Daily Van Life in Rural MEXICO

Daily Van Life in Rural MEXICO

CHESCA: Welcome back guys. It’s another week for us on the Pan-American Highway. Every mile is bringing us closer to the end of the world in Ushuaia Argentina. This week we leave the mountains of central Mexico behind. And point our compass firmly towards the beaches of Southern Mexico. Things are about to get hot.

BEN: Wasn’t expecting that for breakfast. CHESCA: Welcome back guys and happy 2024. This year is a big one for us. BEN: This year we are completing the Pan-American highway. If all goes to plan. CHESCA: Over Christmas and New Year, we had a gorgeous little Airbnb in Pablo just south of Mexico City.

Put some pictures on Instagram and Facebook, you can see what that was like. We have also spent a week in this amazing campsite, just outside of Oaxaca in the south of Mexico. You know what? We could stay here for the rest of the year. If we don’t have the Pan-American to do.

Ben is just in the shower at the minute. Honestly, this campsite is amazing. For 15 pounds a night, we get hot unlimited showers, this huge big green open space, electricity, there’s a swimming pool. It’s completely secure and safe. One of the nicest campsites we stayed in.

But we spend way too long in the mountains, and the little towns of North and Central Mexico. And today we’re heading over to the coast. It’s going to be a bit of a mission. The drive is pretty insane. It’s 120 km, it’s going to take us 6-7 hours.

But it’s going to be worth it, we are ready for some beach van life. BEN: What have you done? I thought Chesca had done something. Like, bought something expensive and you’re buttering me up or something. CHESCA: I’ve been too nice. BEN: Yeah, you were.

CHESCA: I reckon we’ll be there end of Jan. So, the 28th-29th. BEN: Okay. So, if I book the campsite for the 28th, I can get everything ordered and well I message. and see if I can have stuff delivered there. CHESCA: This is one of the difficulties of living in a van

And traveling like this is getting stuff delivered. We are having to find campsites two or three weeks ahead. Also the Mexican post is quite slow. Even on Amazon, it can take like 10 days to weeks to arrive. So, yeah. We need some stuff delivered.

So, we’re going try to figure out where we are in two to three weeks time. And make sure we have a campsite there that we can get stuff delivered to. So, we can pick it all up. BEN: Let’s take these guys for a walk.

CHESCA: Before we leave, we want you to meet someone. Where’s Shadow? BEN: She’s not here. Well, typical two weeks we’ve been here and she’s here every day. And the morning we want to show you, she’s not here. CHESCA: Oh my God! I can’t believe she’s not here.

So, basically, the whole two weeks we’ve been here, there have been two little black puppies living outside of the campsite. We’ve called them Shadow and Gremlin. We’ve been feeding them, there’s another couple in the campsite who’ve been feeding them. And they’ve just followed us on every single dog walk.

We look forward to seeing them every day. Unfortunately, about four or five days ago, Gremlin followed into town and never came back. And we haven’t seen him since. In fact, we spent an hour yesterday walking around town, trying to find him and we couldn’t.

So, I don’t know what has happened to that little guy. It’s kind of making me really sad thinking about him. But Shadow is still here. She definitely is here. We do have some clips of them both from the other day. Thank God, I thought to bring the camera out and just film them,

And introduce you to them, in case they weren’t here. Meet Shadow and Gremlin. Our little buzzy mates at this Campsite in Mahaka. That’s Shadow. Hello. BEN: Good morning. CHESCA: Gremlin, hello. BEN: Good morning. Oh, you’ve been in the sun. Warm. yeah, good morning. CHESCA: Okay. This one, this big girl is Shadow.

And this little one who looks like a fruit bat. He is pure black, there’s not one hair that isn’t black on him. He’s got the most long face and huge bat ears. We just call him the Gremlin cause he looks like a Gremlin. And this little girl is Shadow.

But they’re just hanging around outside. They are absolutely gorgeous little pups. They’re only babies. BEN: They’ve all been getting on really well, haven’t they? You little nipper. CHESCA: He’s gorgeous, I love him. BEN: Guys, come on say hello. Are you licking the camera? Are you licking? Say hello. Say hello.

CHESCA: Scouts. His tongue is purple as well. BEN: It’s part purple, part pink. CHESCA: Yeah, he got like a purple and pink tongue. No sign of her. I’m actually a little sad about that but I have to say bye. There’s another couple staying here from Spain.

And they are going to take her to the vets to be nuted, and they’re going to try and find her family and a home here as well. We got their Instagram and they’re going to update us. So, hopefully, it’s not the last we see of Shadow,

But I’m sad we didn’t get to give her some goodbye cuddles. Or Gremlin. Whatever happened to that little dude? Yeah, time to hit the road. The road we’re taking to the coast is like 200 km long. I actually underestimated earlier.

But it’s 200 km long, it is windy through the mountains, very very slow going. We’ve left a little bit later than we had planned to. we’re going to have to sleep somewhere on the road, we’re not 100% sure where we’re going to be staying tonight.

And we are just going to pop into Walmart, just to pick up our last couple of bits. And now it seems to be caught some sort of accident, a traffic jam, I’m not sure really what’s going on. Oh, you want to go over the central bit? BEN: There we go. When in Mexico,

Oh, look you can get through now. What the hell is going on? CHESCA: We get a couple of sandwiches made up. Do you want Mayo? Okay. You’re very interested . BEN: Okay, ready? Did you get the ticket? CHESCA: Hot. Let’s go.

As I said earlier we don’t have anywhere planned to stay overnight on this road. There aren’t really many places off the main road. It looks like most people sleep in the car parks of restaurants on the way. So, we’ve bookmarked a couple that we saw on Overlander.

We’re just going to hope that they’re sleepable, and that they’re not really close to the road, that the summer that we can walk these guys and then it looks all right. Cause we actually have no idea where we sleeping tonight BEN: We are going in blind.

CHESCA: We’re going in blind. We’re winging it. At some point, we make it into the cloud forest, but it’s still quite dry and barren and dusty down here. Okay, now I think we might be climbing. BEN: Very windy. I don’t know if this truck’s trying to let me pass.

But it’s too windy to overtake. Not for Mexican though, they’ll zip and run but not for us. We’ll sit back and wait. CHESCA: Ben was just asking what the word for sleep is in Spanish. It’s dormir. He kept saying doirme or something like that.

And just then he was going doirme and doirme. And I was like no, it’s dormir. I just saw in the corner of my eye, he is going, I think trying to tell himself to remember it’s dormir. BEN: It sounds like ear. Sometimes when you’re driving in these more remote villages,

You’ll come across these unofficial tolls, where the villages have like a rope across the road. And you just pay a small amount and it goes towards the village and the community. That was just one of them. So, we asked how much it was voluntary, so we gave them around 40 pesos.

We are still happy with and they were happy with me and they’re really friendly. They are lovely guys. So, yeah. It was all good. We did have another rope scenario when we were in Michelin, just after the last video, we did before Christmas when we left the butterfly area.

And that wasn’t so pleasant but we weren’t filming then. So, we didn’t capture it on camera, but we’ll probably talk about that at some point. Maybe if we do a safety in Mexico video. We’ll mention what happened there. But that wasn’t quite as friendly and nice as that one.

So, there’s this little restaurant at the side of the road called Commodore Esmeralda and it looks absolutely beautiful. It’s the most amazing garden, overlooking this huge valley. It’s closed at the minute, I just asked a guy over here if it was open. And he either said that they were having a fiesta.

Or having a siesta. I’m not sure which one. BEN: They’re sleeping or they’re having a party. CHESCA: We are not sure. They’re definitely closed now, they’re either open tonight or Manana. but he said there is absolutely no problem for us to sleep here.

So, we have breakfast here. We’ve got food in the van if we need to cook. But it looks such a…it be a shame if this is closed. Because it looks absolutely beautiful. Look, this is the garden. There’s all fairy lights and then that is where you eat in there.

CHESCA: Can you hear that? BEN: Yeah. CHESCA: There’s music and a megaphone down there. So, maybe they are having a fiesta, not a siesta. BEN: Can anybody name the film? I think that’s how it went. CHESCA: One more time. CHESCA: And again. BEN: No. Twice is fine.

This restaurant does not look like it’s going to open up tonight. so we’re guessing he did say fiesta and party. Rather than Siesta. So, which is a shame. CHESCA: Can you hear the music still going on? Marching bands? BEN: It’s over down there. I don’t think you can hear it.

But there’s something is going on. CHESCA: It’s like marching bands. BEN: It was really nice as well. Might be roasting during the day. But now the sun’s gone down, it’s actually quite cool. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? CHESCA: The temperature here is so fresh.

Making the most of it before we hit 35 degrees on the coast. BEN: I know. As exciting as that sounds, it’s not going to be when you live in a tin can. CHESCA: That was the move that I pulled on you. BEN: That was the move you pulled on, yeah.

We’ve just had confirmation it is closed. The owners have just said it’s closed tonight tonight. But they’re open for breakfast tomorrow. River is so excited for breakfast tomorrow that she’s rolling around in… Someone waving. Say hello. She’s decided to roll around in the mud. Look at this.

CHESCA: River, this is your own fault. That isn’t funny. That is quite funny actually. BEN: Actually that’s me getting b-roll. BEN: You like it? CHESCA: Yeah, that’s good. I slept amazingly well last night. The road wasn’t noisy and the music didn’t keep me up at all.

I’m obviously getting used to these Mexican fiestas. BEN: They just thrown something out of the tree. Anyway, so I woke up at three and lories started coming and they were like… CHESCA: Oh, I didn’t hear them till 6:00 this morning.

BEN: No, I was up at three O’clock. So, I looked at my phone I was like, Oh my God! But it was only intermittent. So, it wasn’t too bad. But it’s a beautiful day today. It was nice and fresh last night as well. So, it wasn’t too hot.

And I think the restaurant is open. So, we’re going to go and get some breakfast. What we thought was refried beans, cooking over the fire this morning. She started ladling it into our coffee cup, so I’m guessing… Yeah, it’s coffee on the fire.

I was like she’s probably fried beans in my coffee cup. Oh my God, that is amazing. That is really good coffee. BEN: Fire roasted coffee. CHESCA: It doesn’t taste like Ness Cafe. Fire-roasted coffee, yeah. What a magical spot this is. So, we’ve got fresh cheese quads. We’ve got some beans.

Some quesa, some cheese. We got some bread and some salsa. It’s all been cooked on this huge wood-fired, stone-like oven in the kitchen. It smells amazing. And this is going to set us up right for the day. BEN: I wouldn’t normally eat beans like this but it’s actually not too bad.

CHESCA: They’re really good. BEN: Yeah. CHESCA: Can’t really see them shaking, just had our first earthquake. BEN: Yeah, little mini earthquake. BEN: Wasn’t expecting that for breakfast, did we? CHESCA: No. Just everything was just going very gently, wasn’t it? BEN: It was. I went back to sleep.

Everyone else ran out, we were just like… CHESCA: Did they all left? BEN: Yeah, they all left and went outside. You only sit under a wooden shack when there is an earthquake, do you? So, if it goes again, we’ll walk outside, should we?

Two plates of, two plates of beans, two coffees, four coffees, a plate of cheese, and three bits of bread. 7 pounds. Really really good. CHESCA: Yeah, amazing. Honestly, places like that are what van life is all about. Being able to find little gems like this.

Absolutely beautiful spot, with really funny people, food is amazing. But now, we’re going to tackle the worst part of this road. And I would show you on the map, but we don’t have one. If you’re new here, you might not realize,

But for the most part of this trip, we’ve had a physical road map. Of all the places we’ve been from Utah up to Alaska, Canada, We’ve been plotting out our route so that you can see visually where we’ve been. But it is impossible to find road maps in Mexico.

No one sells them. We were going to get one delivered to our Airbnb over Christmas, but by the time we realized, the delivery date was too late. So, we’re going to go and deliver to a campsite, aren’t we? In a couple of weeks. So, the maps are coming back.

Give us a thumbs up if you’re excited to see the maps back. It’s one of our favorite parts of the week, is visualizing and looking at where we’ve been. So, the maps are coming back, I promise. I know a lot of you have been missing them and asking where they are.

It’s just they are really hard to find here in Mexico. BEN: Okay, we’re good? CHESCA: We’re good. We’re just saying this road has the perfect level of tourism. So, there are still places to eat, little restaurants everywhere, dotted around, arts and crafts stores but it’s not over-commercialized.

And you still get a real glimpse into local life here. It’s real rural Mexico. It’s really nice. This road is twisting and turning through the thick thick forest. And then every now and then you just get glimpses out onto these huge mountain vistas.

It looks like a rainforest as far as the eye can see. Covering these mountains, it’s got this blue haze to it. It is just a phenomenon. We’ve made it out of the mountains. Good driving babe. BEN: Thank you, babe. CHESCA: The sun is shining, the air con is on full blast,

And we are now on our last push down to the beach. We’ve made it to the beach town of Megente we’re just parking in. There’s this huge football field in the center. That is a parking area and you can pay 100 pesos to park through the night. Or 150. It’s something like that.

Oh my God. The heat though is just Dusty. I’ve got a little bit of a headache, I don’t know if it’s from the altitude. Because I think we’re at 7000 ft. BEN: 7000 ft, we were at 2400 meters yesterday. Yeah, that’s how high up we were and then we just plummeted her down

To literally to sea level. I don’t know if that’s what’s causing the headache. So, I think we need some coconuts to replenish our electrolytes, don’t we? BEN: We see. Let’s go find some coconuts. This is a nice little street. So, impossible to film with coconuts and two dogs.

But we’re literally parked in there. Can you see it? And the coconut stand is just here right opposite. And then down there is the beach. Where we’re going to go to later and hopefully have pizza on the beach. BEN: But with two coconuts, two dogs, and a street dog,

Trying to come and say hello is a bit of a nightmare. CHESCA: Let’s head back. BEN: I’m just going to lead you with short lead. CHESCA: So, it’s really nice quiet little hippie beach town. Just a couple of streets and then just bars. lining beach and lovely little hotels.

Look at Scout. Enjoying the views. BEN: Good girl River. There you go. BEN: It’s nice. CHESCA: We’re here. BEN: Finally made it to the sun CHESCA: We made it. She’s got a new job as a headrest. BEN: Yeah, my pillow or really not very comfy pillow. You’re pushing back.

She’s really forcing me back. This is not the most flatting of angles. Where does that chin come from? Mejente is a gentle laid-back town with sandy streets lined with coconut palms. It’s the kind of place Ben and I would have backpacked to a few years ago.

And it was a pretty surreal feeling to know we had driven here in our own van from England. When you live in a van, the world really is your Garden.

This week we’re diving back into van life in Mexico after a short break over Christmas and New Year. 2024 should shape up to be the biggest year of our lives, as this is the year we plan to finish the PAN AMERICAN highway – can you believe it?! We’re about halfway through this adventure and van life in Mexico isn’t done with us just yet.

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↠ IN THIS VIDEO
0:00 – 02:46 – Where we’ve been
02:47 – 06:00 – Meet our new friends
06:00 – 09:03 – Back on the road
09:03 – 13:49 – Sometimes this happens in rural Mexico
13:50 – 16:40 – A hidden gem in the cloud forest
16:40 – 18:48 – Let’s do this!
18:49 – Coconuts in Mazunte

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↠ WANT TO WATCH MORE?
Van Life France to Sicily Series
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn1NUYY2VXyhlgsLvnXZQWp0
Van Life UK Series
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn0ZKqneAbha94jkMnkBBGFr
Van Life Portugal Series
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn1NoG9YimtMCTeQpk-aqstn
Van Life Spain Series
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn37KGDpBq683reFQuxjlhXR

↠ SEE HOW WE BUILT OUR VAN
Watch our Van Build 2.0 from the start
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn09Q7QKe9RSfcmCvu5KgxHZ

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↠ A BIT ABOUT US
We’re Chesca and Ben, and with our two pups River & Scout (🐶 🐶 ) we live and travel full-time in our self converted sprinter van, Sophia. We spent the past 2 years road tripping as much of Europe as we could, from the wild coasts of Portugal to the Syrian border in Turkey, tackling lockdowns and a van re-build along the way. But now, we’re feeling like a new challenge. In the summer of 2022, we’ll be shipping our van from the UK to Canada, on a mission to drive her all the way to Argentina!