Hello. The Navigator here again. This blog has been rather neglected this trip; a few reasons, including the fact of how much easier it is to post on Facebook than to try and convince WordPress to upload photos on dodgy WiFi. Sad, but true. However, this post is a long read, so needs to be here.
We crossed into Guatemala on 6th February, after 79 days in Mexico. I am very grateful that The Chronicler has been keeping a record of our route, and the places we’ve stayed; it has all gone by so very fast, in a blur of places and experiences. Even with that record, and the dated photographs, it can sometimes be difficult to recall a particular place or event. Overload. So today, with nothing pressing to achieve other than to rest, I decided to sit down in this sunny patio, and review.
A Boojum Tree
Baja California
Pensión California
First impressions I wrote about last time. Then we were off into the amazing peninsula of Baja California. This area is popular with cyclists, and we met a few others on our way south: Matt and Jenny, who were on fat bikes and riding the dirt roads of the Baja Divide; Daniel from Israel, on his way to San Francisco, Sergio from France, and a number of other passing engagements. We also met Sergio and Marcela from New York State, on their way to Ushuaia, Argentina, in their camper ‘Despacito’ and Jon from San Francisco enjoying retirement while travelling in the balmier climes of Mexico. My other memories of this stretch are the fabulous and varied cactus forests, the Boojum trees and the salt mines; an otherworldliness of place. Reaching La Paz, the influence of US culture was more apparent. The Pensión California, with its garish colours tiny rooms, and friendly, family atmosphere will stay with me for a long time.
Road to Durango
Crossing on the ferry to Mazatlan and the ‘mainland’, I remember feeling some trepidation similar to that which I feel prior to crossing into a new country. Although not a new country, there was indeed a distinct shift in culture. No longer did vehicles stop and wave pedestrians across the road; everything feeling a lot more frantic. As we left the coast, we left the US expat/tourist influence behind, climbing a brilliant road up and over to the desert city of Durango.
Hostal Casa de Bruno
We got to know Durango quite well over the 11 days we spent there; that story is also told elsewhere in this blog. We stayed in the lovely Hostal Casa de Bruno over Christmas, and enjoyed the break very much.
Pinos!
Plaza in Silao
Thereafter, we toured through a string of fine Colonial towns, all high up in the central plains of the country – Sombrerete, with its hat-shaped mountain, Zacatecas, on the hill and the gringo trail, Pinos, up a spur road to a lively and attractive community, Silao, with its fabulously trimmed trees in the square and dodgy hotel, Guanajuato with its tunnels and preoccupation with Don Quixote, Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende, magnets for the North American snowbirds. And the largest mural in Mexico at Pachuca, painted across a whole hillside neighbourhood.
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
San Miguel de Allende
Thereafter, we moved into a somewhat different culture as we skirted to the east of Mexico City and Puebla, the major population centres. Lots of Ts and Xs in the place names, and a much more indigenous population. Eventually to Oaxaca; cactus school was brilliant, and a real highlight. Monte Albán was interesting, but further reading needs to be done in order to understand this culture before we start exploring more of these sites. Meeting up with Gerald again, whom we first met in Salta, Argentina, three years ago, through a curious connection on iOverlander.
Pachuca
Cactus School
After Oaxaca, it was down, down towards the coastal plains and the heat; through hardworking towns with mostly indigenous populations and no tourism. Seeing the aloes that are used for mezcal, and all the infrastructure of artisanal production of the spirit. Discovering the hooligan wind that blows through the gap in the Sierra Madre at the isthmus, and seeing for ourselves the devastation caused by the earthquake in September 2017 to the town of Juchitán. Then, the challenge of the heat; starting ever earlier in the morning to reach our destination and a cool room before the afternoon. The wonderfully named Pijijiapan (Pee-hee-hee-a-pan), and finally, the southernmost city of Tapachula (where there is the southernmost Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Sam’s club in the country) and the Guatemala border at Talisman.
Monte Albán
Horse-driven mill for aloes
This has not been a camping trip; other than a few nights in the Baja, and a couple on the way to Durango, we haven’t camped at all in Mexico. Hotels all over Mexico are cheap and plentiful. Where organised camping is offered, it is much the same price as a hotel, without the shower. That, and the country is very populated; stealth camping, our preferred method, is difficult in this situation. Yes, it could be done, but hey – I guess we’re not that cheap any more.
Birthday dinner and beer
Another major difference to our previous trips has been the food. In Mexico, food is just so easy – varied street food is everywhere, at any time of the day, and it is always cheap, filling and excellent. Great cycling tucker. Result: The Chronicler has not gone scrawny, and The Navigator still has some cuddly bits.
We’ve been to many places, and seen and experienced so much. Yet, there is so much more that we haven’t touched on. This is one vast, diverse country; further exploration is called for.