Pico de Orizaba and Cantona 

By: Joe Murphy 

Luis: I want to thank you for the great trip we had in tlachichuca. you were a most gracious host. I have written a trip report of this experience. I have written reports before but they were very brief and summerized the main events only. This trip was so neat i just could not stop writing. I have attached it to this letter.

Joe Murphy

Citlaltepetl (pico de orizaba) Trip Report

November 1998

The climb of citlaltepetl (pico de orizaba) was the focus of this trip but certainly only a part of it. There are many other images of mexico which come to mind. This report will attempt to describe the flow of events as well as include personal attitudes and feelings expressed by the participants.

Our history

a little more than two years ago, ron and i were finishing a backpacking trip in the sierra mountains, including a climb of mt. whitney (14,495 ft.). Ron asked what we could do next, since we had just climbed the highest peak in the continental us. I mentioned that there were some high peaks in mexico. The idea stuck but i said that we would need to learn glacier techniques before we tried such a trip. So we decided to take a week long mountaineering course on mt. rainier (14,410 ft.). Dan was interested also. So the three of us signed up and took the rainier mountaineering inc. Course in aug. 1997. We enjoyed the experience and started to plan a mexico trip.

on our way home from seattle we stopped at rei and purchased a book called "mexico's volcanoes" by r.J. Secor. This book listed a few guides and the reyes. I wrote, faxed, and e-mailed.

The trip

Dan had flown in and was in beaumont visiting a friend. So thursday morning jeff drove to the airport, picking up ron, then joe, then dan. The continental flight was on time and we were headed to mexico. The second leg of the flight (monterrey to puebla) was late; both flights home were also late. Based on this limited experience, all mexican flights are 45 minutes late. When we deboarded in puebla senior Amador Reyes was waiting for us and we started to feel that things were going well. (the reyes made us feel comfortable the entire trip -- very gracious and agreeable people --) we were tired and the drive to tlachichuca was in the dark so I remember little of it.

We drove up some narrow streets in tlachichuca; walls, usually with advertisements, political statements, or graffiti, rise sharply on both sides of the street. Strung high across every street corner was a rope with numerous, continuous banners, to vote for (or against) someone or some party. Elections were the following sunday. in the middle of one block our driver turned the van perpendicular to the street by several forward and back movements and finally backed in to the compound through a narrow solid gate which had been opened for us.

in the small towns and even in the cities the part of the home bordering the street is usually a solid windowless wall. The inside usually has a courtyard, often with a garden. In central puebla, where we visited, this was also true except there were shallow depth shops that lined the outside and at night these were closed off with garage doors, so the outside wall remained intact.

we were escorted across a small courtyard to a building which was formally a soap factory - our home in tlachichuca. The old factory was not in use but some of the old equipment was still there: furnace, steam tank, several large kettles, steam driven machine used to drive a central shaft with pulleys, soap cutting and pressing devices, special tables, etc. -- a very fascinating place. There was a sitting area composed of a couch and comfortable chairs surrounding a small wood burning stove - we never needed the stove because the weather while we were there was beautiful and we stayed busy.

however, i can imagine that on a cold rainy day this would create a Cozy area while waiting for the weather to improve. The entire area was clean and dry. The tables of various sorts provided great space for sorting and organizing gear. The upstairs had a wooden floor and some of the soap factory equipment extended through the floor almost to the ceiling. This area was converted to a bunk house with perhaps ten free standing bunk beds and a few single beds. Each bed had sheets and a blanket which was needed for the cool nights.

early in the morning, perhaps 5 a.M. I awoke to the sound of church bells - i could not figure the pattern - but this went on for 30 minutes. I later learned that the bells call the people to morning mass: first call, second call, last call. However that morning there was also special funeral bells in with this. By 5:30 the roosters also began to crow and all four of us were awake. We got up, cleaned up, dressed, organized our gear, and wandered around looking at everything.

From the second floor windows you could look out and see citlaltepetl - a magnificent sight. (sure we took pictures!) well, it's now 7:30, we're ready to go, hungry too. But breakfast is at 9:00.

we explore around and find a way through a back door into a little shop and then out to the street. There is a phone across the street but all attempts to make a call home failed. A block up the street is the town square: a one block area with diagonal walks, a gazebo in the center and neatly trimmed shrubbery around it.

in the next block is the catholic church. There is an iron fence surrounding it and a courtyard area. The gate was open and we entered. The outside was about half repainted and scaffolding was up. the inside of the church looked like many of the churches we saw in mexico: much detail, many statues and alcoves; paintings, typically turning dark due to age or weathering. Wooden pews with kneelers. this church was pretty nice and a little quaint. There were about 4 or 5 people inside praying.

outside the church, along the street that borders the square there is a beautiful view of citlaltepetl with the church in the foreground. - another must picture.

Breakfast was served in the reyes dinning room. Senora lucia who i believe is Geraldo reyes' mother-in-law cooked and served us: apple juice, bread rolls (these were somewhat sweet -not as sweet as our sweet rolls but more so than regular bread rolls - very good!), a small bowl of fruit (banana and apple slices), refried black beans, scrambled eggs with ham bits, and coffee.

after breakfast we had arranged to be taken for a (acclimatization) hike. We got ready and waited while the driver got the vehicle (a dodge power wagon, ww ii vintage) ready. Our hike leader was carlito. Carlitos did not speak english but we managed. We drove out of the town and around to the west side of the mountain. the roads were narrow and dirt and worked their way up the mountain base; sometime crossing drainages (which were usually concrete spots where the water spilled over and we drove over), sometimes through another small village where people were walking in the road or riding a bike. We saw many bike riders during our stay in tlachichuca, i believe the bike was the most common mode of transportation in the area. There were shrines along the way and at one rather large one the driver and carlito would take off their hat as we passed by. there were fields along the way. The corn had been harvested and in most fields the stalks were gathered into sheaves. Some fields were being plowed by mules and hand held plows.

the truck stopped and we climbed out of the back of it, donned our day packs, and followed Carlitos slowly up the mountain side. The walk was through a wooded area (mostly fir), occasionally passing a farmed field. The natives farm as high as 12,000 ft. More woods and then above tree line. We turned around at 13,500. Thus we went from sea level to 13,500 in less than 24 hrs. I started to feel sick near the top and was glad to head down. The day was cloudy by the time we reached the tree line. In fact, while we were there every morning started out clear, clouded up between noon and 4, then cleared again for the evening. We hiked back down and our driver was waiting for us; back to tlachichuca.

we cleaned up a little and had dinner: vegetable soup, mashed potatoes, broiled chicken with rice and carrots, and 'sweet bread'. I was too sick to eat; i tried a little soup but gave up. Off to bed for me. The other guys enjoyed dinner and a walk around the town square area afterwards.

saturday morning, not as many church bells. We were all up by 6:30 anyway and feeling good. Since we were heading to the mountain hut that day we spent our time between rising and breakfast getting our gear organized, food ready, etc. Breakfast: fruit, bread, coffee, juice, beans, tortillas with eggs and cheese - very good.

after breakfast we met roberto (Roberto Flores Rodriguis), our guide. Roberto is a medium to heavy built, strong not fat, 32 year old man. He was friendly and very patient with us; he spoke a little english. He gave a little lecture on volcanoes and climbing. Since there was no slope or snow we practiced by forward or backward rolls with stopping in an arrest position. We also practiced crampon techniques by walking up a slanted board (~1ft. Wide), turning, and walking down using side and diagonal steps. Roberto checked each of our gear for the trip.

we're now ready to go to the hut, piedro grande. The power wagon was loaded and we climbed into the back for the ~ 2 hr. Ride to the hut. A rough ride, seated on bench seats and bouncing around in the back. A rope was strung through the center of the truck to hang onto as we rode. Roberto did not come with us; he will come up tomorrow afternoon. When we reached the village of hidalgo the driver stopped the vehicle and locked the front wheels into 4 wheel drive, much needed as we proceeded up the mountain. The power wagon handled the ruts, roots, and bumps well (even if a little rough on those in the back); we were never stuck.

we arrived at the hut late afternoon, unloaded, and looked around. The power wagon left and we were left to share the hut with 3 canadians who had arrived the previous afternoon.

There are actually two huts there: a small quonset hut, made of corrugated metal and capable of holding about 6 people, a larger stone structure about 40' x 20' and capable of holding 60 people - although sardines would have more room in a can with more than 40 people. The smaller hut smelled musty, we decided to stay in the large hut. The hut had tables along one of the long walls and we did our cooking on them. Along the other wall were wood shelves, three high which constituted our sleeping areas.

The hut had a little dirt/dust on the floor but was otherwise very nice and comfortable. the hut had at least one resident mouse which forced us to hang our food at night; however, i did not notice any damage due to the mouse or otherwise. There was a water source about 50 meters away down a little into the nearby ravine. Two pieces of hose stuck out of the rock from which a continuous stream of water ran - a few gpm. There was also a john out back of the hut which consisted of 3 wooden sides and roof with some pieces of concrete pipe to hide the occupant from the front. There was a plastic throne to sit on - almost all the comforts of home.

after dinner, soup and mre's, we stood outside admiring the mountain which was now clearly visible, and the stars as they came out. The lights from several small villages & medium sized towns could be seen in the valleys below. Early to bed.

the next morning we were up early as usual; the day was clear and pretty. Dan felt bad and ate little. He hung around the hut all day, sleeping a lot. The other three of us went for a hike. We were told to hike down rather than up so we headed down and out a little ridge, then down into a valley like area. There was a camp down there and two partially completed pipe lines there. It seemed to be abandoned but much hand labor had been put into this project at some time. Water is very valuable! We climbed up the opposite slope and hiked around and up to the hut.

late that afternoon the power wagon arrived bringing roberto and carlito. It would be carlito's job to watch the gear we would leave behind in the hut while we climbed the mountain tomorrow. Also, there was another 'assistant' to watch the canadian's gear, and a young man (dana) and his wife (rene) from sacramento. This couple were quiet; they found a place on the second level bunk and we heard little from them the rest of the night - besides we were starting to get excited about tomorrow's climb. Dinner, more mre's. Roberto said the mre's were good but carlito preferred the tortillas which he had brought. We shared whatever we had; everyone had plenty. (the mre's are sealed packets but at the altitude of the hut they were puffed up to twice their normal size and looked ready to explode. Even the foil seal on the pringles potato chip can popped open.) Again a beautiful starry night. Early to bed; we will rise at 1:00 a.M. In the morning.

The climb

i heard roberto's wrist watch alarm go off at at 1:00. I must have been sleeping lightly in anticipation of things to come. It took a few minutes to get dressed: longjohns and fleece pants, light socks, wool socks, boots and gaiters, longsleeve polypro undershirt, fleece shirt, and later a goretex rain jacket. The weather was beautiful so pack the down jacket. Hat and gloves handy; pack the neck gaiter and overmittens. In the middle of this i started the stove and put the water on. Eat 2 packages of instant oatmeal & a mug of coffee/cocoa. Put on the climbing harness; small pack ready; strap the crampons to the pack. Ready! How is everyone else doing?

the canadians are up and are preparing to go also. They will not be with us but just a little behind us. (we actually moved so slow that they overtook us and went their own way ahead after midway up the rock portion of the climb. They reached the summit about an hour ahead of us.)

2:04 a.M. All of us are outside the hut and ready to go; on schedule so far. The last quarter moon provided ample light for the hike most of the time. I would use my headlight very little.

the first portion of the climb goes up the rocky slope, past the old water canals (now largely broken and partially filled by the ever changing mountain.), Then into more open rock. As we go up snow patches become part of the terrain; then more snow than rock. Soon roberto decides it is time for the crampons. I ate a power bar; it was cold and hard to bite. About 4 hours up the slope i lost my appetite; i could only eat 4 or 5 bites of the peanut butter & jelly sandwich which ron had carefully prepared yesterday. My mouth was dry and a little cottony.

we ambled on up. Jeff was having a little trouble with the climb - his first real climb with crampons - so we were moving a little slow. Jeff's appetite had left him; he ate nothing and drank too little water - both of these would tell on him as the day progressed. Jeff said "the ice/glacier was a lot steeper angle than i anticipated. This added to the energy needed but also added to the experience and made the goal that much more significant. I struggled the last part of the climb but the drive to make it kept me going - however slowly. The trip down was one of fatigue. I just wanted to sit down and fall asleep; cut me loose and leave me here!"

we reached the start of the glacier; i felt fine in terms of breathing and strength. By mid glacier i was breathing a little harder and felt just a little nauseous. By 3/4 up the glacier (~17,500') i started breathing hard and having difficulty concentrating on anything but the next step & next breath. Dan (remember we were worried about him yesterday and even this morning) was going well. He had intended to go maybe to 16,000' and turn around but he felt better as the day wore on. Oh, ron, the guy who was fighting a bacteria for the last year, would have run up the mountain if not tied to the rest of us.

ron said " the discomforts of altitude and fatigue were minor compared to the exhilaration of the adventure, spectacular scenery, and the giddy happiness caused by the thin air. Particular points in time i recall are the initial rock climb in the moonlight, the uneasiness of ascending a steep snow field without crampons just before sunrise, sitting on the side of the glacier at 17,000' and feeling like i was in an imax theater, the extreme mountain high feeling over 18,000',and the sensation of a truly unique accomplishment of reaching the summit"

i continued to the crater's edge, 11:00 a.M. Once i got there my breathing was labored and all i could think of was stop. I unhooked from the rope and sat down. The others hiked around the crater rim to the summit (~100 meters higher than i was sitting). i took a few pictures and tried to enjoy the view but my mind was dull; i mostly just sat. They reached the summit, took pictures, and returned in about 30 - 40 minutes. I hooked back into the rope and we started down.

by 1/2 way down the glacier (~17,500') i started feeling better. Breathing was easier (of course going downhill always makes breathing easier). My thinking cleared up, strength good, but still no appetite. I sucked on a piece of hard candy but could eat little more. In other words, all my time above ~17,500' was kind of a blur and not very pleasant. Still there was a feeling of accomplishment. I don't know why: we certainly didn't do especially well, in fact, as climbs go we were slow. I guess just knowing that i was above 18,000' constituted an accomplishment. I had read about climbers on everest who could barely put one foot in front of the other, breathing hard, narrow mental focus. I understood this in an objective way but now i understand in a real experiential and personal way.

once we descended past the glacier, roberto let us unrope. Ron took off and i stayed with him; dan was coming but not as fast. Jeff was struggling; roberto stayed with him.

Roberto has lots of patience. About mid way through the rock portion the snow patches became fewer and we stopped to remove our crampons. I felt sorry for jeff and roberto: for jeff - so tired, for roberto - for having to wait for jeff. I stopped until they caught up. Then i stayed with jeff and let roberto go on. By then i felt good and was in no hurry anyway.

by the time jeff and i got to the upper portion of the old canals, in sight of the hut, we met carlito coming up to meet us, carrying jeff's light hiking boots. Apparently jeff had complained about blisters to one of the other guys and when they reached the hut they sent carlito with the more comfortable shoes. Talk about service!! Jeff changed boots and seemed to walk better though still not fast.

we reached the hut (about 5 p.M.) And found a pot of water boiling. This, plus a package of instant soup, really tasted great. by then my fuel was empty and i was hungry. I made jeff some soup and he enjoyed it too.

gather all our gear and load it into the power wagon - everyone was waiting for us and ready to go. The driver and roberto rode in the front; the four of us in the back. I was surprised to see rene in the back too. She said that there was no way she was going to climb the mountain.

once back home we cleaned up. Claude, a canadian from upper quebec, arrived and joined us for supper. His profession is designing and installing climbing walls. He also guides mountain climbs on baffin bay during the limited 1 month season. He spent the next two nights in the bunk house with us and was planning to ride to the hut and climb citlaltepetl.

back to tourist

next morning we were up early as usual. We sorted gear and food. We had a lot of food left over. So we divided it up and each got some. There were 5 mre's: one each and one for roberto - i wonder what roberto did with it; i wonder what i am going to do with mine?

after a great breakfast we talked to luis who arranged for us to visit a newly discovered (1992) ruins about 45 minutes by car to the north of tlachichuca. Amador would drive and he picked up 'ben' to go along with us. Ben spoke a little english and enjoyed the ruins with us. He climbed up and down the pyramids with ease. I could not keep up, even though i felt good i could not run up the steep steps without panting a little. We also learned that ben was one of the 8 climbers that roberto had lead to the top of citlaltepetl about a week before.

just before we reached cantona we stopped in a village. We bought a few souvenirs/postcards at a little shop while almandor located an older gentleman who was the owner of a small archaeological museum, sala cantonac. He had apparently visited at several archaeological sites around the world and had items from all over. (his son was the professor of archaeology at the university of mexico.) This little museum was interesting; most of the items were from mexico but there was a fair amount from around the world. Next we drove to cantona.

after paying the 16 peso entry fee we started the self guided tour. There were signs in various places, written in spanish, english, and native indian, describing that area of the ruins. The size amazed me. The ruins were almost a mile in length, and i don't know how wide. Less than 10% were restored. It was interesting at those spots where the unrestored rock laid next to to the restored wall. I am impressed how the professional archaeologist can make sense (can reconstruct a real structure) out of what appears to be a pile of rocks. It is no surprise to me that people could walk these hills, over these rocks, and not comprehend that a civilization once stood here.

i was particularly interested in the "ball fields", perhaps 30-40 ft. Wide and 60-70 ft. Long, with rock markers in the three places along the center. What kind of ball game did they play? The sign suggested that the game may be associated with planting or harvest ritual. The winner was sacrificed to the gods. - so much for the survival of the fittest. There were more than a half dozen pyramids restored, along with numerous courtyards, avenues (walkaways about 5' wide with side walls 3 to 5' high), living areas, alter platforms, etc. Terraced walls and steep rock stairs were everywhere. after about 3 hours meandering around this "maze" of a city we found our way back to the entrance. A truly impressive place!

we had a light picnic lunch before getting into the van and on to the next stop: alchichica. This village makes trailers, all kinds: short or long, trailers for the back of trucks, trailers to be pulled behind trucks, trailers to transport horses, hay, or horse shit. fancy decorations or plain.

but we came here to see lake alchichica. The lake was actually a volcano crater filled with water. The lake was more than 1/2 mile long and not quite as wide. It had no exit. The water has a high mineral content (probably ca(hco3)2). When the water splashes on the rocks near the water's edge and the wet rocks dry, a white coating (probably caco3) is left on the rocks (also on the shore line etc.) while we were there, there was no one on or around the lake even though the lake was just down the hill from the main thoroughfare of the village. The water temperature was cool to the touch, perhaps 50 of. We were told that people do swim there and play along the shore at times.

the drive from cantona back to tlachichuca gave us a chance to see more of the mexican culture & style. Some observations without explanation are:

most homes in the small towns are made of cement block and almost every one has tuffs of steel reinforcing rod sticking up at the corners. It seems that the homes are never finished being built. as you drive through the small towns there are no police or traffic signs. Speed through the villages is controlled by "topas" (speed bumps). About 3 of these , one at the entrance to the town, one in the center of the town, and one at the other end of town, is enough to control the speed.

fields are separated by a hedge row usually consisting of century plants or prickly pear cactus. Even some yard fences were made up of post like cactus.

most fields would have a tree or two left standing in the middle. The farm row just bowed around it. in the towns and even along some of the roads there were small to medium (~1/2 life size) shrines or crosses.

it was after dark before we returned to the soap factory. dinner was good as usual. Dana and rene and claude joined us for dinner. After dinner we headed to the casa blanca, a little restaurant just off the town square. We had a few beers to celebrate a great trip. Negro modelo. Ron had wine. After a little while roberto and his girl friend, Miriam, joined us. Miriam had a very pale complexion and was a little sun burnt. She was very shy and spoke no english. She lived in mexico city and was a mountain guide like roberto. 23 years old. We talked and drank and finally headed home to bed.

puebla and home

up early as usual. We packed - seems like we pack and repack a lot - for the trip to puebla and home. Breakfast was good as usual. after breakfast we loaded up the van; almandor and ben will drive us to puebla. Just out of town i noticed a large mountain which almandor says is la malinche. As the ride progresses we get closer and swing around south of it. I found it interesting to view a mountain from 180 degrees in a period of an hour or so. (the next day on the way to the airport the panorama continued.) At about 1/2 way to the airport two new mountains became visible: popocatepetl & iztaccihuatl. As we approached puebla these two grew in size and dominated the landscape. these two mountains lie just west of puebla. On the way to the airport the next morning we came even closer; the airport lies outside puebla on the west. Popo has the expected shape of a volcano. you can see a steam plume rising from the crater of popo showing that it is currently (a little) active. I understand that the mexican government has restricted all climbing on this peak at this time. izta is a long mountain; it did not resemble a volcano to me. The side we could see was steep, i believe the normal climbing route is from the opposite side.

puebla is a large old city with heavy traffic on multilane interwoven highways. Amador navigated us to the old city 'center' area and stopped at a hotel. We had no reservations and they were full. Ben went by foot around the block and returned to say that the hotel royal had rooms and we agreed to try it. I went with ben on foot - someone had to register us - while the rest drove around the block to the hotel - not a simple feat considering the narrow street and heavy traffic.

the hotel had two rooms, each with two single beds, which suited us fine. The cost was 680 pesos but i did not have that many pesos on me. They would take us dollars but only allow the equivalent of 9 pesos to the dollar. I should have put the room on my american express card but i wanted to pay it and be done with it. Ben pointed out that there was a currency exchange next door so i went there first and cashed a couple of travelers checks (9.85 to the us$). We got registered and before Amador and ben left we contracted for a cab to take us to the airport early in the morning. We said good-by to our friends from tlachichuca and we were on our own in the big city.

the elevator was just large enough to carry two people and one or two small suitcases, so it took multiple trips to get us and our gear to the rooms. The rooms were small but adequate. The bathroom with shower, sink, and toilet was tiled and not roomy. We didn't plan to spend much time there anyway. Jeff and i moved in one ; ron and dan the other. After a snack - we still have lots of food left - we left the hotel and became tourists.

we walked through the central square and over to the cathedral which was not open, then up the street. We happened to find an information office (kind of a tourist information bureau). They made suggestions and the group decided on a route. We walked in the right direction and entered a courtyard through a metal detector. We thought we were going to the library but were surrounded by city administration offices. They did have an art exhibit there featuring paintings of people with greatly enlarged feet. I didn't understand but i'm not the world's most knowledgeable art critic either.

we soon left there and walked a couple of blocks to an archaeological museum. This was a very fine museum and we spent about 1 1/2 hrs. And could have spent more. A large portion featured mexico, the early development, ancient pottery, tools, and art, the spanish influence, ( there was even several exhibits of colonial spanish furniture, paintings of spanish officials & bishops). The exhibit i liked best was a large mural with four bands depicting the state of civilization as a function of time. The bands were for asia, europe, africa, and pacific/australia. You could compare how developed each region was compared to the other at any time.

from here we headed to the market area: onyx, wood furniture, sweet shops (all kinds of candies, cookies etc.), Miscellaneous shops. At least a block long area for each. We shopped for souvenirs to take back home. I had fun trying to bargain with the shop workers. i could normally get 20% off; i am sure they still made a good profit.

we visited two churches, one small with dark paintings and with much detailed furnishings and statuary. The other was large, lots of gilded items. It had a very elaborate side wing with even more gilded furnishings.

we finally worked our way around in a big circle and back to the cathedral which was now open. The inside was very large but seemed small because the center area was occupied by several altars and a choir loft above them. In effect we walked all the way around viewing continuous side altars (all closed off by iron gates) and altars toward the center as well.

from here we returned across the square to the hotel. We found a table on the sidewalk in front and sat down. A few beers and then dinner. Jeff had a hamburger. The other three of us had aztec soup, sauteed mushrooms, and quesidillas. After dinner we took another walk through the market area and shopped a little more - jeff was still looking for something - and back to the hotel. It seemed like something was going to happen in the square. A truck with large speakers was parked next to the square. We were hoping there would be music and dancing but it turned out to be some sort of political rally with loud boring (we could not understand a word) speeches. what a disappointment. Dan and ron turned in. Jeff and i had a couple more beers and watched the people who walked by. Fascinating!

the next morning i was up by 5:30, showered and got ready to go. Jeff too was soon ready and we started the process of shuttling our gear down the tiny elevator. The taxi driver was there early and we started loading. It was good that the vehicle was a three seater; it could just hold us and our gear. I wanted to get some breakfast at a mcdonalds which was right next to the hotel, but it was not open this early (not even a light on inside). The drive through the city to the airport was uneventful except for the neat views of la malinche, popocatepetl, and iztaccihuatl. At 6:30 the streets were empty. What a contrast to the crammed up traffic in the streets when we arrived yesterday afternoon.

we got to the airport early, about 7:15. The check in did not even open until 8:00 and then we had to wait another 30 minutes to get into the gate area. The airport had no restaurant, not even coffee. Ron pulled out some bagels and cream cheese - i said we had lots of food. I ate a little but my heart was not in it. We had water - filtered water - in our water bottles in our day packs. No coffee, no beer, no golden arches!

and after all the early arrival, the plane was 45 minutes late. finally we were on our way. We changed planes in monterrey; next plane late also. We went through customs quickly and easily in houston. Jeff had to catch the airport shuttle to get his car at the parking lot. In the meantime ron pulled out some sardines, bagels, and cream cheese to snack on one more time. Jeff arrived; the final leg of the journey. a very good trip !!! ============================== end part 3 ==============================