The Road Home

We woke up excited to hit the road and make it to our final destination today. It's hard to believe that if all goes well we will finish the journey today.

Driving
I must say, driving in Mexico is quite different. I've compiled a list of things you gotta watch out for.

• Potholes. Sometimes extremely large potholes.
• Other cars passing you going 100+ MPH
• Other cars you are passing going 20- MPH
• Police that want to pull you over and ask for money.
• Cars going the opposite way directly in front of you in your lane.
• Signs that look important but that are in Spanish. You gotta watch for these signs, but then scratch your head, shrug and keep driving. What else can you do?

Basically there are not too many strictly observed laws here. People sort of drive a little crazy. This can cause someone from the United States to go a little nuts. On the other hand, if you just embrace the chaos, it is a bit liberating and fun. Throw the Drivers Ed handbook out the window and simply be alert and look out for yourself.

But it definitely took me awhile to get to that point of comfort.

The Drive
The scenery was gradually changing around us. Less desert and cactus, more green and farmland. We were enjoying our drive through Mexico more and more.

Along with shepherds, we would occasionally spot a farmer with his cattle. (You might need to click into this picture)

We spotted a truck full of the raw materials needed for carnitas.

And we would occasionally stop and make the payment on toll roads. We tried our best to stay on toll roads because they were the safest.

Puebla!
We couldn't believe our eyes when we started seeing signs for Puebla! That is where we will be living. We knew we were close.

Soon more signs were popping up. Almost there!

We were only ten minutes from home now. We were excited!

Police
Our hearts sank as we turned a corner and ran smack into a police checkpoint. There were about 10 police cars pulling people over. We did not have any problems with police the entire time, and now, only ten minutes away from our destination...police!

I rolled the window down. He spoke something in Spanish and examined my sticker permit.

I used the well-rehearsed..."No comprendo Espanol" (I don't understand Spanish)

He smiled, gave the car a pat, and motioned for us to continue. *sigh*

The Neighborhood
We were finally starting to recognize things from our initial 2.5 month stay in May-July. We recognized our neighborhood!

We were on our off-ramp to our neighborhood! We know this place!

Here is the commercial corner just a few blocks from our house!

Here is the road to the residential area where we live. Notice the potholes? We arrived at the end of the rainy season and the rain has definitely left it's signature here.

The large iron gate swung open, revealing the housing development in which we live. We are renting one of the homes in this condominium-style community. We purchased some of the previous tenants furniture, but the place has been uninhabited since late August. We wondered what kind of shape it was in.

After thousands of miles, we finally parked the car in front of...home.

We locate the key. Will it work? Yep? We were home.

Conclusion
We have reached the end of a huge undertaking. Within two months we sold most of our stuff, left everything comfortable and predictable, and drove across two countries and thousands of miles to reach our new home. We made it safe and sound. It couldn't have gone better, and it couldn't have been more enjoyable.

Truly an unforgettable adventure.

We have had a few requests for pictures of the inside of our house. We will post one more story of our first day back, what we did that day, plus more pictures of our home.