Rattling up a winding Mexican road in a packed mini van we were suddenly confronted by a couple of men furiously signalling for us to pull over. My mind was full of Lonely Planet's warnings about bandits in this mountainous part of the country, so I yelled to the driver not to stop, fearing a trap.
It was just the sort of incident we had feared when we decided to take our two daughters, aged 8 and 10, on a holiday in Mexico.
But as we moved past the scene it became clear this was not a hoax. The transport van that had left half an hour before us had run off the road and down a steep ravine before smashing into a bank 100m below.
Until then we'd all been asleep after our early start on the seven-hour trek from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca - but suddenly it was as if we'd been doused with ice-cold water.
As we drew to a halt our daughters started firing rapid questions: "What's happened? Has someone being killed ... ?"
Miraculously, the van had not rolled and the occupants, though battered and bruised, all survived. They were sitting on the bank stunned, with, as it turned out, only one missing in action - the driver, who had fled the scene.
A suave young dude from Monterey with Gucci glasses and curly locks who we'd met the previous day at our favourite beach in Puerto Escondido, started to spin with the shock of it all.
"Oh my God, that could have been us," he exclaimed clutching the sides of his head. Our girls were intrigued as he went into hysterical overdrive.
Part of his reaction was because he was supposed to have been on that bus with his mate but had partied hard that night and didn't get up in time. Quietly, my partner and I were thinking that it could also have been us had we plucked ourselves out of bed earlier.
The seven-hour trip became nine hours as we called for help and waited for it to arrive. As soon as we hit the road again, the Mexicans in our van, as if under a spell, fell back asleep. Even the Gucci dude who had flipped was able to review the situation with closed eyes.
We, however, had our eyes fixed firmly on the road and the driver for the entire journey. "Dad, he's driving too fast, tell him to slow down," was the chorus for the rest of the trip.
Though traumatic, it did not dampen our enthusiasm for Mexico. The kids seemed to take it all in their stride, as kids have a knack of doing; it was simply part of the adventure. Ironically, we had chosen to go in the mini van because we thought it would be safer and more comfortable than the big bus on the windy mountain road.
We spent 3 1/2 weeks in Mexico over the Christmas holidays. At first we were apprehensive about leaving New Zealand and going half way around the globe to visit one of the poorest, most polluted countries in the world with two young kids.
But we wanted to go somewhere interesting that provided a feeling of adventure. Having travelled extensively we had a good idea of what to expect.
We didn't need a visa, travelled light ( the bulkiest item was a polar fleece for the evenings) and took summer clothes.
We took the advice of Lonely Planet and dressed down. We left our watches behind and took only a small camera that even your average Mexican bandito would reject. I took a cellphone, but calls cost around $9 a minute, so we used it sparingly.
We pretty much worked out where we were going before leaving - Lonely Planet was invaluable - and used the internet to book accommodation for the first week, giving us time to acclimatise and for me to knock the rough edges off my Spanish.
Though speaking the lingo is useful, it is not essential in order to get around. In general the Mexicans are friendly (particularly towards kids) and will go out of their way to help, even if they may not fully understand what you are saying.
Other accommodation we sourced from the guide book and easily booked a night or two in advance. We paid around $150 a night for three- to four-star accommodation that was clean, safe and central.
Not having wall-to-wall hotel bookings gave us considerable flexibility. We initially planned seven days in Acapulco, for instance, but stayed only four.
The friendly young staff at our hotel in Mexico City described Acapulco as a place where middle-class Mexicans go after saving all year. The movie stars had long since found other places to be seen, they said. Puerto Escondido, some eight hours down the coast from Acapulco, was far more interesting.
The kids disagreed. For them Acapulco was fun, mainly due to the five swimming pools and a massive hydro slide at our resort hotel, which we had pretty much to ourselves as the holidays had just ended.
But my partner and I took the advice. The magic of the place, which clearly there once had been, had gone. Even the cliff divers didn't quite live up to our TV memories. Four days and two books later it was time to move on. Glad to have gone there, happy to leave.
Getting around Mexico is relatively easy. With a population of around 100 million there is no shortage of transport options and many of the main arterial roads are tolled, so travel is reasonably comfortable.
Where possible, we used first-class buses with toilets, working air conditioning and TVs, which took away much of the hassle of travelling with kids. No leg of the journey cost us more than $100.
For the kids' benefit, we structured our plans to keep our travelling time to a minimum. Mexico is a big place and the European InterRail approach to travelling - visiting 10 cities in as many days - was not a goer.
We visited six places in a reasonably tight geographic spread that took us from Mexico City to Taxco (2 hours) to Acapulco (3 1/2 hours) then down the coast to Puerto Escondido (8 hours), followed by seven hair-raising hours to Oaxaca, then on to Puebla (4 hours) and back to Mexico City (2.5 hours).
Having seen the movie Frida before leaving, we decided to visit the Frida Kahlo and Trotsky museums in Mexico City. The film also inspired us to visit the art galleries to see Kahlo or Diego Rivera paintings.
The churches were out of bounds. They were magnificent, ornate and dripping with gold, but the graphic effigies of Christ were just a little too scary for our younger daughter.
It was a different story though, visiting the many markets where the kids were in their element and language was no barrier, even when it came to bargaining. The weight and size of our bags had more than trebled by the time we left.
Trying to capture Mexico in fewer words than the chunky Lonely Planet book is folly when just walking the streets is an experience in itself. But there were several highlights worth mentioning.
The kids were particularly impressed by the ancient pyramids at Teotihuacan, just outside Mexico City, the third largest in the world and ones you are permitted to climb. Part of the fun was conversing with our hotel taxi driver who, though hardly speaking a word of English, talked all the way there and all the way back.
Our advisers were right, Puerto Escondido was a real gem, a little oasis with a pace of life in step with its year-round hot climate and a visitor profile governed by a geography that is accessible to only those keen enough to make the journey.
Oaxaca was another treasure. From its old cobbled streets and buildings to the arch-covered footpaths littered with restaurants (as sophisticated as any you would find in Europe), to the markets and art galleries, it is a place we could have stayed longer. Add to the menu Monte Alban, a 20-minute bus ride to dramatic ruins where civilisation is believed to have begun in the Americas, and it was an unforgettable experience.
Apart from the mini-van incident we felt pretty safe, even in Mexico City. Though overcrowded, impoverished and polluted, the city has an indescribable charm. While you need to have your wits about you, the history, song, dance, colour of the place took far greater precedence than concerns over safety.
Just eating out in Mexico is an experience. Dining is a noisy affair; people don't stop talking to eat. If it is not the people next to you making a din it will be a person with a guitar or a group of Mariachi busking.
The food is generally good and fresh. One of the more interesting dishes we tried was the famous mole, a spicy chocolate sauce that accompanies meat. However, from the kids' point of view the billing didn't match the taste.
Apart from a few minor bouts of diarrhoea, due to one too many chillies, we didn't get sick. Essentially, you can't go wrong with the basics: tortillas, nachos, tacos or burritos. Travelling in Mexico certainly is not like relaxing at a Fijian resort, where the only pressure comes from doing nothing.
There is too much happening in Mexico to get bored. It is stimulating, vibrant, and lively and this can be a good antidote for stress. After a busy year, de-stressing was what we all needed, and got.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Flight Centre has return flights to Mexico City from Auckland.
Climate: It's winter in December/January. In elevated places such as Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca it gets cold, particularly in the evenings, but on the coast the temperature is around 27C.
