We spent a day in San Antonio, Texas and really enjoyed exploring the famous Alamo. In December 1835, during Texas’ war for independence from Mexico, a group of Texan volunteer soldiers occupied the Alamo, a former Franciscan mission located near the present-day city of San Antonio. On February 23, 1836, a Mexican force numbering in the thousands and led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna began a siege of the fort. Though vastly outnumbered, the Alamo’s 200 defenders–commanded by James Bowie and William Travis and including the famed frontiersman Davy Crockett–held out courageously for 13 days before the Mexican invaders finally overpowered them. For Texans, the Battle of the Alamo became an enduring symbol of their heroic resistance to oppression and their struggle for independence, which they won later that year. We also wandered along the river walk-located one story below the street, and lined by restaurants, shops, nature and public artwork.

With 2 weeks left before we head home-it was time to slowly make our way towards Galveston, where Ruby will be leaving first, on her ship to Southampton. We spent a few days outside Houston, sorting out all our stuff.

 We treated ourselves to a day at the NASA space centre and it was absolutely fantastic! We were there from the moment it opened to almost the moment it closed. Part of the day included a 90 minute tram tour which took us around significant points of interest in the Johnson space centre. The space centre presently serves as the home of mission control, NASA’s lead for International Space Station operations and missions, home to the Orion Multi-purpose crew vehicle, and numerous advanced human exploration projects. The centre also plays an important role in NASA’s Commercial Crew programmes.

The first stop took us into the room which overlooked the historic mission control, which managed, amongst many things, all of the lunar landings. As the world watched the outcome of Apollo 11, the first attempted lunar landing, employees in the NASA Mission Control Center held their breaths during the entire descent. Everyone anxiously awaited the confirmation of a safe arrival from its Apollo crew. At approximately 3:18 p.m. on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong’s famous words were forever ingrained in history: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Once word was received from the lunar module, capsule communicator (CAPCOM) Charlie Duke responded to Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. He expressed the feelings of relief and excitement that were felt in Mission Control and around the world:“Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You’ve got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again. Thanks a lot.”

In fact, from this room, the NASA team exercised full mission control of Apollo 11 from launch and liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. You can feel the history in the room from the monitors to the rotary dial phones.
 It was so interesting and we saw the small speaker where the first and last words from the moon were broadcast and also the infamous line "Houston we have a problem"-which we learnt were not the exact words that were used! The exact words were "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here" We learnt that 12 people have set foot on the moon, and there have been 12 manned (only men so far) landings (all by the USA). In those days-there was only one computer used with one as back up-its computer power was only the size of a phone app that we use nowadays! The success depended on 10 per cent technology and 90 per cent brain power-the staff using slide rules (there were no calculators!) to land man on the moon! Incredible! The room we were sitting in was the one used by the families of the astronauts, to see their loved ones in space. They had an open invitation to attend.

We visited the space vehicle mock up facility and astronaut training centre-where all astronauts have trained since 1980. There have been several types of mockups within the facility and each served a different function for astronauts and engineers. Initially, the facility housed space shuttle training modules such as the full fuselage trainer and two crew compartment trainers. The building is home to exploration rover prototypes and other robotics projects such as Valkyrie, NASA’s next generation of humanoid robot also known as R5. International Space Station modules help astronauts become familiarized with the space station in preparation for their mission. Orion, NASA’s crewed space vehicle, is being evaluated and tested by astronauts in Building 9 as engineers finalize Orion’s design. Orion is the space vehicle that will eventually take humans (hopefully including a female) to land on Mars.

We explored Rocket Park, where one of only three of the remaining actual Saturn V rockets is displayed, along with other rockets that propelled space exploration.  The Saturn V rocket at NASA Johnson Space Center is the tallest, heaviest and most powerful rocket ever flown. NASA used the colossal Saturn V rockets primarily during the Apollo programme to send Americans to the moon. There are only three Saturn V rockets on display in the world. The three segments, called stages, contain the powerful engines needed to lift off, entering orbit to reach the moon. In total, 13 Saturn V rockets launched into space. The Saturn V rocket stands 363 feet tall and has dazzled viewers since its first un-crewed takeoff, the Apollo 4 mission in 1967. When fueled and ready for launch, the rocket can weigh 6.2 million pounds (2.8 kg). That is almost the same weight as 39 space shuttle orbiters.

Flown from 1967 to 1973, the rocket launched 27 astronauts into space with six successful missions landing men on the moon. Saturn V also launched Skylab, America’s first space station, into orbit in its final mission. Astronauts could immediately feel the impressive power of Saturn V propelling them through Earth’s atmosphere into orbit. It was, as the American`s would say, awesome!

There was plenty more to see. We visited a shuttle replica Independence, mounted on top of the historic and original NASA 905 shuttle carrier aircraft, and then explored the giant plane. It is the world’s only shuttle mounted on an shuttle carrier aircraft and the only one allowing the public to enter both. We learnt about the planned missions to Mars, we saw how astronauts live in space and we listened to a talk by an astronaut who described his favourite moment in space as seeing the earth for the first time and how emotional that was.

We then made our way to Galveston for our last few days. It was Ruby`s turn first and we took her to the port, ready for shipping. We had to pay for an escort to take us into the port-as you cannot drive in by yourself. A lovely man called Gary from Galveston was our escort-he met us at the port and took us to where we needed to go. Someone came and checked Ruby`s VIN and wrote a series of numbers on her window (I guess to identify which ship she will be going on). Next, I took the dock receipt to be stamped. Gary showed us where to park Ruby. And that was that. We left the old girl there ready to be shipped by roll on roll off (instead of a container, she will be driven on and off). We will be reunited with her again around the end of June.

 It was a strange feeling leaving her there. Ruby has been our home, our transport and our life for the last 2 years (other than hotels and airbnbs!) and has done us proud. She has been fantastic. Whilst we have had a number of mechanical issues-none have been too serious and she has kept going mile after mile after mile. People love Ruby-she has had countless photos taken and has been pulled over many times by the police and military, so they could have a good look at her. She has been an integral part of the trip and through her we have met some wonderful people-such as Francis and Elsa in Portland, Graham and Joyce in Belize, all the landy guys in Colombia and the wonderful Jorge in Argentina. It has also bought us into contact with the lovely Mike Trott from the Landy paper. Thank you and safe travels Rubes-see you back in Blighty!

Next we headed to customs, handed in our paperwork and were given clearance to export her home. Heading back to the airbnb, emotion must have overcome me, as I fell flat on my face! I looked up to see Gav peering at me, looking all concerned, however I was fine!

We spent our last morning on a wonderful fishing trip from Galveston port. It was the day of the royal wedding so I had got up at 4.30am to watch it live! (I loved it-as did all the Americans we have spoken to!) We went on a large boat with about 80 other people, out into the bay. We had a lovely few hours-with dolphins following the boat- and Gav  caught and released 3 catfish. We also sailed past Ruby-patiently waiting for her boat! She must have thought "look at those buggers, still enjoying themselves, whilst my trip is over"!

So that`s it folks. We`re done. Tomorrow we fly back from Houston, almost exactly 2 years to the day we flew from the UK to New York, to start the trip. We have had a wonderful time and seen some of the most incredible things. We have set foot on the most remote continent on earth and felt we were part of a David Attenborough documentary! We have met some brilliant people-with whom we shall stay in touch, We have been welcomed by lovely people in all of the different countries  and places, and have felt humbled by the tremendous amount of human kindness everywhere we have been. We have never felt unsafe and have always found someone to help us, when we needed it. The world is largely a safe place and people are generally kind people. We need to build connections and bridges, not walls and barriers. We have never taken our tremendous privileges for granted and have felt so lucky to be able to do this trip.

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming "WOW-what a ride!"
 
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
      But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
      On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
      That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
 
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
      At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
      And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
      Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
      That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
 
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
      There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
      The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
      Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
 
WOW-What a RIDE!
 
 
 

We arrived in the beautiful city of Puebla, Mexico`s fourth largest City and just 67 miles from Mexico City. We spent a couple of days wandering around the gorgeous buildings and learning a little about the City`s history. Puebla suffered quite badly in the September 2017 earthquake, however a lot of work had been done to restore the historic buildings. We also visited a photography exhibition featuring the legendary Mexican artist , Frida Kahlo. Frida is an icon in Mexico and her image is everywhere. I (Jen) have become a little bit obsessed with her and her life story and have already bought numerous (tacky!) Frida souvenirs to take home! Poor Gav has become used to me brandishing a cheap shopping bag or fridge magnet, bearing Frida`s face, with delight! More on Frida`s story later!

We left Puebla and headed to Teotihuacan, 25 miles outside Mexico City, where we left Ruby for 6 days whilst we travelled into Mexico city and stayed in a lovely hotel in the old central district. There are complicated rules governing when you are allowed to drive in Mexico City and most of Mexico state, due to pollution, and the police are hot on stopping and fining you, if you get it wrong. We decided to leave Ruby at the campsite, as the easier option!

We really enjoyed our time in Mexico City, the most populous city in North America. Mexico City is one of the most important cultural and financial centres in the Americas. It is located in the Valley of Mexico a large valley in the high plateaus in the centre of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 ft). It is the largest Spanish speaking city in the world. We visited the wonderful main plaza and its cathedral; the supreme Court of Justice which contained absolutely amazing murals about justice and injustice, the national palace  with its Diego Rivera (married to Frida!!) murals and the Templo Mayor-ruins in the middle of the city which was the main temple of the Aztecs in their capital city. We also visited the public education building which was Diego Rivera`s first large scale mural project.

We had a couple of days on the hop on hop off tourist bus-visiting the important monuments in the City and Chapultepec park. The park was fabulous and we spent most of a day there, visiting the wonderful anthropology museum which was world class. It took us through the entire history of Mexico and contained wonderful artifacts. We also visited the botanic gardens and the castle of Chapultepec.

We visited the districts of Roma and Condesa-hunting out great street art and of course, we had to visit the Frida Kahlo museum in Coyoacan. I found this museum-housed in Frida`s childhood home and where she lived for a time with Diego and where she died-mesmerizing!  The museum contains a collection of artwork by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and other artists along with the couple’s Mexican folk art, pre-Hispanic artifacts, photographs, memorabilia, personal items, and more. The collection is displayed in the rooms of the house which remains much as it was in the 1950s. It is the most popular museum in Coyoacán and one of the most visited in Mexico City.

The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) is now regarded as one of the most significant artists of the twentieth  Century. Severely injured in a bus crash in her youth, Frida Kahlo took up painting when confined to her bed. Her life was changed forever by the accident and the portrayal of her body, wracked with pain, is a recurring theme in her paintings. Frida said that there were two accidents in her life –  the second was her tempestuous relationship with the renowned Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. It is in her iconic self portraits, unrivalled in their poignant beauty, that Kahlo depicts both her isolation and also her indomitable spirit and sense of self. The exhibition also reveals the less well-known aspects of her work; her powerful political insights about national identity, the plight of the poor, the march of technology and Mexico's relationship with its neighbour the USA.

The museum consists of ten rooms. On the ground floor is a room that contains some of Frida`s  mostly minor works. This room originally was the formal living room, where Frida and Diego entertained notable Mexican and international visitors and friends. The second and third rooms are dedicated to personal effects and mementos and to some of Diego Rivera’s works. The second room is filled with everyday items Frida used, letters, photographs, and notes. On the walls are pre-Hispanic necklaces and folk dresses, especially the Tehuana style ones that were Frida’s trademark. The sixth and seventh rooms are the kitchen and dining room. Both are in classic Mexican style, with blue and yellow tiles and a long yellow table, where Frida's sister Ruth stated that Frida spent much of her time. The two rooms are filled with large earthenware pots, plates, utensils, glassware, and more which came from different parts of Mexico. Decorative features include papier-mâché Judas skeletons hanging from its ceiling, and walls with tiny pots spelling the names of Frida and Diego next to a pair of doves tying a lovers’ knot.

Off the dining room was Rivera’s bedroom, with his hat, jacket, and work clothes still hanging from a wall rack. Next to this is a stairwell that leads from the courtyard area to the upper floor. This area also contains a large number of folk art items and includes about 2,000 votive paintings from the colonial period to the 20th century, other colonial era work, and more Judas figures.

The two rooms of the upper floor which are open to the public contain Frida’s final bedroom and studio area. This is located in the wing that Rivera had built. The original furniture is still there. In one corner, her ashes are on display in an urn (she died aged only 47), which is surrounded by a funeral mask, some personal items, and mirrors on the ceiling. On her bed is a painted plaster corset she was forced to wear to support her damaged spine, and under the canopy is a mirror facing down which she used to paint her many self-portraits. The pillow is embroidered with the words "Do not forget me, my love." Her wheelchair is drawn up to an unfinished portrait of Stalin, on an easel which is said was given to her by Nelson Rockefeller. Stalin became a hero to Frida Kahlo after the Red Army victory over Nazi Germany  in World War 2.

The tour of the museum ends at the large courtyard garden which is completely enclosed by the four sides or wings of the structure. The courtyard area is divided by a stepped pyramid, a fountain, and a reflection pool. These were built in the 1940s when Rivera first moved into the house and built the fourth wing enclosing the house. This wing’s walls which face the courtyard are decorated with marine shells and mirrors. There are also sculptures by Mexican artist Mardonio Magaña. One side of the courtyard contains the inscription "Frida y Diego / vivieron en / esta casa / 1929-1954" (Frida and Diego lived in this house – 1929-1954).

I loved it and spent a good 2 hours or so listening to an audio tour and even going back and repeating some of the rooms, whilst Gav whizzed around in less than an hour! He waited patiently for me outside and gave a little smile as I appeared with a big smile on my face and clutching-you`ve guessed it-more Frida souvenirs!!

We visited the colourful museum of popular  art that promotes and preserves Mexican handicrafts and folk art. The museum has a collection which includes textiles, pottery, glass, furniture and much more.

Friday night came and we headed for our first ever Lucha libre experience. Lucha libre means free style or literally translated as "free fight" and is the term used in Mexico for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to the country in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form of the genre, characterized by colourful masks, rapid sequences of holds and manoeuvres, as well as  high flying manoeuvres, some of which have been adopted in the USA and elsewhere. The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached. Tag team wrestling is especially prevalent in lucha libre, particularly matches with three-member teams, called trios.

We had been looking forward to this all week and it did not disappoint! We purchased 2 colourful lucha libre masks and I (Jen) had mine on within minutes, even though it was incredibly hot inside it! We had front row seats and within a few minutes, were being interviewed for Mexican TV-although we had to speak Spanish!

Once the fights started we threw ourselves into it alongside the rest of the crowd. For the first 2 rounds I kept my mask on whilst shouting, hollering and screaming, and nearly suffocated! It had to come off so I could breathe. I got into it so much that when the fighter came out of the ring next to us, I leapt up and was shouting and gesticulating so much, that security came rushing over and told me to sit down! What a great night`s entertainment-a must do when visiting Mexico City.

We left Mexico city and headed back to collect Ruby from Teotihuacan. Before we headed off, we visited The holy city of Teotihuacan ('the place where the gods were created'). Built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D., it is characterized by the vast size of its monuments – in particular, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out on geometric and symbolic principles. As one of the most powerful cultural centres in Mesoamerica, Teotihuacan extended its cultural and artistic influence throughout the region, and even beyond. We climbed the huge pyramids of the sun and moon and enjoyed wandering around the ruins for a couple of hours.

Next stop was to San Miguel de Allende and a reunion with our friends Fi and Ken, who we last saw a few months ago. We enjoyed the pretty city of San Miguel but the highlight was spending time with Fi and Ken and taking up where we left off with our card games and teasing Ken for his Americanisms! Their plans were flexible and they had decided to head back into the USA, before shipping to Colombia. We decided to travel together for a few days and we made a couple of camping spots together (at Matehuala and Monterey) before crossing the USA border at Laredo. The border crossing into the US was easier than our first into Seattle last year-however we somehow managed to miss Mexican immigration to get stamped out! We gave in our temporary vehicle permit for Ruby and will receive the deposit we paid when we first entered Mexico within a few days. We had to answer a few questions about our plans in the USA, then wait a short while to get our visas stamped. Car insurance for foreign vehicles, particularly old ones like Ruby, is incredibly expensive in the USA. I had managed to find a Mexican agent who insured us at a reasonable price for our final 2 weeks in Texas, which was a relief.

We spent 2 final nights with Fi and Ken-at a state park in Laredo and at a hotel in Cotulla. These 2 have become very dear friends and we know we will see them again someday.

We have absolutely loved our time in Mexico-it is a diverse, beautiful country with friendly and helpful people. It has a bad press because of cartel violence, however, like most people we met, we never felt unsafe. It had my favourite food of the trip-food being very cheap and incredibly tasty. We spent about 4 months here in total and would love to return one day.