Day 306 Friday 12th of May Cholula to Oaxaca 435km

As we arrived and parked inside the conference room Milsy started by stinking it out with petrol, he tipped his bike over onto its site, only breaking few tiles, and then replaced the fuel tap, we had 3 spares as they are know to give problems. While this was going on I was typing away and Rocky was on Laundry Duty, he disappeared with 30kg of coils and 10 nog of combined washing. But he disappointed the group by not delivering and blamed it on the system, there was no Laundromat and he only found a depo which would take the washing but only return it 24 hours later, useless to us.

Last night Doc was frantically trying to get hold of the shop where he bought the Empanadas (Pies) for us, he was hoping that someone saw him leave his wallet on the counter and handed it in to the lady who’s shop it was. I felt sorry for Doc as I have seen this “Movie” several times before in my life in Africa. So while Doc and Team were on the phones the 4 South Africans asked if we could go for a walk, and given permission to go, without a chaperone, (mammas boys were growing up fast.) We strolled and bough some peanuts which are spiced and then a lime is squeezed over it, I also bought something weird which I think is Cannelloni Beans that are deep-fried and then spiced, delicious.

The town is famous for these ancient “Pyramids” :

The area we were staying in was close to all the bars and restaurants, they were all magnificent with friendly staff trying to get us to step-in,  but they were also all empty. Note the Roof top terrace bar above.

 

We had lots of Empanadas when we arrived at our little hotel, which was very cheap but was clean and friendly, so we decided not to eat dinner as well and decided to have a Margareta at one of the many Terrace Bars on the buildings roof and as we sat down we read the message that Doc’s wallet has been found.

A customer found the wallet inside the shop and handed it in to the owner, who found Doc’s wife’s phone number inside and phoned her. So we had another Drink and then went to bed at  21h30.

This is where Doc lost his wallet, at the pie-shop, and it would have been a disaster as lots of documents he would need should he decide to join us all the way to Costa Rica was in that wallet.

Today was another very hard day, it took us 11 hours to travel the 435km. From when we got going we were just where we left of yesterday, small towns and speed-bumps, huge bumps, one cars front suspension gave up the ghost on one of the bumps and caused a lot of chaos with the traffic. The speed-humps did not stop, so 1 hour into the ride we had only travelled 41km, and I guess had broken our backs over more than 50 speed-bumps by that stage. Then the road opened up and we were in the country on a relatively busy single lane road. Going was good as it was flat and we soon stopped for our Brunch at a road side vendor, once again three generations cooking up a storm. We had several types of tacos and some coffee and Jamaica, (local made fruit juice, weak and not to sugary at all.) Edwardo decided to stop at this restaurant because there were several local cars in front of it, and a truck, and the regular truck drivers know where the food is good. So, the spot was not chosen for the decor or the birds (plastic) chirping away in their cage above our table.

 

 

We had breakfast stuffs but the pots with lunch stews were already bubbling away and I was given a lengthy explanation of each dish in Spanish and I nodded like I understood every word.

Along the way I stopped for this photo, it is a shrine built for family that died at this spot on the road. Your see many of these along the road all day long, but they are usually small, like the one on the bottom right in this photo, but this guy that died was obviously very loved and his wife went big with his shrine, as my wife will surely do one day for me.

Across the road another family was selling Prickly Pears:

And then the road got nasty. We were in the mountains the rest of the day, and it was very tight bends, and lots of traffic, so we got separated from each other and then you push harder to catch up, stupid. The tar is not smooth and is very rutted, so your corner speed has to be slower than normal to enable you to be able to change the line you are taking through the corner to avoid bad tar or little holes and even deep scratches in the tar that pushes your wheel in another direction, making you get a big fright.

When you are riding like this, its hard riding, the kilometres don’t come quickly, you have to fight for every kilometre, and then there is still the relentless speed-bumps every time you go through a little village, your wrists are already in pain from all the braking, and then you have to deal with the humps put their by a psychopath with a hate for speed, it sends your bum bouncing almost over your shoulders if you hit it to fast. It was very hard. We only did 435km, but it took us 11 hours, 5 hours was spent either eating, resting or filling with fuel, or waiting for the wallet. But rest is so important as your focus has to be 100%, there is no easy kilometre when the road is straight and the traffic is less, it was tuff today.

The advantage of stopping often is than I can take photos of the area where we stopped:

Notice which cars are in the photos above?

VW Beatles are still big here, many are still running, so are the VW combi-bus, must have seen 10 today.

Lots of Tuk-Tuks, some grand and even have curtains you can close to ensure no one knows who is in there. Then there are these as well, some on their last legs.

I had a healthier ice-cream from this guy:

I walked away from the group and found him in a remote street. Lots of people came over and spoke to me, I just smiled and said Gracias.

But Rogelio (Rodger’s real name) left early this morning to go back 1,5 hours to collect Doc’s wallet, so he tried to catch us using as much highway as possible, but when the sun got to its hottest we decided to wait for him at a Gas Station. It was a long wait of over an hour and I was lying on my back, half-sleeping, when I heard voice offer us “Coca, Coca?” I then heard Doc follow the Coca Dealer and was wide awake, decided to follow to see the “deal” being done. It turns out the guy was selling Coconut Juice which he pours out of a newly cracked coconut, he pours it into a little plastic bag and ads a straw. then the other menu item, from a different coconut is the flesh that he takes out and then serves than in a plastic bag after sprinkling on it some salt, cayenne pepper and lime juice. So what I discovered today by looking at the man at work in the boot of his car is that you can either get lots of juice but then hardly any flesh, or, lots of flesh but hardly any juice. Don’t say this blog don’t make your clever. Note the Re-Bar spike next to him, this is what he uses to make a whole into the not.

Across the road was a distributer of all the local Mezcal, it turns out that Tequila is not a big drink in Mexico, ok, it’s big, but Mezcal is much bigger. The same Blue Algarve Cactus leave is used in both, but for Mizcal it is burnt on a fire and then only is it fermented and distilled, so it has a strong smoke taste.

Note how you can buy your Bottle and do some shoe shopping:

 

During this long break we ate ice-cream, again, (I have now pulled out of this wicket distraction and told the other three that I will not eat another ice-cream on this trip, they must stop buying me one.

We got our air-conditioners ready and when Rodger arrived we took off.

Not sure about the Blue LED Lights, or the butterflies on the side of Jesus, but this church, Temple Santo Domingo in Yanhuitlan was in the middle of no where, not in a city, a hand full of houses around it, far from people. Well it was built in 1550, which is 100 years before old Jan sailed into Table Bay.

As Rocky let the team down yesterday, my hand washed laundry was still wet this morning, so I packed it in my “drier” and strapped it to the back of DadAss. everyone we stopped to rest and eat ice cream I then opened the bag and “fluffed” my laundry. It got dry by lunch time but then I forgot about our daily down-pour at 14h00, but tonight when I took everything out it was all dry.

At the petrol station they have a little shrine for travellers.

Lots of people tells me that they have been to Mexico and loved it, but, with all due respect, all they saw of Mexico was a Beach Resort where the staff were Mexican and the food was influenced by Mexican food. Tomorrow we are riding to such resort, smaller than the well known ones like Acapulco or Can Run, but still a resort where tourist go to. We have seen the real Mexico, which is in line with what we do, that is our mission, to see the real country, meet the real people and experience their culture and food, un-diluted.

Tonight we are going to the Centro (Down Town) to see the market and eat at the church square and experience the real deal. I will past the photos of tonight in tomorrows Blog.

Good night my pumpkins.

Fleich