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...
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...
posted by Jeremy at 8:55 AM
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