100 year-old rickety bridge that precariously hung above crocodile infested waters. (more…)

Costa Rica border to San Jose Jan. 09 to Feb. 09 2007

Aaron and Amy — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 03:58:38 +0000

The border crossing into Costa Rica only took about 2 hours. Aaron had crossed 2 months earlier so he knew his way around. If there is only one word to describe Costa Rica, it is GREEN! We couldn’t believe how lush it was so close to the border to Nicaragua which has gotten browner during its dry season. It turns out that we entered the country in the driest part, which is the region of Guanacaste. That region is more like Nicaragua, but the further southeast you go, you get into more lush vegetation. Guanacaste gets the least amount of rain in Costa Rica. Driving along the roads with the old trees soaring so high above us made us feel like we had entered our first real jungle. We really weren’t sure where we wanted to go in Costa Rica. Due to extenuating circumstances, we didn’t have our Central American guidebook; therefore we did not have a lot of information at our fingertips. We decided to head to the area of Arenal Lake and Volcano, which is where our friends Larry and Annie were headed for a few days. Larry told us the volcano had been erupting lava for quite some time and that there were hot springs nearby. Hot springs and volcanoes sounded good to us, (more…)

Kris & Emily visit Nicaragua - Costa Rica December 1, 2006 – January 9, 2007

Aaron and Amy — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:12:50 +0000

Originally, my mom and Aaron were supposed to fly in and out of Managua on the same days in order to minimize the number of times driving to Managua. While in the states Aaron decided to extend his trip, thus providing me with a week between my mom leaving and Aaron returning. After having spent three wonderful weeks with my mom, it was kind of nice to have the time to myself before Aaron came home. A week flew by with guilt-free lounging, television, reading, working on our website and doing a bit of exercise. Khorrah continuously got new wounds from scratching at ticks; so I was dressing them twice a day as well as keeping up with picking ticks from both dogs twice a day. It was hard on everybody (more…)

Moms visit Nicaragua Oct 27-Nov 30 2006

Aaron and Amy — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 22:21:47 +0000

After picking up Cynthia at the airport in Managua we got some groceries and dog food before getting back to our sanctuary at San Juan. Cynthia immediately took to the hammocks, where she spent a lot of time relaxing. We had excellent weather during her visit. We even got a little cool weather and rain which Cynthia was looking forward to! After two days of lounging about the house and pool, we decided it was time to go to the beach! Aaron loaded the kayak on top of the jeep and we headed to Bahia Magajual which is about 15 minutes down the dirt road heading north. After Cynthia and I got set up with our umbrella in the shade, then Aaron set off to go spear fishing from the kayak. He was gone for several hours and returned with a large rooster fish and a small snapper. (more…)

San Juan del Sur rental house with RV friends Oct. 3-27, 2006

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 20:52:25 +0000

Our rental house north of San Juan del Sur (in southern Nicaragua) was exactly what we were looking for. In fact, we loved it so much we decided that we wanted it for the month of December as well! There was a lot of drama and incorrect information given to us while we were waiting for the go ahead on the rental agreement. At one point we were told we couldn’t rent the house at all. There were too many people involved (owner in Canada, her friend representing her in Nicaragua, the real estate agents and us) and we were given some conflicting information, as people weren’t really sure if the house was capable of legally being rented at the time. We really wanted the house so we continued to press for the correct information and were finally able to come to an agreement with everyone involved. (more…)

Leaving El Salvador, through Honduras and first 20 days in Nicaragua Sept. 12 to Oct. 2, 2006

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 20:39:43 +0000

The night before crossing the border from El Salvador into Honduras we stayed at a gas station about 45 minutes away from the border. We got up early and were at the El Amatillo border crossing at 8:15 a.m. It was a good thing too, since it was the worst border crossing we had experienced so far; we didn’t leave until 1:30 p.m.! The border “helpers” were the most persistent they have ever been hanging on the RV and Aaron was eventually forced to yell at the top of his lungs several times to convince them we did not need their assistance. They are men with ID tags hanging around their necks “confirming” they are legit and trying to sell their services at the border to help people get through. We speak Spanish and have never used one until we crossed into El Salvador, and even then it was proven that we shouldn’t have. (more…)

Leaving Panajachel and El Salvador 08/25 to 09/10 2006

Aaron and Amy — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 18:33:57 +0000

We left Panajachel on schedule at 7:30 on the road we had already driven on our bike ride around the lake. There were lots of piles of rocks in the road (some from construction, others from rock slides), but the traffic was light so early in the morning and we had no problems. We bid adieu to the beautiful Lago de Atitlan and made our way onto uncharted territory. We passed several volcanoes along the way which we believe to be the same ones we could see from the city of Antigua a month before. One of them appeared to have steam coming out the top, so we stopped for a picture and let the brakes cool. (more…)

Lago de Atitlan & Chichicastenango market, Guatemala

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:18:31 +0000

Lago de Atitlan is located in southwestern Guatemala and according to Maya legend, is one of the lakes that marked the corners of the world. The present-day shape of the lake was formed around 30,000 – 40,000 years ago when the double-coned Santiago volcanoes formed. The local museum says the lake is a volcanic cauldron created by the fast drainage of a large amount of magma. Our beautiful campsite in the city of Panajachel is located on the edge of Lago de Atitlan. We are parked in a large grassy field on the grounds of a beautiful hotel with a pool that has great potential. It is just far enough outside the bustling city to have a wonderful sense of peace to it. Our view consists of several volcanoes on the other side of the lake firmly standing guard, creating an unforgettable silhouette against the sky. They provide an immaculate backdrop for the lightning shows that present themselves every night. Sometimes the lightning is so rapid; it looks like there is a disco ball outside! The cooling altitude of Lago de Atitlan makes the mornings refreshingly crisp while the days easily warm up under the strong sun. (more…)

Belize to Mexico, Amy in WA, Brian and Shelly in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala 06-29-06 to 08-01-06

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 20:44:27 +0000

We left Placencia around 9:30 and started our trek north to the Mexican border. It was Friday morning and we cross on weekdays in case there are any issues with the dogs that need to be resolved with an office that isn’t open on weekends. Although there were still some major potholes and muddy washed out parts of the road, the dirt road leaving Placencia wasn’t as bad as we were expecting. It’s all of about 23 miles and it took us two hours! As soon as we hit pavement we figured we might actually make it to the border in time! We were only about 2 hours from the border when we passed through an inspection on a key intersection turning onto the Northern Belizean Highway. Aaron wasn’t wearing his seatbelt and the officer told him it’s required in Belize and that he was going to issue him a ticket. Aaron handed him his license and then walked back to the roadside “office” with the officer.

(more…)

Yucatan Peninsula to Placencia, Belize June 1 to June 29

Aaron and Amy — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:27:41 +0000

After dropping Uncle Michael off at the Cancun airport, we spent an additional week in Puerto Juarez in order to fix the generator. Unfortunately we headed south with the generator still not working. Mosquitoes came in full force with the rains, and there is absolutely no breeze at the Mecoloco RV park to keep them at bay. Needless to say, we were extremely anxious to leave and start the next part of our journey in Belize! (more…)

Merida to Bacalar & return to Cancun with Michael May 12 to May 31

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 31 May 2006 16:13:30 +0000

Having left the periferico road of Merida at about 11:30 a.m., we traveled the free road and arrived in the outskirts of Cancun about five hours later. After negotiating some construction and detours, we eventually found the Mecaloco RV Park in the city of Puerto Juarez, just to the north of Cancun. As we started to unpack, the sunset illuminated the palm trees and a small ruin right in front of the RV. Right next door to the RV park is an archaeological site (more…)

Oaxaca to Merida, The Archaeological Route April 20th to May 14th

Aaron and Amy — Wed, 10 May 2006 22:19:51 +0000

We would like to acknowledge the passing of a very special man, Robert G Young. There are two pictures (50-51 of the new album), which were taken while in Atlanta in the past two years. All will miss Bob and both of us send our love to Martha and her family.

Upon leaving the city of Oaxaca we headed north on the windy, mountainous highway 175. We left at 10:30 am, and about an hour later our front brakes were on fire! After extinguishing the flames, (more…)

Oaxaca and Surrounding Pueblas 03-23 to 04-19

Aaron and Amy — Thu, 04 May 2006 00:20:51 +0000

We left Huatulco with great anticipation of what the road to Oaxaca would bring. After turning onto highway 190 from Tehuantepec, we were faced with the beautiful mountains that would bring us to the city of Oaxaca. Amy was giddy with joy as the mountains unfolded in front of us, “We’re going to the mountains!”. We had been beachside for over a month, and like most places there comes a time when you yearn for different scenery. We planned on taking Spanish courses and would be in the very indigenous city of Oaxaca for Semana Santa, so there was a lot to look forward to. (more…)

Maps

Aaron and Amy — Sun, 02 Apr 2006 03:54:37 +0000

Sue Pozzoban, Our friend and Title agent wrote: I give up!! I need a decent map of Mexico and south so that I can follow you!! Anyone have any ideas on where I can get a fairly detailed map? This is a kick "watching" you two travel!! What an experience! Love Sue Sue, I would suggest first trying local bookstores, ie. Barnes and Noble. Many of them have good map sections. For purposes of tracking us (and not driving) a good general map of Mexico or even Mexico with Central America should be plenty detailed. As we try to camp in remote areas there are certainly places that you won’t find on any map. That’s part of the excitement, however. Even in these remote areas you should, with a map of the country, still have a good idea of the general vicinity. If you can’t find a bookstore try the internet. Following are a few that I found. The first is one of our Mexico maps and has proven to be a good map. Cut and paste the following into your web browser or do a search on google or some other search engine.

Map 1

Map 2

For those of you coming to Mexico and Central America the Guia Roji is an absolute must. The 2006 version has all of Mexico plus Belize and Guatemala. The Guia Roji is published in Mexico and is entirely in spanish. The website is www.guiaroji.com.mx and is currently 150 pesos or approximately $15.00 in Mexico. It can be purchased from U.S. run map sites as well, such as http://www.maptown.com/cgi-bin/mt/store.cgi?overlord=Details&store_id=22590 where it sells for $26.00. You may also just wait until you reach a border town in the US or Mexico where I suspect you will find it.

I advise you to purchase a Guia Roji in the spiral format. Upon leaving the state of Oaxaca to drive north in August 2007, I purchased the updated version which was only available to me with a regular spine that I imagine was glued together. DO NOT buy this kind!!! Upon use the pages are easily torn out, making navigating VERY difficult!

Oaxaca City 03-24-06 to 04-22-06

Aaron and Amy — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 23:44:29 +0000

GPS coordinates are: N 17Degrees 04.736′ W 096Degrees 42.638′
Oaxaca City is at the intersection of highways 135, 175, and 190 from the Pacific; 190 from Mexico City; 131 from Puebla; and 175 from the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico. While in Oaxaca City, in the state of the same name, we are staying in the Oaxaca Trailer Park. The park is in moderate condition with typical Mexican bathrooms and HOT showers. Water is in extremely short supply here so there is no water at the rather large, mostly shaded spots. The park attendant, Eucario, will gladly drag a hose from the cistern to fill your tanks. There is inconsistant 15 amp power and dump access at every spot. At the time of this writing I am picking up a decent wireless internet signal from the adjacent office building. The park is located on Violeta street off 190 on the NE side of town. Violeta is called Manuel Ruiz off the 190. Turn North at the McDonalds following the sign to Colonia Reforma. This is a wide road and the large access to the park is suitable for big rigs. The gate is on Violeta on the left hand side as you head North. Pets are welcome and the rates are reasonable. The posted RV rate is $200 Pesos per night, however we were only asked for $150. Because we plan to go to Spanish school and spend Semana Santa in Oaxaca, we are staying for a month. The monthly rate is $3,500.00 Pesos.

Acapulco to San Augustin 03-01-06 to 03-22-06

Aaron and Amy — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:28:50 +0000

After spending almost two weeks at the restaurant with Luz, Ajilio and Bria, it was time to move further south along the coast. We packed the RV the day before so we could relax and have breakfast one more time looking out over the bay of Barra de Potosi. We printed the photos that we had taken the day before and gave them to Luz and Ajilio. They really got a kick out of seeing themselves in the photos!
We met Jim and Sherrol and started our trek south in search of a possible dry camping (no facilities) spot that was supposed to be on a bay great for diving and snorkeling. It turns out that it wasn’t really a protected bay, just another beach on the open ocean. You may be asking yourselves what’s wrong with a Mexican beach on the open ocean (more…)

Patzcuaro to Zihuatanejo March 7, 2006

Aaron and Amy — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 17:08:37 +0000

Patzcuaro, Morelia, Troncones and Zihuatanejo (January 31 – February 28)
There are two photo albums that go with this post. They are labeled with the date above as well as “Part One” or “Part Two”

The libre (free) highway from Uruapan to Patzcuaro was a gentle ride through the beautiful mountains. Jim & Sherrol decided to take the cuota (toll road) instead, so we met them in Patzcuaro. By the time we arrived at our predetermined meeting place; they had already been in town long enough to locate a good RV park. Including our two rigs, there were only three RV’s in a huge field! (more…)

San Miguel de Allende to the Pacific Coast Feb. 07, 2006

Aaron and Amy — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 19:08:17 +0000

Following are several travel logues written as chapters over the past month. Although we intend to update more frequently we do not always have the opportunity. We hope you understand and appreciate your interest in our adventure.

We finally left San Miguel de Allende on January 3rd, heading for the beach in the general direction of Manzanillo. We spent a night in transit at a Pemex (gas station) on a small highway skirting the northern side of Lake Chapala (Lake Chapala is South of Guadalajara). Pemex stations are well known for allowing overnight parking for truckers and RV’s, but we found a gem for an overnight stay! (more…)

Official San Miguel Post

Aaron and Amy — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 16:52:11 +0000

We arrived in San Miguel at about 5:00 p.m. the Thursday before Christmas. After having spent the night in Ciudad Victoria’s Wal-Mart parking lot, we were greatly anticipating the charm of colonial San Miguel. Very soon we found ourselves in COLONIAL San Miguel, which means the streets are narrow, cobble stoned, and full of traffic. We were headed to El Centro, or the center of town, with no idea of the road conditions ahead. (more…)

San Miguel de Allende

Aaron and Amy — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 03:50:10 +0000

We are leaving San Miguel in the morning and heading for the Pacific Coast for the New year and Amy’s B-Day. Unfortunately we are having difficulties with this website and are unable to get any pictures up. We hope to get this resolved in the next few days, but in the meantime we are incommunicado. We love all of you and will put up more info when we can. Know that we are having a fantastic time and are anticipating every coming step.
Aaron and Amy

Bienvenidos a Mexico

Aaron and Amy — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 02:18:52 +0000

We crossed the border with absolutely no problems!!! Everyone was extremely friendly and courteous. We made it through including getting a new 10 year vehicle permit in about an hour. (more…)

Getting closer by the day

Aaron and Amy — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 02:57:07 +0000

We are now on the Brink. We are currently on the border with Old Mexico. As we write to you we are sitting in an RV park in Bownsville, TX. The weather is pleasant with temperatures in the mid 60’s, but cloudy. We are waiting for one last part to arrive, which inevitably is in limbo in the UPS system. We expect it to arrive on Tuesday morning and plan to hit the border running at that point.

We had hoped to be on some sunny beach for Christmas. At this point we’re just gunning for Mexico. We think our stop for Christmas will be San Miguel de Allende. It is a recommendation from a trusted source ( an author on RVing in MX). We spoke to Mike and Terry Church, the authors, today. They advised that the festivities in the afore mentioned town would be a great deal of fun. From there we will head to the much anticipated, and hopefully warm, sunny, beach for the New Year and Amy’s Birthday.

Until our next post know that we love and are thinking of all of you! Mery Christmas and a Happy New Year.

P.S. A very happy birthday to Cynthia, Mindy and Nathan!