Amigos Nuevos

From Mainland MEX

After many many days, we arrived in Oaxaca via what may have been the slowest route ever. We left over 10 days ago from Taxco, a city that is still our favorite of the trip. That day leaving Taxco had us hiding in the shade from the brutal heat that was building in the canyons. More water, more water needed to prevent that light headed, faint feeling...

After going through Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, we climbed into the mountains. For two days, we wound through constant steep descents and ascents in the highlands of Guerrero. Not many people live out here, so not many cars on the road. At the end of that last climb on pavement, we had what had to be the best descent of our lives. Over 40 minutes of winding downhill led us to a surprise waterfall. Below the double falls was a swimming hole where we were able to hide from the noon sun. Best waterfall of the trip. Best descent (so far) of the trip. Those days were definitely really hard for both of us, but the rewards were HIGH, and the smiles were large.

The town of Tlapa de Comonfort was at the bottom of this valley, complete with the worst city roads weve seen yet. Potholes, potholes, uneven pavement, and loud horns were the name of the game...so we left quickly. This is where the maps would start to fail us:

According to our map and local advice, we were to follow the valley north for a few kilometers. This we did. Then we would turn east and follow a canyon upstream. Check. With all of these things done, we found a beautiful and quiet campsite on an old mining road and called it a day...

From Mainland MEX

Next morning we climbed and climbed for 3 or 4 hours. The scenery was beautiful. We climbed higher in this canyon where the leaves were yellow and orange as if it were fall. The sky was slightly cloudy and dramatic and we were feeling strong and happy. Then all of a sudden we saw a sign which made us doublethink where we were. Asking a cab driver confirmed that we were on fact on another road. Another road not on the maps! After barating this fella with questions, we discovered that we could do a near impossible climb up a dirt road and drop down into a nearby town. A nearby town, guess what...NOT ON OUR MAPS!

We made it to this town, and were greeted with a group of dozens of young boys on the sidewalk. We tried to open them up with a ´´que pasa´´, but no response. Only stares. Weve been noticing this more and more lately as we go further off the gringo track. The next day our friend Francisco would tell us that he had only seen one gringo in those parts in his entire 40 year life, and certainly no one on bikes...

After asking numerous people how to get out of this road with steep streets, we found ourselves on a dirt roady two track. Beautiful out there, with the threat of rain coming. We rode further and finally we were back on the map, in a town that we should have arrived at 6 hours earlier. Oh well, at least we took the scenic, beautiful, and memorable route..

From Mainland MEX

Back on track we a bad sloped campsite in a cow-infested canyon before riding out in the rain. Drizzle ain´t all that bad, but not the best way to start Lisas birthday. At the top of a climb, we put on rain jackets, and did a lil descent which put us back on pavement for the first time in days. How easy and fast the riding was on a smooth surface. That climb was probably the steepest of the trip, where every ounce of concentration was needed to stay in the single line of well packed rock, or you´d swerve into the loose dirt and rock and loose traction. Yes, even with low tire pressure...

We rode through the tiny town of Santa Rosa, where a taxi driver flagged us down in perfect English. Francisco had lived in the US for over a decade, and was delighted to practice his long under-used Second Tongue. He offered us a place to stay, which at first we declined. We rode another few kilometers, until the rain started to dump, and we needed a lunch under a tree. Francisco rode up, found us, and gave us some fruit juice. He later told us that he couldn´t believe that we were out in the cold eating cold food. Again he offered us a place to stay and we couldn´t decline. It was impossible to enjoy the views up in the highlands with the thick cloud-cover, and this would be a nice diversion for Lisa´s birthday. He introduced us to his wife, then 3 children. In typical child style, they started off shy, but later came to like us. Especially the 3 year old. They cooked us dinner. Prepared a Temezcal, which is a traditional Mexican sauana from the old days complete with herbs in the steaming water. Relaxing doesn´t begin to explain...

We left, Francisco with a bit of tears in his eyes, and rode into a beautiful morning. The clouds were really breaking up, and we had huge views. This route turned out to be amazing, slow, but amazing.

We dropped out of the highlands and followed a really flat and easy 190 km or so through a wide valley to get into Oaxaca. Here we met Philepe and Manu from Austria and are spending a few days with them here in town. There are also two other cyclists from Portland here, who now have an apt to live in while they study Spanish in town. So, tonight we have a free place to stay.

Tomorrow we ride to Monte Alban, very old and beautiful Zapotec ruins set high above the valley. And then we leave. Oaxaca is nice and colorful, we we yearn to leave the big city and find the smaller pueblos. Our current route has us riding over the Sierra Madre del Sur to drop down to the Pacific Ocean some 200 km later. We´ll follow the pacific, cross the narrow Isthmus of southern Mexico, then head back into the highlands of Chiapas and San Cristobol...

From Mainland MEX