Huatulco to San Cristobal

Leaving Huatulco, we were offered a lift in our new friends awesome 1985 Winnebago, top of the line when it was made in 1985, all 50 some odd feet of it. We could get used to travelling like this. Maybe other RV'ers might consider it old compared to their modern, shiny rigs, but in reality it is quite perfect when travelling in an area where the average wage is less than $5 a day. Plus, Russ has no fear of taking this vehicle down roads and dirt tracks that other RVs have probably never been before in his search for uninhabited beaches. Well done Russ.

Similar to our travels, Debbie and Russ go without a plan and stop when they feel like stopping. Leaving on a Tuesday morning, Russ said we could either be at our stop by 1pm or the following day depending on if we found a deserted beach. Maybe not entirely deserted, but the beach where we spent 3 nights was used primarily by local fisherman in their pangas and the occasional car of locals that stopped to enjoy the waves and beauty. The 4 of us were in heaven and spent our days walking the white sandy beaches (mounds of rocks separated several different beaches all along this section of the Pacific), playing a homemade version of Backgammon, eating, drinking, sharing stories, reading and soaking up the scenery of sun and moon rises and massive size birds. Finding a palapa that was once home to a comedor before the Japanese tsunami washed it and its tables away (why did we not ever hear of this?), we had shade and great company. Our "home" was fantastic and we even purchased fresh fish from the pangas that was absolutely delicious. One of the fish, a Sierra was a great reminder of how easy it is to make ceviche.

San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas - Pictures

Lovely colonial town high in a mountain valley over 7,000ft

We love the local markets for food and people watching

Crossing a suspension bridge SLOWLY

Hacienda Na-Bolom

House of the Jaguar

Bike hombre...much cooler than the single speed hipsters up north

Traditional Mayan wood, thatch and mud house

The coast of Oaxaca - Pictures

Coasting down from the Sierra Sur to the coast

Trying to cool off

Cyclist's delight: roadside coco frio and some shade

Carnival in Puerto Escondido

Just what we were looking for... a vacation from our vacation

How nature says "do not touch"

Lisa playing games

Remote beachcombing suprise.  We usually just find seashells

Moonrise from our beach camp

Lisa and Debbie playing improvised backgammon in the shade of the palapa

Buying fresh fish (sierra) from the local fisherman  Soon to be ceviche!

Miles and miles of empty beaches

Sunrise over the Pacific

Lisa testing the waters

We'll miss the Oaxacan beaches

Huatulco

Talk about a short day of riding. We rode 4k before deciding to spend the day and night in Zipolete, the town over from Puerto Agustinillo. Side note, if you happen to head to Mizunte, there is a little shop next to the cosmetics store called Pan Primera and they have amazing chocolate croissants made fresh for only 10 pesos. We took a morning walk to Zipolete for a fresh croissant and coffee stop at Arquetecta. Good coffee with an open seated area on the beach and looks out to the ocean. It was such a nice morning.

Most people we talked to about Zipolete did not have great things to say. The beach was supposedly too rough, the people too seedy and just not that nice of a town. Yes, the people were a bit rough, but friendly nonetheless. The beach was fantastic (and is a nude beach mostly consisting of old men, which cracked me up) and we spent a bit of time taking turns from reading and taking dips in the ocean. The town wasn't much to talk about, but the food looked great with plenty of little restaurants that seated people on a pedestrian only road. We actually cooked a dinner that wasn't ramen.

Heat, heat, heat into Mazunte

Today was hot, hot, hot. More humid than anything, every pore on our bodies was beading sweat. Only covering a little over 60k, relatively flat road with a few rolling hills, we still feel whooped and need to drink more water regardless of our bodies not feeling so dehydrated because we are in such a humid climate. So different fromt he desert when we have constant thirst. A short 300 foot climb followed by a quick descent, we arrived in Mazunte, the most southern point in Mexico where one can see the sun set and rise over the ocean. Hearing mixed opinions about this town, we did not know what to expect. Our first stop was a natural cosmetics store, using plants such as avocados as their main base for many of their products. I have an allergy to sunscreen and can only use one brand that I know of which comes all the way from Australia, containing 8 ingredients, 7 which are plants and the sun protector being zinc. I did not properly prepare, resulting in my sunscreen bottle running on empty. I have been mixing the sunscreen with lotion to stretch every last drop. I am so thankful to have come across this store! My allergy is so intense that putting just a bit on a part of my body causes it to go systemic and hives cover every inch of my body for three days. Ugh. What a pain. But nonetheless, I have been saved by this store and used a sample coming into town and have yet to break out. First thing tomorrow morning we will be at the store and I will purchase two bottles. Saved again!

Riding down a side street that led to the water, we saw many more people than anticipated. A circus convention is in town where they provide lessons in juggling, ball balancing, yoga, etc. I can imagine one can learn a lot at this gathering, but it was just not our scene and the prices at the restaurants and accommodations were jacked up. We do not blame them for doing so, it's a great way for them to earn extra cash. A quick stroll through town and we continued on our way to Puerto Agustinillo for a cheaper accommodation. Although we saved on our room, we were craving fresh fish, something we have not had since being in Mexico. Dinner on the beach of grilled fish, veggies, rice, chips and salsa and accompanied with cerveza. It was fantastic. We did surpass our daily budget, but oh well, we were tired and wanted something nutritious and are thankful to have had such food.

Back to our hotel, we sit outside our room as it is a good 10 degrees cooler (trying to use the fan to air the closed up room). We will read our books and head to bed early after a deliciously cold shower. Today was surprisingly exhausting.

9,000 feet down

Started our morning with a cafe de oila, too sweet for our taste buds. I couldn't even finish it. Nonetheless, breakfast was tasty and with a bit of a late start we were cruising downhill, still gliding smoothly on the newly paved road. Another few k's and we were back to the broken roads with achy hands and extreme heat. I knew it was too good to be true. The descent was nice and we could see the rolling hills of the rainforest as the night allowed for the mist to dissipate. Such beauty surrounding us and natural music filling our ears, making every pedal uphill worth it.

My biggest struggle with Mexico is the "machismo". If Ryan and I have some distance between, and especially if I am riding ahead, I get heckled from the small town Mexicans. It starts with a small whistle, the up and down whistle men often give when saying someone looks good. As this happens often, I keep my head forward and try to ignore. More often than not, the whistles continue along with a "chica, chica, chica. CHICA! HOLA CHICA! HOLA CHICA!" And then the whistling starts that is the same high pitched whistle used when getting a dogs attention. Up until this particular descent, I have been patient and simply smile and wave. I think the heat, combined with the disappointment of so many ups when told it was solely down, and ready to arrive in Puerto Escondido, I just couldn't take the heckling and I somehow got really frustrated and annoyed. For those of you who know me, this does not happen often. Poor Ryan had to deal with my mood. I do not understand how the women in this country deal with such men. It is so demeaning and the only way to make them be quiet is to acknowledge them. As a result, I simply raise my hand and keep my head forward, not giving the satisfaction of true acknowledgement. I know this is part of the culture but I was just having a moment. I know, poor me, right? Gosh, as I write this I realize how silly those feelings of frustration are:-)

Over the Sierra Madres to the Pacific Ocean

8am and still groggy from a fairly awful nights rest. Cockroaches, a few gunshots (celebratory?), constant noise from the youngsters living in the hotel and the load speaker in town carrying on well into the night made for a rough nights sleep. We loaded up and made our way into town to fill our water and eat some breakfast. The corner shop run by an older woman and her grand-daughter working hand in hand with ease and comfort to accommodate the majority of town that seemed to be waiting patiently for their cooking. The older woman slowly grabs the homemade tortilla dough from a large bowl, occasionally dipping her hand in a bucket of water before placing the balled dough between 2 metal sheets and firmly pulling the lever down to make tortilla at a time. Using the wood burning method, she places each tortilla on the hot bowl like surface and easily maneuvers the tortillas every 10-15 seconds to make the perfect tortilla. We ate a large quesadilla willed with frijoles and queso, a local Oaxacan cheese most similar to a stringy and salty mozzarella. Absolutely delicious. The homemade salsa served with each plate is always the best. Next on our list, getting past the next blockade.

Road Block

Although tempted to stay another night in Oaxaca, we took Murakami's words of wisdom in What I Talk about when I Talk about Running and decided to leave the vibrant city when we still wanted to be there in hopes of going back one day. Murakami says to stop running while you are still enjoying it so you will want to run again. Great words to live by! A great author and someone I have come to love reading during this phase in life.

Although we left our room at 11:30am, we did not leave the city until 2. How does that happen? Knowing we have a lot of ups and plenty of mountains to cover before we hit the beach and the town of Puerto Escondido, we stocked up on snacks and dinners. The ride today was fairly simply, only covering maybe 35-40 miles. The sun was hot and our tans hit a new level, which is great because maybe, just maybe we won't stick out so much? Yes, that is a question. In these small towns, all eyes are on us.

The last town before our climb we were planning/hoping to find a hotel or place to stay. Upon riding up to Ayoquezco about 200 or so of the local townspeople, men and women included, had blockaded the road with buses, boulders and logs, and the majority of people were armed with machetes. Uhhhhh.....shit. All eyes turned on us as we slowly pushed our bikes into the crowd unsure if they would even let us pass. The crowd opened up once the town elders in white cowboy hats motioned us through (we also heard a few "andele, andele"). Without any towns up ahead, we were stuck. We pulled into the center of town and right away a young man asked if we spoke English. Phew, someone to help us and let us know the reason for the blockade. It turns there is a land dispute with another local town, which would also explain the pickup truck loaded with men and machine guns. The retaliation is a blockade preventing anyone from coming in or going out. It looks like tomorrow should be interesting.

Puebla and Oaxaca, Mexico - Pictures

Colonial Puebla

one of the supposed 365 churches of Cholula

Grillin' papas

Road side Comedor (food stop)

Elotes

Fried grasshoppers

Luche Libre Mexican wrestling masks

Carne Asada!

The Ruins of Monte Alban, Oaxaca