Dear Asher,

Our good friend from Dorchester, Jon Mark Davis, had a goal of visiting as many countries as his age. Your mom and I have not quite reached this goal since we have only visited fifteen countries and are 28 and 34 years old. However, my sweet little globetrotter, today you crossed your third land border meaning that, outside of Canada, you have visited four countries before your first birthday.

It was a mad dash out of the room, down the three flights of steep stairs and through four city blocks to the bus station and we arrived just as the bus bound for Chetumal, Mexcio was pulling out. The thirty year old rickety bus had breaks so loud that they could wake up Grumpy, but the driver did not hold back when it came down to the flashy new flat screen that played scandalous Latin music videos that could teach Miley Cyrus a few things about twerking. Entertainment and all, the early morning ride to the border was enjoyable as we flew down the single lane highway bordered by cornfields, sugar cane and low tropical shrubbery. The border crossing into Mexico was much more organized than the other crossings so though it took longer, we went through without a hitch.

From the coastal town of Chetumal, we took a thirty minute taxi to Bacalar, an old town protected by an 18^th century fort, overlooking a lagoon painted with every shade of blue available to the human eye. Granny and Grumpy sat in central park while your mom and I did the new town hostel hunt. We checked into our new big room with a hot shower, AC and a flat screen TV for Grumpy, then spent the afternoon walking around the town, buying cheap fruit from the market and swimming in the monochromatic lagoon.

When returning to our room for the evening, we passed Annie’s, a fancy coffee shop which sells cappuccinos and homemade ice cream and when Granny stopped to take a photo of the sign because it reminded her of her dear sister and your great aunt, her phoned flashed the time 4:44pm. The number 4 has become an important number in Granny’s life, reminding her that there are greater forces at work taking care of her. We returned to our room to have a delicious fruit salad from our market finds then while we prepared you for your bath, Granny and Grumpy returned to Annie’s for a coffee and tea. Granny’s stomach has been off and on since she arrived in Central America and by the time they reached Annie’s, Granny was in some serious trouble and desperately needed a bathroom. It seems eerily strange that at 4:44pm there was some premonition of Granny needing help and Annie’s was the place where she would find it.

Grumpy helped Granny hobble back to the room where she hunkered down for the night ready to visit the hospital in the morning. Grumpy must have been extra tired from the three back-to-back travel days because he snored so loud, the room shook and Bacalar sounded the earthquake evacuation alarms.