The new presidency arrived Nov. 1 and we had dinner with them at Los Almendros.
The next morning Gerhard met with Pres. Sánchez, the 2nd counselor in charge of physical facilities, and then we began loading the truck in earnest. We knew Sis. Sanchez would be anxious to begin housekeeping in her own apartment.
Gerhard was so cute that last night with Jesus and Veronica Sanchez' little children when they came to say goodbye.

Baby Brigham is beginning to walk and Datsima is a lovely big sister.--I can't wait until we can see our own grandkids. I have to say that very quietly, because I promised not to say a word about future traveling until we get home safely.
After 2 days of constant work on Gerhard's part, he was so tired of packing and loading STUFF, that he decided that if we serve another mission, we will go by airplane with only two suitcases!
He did take time to take pictures of a strange worm or snake he found on the sidewalk.
We took two pictures of the moon near the temple to remember this beautiful sight.

On our way home - Campeche City, once the defender of the peninsula against pirates ! It is built on an ancient city called Becán that dates from before 600 B.C. and still flourished when the Spaniards arrived.

Historical sites play a large part in the economy of the town. We arrived in the early afternoon, but by the time we checked in to the Hotel del Paseo, rested and decided to go see the sights, it was dark and a light rain was falling. The car , with its load, was safe in the hotel's underground parking, so we set out to enjoy seeing the public buildings illuminated.

The picturesque buildings around the town square, one of the city walls, and the Catedral.
This time the metal man was real and didn't respond to Gerhard.
Next morning was beautiful and we went to the park for the first city tour, only to find that we would have to wait a couple of hours. Although we enjoyed watching children play with the pigeons, that was too long for us and for a couple who spoke German, so we arranged for a guide with a van to take us for a tour of just the forts, which are the real drawing attraction of the city.
First we saw the Reducto de San Miguel, which is kept just as it was in the 18th century. The display of currency from different nations that tourists have left was also interesting.

The statue to honor the mujer campechana dominates one part of the city.
The Baluarate de San Jose El Alto has a small museum of ships and armaments, just enough for our limited time.Imagine finding this ship's rudder--made of black African ebony and dates from the 16th century-- in a riverbed!
The cannon balls, the painting of the pirate Juan David Nau "El Olonés" who was shipwrecked near Campeche in 1677, and the model of "The Golden Hind"that stopped in Campeche in 1567 with a crew of 48 men all stirred our imagination.
One of us even became a little frisky!
Then it was time to get on the road again. We crossed the bridge from Ciudad del Carmen knowing it was probably the last time we would see Mayan houses and enjoy this part of Mexico.
We got as far as Villahermosa before feeling that it was time to stop, so pulled into an Autohotel, this time knowing why they charge by the hour, but the car was inside a garage if it rained, and the food tasted very good.
Adios, coconut palms and papayas.