The Beach Where Time Stood Still

Jeremy was on his way out of Mexico...departing Puerto Escondido thinking there was nothing left to experience until Central America. He was wrong. He pulled into a small beach town called Mazunte and felt a tinge from the beach that said he must stay for a couple days. And now its been 8 days and he`s still here. It was on this beach that Rauldo, a Mexican with major respect for the sea, invited to take Jeremy to some secret swimming spots and also helped him with his spanish. It was on this beach that Ed, a London bloke who was studying in Guadalahara, chose to pitch his hammock up next to the others and enjoy the pristine beach with them. So for the next week, the three of them ventured around Mazunte, exploring its hills, swimming in the beach and noticing how wet the water was, watching its amazing sunsets over Punta Cometa while sitting in bird shit, and communicating by any means necessary. Espaniol, English, body language...whatever, it didn`t matter. Jeremy learned more in one week on this beach with these two guys than any textbook or classroom could ever teach over a lifetime. Everything was discussed, from the generosity of Mexicans, to the Power of the Land, to just understanding the amazing concept of tranquilo ( I think Mexicans have about 345 words for `relax'). Needless to say, Mazunte will forever be etched in Jeremy`s mind. And it has nothing to do with the bicycle, but everything to do with Mexico. So to Mexico- gracias, thanks for having me.

10 Things That I Think

1. I think, contrary to what Chad might say, I am not afraid of spiders. Especially the 4 incher ones that somehow get inside your tent in the middle of the night and hang above your head. I just prefer them to be outside the tent.

1a. And I am not afraid of ants either. Especially the army of them that ate through the bottom of my tent one night and were swarming all over my head, before I realized that that sound was NOT the wind blowing against the weeds.

2. I think no matter how cheezy it is, I like giving and getting the "V" sign from all the people down here. Universal language of something.

3. I think I knew there would come a point during the trip where I would want to quit, and it happened for about a week around Acapulco. Hating everything and just wanting to go home. I also knew it would only last for about a week.

4. I think having coffee with a few other cyclists on a morning in Puerto Escondido is an unforgettable experience. You realize you´re not the only crazy bastard out there biking these roads. And you realize you too can bicycle through Africa. And you wonder, as you look at the fire in someone else´s eyes, who has been travelling over every continent for the past 6 years; and you wonder if you´re actually looking at who you are slowly becoming.

5. I think the Vikings cause me more pain than anything the Marines could ever have done. Or Mexico traffic for that matter.

6. I think cardboard cutouts of military personell at road checkpoints is hilarious. So does the military.

7. I think speedbumps in every city are annoying. The Rooster thinks this also.

8. I think swimming in a river during the middle of a hot day after riding a bike for 50 kilometers is heaven.

9. I think I am in heaven.

10. I think you should believe you´re in heaven too.

In Puerto Escondido. Next stop...Guatamala.

Mexico Moments

Was flyin´ down a hill one day when I happened to run into a couple other gringo bicylists. Now, that´s strange enough seeing a couple other gringos on bikes in Mexico. But that wasn´t the weirdest thing. They happened to be stopped by a bunch of people wearing halloween masks in the middle of the road. Then these crazy masked Mexicans started coming after me! This was it I thought, the end of the road. All those new reports about Americans being abducted by terrorists overseas and held for ransom were true. I was about to be devoured by a mob of masked freaks and fed to the sharks. Well, it ended up that they only wanted some money for charity. Whew! I slowly put my cooking knife back in its sheath and handed over 10 pesos; for what I have no idea. So anyways- had a little conversation with the other gringos along the way who were from Boulder, CO. They were just doing a short trip down the Mexican coast and couldn´t believe I had biked all the way from Minneapolis in a pair of beach sandles. It´s funny when you run into real bicylists on the road (I´m not a real bicyclist. Just a regular guy who happens to be riding a bike). They seem to think the only way you can ride a bike is if your wearing a helmet, tight-skinned shorts and a pair of riding shoes; while having the latest and most expensive gear. And it´s their big dream to be doing what I´m doing. I think I must have broken some secret biker code or something by duck taping my rear rack together.

Was camped out in an orange orchard the other night when a truck pulled in and parked right next to my campsite. I thought for sure the owner had forgotten something and was about to kick me off his property, which wouldn´t have been good cause I was all set up for some deep sleep. Strangely enough, the truck turned behind a tree and couldn´t see me; then sat there with the engine running for a while. Then it dawned on me what was actually happening. As the truck bounced up and down I assumed the man and woman inside didn´t own the place and that I was lucky enough to have them park right next to me. I felt special. Especially considering that there were only 79 other orange orchards in the area where they could express their undying love for one another.

So anyway, coming into Acapulco and looking for a hotel, it was bound to happen. As I took a right turn down a side street, there happened to be a rain grate on the ground that had just enough room for my front tire to fall through. As I flipped over the handlebars and landed on my ass, the Rooster sustained a bent front rim. Luckily I wasn´t going too fast and was able to do some minor adjustments to fix up the Rooster. Now, I´ve biked almost 4000 miles, been within inches of screaming semi trucks, and hurled down mountains at 40mph. And this is how I fall off the bike. A rain grate. I´ve had only two close encounters with death on this trip. This incident, and a killer taco up in San Blas that I almost choked on. Figure that one out.

Acapulco is a cool city, similar to Waikiki but about 10 times the size it seems like an twice as dirty. I like the buses that are ¨personalized¨ by the drivers. If you don´t like riding the bus with the techno blaring from the speakers, you can always jump on the other one with the cartoon porn plastered on the walls. And my hotel room has a ceiling fan and even a toilet seat. Life is good. Was hoping for some hot water but I guess that was pushing my luck. Will be resting up here for a few days, then shooting straight for Guatamala. I´m about ready to be done with Mexico. Looking forward to getting into Central America in the next couple weeks. Adios...

Becoming Mexico in Maruata

After riding for a few days over an endless amount of hills and enduring the unbearable heat, Jeremy was looking forward to some nice quiet relaxation on a quiet beach. After PV and Barra, he was in no condition to socialize or be with people in any way, shape or form. So coming into Maruata he wasn´t expecting much of anything other than a bunch of turtles laying eggs. So what did he find? Maruata just happens to be THE place to go for New Years Eve for all the young Mexicans around the country. What is usually a quiet Indian village the rest of the year, turns into a huge hippie festival for New Years Eve. Bongo-drumming, loud trance music, high school/college kids from the city and drunken debauchary take over. Hey- Jeremy is flexible. So he decides to stay for the New Year party and check it all out.

Now since he´s been traveling thru Mexico it hasn´t really felt like he´s been involved in Mexican culture or really mixed with the Mexicans all that much. Which is a little strange considering he´s half-way through the country by now. So being in Maruata, where there were few gringos, was an experience. Luckily, a Californian named Richie spoke good Spanish and was able to take over translation work for Jeremy. So staying here for about 3 days, Jeremy learned much more about these people below the border. A 19 yr old kid explained that Mexicans are very family-orientated and have a lot of national pride, and they hate gringos who come down here because they treat Mexicans as if they were only alive to serve them enchilladas. I can definately see that from some of the idiots I´ve met down here. But he also said most Mexicans don´t read enough so that´s why they have such a negative opinion about outsiders. And the indigenous people who live here are in much the same predicament as those in America, Australia and everywhere else in the world. Poor and working their asses off to live, their identities stripped away along time ago. Same shit, different country. And Mexicans love to litter. Even though they have more DO NOT LITTER signs per kilometer than probably anywhere else in the world, trash is EVERYWHERE. It´s crazy seeing the internal problems of a foreign country.

Anyhoo, Maruata itself was an amazing beach to have a party at. Candle-lit caverns and a full moon. Jeremy decided to wander around the beach from drum circle to drum circle looking to make new friends, but he found that it wasn´t easy. Not even an 'hola' from too many people. Most of the people here seemed to stay in there own groups, not trusting any outsiders, especially a gringo. But this was probably because they were young and too cool for school. Jeremy decided to just hang with the high school kids who wanted to talk politics and improve his Spanish. Anyway- it was an experience that had potential to be real mind-blowing, but was tampered a bit by the `what is this gringo doing at our cool festival?' attitude most people had. But it was still a side of Mexico he hadn´t seen yet. On a more grotesque note, Jeremy did manage to eat some cow tongue- but he highly advises against anybody trying this at home.

So anyway- it´s back to the basics. Getting up before sunrise, relaxing under the shade in a hammock during the afternoons and riding till sunset. Camping, riding and eating tacos. Just the way it should be. Later...