I crossed the border into Mexico on a nice sunny Sunday afternoon and my spirits were high. I had finally made it out of Central America and now it was time for a little Mexican fiesta. The weather had other plans for me though. Within hours is began to rain and it never seemed to stop for the next 7 days. I lived in a very rainy town in Honduras and the last thing I wanted to see were grey skies. Although it was constantly wet and ugly, the people managed to brighten my spirits with their friendliness and hospitality. I met some great people this past week who helped me in times of minor crisis, like when my left pedal fell off and when I found myself in the middle of nowhere under threatening skies. They invited me into their homes, fed me and provided many hours of interesting conversation. These people in the Yucatan remind me a bit of the Hondurans I worked with for the past two years. They are poor farmers but are incredibly generous with what little they have. Being a Gringo on a bike helps out, I’m cute and cuddly and everyone wants to meet me.
And so it went for the first seven days, it rained at night, in the morning and all day long. I think that the clouds were actually following my route, I would escape one storm and then get hit by the next, this was demoralizing but I had to keep pedaling. The semi-trailers flying by actually proved useful as the quick bursts of wind would help to dry me off like a giant blow dryer, poooof! I rode through the Yucatan with intense motivation, I wanted more than anything to ride myself out of the rainy season and get to the Pacific beaches of Oaxaca, salvation.
I ran out of Power Bars this past week but I have come up with a good, cheap replacement. I buy fresh corn tortillas every morning and a kilo of bananas, ingredients for the super Mexican Power Bar! I roll a banana up in two soft tortillas about every hour and I am good to go. I know that you must be thinking that this food doesn’t sound very pleasing to the taste buds but when you are starving, you’ll eat anything. I’m burning lots of calories on these 8 hour days and all my mind thinks about is food, mostly donuts and ice-cream.
The trailer attracts lots of attention; one mother even asked if I would pack up her daughter and take her to the U.S. with me. Sorry, this baby already weighs enough. The first week the trailer seemed incredibly heavy but now I don’t notice it, it’s all part of the bike now. As I rode through one of the toll stations on the main highways, one of the workers joked that I needed to pay the higher price for having a double length vehicle, ha ha. I actually ride for free on the toll roads which is good, less traffic and big shoulders made perfectly for a Duzer on a bike.
So now I am in Oaxaca and this place is amazing, lots of colorful indigenous culture and great food. I may have even found my dream town in a magical place called Juchitan. There you can buy spoonfuls of refried beans on the street for a peso! It’s like an all you can eat buffet of street food, first you buy handmade tortillas, then you buy the beans from another woman, then you get some spicy cheese from another and all this makes for great tostadas.
Now I’m off to the beaches and a date with my good friend Jeff, Andale Andale, Arriba Arriba!! By the way, it’s not raining anymore and all my clothes have finally dried out.
Puerto Escondido
Originally uploaded by duzercruzer.
