One Sunday afternoon Claire and Llago hit the road to Tlaquiltenango to visit Guillermo Manon and his family who lived close to nature in the woods. Their only source of water was a well. The children loved the spontaneous hammocks that Guillermo made them by tying two ropes between two trees then folding a blanket over them. Just before the turning to the village Claire said “look pointing to a road sign, “Acapulco 300 Kilometres”.

How long will it take to drive there?” she asked.

“Let’s see!” Llago answered, drove past the turning to the village and headed south.

They drove parallel to a narrow river to their right all the way down to the coast from the high altitude of Morelos passing fields lines with maize plants, mimosa and hibiscus trees lining the road, to sea level where, after 3 hours, they began to see cacti and Yucca plants growing next to the road

Melissa and Serena were kept entertained by counting how many donkeys, black hairy pigs and chickens appeared in the villages they passed by.

They crossed the state line into Guerrero.

.They stopped to buy ‘Cidrals’ fizzy apple juice at a gas station and avoided the toilets which were festering holes of sewage; and drove through the miserable little town of Acapulco where local Mexican Indians and 4 th generation Spanish people lived.

“Look” cried Mellissa, “Alittle boy cutting up coconuts!”

Jago stopped the car next to the little boy who was expertly holding a coconut in one hand and slicing it with a machete in the other hand, Melissa was fascinated to see the shiny green outer shell of the coconut being hacked away until white filaments made way finally to the inner shell. Miguel chatted away to Jago as he pierced the three circles on the top of each coconut and gave them to the girls to drink the refreshing cool coconut milk. The usual hawkers in the street sold mangos covered in chilli powder on sticks, beautifully coloured little birds for sale in tiny wooden cages, and horror of horrors a brooches with a brightly coloured beetle attached to it by a tiny chain “People wear those?” Clair cried. The woman selling the beetles cackled and tried to grab Clair’s arm to encourage her to wear one.

Once they had quenched their thirst the little family piled back into the car. Ten minutes down the road they came to the spectacular curved shore line where towering American hotels in all shapes and sizes lined the smooth road. It was as if they had entered another country.

“Here we are! The sea! It’s taken five hours.” Jago announced grinning enthusiastically.

Jago and Clair stepped out of the car catching their breath as the wind whipped around their bodies.

It was off season so no one was on the beach. As usual five year old Melissa kicked off her shoes and ran helter skelter as far as she could go, sat on the fine white sand and used her plastic cup to dig a hole.

Serena 2 years old stared out of the window.

She screamed and refused to get out of the car. Clair tried to tempt her out but Serena just clung onto her seat and cried. Clair tried to find out why she was so terrified. She followed Selena’s gaze towards the sea and looked at it with the eyes of a child who had not witnessed this entity before.

Mighty waves rose a kilometre away arching high into the air racing to the shore and crashed onto the pale dry sand. The liquid beast then sucked itself back from the shore and rose 10 foot into the air in a huge rolling swell that extended down the coast as far as her eyes could see. As the mountain of green and blue waves, tipped with white foam rolled towards the shore again it thundered and crashed down onto the seething stones and sand underneath it.

No wonder she was terrified Clair thought. Ever moving, ever shifting nightmare of menacing water, it was not the best way to be introduced to the sea for the first time.

They could not tempt Serena out so Jago and Clair took turns sitting with her in the car hugging her trembling body and playing with Melissa on the beach.

After an hour Llago suggested they stay the night as he did not relish another five hour drive back to Cuernavaca for

They found a cheap vacant room in a huge hulk of a hotel scary in its emptiness.

Jago lay down for a rest and Melissa took the two girls out to explore the garden.

They found dozens of termite mounds some of them two feet tall connected by tunnels made above ground. Melissa had fun digging her toe into a tunnel and watching the worker termites crawl out and guard the hole whilst others built it
"I'll take you back to england soon where the beaches are safe for children" claire whispered to Serena.