Guatemala!

Finally i decided to leave Mexico. Boy it was a hard decision. Originally planned to stay here only a few weeks, but ended up more than a month and a half. San Cristobal, my final stop in Mexico was awesome. Stayed at La Grigua guesthouse with my lovely Italian hosts. By pure chance one of my friends from Vallarta had an interview for her Masters in the University at the same time. So I met up with Carolina and spent some time checking out this great little town.
Today i left at 6.30 am to get to the border early when they were opening. Crossing was no problem, simple affair, handed in my Mexican permit, and drove across no mans land to Guatemala and got the new one. The only incident was when I went to put the bike side stand down in some gravel, and it disappeared, and of course there would have to be loads of people watching when the bike fell over.
The Pan American to Antigua is mad, there were a lot of landslides from the recent hurricanes which were still being cleaned up, along with road works. All the cars get stopped, but in true Guatemala style a bike gets waved on.. so here i was dodging huge earth movers and trucks weaving through the work in progress.! it was fun. No to check out the city and get some food.

Independence Day

This evening I arrived in San Cristobal, and my time in Mexico will soon be at a close, but the last few days were a lot of fun! and certainly not without incident. Be it running from the police or fighting a foam war against locals at the Independence day celebrations in Oaxaca, never a dull moment.
After a nice two week rest in Mexico City and taking in all the sights including the museums, the houses of Frida Kalha, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky among others I ended my time in the City running a police check point. There is a road called the periferico which is a highway that circles the city. By far it is the easiest way to get around the city. The only problem is motorcycles are not allowed on it! How stupid. So .. on Saturday morning when I was leaving I took a chance on it.. gambling all the police would be in the Zocalo for the celebrations. But I was wrong. There was a checkpoint on the inside and I was on the outside of three lanes. Next thing i was being called over and being told to stop!.. Well i wasn't in the mood to argue or pay a fine, so i twisted the throttle and took off. Catch me if you can. Logic was i was paying a fine anyway so might as well try and get away... and it worked! hahaha.
After a long drive arrived in Oaxaca, which is really nice town. Also there was a great bunch of people in the Hostel Mezkalita. It was Independence day so of course there was a big parade and lots of music etc. We joined in and somehow ended up marching in the parade. Don't think we were supposed to be there.. but we ended up in there anyway.
Most of the locals had spray cans with foam in them. Which were being used to foam any random passer by. After getting "foamed" a few times we all decided some retaliation was in order. For 10 pesos a can we had some of the best fun in the last few weeks! chasing people around the square soaking them in foam! and of course getting hit ourselves! Was a fun night.
Today I made the 7 hour ride to San Cristobal del las Casas. So tomorrow some exploring will be done!!

Finally my New Lid

After two weeks of waiting, today I finally received my new Arai XD helmet. I need to celebrate. I decided to order it at the end of August from Motocross Giant, a store based in Los Angles and have it shipped to Garrys here in Mexico City, the idea being that i could arrive here and pick it up. Unforunately things didnt quiet work out that way. Despite my instructions to send the lid by overnight DHL, the guys in LA sent the Arai by regular mail. So two weeks later after daily calling the postoffice here said we should go to the local office and have a look. So we set off to miramontes to the postoffice.
But well bureaucry is an understatement. Everything is recorded in paper ledgers! the woman looks up a book, not there, tries another, then another, then asks someone else, and 40 mins later comes back and asks what is your postcode. So a quick call to the language school and we get the number. Ah no.. you are in the wrong office you have to go to another one! so armed with this new info, we find the next place, again its look up the ledger time.. and after a conversation with another postal worker, they decided it would be good to check the computer! then its oh yes its here! YES! time to celebrate, finally two weeks later the lid is here. But this isnt quiet there yet, so after some searching in the store room they come back with the helment, and the bill for the customs duty! double taxation! US and Mexican tax! not fair. Also had to sign a million pieces of paper, and mark in the famous ledger. But I am not complaining, now i have my new lid, and i must say its amazing! much quieter, more comfortable and lighter, I feel safer already.
Also I have had the added bonus of two weeks in Mexico city, and the opportunity to meet some wonderful people.

Protests and Fame

Well its another day over and I am still at Garryhostel.com!!! in Mexico City. Garry is this really cool English expatirate biker who fell in love with a Mexican girl Ivonne, got married and moved here 30 years ago. He now puts up random stray bikers like Alaister and myself who happen to be passing though Mexico City! Garry contacted me on the Hubb and suggested i come visit! which I am glad I did.
We have had traditional Mariachi nights, visits to the Teotithuacan Pyramids, touring around downtown Mexico City, visits to Tres Marias, the market, and lots of bike DVD's! anyone passing through has to drop in and say hi!
Last night we spent some time downtown in the central square where we got some really delicious Churros. Which are a dough type snack, best eaten with hot chocolate. It so happened that in the square there was also a protest by the supporters of Andrés Manuel López Obrador the former mayor of mexico city and the dude that lost the last presidential election, which he claims he won. 1 year later he is still protesting! so we joined in for the fun! The square was quiet lively as the place is getting ready for the independence day celebrations which are in a few days time. So the entire central square is decorated with lights and banners etc.

Today we set off on a moring ride to Tres Marias, for breakfast. All the Mexican bikers gather there on Sunday mornings and (normally) show off! We were promised wheelies down the middle of the street and everything. However the weather had another idea. It rained and rained. Still we had breakfast and checked out the local stalls! At one of them we had this rather surreal moment where a father who was getting a jacket for his daughter asked if he could get a picture of myself and Al with her... guess he must of thought we were Charlie & Ewan or something! hate to dissapoint him.
From here was set off south to Cuernavaca with Garrys promise of Sun! "it will be so much warmer there" ... ummmm NO! so after a mutany in Cuernavaca we took the toll road back to mexico city where we stopped off at the market. They have the best pork crackling in the world here.
Of course gringos who are two foot taller than everyone else and in bike gear tend to attract attention! soon we had people coming up and saying hi, and taking our picture. It really was quiet delightful. We had free milkshakes, and even got to try Brain Quesadillas.. (actually they were quiet nice) can fell my IQ increasing already

Mexico City

So here I am in arguably the worlds largest city, with over 22 million people. The Zócalo (main square) and historic center are not to be missed and are a good starting place for viewing the city. Chapultepec Park, is home to many attractions and should be on your must do list, There is always some sort of free entertainment going on, such as concerts, magic shows and mime troupes.
The nightlife in the capital is second to none and provides an enormous variety of entertainment. Ballet, opera, folkloric shows and theatre compete with rock concerts, bars and nightclubs featuring all kinds of live music. Live Cuban music and the tropical salsa clubs always seem to be packed.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is the centerpiece of the Zócalo, or city square. It dates from 1532 and includes classic, neo-Classical and Baroque elements. Despite a number of earthquakes it has not fallen, this is due to the unique fact that Mexico City is actually built on a lake. The downside is the city is slowly sinking into the mud.

Mexico City is located in the Valley of Anáhuac, a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,349 feet). It was originally built by the Aztecs in 1325 on an island of Lake Texcoco. The city was almost completely destroyed in the siege of 1521, and was redesigned and rebuilt in the following years following the Spanish urban standards. In 1524 the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, and as of 1585 it is officially known as Ciudad de México. The emblem in the centre of the Mexican flag comes from this city. The Aztec legend was that wherever they found an eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake they would establish a great and powerful city. This they found on a lake which became mexico city. The symbol of the eagle eating the snake on the cactus is now a national symbol.

Teotihuacan - Teotihuacan is located about 31 miles North East of Mexico City. So if you plan on going to Mexico City, this is a must see sight. The rise and fall of Teotihuacan coincide roughly with the rise and fall of the Roman Empire beginning around 600 BC, and going into decline around 650 AD before the city was sacked, burnt, and abandoned. The empire grew by leaps and bounds between the 1st and 4th centuries AD and its influence stretched from Guatamala to Texas. The population within the city itself grew to over 200,000 people.

Teotihuacan is unique in the fact that the murals uncovered here do not depict the thematic violence or ritualistic sacrifices found in other ceremonial cites, they portray a society which seemed to be interested more in astronomy.

I think westerners who do not know the city often fear it. However a healthy curiosity is far better. The usual warnings are still in effect. Don't hail a cab in the street (although we did - we reckoned there was two of us.. and one of him); Cabs without an "L" at the start of the plate are not real cabs. Don't wander aimlessly at night; arm yourself with a map and a sense of where you are.

Mexico has more festivals than days in the calendar, and the weeks between Nov. 1 (the Day of the Dead, a uniquely Mexican celebration) and Christmas will be especially vibrant this year i expect. Three of the city's most elegant neighborhoods -- Polanco, Roma and Condesa, each 15 minutes or less from the central business district, the Zona Rosa -- are exploding with new restaurants, clubs and art galleries. Condesa, a small citadel of Art Deco architecture, is celebrating its centennial. It's an exceptionally pleasant place to sit, sip, sup and watch the passing scene

Road to Cuernavaca

Arrived in Cuernavaca (Morelos) today after an eventful ride from Morelia. Set out following the Aquaduct from Morelia taking the free road to CD Hidalgo. It starts out normal then quickly becomes country side. Not unusual to see a herd of cattle grazing at the side of the road. As you enter the Parque National Insurgente Jose Maria Morelos th views are amazing. The narrow road quickly climbs through the mountains, through lush countryside, was thinking this is really like a country drive in Wicklow mountains, (only much higher). The roads a nice twisty and narrow, but there is not much traffic so overtaking is easy. The Topes in the small towns bunch what little there is, so while standing on the footpegs you can hop past them.

Road improves again around Hidalgo and Zitacuaro. After Zitacuaro follow route 15 again towards Toluca where I successfully managed to side step my first attempted bribe. Was stopped by a Police (i think) checkpoint, (guys with M16s and Blue Uniforms), where i got called aside. Was my usual friendly self, then they started asking about the bike and how much it costs etc, (made up a much smaller amount) and where i was staying etc, then they tried to suggest i give them money.. so anytime it was mentioned i changed topic or feigned not to understand.

After about 10 mins of chatting one of them asked if i was married, so i said of course not, One of the guards says so are you gay? the reply was perfect "No Mames" (mexican slang for dont be fucking with me!) it got a laugh and it bought my ticket to freedom! No bribe just a laugh.

The best bit of the ride is after Toluca, I took the free road again south to avoid Mexico City to Tenango just after Tenango on route 55 there is a 3rd class road which turns off to Joquicingo and on to Chalma. This is awesome! full of pot holes, covered in Mud, lots of landslides from the recent rain, and of course twisty mountain road! It curls its way up over Eroded Volcanic formations to these villages which seem to hang onto the side of the cliff. What was strange was a cycle race i met along the way, which was like Tour de France meets Procession of the Sacred Virgin on a Marrion Year. Most of the cyclists had large crosses with images of Christ or Mary projecting about 4 foot off the back of their saddles, and seemed to ride in groups from each of the villages! it was a sight to behold! Eventually the Road decends out of the mountains to a great view over Cuernavaca. So i will stay here for a few days before riding to meet Gary for a tour of Mexico City.

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

Well Guadalajara was nice, but i took my leave and set off for Morelia. After getting numerous recomendations that this was a beautiful place i was expecting a lot! and I wasnt dissapointed.! This place is a a true colonial gem. There is a real spanish influence in the architecture, and there are lots of fine churches and public buildings!

But my stay in Morelia did not get off to a great start. I had booked a hostel on the internet a few days before. When i arrived the place was shut up and they would not let me in. Talk about crap. They were only catering for families of people in the nearby hospital.! But I had a stroke of luck in running into Santiago, a guy with a moped who happened to be passing by when i was asking for directions.

After a conversation about bikes etc, he offered to show me the way. When the hostel was closed, he called his brother in law who was in the process of opening a hostel! What luck! it wasnt opened yet, but Aldo opened up early especially for me! So have the honor of being the first customer at the Hostel Don Emiliano, in Morelia.

So we had a few drinks where i met Ulises whom I arranged to go riding with the next day to see Patzcuaro, which is a really nice place, surounded by mountains and sitting on a huge lake. It is the main site for the festival of the Dead on 2nd Noviembre each year, which is one of the main celebrations in Mexico.

I tried some of the local icecream, and walked around, viewed the sights and then of course ate, before making way back to morelia where i type this before going out to sample some of the night life!