January 7 - 10 Cross the Border and Journey to Costa Esmerelda

On the 7th we left Pharr, Texas to cross the border into the town of Reynoso (not exactly known for it's safety).  The whole border crossing was an adventure all by itself.  The truck and camper had to go under a big x-ray machine (animals and people did not get x-rayed) and that was it as far as any searches.  There was quite an extensive process to get vehicle permits and tourist visas.  We then got on our way to Tampico.  It was basically just hurrying to get as far from the border as we could.  The roads are not always great even though they are highways.  We made it to Tampico about 5:00 and stayed in a parking lot behind a hotel with a lot of truckers.  The next morning we were ready to get a move on because we were on our way to the Beach.  It was a pretty rough drive -- it took us about 9 hours to drive 220 miles.  I wasn't even driving and I was exhausted.

We finally made it and are staying at Sun Beach Camping Resort.  It is lovely with lot of palm trees and 2 pools and our group is the only group here. It is located right on the beach, but the waves are pretty big.  On Saturday some young Mexicans came and set up tents and camped too.  The only bad part is that it has been cloudy and a little cool.  Tonight we are eating at the restaurant located on the property and celebrating one of our friends birthday.