"Bring your kid to work day" is everyday in Mexico!

Total miles driven: 2,161

Mexico has been a pleasant surprise, so far. It's very easy to travel here. The road signs are clear cut, the roads are pretty well maintained, the people are friendly and the accommodations aren't too shabby . The food is pretty yummy too :)

helping out with the churro making

street tacos

We have seen mucho policemen on our drive. Keeping the streets safe with their machine guns!

Disclaimer: I've seen some pretty nasty living conditions, so I'm making my comparisons with those. 
Mexico is still North America, after all. It's just an extension of the US. 

But in the US, we bring our kids to daycare. Normally . 
I've noticed that a lot of Mexican women bring their children to work with them. Perhaps the cost of day care deters them, or perhaps they just prefer to have their children with them at all times. Either way , it all works out. One night we ate at a local taco stand. A little girl, about 7 years old, sat on the sidewalk next to my plastic chair. As I ate my messy taco, I watched her as she practiced writing her Spanish on her lined notepad. Her mom cooked over a hot skillet, feverishly dishing out scrumptious tacos to locals, seemingly oblivious to her child's whereabouts. But I'm sure she had a pretty close eye on her precious little one ;)

She had enough trust in the passerby's and in her customers that they would do her no harm. Mexicans are very family oriented.The innocent brown eyed girl looked bored so I sparked up a conversation in Spanish with her. She was so adorable and sweet.

Another night, as we ate at another taco stand, the worker had her 2-year-old fraternal twins seated on the little plastic chairs as she stood behind the little white stand. Her kids had obviously missed their naps and were bored out of their minds. 
The next day, I went to a little convenience store to get a morning cup of Joe. I pushed the handle to dispense the coffee. It spat and sputtered.  A 13 year old girl scurried over and quickly changed the coffee canister for me, anxious to help. Her mom working behind the counter smiled at me. Mommy's little helper. 
You see, "bring your kid to work day" is everyday in Mexico!

The Mexicans we have encountered so far have been pretty amicable. No problems yet. I genuinely believe you get what you give. Attitude is everything and we've been nothing but polite and friendly with everyone we've met. 
Mexicans are predominantly Christians. Catholic to be exact. I believe this greatly influences their actions. There are many alters along the road and images of the Virgin Mary .

As far as the road trip goes, it's been going pretty smooth. Gas is a pinch cheaper here. Its running us about $50 to fill up, compared to $75  in the US.
How many US gas stations names can you think of?
A lot, I'm sure.
Well, ALL gas stations in Mexico are named Pemex. Government owned and controlled. 

We've been hugging the coast, taking the scenic route through beach villages, avoiding Mexico City because that's where the bad guys hang, apparently . 

It's been a lot of fun. Dinh and I are getting along pretty well, considering that the only time we're away from each other is when we're in the bathroom. There's been lots of laughs on the road. It's really nice to be able to share these amazing memories with him. I never would have experienced México this intimately if he wasn't accompanying me. In my original plan, I was going to fly into México only to explore Chichen Itza and hightail it out of the country. 
I never thought I would say this, but I prefer traveling with Dinh compared to traveling solo. 
Ok, ok, I said it. 
I knew he would make a great travel mate when I met him.