mi espanol es no bueno pero yo aprendo as todo dias.
Aqui son unos fotos.
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| maestra Raina de Erin & Rigel |
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| maestra Betel de Rigel & Erin |
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| Verde lagarto es en la huerta |
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| Erin es en la huerta |
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Puerto Escondido 3
Puerto Escondido es un muy bonita ciudad. la gente aqui son simpatico y la playa es divertido con muy guapa gente.
mi espanol es no bueno pero yo aprendo as todo dias.
Aqui son unos fotos.
mi espanol es no bueno pero yo aprendo as todo dias.
Aqui son unos fotos.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Puerto Escondido 2
So we never did that early morning ride..instead we have decided to stay here and take spanish lessons! Maybe this will help with you know talking to people. Just a guess. :-)
We are taking lessons for the next week, four hours a day. And we are staying at the school in one of their bungalows which is great because we have our own room, bathroom, kitchen, living room and hammock! Oh ya!
The school is in a really awesome garden housing lizards and birds and our bungalow has a wonderful view of the ocean!
We are taking lessons for the next week, four hours a day. And we are staying at the school in one of their bungalows which is great because we have our own room, bathroom, kitchen, living room and hammock! Oh ya!
The school is in a really awesome garden housing lizards and birds and our bungalow has a wonderful view of the ocean!
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| Art in front of a beachside business |
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| The naked lady statues are not nearly as nice as in the bigger cities |
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Puerto Escondido
We didn't want to spend much time in the crazy city so we decided to take another night bus onto Puerto Escondido. The ride was awful, so many stops, there must have been hundreds of speedbumps that the bus used its squeally breaks over, it was a rough road with sharp turns, and the driver had the air conditioning jacked. Consquently we did not get very much sleep.
We arrived around 8:30am, put our bikes back together and started out on the search for a hotel and shower. We didn't go far as there was a really nice hotel, Hotel Vista del Puerto, just across the street. The wonderful thing about travelling in the off season is the prices. We paid 250pesos instead of the 650 they normally charge. For food we walked about a block and came to a wonderful restaurant filled with locals. The prices were great and the food was excellent. After that it was time for some much needed sleep.
Later in the afternoon we wandered around town and ended up in a big street market. But it wasn't really crazy which is a nice change from the usually packed streets. They seemed to have everything you could want, so I bought a new watch (hopfully it is as water resistant as they say) and Rigel and I each got goggles for swimming. We bought these very ordinary items at this crazy outdoor/sports/shooting/self defense/camping store. It had everything from watches to tents, t-shirts, and swimming gear to pepperspray, knives, guns of every size, protective clothing, and crazy apparatuses that shoot little silver balls. Its the everything store! And it was so small, maybe 20 feet by 10 feet.
Because we were having such a good time, and Erin was still under the weather, we decided to stay another night. We went back to that same restaurant for breakfast then wandered down to the beach. The beach was about 2km from the post office where we stopped to mail a backup of pictures back to Manitoba. Erin, long frustrated with the hodge-podge bundle on the back of Rigel's bike eyeballed a solution in a duffle bag for sale at one of the many street vendors. Between that and new shorts for Rigel, we picked up quite a few things!
The beach was beautiful, though jammed full of small tour boats. There were many families at the mostly still beach. Most noticeable, however, as we walked in the water along the shore was the generous amount of gold flecking in the sand and sea. Was it real gold in micro thickness flecks? If so, there's a lot on that beach!
On the way down we met a couple of fellows that have been dogging our steps and will, it seems, continue to do so for some time. Though, not if it were not for our use of the bus of late. We checked with the bus company and we will have to catch one from San Pedro Pochutla if not here. And we intend to visit some nearby beaches first as it seems people in the region are a lot friendlier than they were further west. With that we settled in for movies and blogging for the evening before a planned ride for early the next morning.
We arrived around 8:30am, put our bikes back together and started out on the search for a hotel and shower. We didn't go far as there was a really nice hotel, Hotel Vista del Puerto, just across the street. The wonderful thing about travelling in the off season is the prices. We paid 250pesos instead of the 650 they normally charge. For food we walked about a block and came to a wonderful restaurant filled with locals. The prices were great and the food was excellent. After that it was time for some much needed sleep.
Later in the afternoon we wandered around town and ended up in a big street market. But it wasn't really crazy which is a nice change from the usually packed streets. They seemed to have everything you could want, so I bought a new watch (hopfully it is as water resistant as they say) and Rigel and I each got goggles for swimming. We bought these very ordinary items at this crazy outdoor/sports/shooting/self defense/camping store. It had everything from watches to tents, t-shirts, and swimming gear to pepperspray, knives, guns of every size, protective clothing, and crazy apparatuses that shoot little silver balls. Its the everything store! And it was so small, maybe 20 feet by 10 feet.
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| in the mercado |
Because we were having such a good time, and Erin was still under the weather, we decided to stay another night. We went back to that same restaurant for breakfast then wandered down to the beach. The beach was about 2km from the post office where we stopped to mail a backup of pictures back to Manitoba. Erin, long frustrated with the hodge-podge bundle on the back of Rigel's bike eyeballed a solution in a duffle bag for sale at one of the many street vendors. Between that and new shorts for Rigel, we picked up quite a few things!
The beach was beautiful, though jammed full of small tour boats. There were many families at the mostly still beach. Most noticeable, however, as we walked in the water along the shore was the generous amount of gold flecking in the sand and sea. Was it real gold in micro thickness flecks? If so, there's a lot on that beach!
On the way down we met a couple of fellows that have been dogging our steps and will, it seems, continue to do so for some time. Though, not if it were not for our use of the bus of late. We checked with the bus company and we will have to catch one from San Pedro Pochutla if not here. And we intend to visit some nearby beaches first as it seems people in the region are a lot friendlier than they were further west. With that we settled in for movies and blogging for the evening before a planned ride for early the next morning.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Lazaro Cardenas-Acapulco night bus
Arriving in Acapulco around 8 we put our bike back together, said goodbye to Dave and Uschi and started out into the big city. The city was quite the experience as it has many unique areas. First we rode through the absolutely insane downtown. Vehicles and people everywhere! I was really hoping the whole city wasn't like this. Just bonkers. Then we came to the beach and things calmed down enough that we could read signs and generally able to hear ourselves think. We found a restaurant with wifi and ate breakfast. Prices were very good. Once the heat of the day struck, it was as if we lost the will to move and so found a spot to sit til it was time to eat again.
After our early dinner, of which I tried a fish soup which I will never order again, we looked up the correct directions to Diego Rivera's mosaic murals. It really wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the bones..and the skin..and really the fact they just cut the fish in half and threw it in..
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| ..fish..soup..mmm? |
Deigo spent his final years of battling cancer in Dolores Olmedo's house piecing his 5 murals together which are placed on the outside walls and ceiling. The house is located atop a cliff overlooking the ocean and of course we had to bike all the way up the side of the cliff to get to it. I guess it was worth it.
In the pictures you can realy see the steep grade of the road, just brutal.
| Add caption |
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| View of the house and the mosaic at the top |
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| The house Rivera stayed at, unfortunately not allowed inside |
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| The view of an old abandoned house overlooking the city |
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Playa Azul
Leaving the hole that is Caleta de Campos it was noisy and we had dogs chasing us but once we were out of the town it was peaceful and nice again. We stopped shortly to watch the sun come up over the ocean.
The days riding wasn't so bad, most of the way we were on a new highway but since it was still being built there were a few unmarked forks in the road. Do we take the new, maybe unfinished, maye end in a cliff road or the safe but probably longer, yet bumpy old road. It was exciting everytime. At one of the forks we chose to take the old road and it was good we did because Dave and Uschi took the new way and it ended in a dirt road around a bridge that wasn't quite done yet adding a bit of time to their day.
Arriving in Playa Azul we met up with our travelling companions at a restaurant and planned on looking for a hotel to stay in rather than biking the extra 20km to Lazaro Cardenas in the mid afternoon heat. We found a nice hotel, the oldest and largest in town, caught up with family and just relaxed.
The next day we decided to stay and Dave and Uschi decided to ride to Lazaro Cardenas as Erin's belly was not getting better and thought she should have another day to recover. The whole day was pretty well spent in bed with Rigel running errands and cooking :-)
There is a little bit of bad news to this hot day..when we put our spot out to send the ok, someone stole it. We thought it could have been a kid thinking it was a toy but no one saw it. Alas, we will be travelling the old fashioned way again.
The days riding wasn't so bad, most of the way we were on a new highway but since it was still being built there were a few unmarked forks in the road. Do we take the new, maybe unfinished, maye end in a cliff road or the safe but probably longer, yet bumpy old road. It was exciting everytime. At one of the forks we chose to take the old road and it was good we did because Dave and Uschi took the new way and it ended in a dirt road around a bridge that wasn't quite done yet adding a bit of time to their day.
Arriving in Playa Azul we met up with our travelling companions at a restaurant and planned on looking for a hotel to stay in rather than biking the extra 20km to Lazaro Cardenas in the mid afternoon heat. We found a nice hotel, the oldest and largest in town, caught up with family and just relaxed.
The next day we decided to stay and Dave and Uschi decided to ride to Lazaro Cardenas as Erin's belly was not getting better and thought she should have another day to recover. The whole day was pretty well spent in bed with Rigel running errands and cooking :-)
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| Some nice farmland on the ride |
Friday, January 17, 2014
Caleta de Campos
Jan 17-18
Had the option to stay at Nexpa or Caleta Campos and decided to push to the further one to make the next day's ride shorter. We rode about 55km as the sharp hills declined in intensity and the roads took on more even smoothness. Arrived in town around two due to stopping earlier for lunch. Had another snack, did some shopping and then started looking for a place to stay for the night near the beach.
No good camping in town - either dirty restaurant floor sand or chicken breeding ranch that sold roosters for cock fighting. Stayed in a hotel on the second floor. Price was not great, but we got it for less when we complained about the ant lines running across Dave and Uschi's bed (they also got no sleep due to being itchy all night - mental, or were the tiny ants crawling on them?). Were just about to pick a restaurant for dinner when we noticed all the federalies and even camo clad military guys sweeping the restaurants and beach. They dropped ammo while running around, backed into a telephone pole, and generally seemed a bit like the keystone cops. However, they did get their guys as they left with two fellows cuffed in the back of a truck. The operation must've included about 30 staff including some plain clothes cops. Pretty crazy to step out of the hotel and into this. Unfortunately forgot my camera upstairs, would have made a crazy picture.
Had the option to stay at Nexpa or Caleta Campos and decided to push to the further one to make the next day's ride shorter. We rode about 55km as the sharp hills declined in intensity and the roads took on more even smoothness. Arrived in town around two due to stopping earlier for lunch. Had another snack, did some shopping and then started looking for a place to stay for the night near the beach.
No good camping in town - either dirty restaurant floor sand or chicken breeding ranch that sold roosters for cock fighting. Stayed in a hotel on the second floor. Price was not great, but we got it for less when we complained about the ant lines running across Dave and Uschi's bed (they also got no sleep due to being itchy all night - mental, or were the tiny ants crawling on them?). Were just about to pick a restaurant for dinner when we noticed all the federalies and even camo clad military guys sweeping the restaurants and beach. They dropped ammo while running around, backed into a telephone pole, and generally seemed a bit like the keystone cops. However, they did get their guys as they left with two fellows cuffed in the back of a truck. The operation must've included about 30 staff including some plain clothes cops. Pretty crazy to step out of the hotel and into this. Unfortunately forgot my camera upstairs, would have made a crazy picture.
Zapote de Tizupan - 100 km west of Playa Azul
Annoyed with our previous strategies for avoiding (or rather not) the heat we made the decision to wake up at 5am to be on the road by 6 to beat the heat. We are a little out of practice so we were on the road by 7. The terrain was brutal but we managed to get through many hills. The altitude stayed under 230meters but it was so steep in places I gave up and walked. We are used to about 6-7% grades and some were up to 11%. Then there were the gulches so for a while it was like northern California. Just awful. At least we got 3 good hours in that were cool enough so not to exhaust ourselves right away. We were able to get water fairly early in the day which was good since we had about a half litre. The road wasn't too busy either with just a few cars and big semis and for the most part completely uninhabited. There were people walking on the road but we wern't really sure where they came from or where they were going. With the lack of services we ate through most of our snacks and were quite hungry when we finally reached a town at noon. The one restaurant that was open luckily had a nice assortment of juices and pop so I think we each had three drinks. They unfortunately only offered two meals; eggs or bistek, which is sort of like a beef stew that you eat with tortillas. Little bit limiting but it was quite yummy. Uschi then learned from a couple of ladies that there was a beach coming up that had a restaurant and a small store just 3km down the road. That sounded great since it was stifling hot out and we were beat from the hills.
On the beach there were really nice palapas for rent and camping. The sign coming into the property was very americanized saying in english 'rv park and camping'. I was excited to say the least. The camping was 50 pesos per person or under $5. There store was nothing special but had what we needed, and the restaurant was a little on the expensive side so we cooked instead. We rode about 48km altogether including Rigel doing switchbacks on the steep climbes.
The next morning at 5am Dave and Uschi thought it would be nice to stay an extra day and after some thought and it being 5am we agreed to go back to sleep. We spent the day reading, painting, catching up on the blog and eating coconuts. Rigel made more electrolite drink for me from coconut water, salt and a giant jug of orange fruit drink he found at the store, tastes pretty good. Unfortunately after 6 days my digestion is not back on track.
Hoping for a slightly bigger town tomorrow so we can stock up again. Apparently people here only eat chips..
On the beach there were really nice palapas for rent and camping. The sign coming into the property was very americanized saying in english 'rv park and camping'. I was excited to say the least. The camping was 50 pesos per person or under $5. There store was nothing special but had what we needed, and the restaurant was a little on the expensive side so we cooked instead. We rode about 48km altogether including Rigel doing switchbacks on the steep climbes.
The next morning at 5am Dave and Uschi thought it would be nice to stay an extra day and after some thought and it being 5am we agreed to go back to sleep. We spent the day reading, painting, catching up on the blog and eating coconuts. Rigel made more electrolite drink for me from coconut water, salt and a giant jug of orange fruit drink he found at the store, tastes pretty good. Unfortunately after 6 days my digestion is not back on track.
Hoping for a slightly bigger town tomorrow so we can stock up again. Apparently people here only eat chips..
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| Looking steller |
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Turtle beach! - Maruata
Waking up, Rigel and I debated on staying an extra day at that beach but decided against it because we really hadn't put in a good riding day yet and didn't want kids following us around all day long. We started out around 9 and were greeted with heat and hills. Maruata was on the agenda and thats where we ended up, a whopping 30km or so. We knew there was a long hilly ride ahead and didn't want to tackle them in the heat as well we had seen signs about the beaches being prime spots for sea turtles laying their eggs. We were really really excited about this.
We rode down into town and out to the beach to find lunch and a camping spot. The beach was lined with palapas with the owners renting them out to campers. We found a spot for 20 pesos a person and thought that was great. We had garlic shrimp and quesodillas for lunch. I got really dehydrated that afternoon as we were pretty much out of water so I spent my time just sitting waiting for Rigel to find some water in town. He went to five different stores but none of them had any water over 2 litres and nothing cheap so he came back without water, which I was not happy about. He did manage to find this drink called electrolite that we have been carrying, and after drinking one I felt alive again.
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| The turtle at the restaurant |
On the beach there were hundreds of pelicans diving for fish, it was quite the spectacle. I guess because of the rocks there was an abundance of fish.
Throughout the day we had a few unhappy incidents over which bathrooms and showers we had paid for, which turned out to be a really crappy bucket shower and public toilets you had to pay for per use. Rigel had even fixed one so it worked properly again. Luckily with my bad spanish and Rigel's help I got a 10 peso cold shower for free, which I took advantage of and rinsed all our riding clothes with. It all turned out that the guy letting us camp there is a pot smoking ass that was never clear on boudaries and rules. Overall we found the people and the town's services to be very sub par.
Now the best part of camping at that garbage filled beach; the turtles! Coming up on 10pm with a nearly perfect full moon we took to the beach to find mama and baby turtles. We were lucky to come across one mother already into digging her hole and got to watch the methodical process. She didn't seem to be disturbed by our presence or our cameras as she kept on working. Dave and Uschi went down the beach to see if there were any babies running about but came back with nothing. So we all watched the mom for a while. Dave and Uschi decided she could be at this for hours so they made there way back to bed while Rigel and I kept watching.
About 15 minutes later they came back carrying something. That something turned out to be a bucket of about a dozen baby turtles!!!! They were sooo adorable!!! Turns out that while we were scouring the beach back at our camp little baby turtles were poking through the sand and getting caught under our tents on their way to the ocean. We set the bunch free by the water so no predator could get them and went back to see if there were more and where they hatched. They were soo cute with their little eyes still crusted with sand! One fit in the palm of your hand. And boy they were strong little guys, never stopped moving. We found one more trapped at the back of Dave and Uschi's tent and set him free. We followed their little tracks around our camp but could not place where they had hatched. The tracks seemed to go in circles..
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| The baby turtles! |
What an experience to make that beach a little happier. Unfortunately we did not get to see the mom lay her eggs..
south East of Aquila
The next morning we expected to go 50 or 60km but we were just exhausted from the heat and hills we stopped after 37km. We had expected to get to Marauata but only made it to a small ecotourism village. We got free camping under a palapa, two toilets but only one worked, showers and the owners had a small restaurant. We didn't swim that day because the current was very strong and the beach very steep. Plus there were many large rock islands in the small bay curving the flow, but it did make for the most picturesque beach so far.
For most of the day we had a couple of kids following us around asking us about our bikes and fetching really good coconuts for Rigel to open to share with everyone. Lucky Rigel. We made a mild curry dinner (as I am still not digesting properly, but still require food) and ate it on the rocks on the super steep beach watching the waves come slashing up. A spectacular day.
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| Sunset around the rocks |
For most of the day we had a couple of kids following us around asking us about our bikes and fetching really good coconuts for Rigel to open to share with everyone. Lucky Rigel. We made a mild curry dinner (as I am still not digesting properly, but still require food) and ate it on the rocks on the super steep beach watching the waves come slashing up. A spectacular day.
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| Goats on some rocks |
Monday, January 13, 2014
South West of Aquila
We tried to set out early from the hotel to help avoid the heat but with Dave and me not really liking mornings that was tough so we got out of there around 9:30. The road was nice and flat outside the city for almost 40km and so we passed many banana plantations. The farmers put coloured plastic bags over each banana bunch that we assumed were to signify which were ripe. But it sure did look funny. Further along the road the hills started and we found ourselves in a jungle like climate, super hot, humid and uphill. Soon after the unfulfilling downhill we came to a small resort town on the beach around lunch. We ate at a closed cafe beside a hotel eyeing up a patch of grass in front of the beach that was clearly on hotel property. Uschi asked if we could camp there and they agreed if we ate in their restaurant. That sounding great we agreed. The patch of grass was wonderful and if you walked out on the beach and looked back the view was incedible. Green mountains in the middle with rocky cliffs jutting into the ocean.
We polished the day off with a long swim, coconut shrimp, frapuccino (unfortunately not from starbucks), eating whole coconuts from the trees, and a perfect sunset. Unfortunately this is where I lost all track of time as the ocean claimed my watch.
We polished the day off with a long swim, coconut shrimp, frapuccino (unfortunately not from starbucks), eating whole coconuts from the trees, and a perfect sunset. Unfortunately this is where I lost all track of time as the ocean claimed my watch.
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| Entering the state of Michoacan |
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Tecoman
From the wonderful beaches we rode the 14km back to Tecoman around lunch time, right when the sun was getting super hot. We stopped at a supermarket just on the city's egde then made plans for the rest of the day. It was super hot that day and after eating some ceviche that didn't agree with me I wasn't super pumped to go much further, so we decided to stay in a hotel for that night. The hotel was good and cheap and included air conditioning. The rest of the day was spent lazing around trying to get the internet working and deciding our plan for the next stretch on the road.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Tecoman beaches
Jan 8-11
The weather out of the mountains is sure hot, up in the 30s now! We didn't leave Colima till almost noon so the ride was a sweaty draining ride. A good bit was uphill but most was flat or downhill. But even the downhill was hot. We ate at a restaurant which really only served quesodilllas then headed out to the beach, Boca de Pescuales. We landed an awesome deal at a hotel on the beach where we could camp on their balcony while still enjoying the facilities for 50 pesos each (less than 5 bucks). We had an amazing view over the ocean. Rigel and I went swimming letting the waves crash over us. The water was so warm! Just like bath water! Unfortunately we were a little too excited and got ourselves caught in a riptide! Once I realized the waves were not bringing me back to shore like they were it was time to start swimming. After a few minutes of Rigel pushing me forward (and him going back) we realized a guy was running out with a floatation device. We were saved! We would have probably been ok as Rigel knew how to get out of it and we really were not far off shore but I sure like being saved by the Mexican boy. I guess I was a little scared too.
Our relaxing stay at the hotel pacos was cut short when new guests (that were going to pay the 800pesos a night) wanted private use of the balcony which meant we had to move downstairs into the sand. We of course felt that wasn't a good deal so we packed up and left hoping for a just as sweet a deal down the road. Riding a total of 3.5kms we came to El Real, a resort town with so many waterslides! The town was not very busy so we asked the owner of a restaurant if we could camp on their property. They said yes as long as we ate there as well. We agreed and spent a wonderful 2 days there swimming, watching the sunset and eating delicious garlic shrimp and ceviche. A couple coconuts fell off a nearby tree which we opened and ate with some lime and sugar. mmm delicious! The owner there was really nice giving us use of the facilities which included a shower. The water was not hot but it really didn't matter, it was over 30 degrees out!
On the second day I painted while Rigel mostly read, but overall having a wonderful time at the beach!
The weather out of the mountains is sure hot, up in the 30s now! We didn't leave Colima till almost noon so the ride was a sweaty draining ride. A good bit was uphill but most was flat or downhill. But even the downhill was hot. We ate at a restaurant which really only served quesodilllas then headed out to the beach, Boca de Pescuales. We landed an awesome deal at a hotel on the beach where we could camp on their balcony while still enjoying the facilities for 50 pesos each (less than 5 bucks). We had an amazing view over the ocean. Rigel and I went swimming letting the waves crash over us. The water was so warm! Just like bath water! Unfortunately we were a little too excited and got ourselves caught in a riptide! Once I realized the waves were not bringing me back to shore like they were it was time to start swimming. After a few minutes of Rigel pushing me forward (and him going back) we realized a guy was running out with a floatation device. We were saved! We would have probably been ok as Rigel knew how to get out of it and we really were not far off shore but I sure like being saved by the Mexican boy. I guess I was a little scared too.
Our relaxing stay at the hotel pacos was cut short when new guests (that were going to pay the 800pesos a night) wanted private use of the balcony which meant we had to move downstairs into the sand. We of course felt that wasn't a good deal so we packed up and left hoping for a just as sweet a deal down the road. Riding a total of 3.5kms we came to El Real, a resort town with so many waterslides! The town was not very busy so we asked the owner of a restaurant if we could camp on their property. They said yes as long as we ate there as well. We agreed and spent a wonderful 2 days there swimming, watching the sunset and eating delicious garlic shrimp and ceviche. A couple coconuts fell off a nearby tree which we opened and ate with some lime and sugar. mmm delicious! The owner there was really nice giving us use of the facilities which included a shower. The water was not hot but it really didn't matter, it was over 30 degrees out!
On the second day I painted while Rigel mostly read, but overall having a wonderful time at the beach!
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Colima
The next day we exited the sugar cane field without any drama and headed on towards Colima about 90 km away. From our vantage pointwe could clearly see Colima's two volcanoes off in the distance; the snow volcano and the fire volcano. 5 minutes into our ride the fire volcano erupts and smokes come billowing out its top! It was amazing to see it shoot up and drift away over about 10 minutes. (un?)fortunately there was no lava and apparently it erupts 3-4 times a day.
Back on the road the scenery certainly impressed. After making sure we were on the right road instead of the longer hilly road we made for the new flater road which turned out to be a toll road. We took the free road (the 54 instead of the 54D) instead unsure if we would be allowed on the toll road and experienced our first canyon of the day. There was a beautiful bridge above us as we zoomed down to the river and town at the bottom. We were then greeted by the sitchback uphill and then the gradual, hot and sweaty uphill until our next speedy race to the bottom of the next canyon. This same senario happened a few times all with the fancy toll highway bridge in sight over the canyon. Yes it was beautiful but it gets a little tiring after a while especially since Rigel kept telling me to go faster to make it to Colima.
Finally we came to a spot were we could join the toll road and we were all in agreement that it was the best option. So after a bite to eat at the Oxxo (which was a poor subsitute for food) we went around the toll booths hardly attracting anyones attention since it was quite busy. Once we were on it was like we were back in the states. Perfect pavement and super clean. Even the exhaust from the vehicles wasn't too bad.
After a few hills and some wonderful high bridges we started on a downward slope towards Colima. It was about 5 o clock and those last 22kms went by super quick. If that nice downhill was not there we would not have made it to the city that day. Once in town we got in touch with a couchsurfing host, had some coffee at starbucks, dinner at a teryaki restaurant and headed to her house.
We had planned to get many things done in Colima the next day but we ended up sitting in starbucks for most the day. Starbucks puts lots of money into air conditioning and we sure took advantage of it cause it was hot! That night we went to our next host in town, Tania. Her house was in a great spot too, right on the way out of town. Tania was wonderful, she's a bit of a Chilean wine connoisseur, has a wonderful dog and might come and visit us on a beach soon!
Back on the road the scenery certainly impressed. After making sure we were on the right road instead of the longer hilly road we made for the new flater road which turned out to be a toll road. We took the free road (the 54 instead of the 54D) instead unsure if we would be allowed on the toll road and experienced our first canyon of the day. There was a beautiful bridge above us as we zoomed down to the river and town at the bottom. We were then greeted by the sitchback uphill and then the gradual, hot and sweaty uphill until our next speedy race to the bottom of the next canyon. This same senario happened a few times all with the fancy toll highway bridge in sight over the canyon. Yes it was beautiful but it gets a little tiring after a while especially since Rigel kept telling me to go faster to make it to Colima.
Finally we came to a spot were we could join the toll road and we were all in agreement that it was the best option. So after a bite to eat at the Oxxo (which was a poor subsitute for food) we went around the toll booths hardly attracting anyones attention since it was quite busy. Once we were on it was like we were back in the states. Perfect pavement and super clean. Even the exhaust from the vehicles wasn't too bad.
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| Christmas presents! Cost more than we thought due to duty: new gloves, handebar wraps, jersey for Rigel, chain length checker, chain cleaning tool, chain breaker, rear light for Erin |
After a few hills and some wonderful high bridges we started on a downward slope towards Colima. It was about 5 o clock and those last 22kms went by super quick. If that nice downhill was not there we would not have made it to the city that day. Once in town we got in touch with a couchsurfing host, had some coffee at starbucks, dinner at a teryaki restaurant and headed to her house.
We had planned to get many things done in Colima the next day but we ended up sitting in starbucks for most the day. Starbucks puts lots of money into air conditioning and we sure took advantage of it cause it was hot! That night we went to our next host in town, Tania. Her house was in a great spot too, right on the way out of town. Tania was wonderful, she's a bit of a Chilean wine connoisseur, has a wonderful dog and might come and visit us on a beach soon!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Sugar fields
It was a slow start out of Mazamitla becauce of the cold but when we did leave it was wonderful. 30 km of downhill followed by another 20 km of mostly downhill. That day makes going on this trip worth it; beautiful lush scenery and no pedalling. We stopped at an abandoned restaurant for a snack and fired off the bottle rockets Rigel had bought for 25 pesos, about 2 bucks. I didn't really know what they did so it was a good thrill. One of the ones Uschi lit came right at me! After all they were hommade...
A couple hours later we stopped in a small town for lunch but nothing was really open. We tried to order several things but were told they didn't have it so we settled on what they did have at this one cafe: microwave chicken wings, chicken nuggets, the thinnest hamburger and fries. All was a little disappointing.
We went through town after town along the gorgeous valley which made it a little tricky to find camping but we managed to come across an ungated farm road through fields of sugar cane, so we called that home for the night. We set up our tents on a fairly unused road, right in the middle with the sugar cane rising 4 feet above our heads. It felt like we were in a maze!
A couple hours later we stopped in a small town for lunch but nothing was really open. We tried to order several things but were told they didn't have it so we settled on what they did have at this one cafe: microwave chicken wings, chicken nuggets, the thinnest hamburger and fries. All was a little disappointing.
We went through town after town along the gorgeous valley which made it a little tricky to find camping but we managed to come across an ungated farm road through fields of sugar cane, so we called that home for the night. We set up our tents on a fairly unused road, right in the middle with the sugar cane rising 4 feet above our heads. It felt like we were in a maze!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Mazamitla
During our time in Guadalajara, we heard of something called a magic town. it turns out that the name does not denote anything as impressive as it implies - it is basically a title given to any particularly attractive tourist town by the Mexican tourism council, mostly for the benefit of Mexicans. In our case, we went all the way up to 2500 meters where the air is cold and it rains frequently in order to see a town that, it seems, became popular for the view, the cold, and the many large trees.
The town is very nice. We decided to stay in a hotel in town but it was very very cold. When I say cold, it was under fifteen degrees celcius, so we really piled on the wool blankets. In the centre of town is the church, market, and a hundred foot tall deciduous tree. The tohrs that were being advertised were into the surrounding forests and it was very common to see kids riding quads thru the middle of town in groups of 3 or 4.
The town is very nice. We decided to stay in a hotel in town but it was very very cold. When I say cold, it was under fifteen degrees celcius, so we really piled on the wool blankets. In the centre of town is the church, market, and a hundred foot tall deciduous tree. The tohrs that were being advertised were into the surrounding forests and it was very common to see kids riding quads thru the middle of town in groups of 3 or 4.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Chapala and San Luis and Las Cebollas
Coming down the hill into Chapala we headed to our hosts house which ended up being a whole house to ourselves in a pasture filled with horses, dogs and cows. The house had two beds, a stove, outdoor sink area and an outdoor bathroom that you flushed with a bucketof water. Our host also gave us access to a shower at his work/parents place. For Dave and Uschi it was a nice change from the busy noisy streets of Guadlaljara. Our host also warned us to keep a barracade on the front porch because the cows liked to come up to the front door...which of course happened..
For New Years we stayed in a hotel right in the middle of town and wandered around town hoping for fireworks. The lady at the oxxo told us no fireworks so we didn't have our hopes up at all. But once we walked out on the dock we could see some people celebrating across the water.
San Luis
Deciding that we wanted to ride up to the magic town, Mazamitla, we set out from Chapala. But we didn't get out of the hotel very quickly and really it was New Years Day, who really wants to ride all day long. We stopped a little after four in San Luis. A cute little town busting with people, horses, and all sorts of small animals in the street. We stayed at a cheap but clean hotel that had a nice balcony to store our bikes on which really meant carrying the bikes up a flight of narrow steep steps. The shower was super hot though. The night was noisy though with the animals.
Las Cebollas
From San Luis it was about 52km ride to Mazamitla mostly uphill. We finished riding around the lake turned right and were greeted by The Hill. We rode uphill for a few hours, stopped to make lunch which was oatmeal with freshly bought berries (50 pesos for 3 litres, blackberries and raspberries) as well as little wraps filled with cheese and avocado. Afterwards everyone was getting pretty tired so we started looking for a place to camp. We finished the hill we were on and were greeted by a very beautiful valley with a lake. The little village, Las Cebollas, or the onions, laid just on the far side of the small lake. Maybe it was more like a slough...anyway we asked if we could stay in the field there to camp and they said that would be alright so they spread the word. Rigel and I walked around the town looking for a place to eat but it was too small a town so we went back to camp and made dinner. In the morning as we were packing up the cow path that we were camped on wanted to be used again; a herd of cows, calves, and one giant bull were coming our way. We didn't notice the bull right away and so started trying to shoo them away, but once we saw the bull, we just decided it was better to hurry up. A little while later we got out safe and sound ready to ride slowly up the rest of the hill.
For New Years we stayed in a hotel right in the middle of town and wandered around town hoping for fireworks. The lady at the oxxo told us no fireworks so we didn't have our hopes up at all. But once we walked out on the dock we could see some people celebrating across the water.
San Luis
Deciding that we wanted to ride up to the magic town, Mazamitla, we set out from Chapala. But we didn't get out of the hotel very quickly and really it was New Years Day, who really wants to ride all day long. We stopped a little after four in San Luis. A cute little town busting with people, horses, and all sorts of small animals in the street. We stayed at a cheap but clean hotel that had a nice balcony to store our bikes on which really meant carrying the bikes up a flight of narrow steep steps. The shower was super hot though. The night was noisy though with the animals.
Las Cebollas
From San Luis it was about 52km ride to Mazamitla mostly uphill. We finished riding around the lake turned right and were greeted by The Hill. We rode uphill for a few hours, stopped to make lunch which was oatmeal with freshly bought berries (50 pesos for 3 litres, blackberries and raspberries) as well as little wraps filled with cheese and avocado. Afterwards everyone was getting pretty tired so we started looking for a place to camp. We finished the hill we were on and were greeted by a very beautiful valley with a lake. The little village, Las Cebollas, or the onions, laid just on the far side of the small lake. Maybe it was more like a slough...anyway we asked if we could stay in the field there to camp and they said that would be alright so they spread the word. Rigel and I walked around the town looking for a place to eat but it was too small a town so we went back to camp and made dinner. In the morning as we were packing up the cow path that we were camped on wanted to be used again; a herd of cows, calves, and one giant bull were coming our way. We didn't notice the bull right away and so started trying to shoo them away, but once we saw the bull, we just decided it was better to hurry up. A little while later we got out safe and sound ready to ride slowly up the rest of the hill.
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