Our Trip to Mexico

We are in Guatemala on a 90 day tourist visa that has to be renewed so we can stay longer. The first time we renewed the visas we went to Guatemala City and paid a fee for the renewal. However, Guatemala immigration requires that you leave the country every six months so we couldn't just go the City this time. The rules also limit which countries you can even go to in order to renew your visa. Mexico is one that will work. Don had driven through Tapachula, Mexico on the way down and decided that this would be a good place to take our family for this required 3 day paseo.

Tapachula is the largest city in southern Mexico. It has a definite United States influence. There is a Sam's Club, a Home Depot, an Office Depot, a Dominoes, a Burger King and others. It was alot like travelling to Guatemala City. We stayed in a Comfort Inn with a beautiful pool and a nice restaurant.

Here are some actions shots of the kids (Samuel, Caleb, Hannah and Bethany) swimming in the pool.




On Wednesday, we traveled about 30 minutes to the beach. The kids have never been to the ocean (Caleb had but he was 2 at the time) so they were very excited about going. Samuel was a little worried about sharks but we assured him that we wouldn't go that deep into the water.

The person at the hotel sent us to Playa Linda (pretty beach). There are many hotels, restaurants and private homes along the beach. We were driving up and down wondering where to go when a man came over to our car and invited us to his establishment. He had bathrooms, two pools and covered tables close to the beach. Because we were going to eat lunch there we were able to spend the whole day. The first thing we did was head to the beach. Caleb took this picture - notice Hannah and Bethany at the water's edge on the right.

Samuel didn't really care for the waves. He spent most of his time in the sand. We found shells, sand dollars and a dead skate ray. (We didn't take a picture of it but here is a link to a similar one.)

Everyone else really enjoyed the waves.



The kids really enjoyed the pools there as well. They swam before and after lunch. Behind the pools you can see the thatched roofs over the tables (if you look really close to the left, you can see the one and only picture of me enjoying the shade). Past the thatched roofs, you can see the beach and ocean where we played.

Lunch was another adventure. Caleb and Don ordered shrimp. The rest of us shared chicken and beefsteak. We also ordered a pitcher of fresh lemonade. Of course, lunch included tortillas and black beans.

The day at the beach was very relaxing and it was absolutely beautiful. The owner's wife asked us when we were coming back. We told her that if we come back to Tapachula, Mexico, we will be sure to return.

On Thursday, we loaded up and headed back to Guatemala. The border crossings went smoothly and the kids did great. We ate lunch in Xela at a Pollo Camperos with a playland. This was one of the best decisions we made the whole trip!! As my dad would say - the younger three were able to get their "stink off"!

Today is Samuel's birthday so we will post more on that later! We are trying to catch up on laundry and get ready for clinics this weekend. Thanks for reading!