Basil and Brenda Arkwright are from oop North, they have recently sold their mobile welding business and have joined up with Mr Brown and his group on this Tour of Mexico. They have not been abroad before but have, like the others on this trip, shipped a four-wheel drive vehicle across to do trip in. Most others have a large 4x4, Basil has sent his old pick-up truck, but had ‘’Arcright with Arkwright’ painted out as he didn’t think it would be any use advertising a mobile welding business he no longer owned to the Mexicans who couldn’t read English anyhow! Most of the buggers haven’t got a house let alone a ‘phone so couldn’t ring him anyway, and if they did he couldn’t understand Spanish so that settled it, no advertising on the truck. Let’s join them as they set out on Day 11.
Eh up Brenda luv, it’s your turn t’bloody drive, I can’t any road up, that bloody Mexican red wine has brought me gout back, and ah don’t think I can press ‘tclutch. Alright Basil dear, anything you say.
Basil was still feeling grumpy after last evening’s group dinner. He had felt ill at ease, most people were talking about their house abroad, or the last race or rally they did in their, or even worse one of their, classic cars, or dropping into see friends at Monte Carlo. All Basil had to talk about was his brace of racing pigeons and his whippet Eric. Mind you he bet they hadn’t had a first overall in the West Riding Pigeon Fanciers short handicap race from Batly to Huddersfield, and neither would they have a Whippet that had come first in the Doncaster Whippet Boxing Day Cup. By heck, Eric had run a grand race that day.
His mind soon came back to business when they passed yet another field of rusty scrap cars. ‘Crikey Brenda’, what I couldn’t do round here with an oxyacetelyne cutter and some good welding rods. We could make our own classic car, ha,ha he laughed.
‘Ave a look in’t road book Basil and tell us what’s in store, said Brenda. OK luv, lets ‘ave a loook. We’ve 325 miles to do, we can see millions of Monarch butterflies in one of three butterfly sancturaries and then visit a Volcano and drive up the crater at 13,870ft, after that we arrive in Mexico City. 20million people, bloody hell, said Basil, that’s bigger than Bradford, Leeds and Huddersfield put together, what’s traffic gonna be like?
Oooh, the butterflies sound nice said Brenda. Aye, said Basil, but wi’ 325 miles to do we can’t do both Butterflies and Volcano, we can see butterflies in England , in fact they have ruined my spring cabbage for the last two years, not to mention me sprouts, so I’ve ‘ad enough of bloody butterflies so lets go t’volcano. So t’ volcano they went.
Along the way they passed through a very fertile area. Eh, look at that Brenda, a greenhouse full of Poncietas,, eh there’s another one and another, blimey there’s hundreds of the buggers. I wonder whose going to buy all those, said Brenda. I’m sure the Mexicans won’t want all of them. Marks and bloody Spencer and Tesco’s , that’s who, said Basil, I bet that lot will be in England in the next couple of weeks.
They drove on, Basil becoming anxious that they wouldn’t get to the Volcano before it closed at 3pm. Then the traffic got worse, it was Friday afternoon and a holiday week end, the traffic was heavy. ‘Bout time we filled up with diesel, said Brenda, anyway I’m dying to go! There’s a Pemex in 10 ks, said Basil (all petrol in Mexico being state owned and run by Pemex). Whilst Bert filled up, Brenda answered the call of nature. Eventually she returned. You’ll never guess what they do ‘ere Basil. What’s that luv? They charge you for the bloody toilet paper before you go in! Bloody hell, said Basil, I hope Gordon Bloody Brown doesn’t get to hear of that one and start doing the same in Britain, that would be scraping the bottom!
Eventually at 3.15 they finally made it to the volcano to find the gate still open. Pay the man,Basil, and lets get up this mountain, 16 kms and 13000 feet to climb on a gravel road. Do you think you are up to it Brenda, said Basil.
Look ‘ere Basil Arkwright, if I can drive a1946 Ford 10 van laden with milk up the three mile rough track to Holroyds farm on the top of Holmefirth I can drive this bloody Pick-up up this mole hill. Sorry I spoke luv, said Basil.
And so Basil and Brenda arrived on top of Volcano rim and down into the crater. Eh up, said Basil, I’ve not seen ought like this before, talk about desolate. Indeed there was a grey landscape with only a lake in the middle to break it up. It’s just like James Bond film, said Basil, you expect it to part in the middle and a helicopter to fly out, and indeed that’s just what it looked like.
By Paul & Jayne Wignall
© Copyright 4x4xplore.com
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La Aventura Panamericana - Day 31 blog
Hola Hero!
It has taken this long for Car Seven to recuperate, or at least the non-English member of the crew who had the worst journey in the world, to get from Panama to Cape Town via New York.
Mar 5, 2007
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La Aventura Panamericana - Day 30 blog
Today we drive from San José to El Bambito.
After a short night of rest we got up at 04.15. We had breakfast at 05.00 and left the hotel at 05.45. We drove through a dark and quiet San José. We filled our car up with diesel and drove out of the city into the mountains.
Mar 5, 2007
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La Aventura Panamericana - Day 28 Blog
Brrrrr… Brrrrr… Brrrrr…
Who invented mobile phones that vibrate their wake up call? It is 5.45am in Tegucigalpa and the sun has not yet made its feeble awakening. We blink our weary eyes and struggle out from underneath our warm blankets. We are in Honduras at the start of Day 28 of our Central American dash.
Dec 14, 2006
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La Aventura Panamericana Day 24
It is nearly 06: 00 when we leave the hotel Villa Maya in Flores. Unfortunately because Arnold couldn’t believe that crocodiles are in the lake and he had to cancel his swim…!
Dec 14, 2006
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Day 21 Aventura Panamericana
Today started at 04.45 hrs.in Tulum. We had mislaid the tulips to get the 1.63 kms from Room 6115 in Block D, under Blocks C & B, past the tennis courts on the left and the Colonial Restaurant on the right, avoiding the Tope at 1.34 kms to emerge in the reception area, and all in pitch darkness.
Dec 5, 2006
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