Sunday, November 22, 2009

SPOT this

Apparently we have a following. Over the last few weeks we slowed down as Christie had a stomach sickness that knocked her out. In the process we had a lapse in SPOT activity and have since received many questioning comments. So yes, we are still alive, making forward progress and having a fantastic time meeting people! We are now 2 biking days away from Guatemala and are looking forward to adding a new flag to our BOB trailer. We have yet to "follow the rules" for any part of this trip, so why start now.
Victor and his family saw us pedaling by his bike shop. He insisted we drive to the pyramid sites near his hometown. We enjoyed some "family time" with this clan. The thoughtfulness in seeing strangers pedaling down the street, making an effort to befriend, and create a whole afternoon just for us felt so gracious. We have grown from your genuine kindness Victor. THANKS!
Back to the heat. We rolled out of the mountains (approximately 8000 to 9000 feet) and dropped 4000 feet over the next few miles. We are currently back at sea level and in the hot and humid rain forest.
Our second warm shower stop (international biking community). Juan and his family were fantastic hosts. We had a few additional days with him as Christie was recovering. Loved playing Jenga with the girls and the wonderful food out of the family Restaurant.
A view from the top. Many of the cheap hotels ($8-$10 per night) are in the center of
town. This has become one of our favorite pic-nic locations....on top of the roof (where most of the laundry is washed and dried). This doubles as an excellent location to send SPOT signals from.
Company. This local semi-pro cyclist rolled with us for a few miles on the highway.
The waves, thumbs-up, and honks continue as we roll. These guys stopped roadside and waved us over to stop, took our picture and we took theirs. Fun times.
The exact quote from Eric as we passed...."I know how that guy feels." (What a stinker.) This town was filled with taxi bikes taking people here and there.
Fun to help these girls with their English homework while they waited for the bus.
Climbing the AD 600 Mayan ruins of Palanque. Quite spectacular against the rain forest and howler monkeys.
This could have been home if we were 2000 years younger.
Instead, this cabana is home for tonight. Eric is always working to keep JoJo in tip top condition. Pretty beautiful setting with the stream out the front door and rain forest all around. This is the first place we have found other travelers like ourselves. Met 2 guys from the US, bought a bus, converted it to a camper, and started driving south until the bus broke down in Mexico, so they flew to Colombia and traveled around for a month, now back in Mexico to get their bus. 2 Australia girls have traveled through Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, and now in Mexico. Interesting to share stories.
So here we sit a day away from the Guatemalan border. We have spent more time and covered more miles in Mexico than the US. This part of the ride was filled with more unexpected than expected. Our surprises:
  • Scenery and landscape is much more diverse and beautiful than we expected,
  • We have felt extremely safe. The majority of people we talked to in the states were extremely scared of travelling through Mexico......our experience, fantastic!
  • More temperature extremes. Elevation will play a huge role in the rest of our journey. The curse of being flatlander Minnesotans.
  • People, people everywhere. Part of this is our route choice, but we have been surprised by the number of and size of the cities.
  • Bike problems. After rolling fairly pain free through the states, the bike has been a little more of a challenge than we were hoping. Looking forward to a Christmas overhaul.
  • Families. We knew of strong family connections, but experiencing it firsthand is fantastic.
  • People. The highlight of our trip continues to be people. There are good and bad people everywhere. Our contacts have been extremely positive and we are blessed to have such wonderful encounters.

So as we roll into another country we send out Happy Thanksgiving greetings to you. Please pass the pumpkin pie.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Going around Mexico City

I didn´t know milk crates were approved as baby seats. Maybe I should consider that for the stoker seat on JoJo.
Stoker tryouts. We had fun with the people in this small village. Gave us some delicious homemade tamales. Were also excited to teach us about the many ways corn is used in cooking.
One of the many bakeries we have taken full advantage of for carb loading. The oven here is about 15 feet in diameter.
For having the biggest city in the world, we are surprised by the farming methods. We have seen a minimal amount of farm machinery. Horses, donkeys, carts, hoes, and machetes are the rule. Many times we pass shepherds with their sheep dogs too.
Our bike shop friend. Victor saw us bike by his shop and had to say hello. He led us by bike to a good place to stay and has offered to bring us by car to ruins just outside of Mexico city this afternoon.
Local cuisine. I bellied up to bar for a little meat. The older gentleman assured me it wasn´t that hot. Within a few minutes I was searching for water.....lightweight!
How many bird cages can you carry on your back? Impressive.
A memorial to a priest during Day of the Dead on November 2. Many families created similar memorials in cities all over Mexico to loved ones who have passed away.
Creating the memorial is hard work! People had huge armfulls of flowers.
The market smelled beautiful. Pick-up trucks loaded with flowers came in to the city to sell.
A few ¨pings¨ on a downhill led us to these guys. During a 1000´curvy descent we broke 3 spokes and wound up in front of Jimmy´s house. Turned out we needed an additional .5 cm on the spoke length for our new rear rim. Initially we thought we´d have to bus into Mexico city, but once again we were blessed with local grace. Off to the bike shop, only 10 miles away, with the rim and after trying all in stock he pulled out a die for cutting threads. New spokes cut to length! We were off an rolling again (with 6 spares) within a few hours.
It´s good to have options. We have been trying to learn from the locals and are currently looking for a horse.
A road to our own. This is the new highway that isn´t open yet. We were told by the construction crew we couldn´t go through, but after flashing our smiles and asking several times for directions, we were allowed to pass. The traffic was fantastic!
We´ve seen a few of these signs with a single racing bike and a line through it. Good thing we´re on a tandem. It doesn´t appear to be an enforced rule.
As we moved closer to Mexico City, toll booths started questioning a bike on the road. We´ve taken the ride quick, smile and wave approach. So far so good. We haven´t been chased down yet.
Lakes in the highlands. Cool weather, riding through clouds and mountains beyond mountains. Fantastic.
Closing down for the night. The owner of a store let us camp in his back yard. We could get used to this!
We endearingly named him ¨Verdeito¨ (little green guy). He rode for a few miles, then we parted ways.