Since Salina Cruz the wind has minimalized and the riding has changed from aggressive forward leans to relaxing laid back 100 km days.
Filling up at the pump
Matt, the english teacher from Minnesota who also is on bike tour, took us to an amazing little mountain pueblo called Costa Rica. We told him we were big into cliff jumping so he took us to a local spot. It was here where we learned the bottle surf which consists of a 2 liter bottle that acts as a sled as you slide down the natural waterslide.
Waltzing thru Costa Rica, Mexico
Coffee drying
Drying beans on top the roof
In this blog we would like to do a debriefing on our experience of the trip thus far. We have had the opportunity to explore some amazing places and do some crazy things that has lead us to where we are now. There are many reasons why our time here has been so unforgettable. The people, food, landscapes and vibes have all played an enormous part on our exposure of the country.
Homemade bike stand at a bike shop close to Salina Cruz made of old tire tubes!
The people of Mexico have made our trip much easier and try to help whenever possible. We have learned that there is one question that shouldnt be asked in Mexico; “How many kilometers to the next town?” When asking this question you need to realize that the mexican population does not pay attention to distances…ever. There were many times when our stokeage levels decreased as the 10 km push turns into a 50 km push. Knowing this is very important when calculatung distances for our trip and is good to know as a bike tourist. Becides this minor dillemma the people of Mexico have been very inviting. We have stopped at many ranches and restaurants looking for a place to sleep and almost always are welcomed to set up camp on their land.
We experienced a wide range of different foods, but I think we all would agree that the fish tacos in baja were top notch! Buying a 10 peso fish taco each and covering it with assorted salads and salsas from the salsa bar was a good sized snack for this hungry bunch. The pan dulce (sweet bread) was also a classic treat which was very cheap and a good source of energy before a long day on the bikes! Our typical lunch was a bag of beans, an onion, tomato, a can of tuna and a 1/2 kilo of torts. This was an easy, fast and very economical way to get the calories that we needed for the rest of the day.
It is amazing to see the difference in topography throughout the different states of the Mexican promiseland. Although the borders are only imaginary lines in the dirt, there definitely is a different vibe and look to the 10 states that we visited. With steep coastal roads in the Michoacan to safari looking meadows of Oaxaca and farm lands of Chiapas, each one had an interesting twist of the shape of the land.
Many of the bikes have arrow bars like this fresh yellow whip in the windy city of Salina Cruz. As the elements change, so do the bikes…
We felt like we really got to enjoy the culture and feel of Mexico that most backpackers and other travelers don´t get to experience. Being on bikes has made us realize how large the country of Mexico is as we still have much to see and would have liked to check out more of the mayan culture towards the Yucutan. With all this said we are super stoked to be in Guatemala, starting with a clean slate and a new type of street meat- the papoosa.
We didn´t believe them when they said it, but our friends and recent aquantances were right when they told us the mountains go straight up as you step foot in the new Guate territory. Before entering the border we started riding with a man who was also named Heinrich from Deutchland and could only speak german. We had met him on the road the day before when Hen started speaking german with him. After Hen translated what Heinrich was saying, we realized that he was an epic bicycle tour professional and had been all around the world on buke. One of his trips consisted of riding 18,000 km in Australia in 100 days! What a nut! Heinrich ended up letting us stay in the hotel room he purchased which was nice to have a place to regroup before going into Guate. Following the border crossing Tommy was dealing with his fourth flat of the day and Hen was feeling fatigued and sick and needed a day to rest. They both decided to hop the bus to Quetzaltenango.Ike felt fine and decided to continue riding thru the epic landscapes with Heinrich. Although Ike did not speak german and Heinrich ONLY spoke german, they worked well with hand signals and definitely learned much from eachother. They stopped and stayed in a families backyard that had a small pool nice for a quick rinse! Ike made dinner on his stove as the entire family watched, amazed at how we live life on the road.
Heinrich and our Guatemalan family for the night!
The next morning we packed up and started the most mountainous day of the tour yet! This consisted of many steep switchbacks with amazing views of Volcan Tajumulco, the tallest point in Central America!
Volcán Tajumulco
Cacao plants terraced on the steep terrain
Heinrich ascending the Guate mountains
After the everlasting uphill climb we finally got a break cruzing into the valley of San Marcos. Here Heinrich and Ike purchased a 9 quetzal (less than $1.00) plate of rice and slop consisting of cow tongue, intestine and liver. Surprisingly delicouis! Getting out of the San Marcos market was difficult as we ducked thru the make shift tarp maze, trying not to make eye contact with the relentless street vendors.
Heinrich confused on how to get out of the insane market
Finally out of the town we started the next uphill ascent. Riding thru firework blockades in the middle of the street, we pushed till the rain started. We took a short break, drinking 3 cups of tea and layering up as Ike and Heinrich had already talked about riding into the night to make the push to Quetzaltenango. Overheating on the uphill till they reached the peak of the climb. This was followed by a 40 km full moon downhill into the indigenous city of Xela aka Quetzaltenango.
Getting into Xela with sock hands!
This 95 km, 14 hr day finally came to an end as a local drove in front of us to bring us to the Black Cat hostel, where Tommy, Hen, Ike, Bradie and Bradies girlfriend, Diana all met up. We all went to the fuentes Georginas which is a hot springs in the mountains
Farm country on the way to the hot springs!
Fuentes Georginas hot springs
Diana and Bradie cheezin
Being back with the team has been great and Bradie is more than excited to get back on the bikes after a great vacation.
Sometimes the uphillin gets you down, other times the straight chillin picks you up, but no matter what keep your seat below your butt!
Ike ~
Hen has been working on the Mexico vid. Stay tuned ~
Sustainably South 