The entire ride up until Real de Catorce had been going so smoothly, so I presumed that the final 550 miles home would proceed just the same. I would make it less than 200 miles before I encountered the first of a long series of problems getting home. More... + 0 - 1 | § ¶2/18/2007 -- Towards Home
That last night of my journey I rejoined my travelling companions for dinner. Afterwards we enjoyed some Mexican wine and shared in one of my most favorite activities. There is a certain perspective on life that most travellers share, and I love to soak up as much as I can from people I meet on the road. Something about a group of individuals out on their own with nothing to lose, open minded, full of life, coming together spontaneously to share of themselves. I don't think there is a better way to learn more about your own life than by taking in how others live theirs. More... + 1 - 0 | § ¶2/17/2007 -- Real de Catorce
High above Real are the mine ruins, remnants of the silver boom that was responsible for the settling of Real. The road used to be paved with hand laid cobblestone but decades of neglect and exposure to the elements have reduced it to a rough and tumble goat trail.
Sounds like a perfect day of exploration for me and the XR. More... + 1 - 0 | § ¶2/15/2007 -- Real de Catorce
My new friends and I decided to hike out to Mount Quemada, the sacred ritual mountain top for the Huicholes. This indiginous tribe is the only group to resist conquering by both the Aztecs and the Spanish, and they still live much the way they have for centuries. Every April they make a 400km pilgrimage through the desert below up to this mountaintop. Along the 20 day hike they gather peyote buttons for use in sacred offerings and visions. This was a very special place we were hiking up to. More... + 0 - 1 | § ¶2/14/2007 -- Real de Catorce
The road from Zacatecas up to Real de Catorce cuts through the high deserts of the altiplano. My destination, the small colonial mining town popularized in the movie "The Mexican", is cradled 9,000' up in the sparse Sierra Coronados. The turn off of the main highway puts you on a road that seems to lead nowhere. No houses, no farms, nothing. Once off of the concrete path you are greeted with the last 20 miles of hand laid cobblestone that leads up into the mountain range. At the end of this road is a mile and a half long tunnel that cuts straight through the mountain top and is the only direct access to Real. More... + 1 - 0 | § ¶2/11/2007 -- Zacatecas
Because of the scarcity of space in Guanajuato, I had to leave my bike parked outside right in front of the hostel. I wasn't too worried about it disappearing, but it was still a relief to see the XR waiting on the day I was going to Zacatecas.
The plan was to find my way out of the maze of tunnels that undercut the city, and then head downhill to the Christo Rey. This is a huge bronze statue placed on a mountain top outside of Guanajuato that is said to be located at the exact geographic center of Mexico. What better thing to have at the very heart of your country than a huge dude on a cross.
5 minutes into the ride I noticed an unusual vibration. Now, the XR vibrates horrendously all the time, but this one was new and different. I tried to ignore it as long as possible, but once up to highway speeds the handlebars began to shake and it was slightly unsafe. I leaned over one side to glance at the front wheel and I immediately noticed something amiss. Some menacing shadow was flying around the inside of my wheel. More... + 1 - 0 | § ¶2/10/2007 -- Guanajuato
The day before I left for Zacatecas I went to the Museo Momias. On the outskirts of town there is a cemetary that over the years has become quite full. To make room for the newly deceased, old graves are dug up when the survivors can no longer afford the upkeep on the gravesight. Because the volcanic soils are so alkaline, decomposition never fully takes place and a percentage of bodies are very well preserved. So why not put the bodies on display and make a few pesos? More... + 0 - 1 | § ¶2/8/2007 -- Guanajuato
Before I left Guadalajara I looked over the bike just in case something else had gone wrong. To my dismay, my $40 chain had already stretched extensively. When it was brand new it was just short of the right length so that I could have the adjusters run all the way in. This meant I knew it wouldn't be long before I would have to have a link cut out. I just didn't think it would be in a few days. More... + 0 - 1 | § ¶2/7/2007 -- Guadalajara
I woke up early to take advantage of the day. It was refreshing to not be in a hurry. Afterall, this was my vacation, right?
I went to the Instituto Cultural de las Canańas at the far end of the plaza. This huge building has something like 53 internal courtyards and at different times through history has served as an orphanage, prison and army barracks. During the stroll over I was confronted with street peddler after performer after artist trying to convince me to hand over money. I've found that since Mexican culture is so inherently polite (it can be considered quite rude to say the word "no" to a question or request, and Mexicans will go far out of their way to avoid it -- even if it means lying and saying "yes") I've strived to perfect the art of worming my way out of these situations. I told one particularly aggresive artista that I really like her artwork but I had to meet someone in the museum and I would find her on the way out. Of course, I ducked out the side entrance after the museum and was on my way. This sort of subterfuge and diversion suits me, I think. More... + 1 - 0 | § ¶2/6/2007 -- Guadalajara
The ride from Vallarta to Guadalajara takes you through the only region in the world where the blue agave used for genuine tequila is legally allowed to grow. Field after field of the spiky bluish gray plant lined the highway, and the horizon. More... + 1 - 0 | § ¶2/4/2007 -- San Blas
I really had no plan as to where I would head or what I would do upon my return to Mazatląn, and so on a whim I turned south and scooted down to San Blas. I had stayed there last year and remembered it as a congenial town. A few hours later, I pulled straight up to the same hotel as last year and even got the same room (cheaper price, oddly enough).
It just so happens that I arrived on the eve of El dģa de San Blas, the town's biggest celebration for their patron saint. There was a parade with raucous singing and loads of fireworks. The noise wouldn't die down until after 4am. I had a tasty dinner at the Cafe Wala Wala, and the very same waiter as last year also remembered me. This was getting weird.
Tomorrow I would head south towards Puerto Vallarta. More... + 0 - 1 | § ¶2/3/2007 -- Mazatlan
The time finally came for my friends to leave our little paradise and head back to Austin, and for me to continue on to the mainland. Out of habit, I gave the bike a once-over the day before I had to leave and immediately I noticed a nasty kink in my chain. Upon closer inspection, the master link was halfway torn apart and the chain was one twist of the throttle away from snapping. Lucky for me I noticed it in time and in a safe place. Breaking a chain on the dirt road over the mountain pass out of there would have been harrowing. More... + 1 - 0 | § ¶1/25/2002 - 2/2/2007 -- Punta Pescadero
Over the last five years we've become fairly close to a lot of the locals in the tiny village of Punta Pescadero and its larger neighbor, El Cardanal. So close in fact that we got invited to one of the neice“s wedding. She was 15, her groom to be, 19. This was a real honor for us gringos. The service was traditionally catholic, but what we were really looking forward to was the ensuing fiesta. They say the success of a Mexican fiesta is measured by the number of people thrown in jail. It is also said that the only way to ensure the newlywed“s success is to drink profusely. Me and the rest of the gringos made a quiet escape around midnight (the band was paid until 4am), but there were reports of a few locals still hanging around the fiesta until 10am the next day. More... + 0 - 1 | § ¶1/25/2007 - 2/2/2007 -- Punta Pescadero
The house we got to stay in is a vacation home for some well off acquaintences of my married friends. They let my married friends use it for their honeymoon 5 years ago and every year since they get to go back and invite the rest of us. Total cost to me for 10 days = $147.
Most days were spent sitting on the porch, sipping Pacifico's and watching the virtual Discovery Channel in HD on a lifesize screen. All of the next pics were taken directly in front of the house. More... + 1 - 0 | § ¶1/24/2007 -- La Paz
After a miserable night of being thrown around the ship's cafeteria in high seas, we finally arrived to the port of La Paz, Baja Sur. I was jumping out of my skin as I scrambled down to ship's belly to meet my XR. Good News! It had faired 100x better than I had for the night. I found the bike upright and seemingly grinning at me. We were both anxious to rip it up! More...