Into the heat

Day 73 kt: 19.5 ta: 859 gps: N 19 degrees 13.387' W 99 degrees 08.535'

I ended up staying in Mexico City one more day because I didn't want to hurry to do my errands: I needed to buy new gloves, burn my photos to a C.D., and mail my photos and Christmas presents for my mom to Austin. Moreover, I wanted to party with Edgar one last time before I left the city. I even drank a little alcohol, though, not quite as much as Edgar who fell off his bike twice while we were riding back to his house from the party. I woke up late and didn't actually leave Edgar's house until 2:30 p.m.
Leaving Mexico City is, thus far, the hardest thing that I have had to do. My actual departure was a very poignant moment. The whole Medina family gathered in front of their house so we could all take pictures together. I tried to hold back tears but ended up crying under my sunglasses. I am really going to miss all of my friends and the Medina family. I am very seriously considering moving back to Mexico City when my journey is over. At the very least, I am going to have to find more time to visit.
I barely made it out of the city because I had to make a few stops. Upon looking at my rear rim, I noticed that there are cracks where the spokes and spoke nipples connect. As the right-sized rims are impossible to find in el D.F.( Believe me, I tried), I had to use another ghetto-rig solution: I used metal epoxy paste to seal the cracks. Right now, my rim is straight and the cracks seem to be well sealed so I am hoping to make it, at least, far enough to replace my rim. I am just going to have to ask around in every city that I ride through. I honestly think that the epoxy paste will hold for a while though I am prepared to ride on my rear rim until my wheel explodes.
My campsite is in the mountains between Mexico City and Cuernavaca, Morelos. I am going to have to get myself back into my nomadic lifestyle. Hopefully, having a warm bed and shower hasn't made me fat and weak.

Day 74 kt:80.8 ta:2198 gps: N 18 degrees 45.849' W 99 degrees 14.342'

My first twenty kilometers of the day was all spent climbing. The rest was all descent. Whee!! I descended over 6,000 feet, passing through Cuernavaca on the way towards a town called Iguala, Guerrero where I will turn off towards Zihuatenejo, Guerrero. Morelos is the state that Emiliano Zapata is from and where he started his rebellion against the Mexican government. I have set up my campsite on a hill overlooking a prison and a Mexican suburb. If you think that American suburbs are monotonous, you should see a Mexican suburb.
I have not gone on one of my political rants in a while but I have seen some things in the news that have caught my eye. The countdown is ticking until January 1st when a new Arizona law making it illegal for employers to knowingly hire illegal immigrants goes into effect. Upon being caught the first time, the employer loses their business license for a year. The second time, their business license is revoked permanently. I think that this is a completely asinine law but instead of dwelling on why it is stupid and racist I would like to make some predictions:
The cost of construction will rise significantly. Any new roads or buildings will be delayed and go over budget. Retail sales and, hence, sales tax receipts will see a sharp decline across the board as illegal immigrants contribute significantly to the economy. The difference will be so stark that the coming national recession won't be enough to explain the decline. Some businesses such as fast food restuarants and used car lots will see even greater declines. Anyone who has even frequented any of these businesses in Texas can see that illegal immigrants are one of the main demographics which supports these establishments. Finally most of the illegal immigrants who live in Arizona will move not back to Mexico but to bordering states.
I am sure that I have only scratched the surface in predicting the economic fallout from this law. I have based my predictions not on conjecture but on what has actually happened to small towns that passed similar draconian laws against immigrants. Believe me when I say that Mexicans notice these laws as I have had several conversations with random strangers where they brought up the racism of Americans. Those racist bastards in Arizona deserve everything that is coming to them.
Another thing that has caught my eye in the news is the proposal of several of the leading Democratic candidates calling for health insurance mandates as the panacea for our ailing health care system. This is a bad idea. We would only be rewarding those who are primarily culpable for the mess we have today. I have read way to many articles about people with health insurance having to declare bankruptcy after an extended stay in the hospital, to trust the insurance industry to fix our health care system. Any functional solution we come up with will have to cut out the insurance middleman. It would also have to focus on preventative healthcare rather than reactionary healthcare where we wait for people to get sick before we treat them. Early diagnosis of cancer, among other illnesses, increases the likelihood of survival and decreases the cost of treatment.
I also noticed that Congress recently passed a new energy bill that called for a huge increase in ethanol production. While part of the bill calls for an increase in research into producing ethanol from biowaste, which is laudable, the vast majority of the increase will come from ethanol produced from corn. This amounts to another massive government handout to corporations such as A.D.M. Moreover, this will lead to an increase in food prices across the board as farmers will plant corn instead of other crops while trying to meet this artificially created demand. It should be noted that arable land is scarce because we keep on paving over more of it while creating car-dependant suburbia. I am tired of reading about these pie-in-the-sky, technological solutions to our petroleum addiction and global warming. The only way to fix these problems is to reduce our demand: we should heavily tax gasoline and use the proceeds to build better public transportation systems. While we are at it, we should develop bicycle friendly transportation infrastructure as the bicycle is the only true zero-emission vehicle we will ever have besides our own two feet. If more people rode bikes, we would also see the added benefit of reducing obesity and cardiovascular related illnesses which significantly tax our health care system. Right now, I am in excellent cardiovascular shape and I have a single digit body fat percentage. I have several friends who have lost over a hundred pounds from regularly riding their bikes. Come on everyone, join the bicycle revolution.

Day 75 kt:81.5 ta:3093 gps: N 18 degrees 20.825' W 99 degrees 32.086'

The state of Morelos is not very large as I entered it yesterday and left it today. It is noticable hotter as well as more humid in the lower altitudes where I am. The gnats and mosquitos love the heat as it no longer gets cold enough at night to drive them away. This is not to say that there aren't any mountains here. There are, they are just smaller. I haven't had to climb mountains in such heat since I left the northern part of the Chihuahuan desert.
I picked up some tourist pamphlets for the state of Guerrero, today. They only reinforced my decision to quickly pass through Zihuatenejo and Acupulco and enjoy the rest of the beaches of Guerrero. There are apparently a variety of virgin beaches where you can camp right along the beaches. I have no interest in staying in one of the four-star hotels in either Zihuatenejo or Acapulco. I, however, look forward to seeing nesting turtles and ancient stone carvings. The beaches of Guerrero also offer a variety of regional dishes which I can't wait to try. My mouth is watering already.

Day 76-80 kt:20.5 ta: 1291 gps: N 18 degrees 21.946' W 99 degrees 39.917'

I spent the last four days in the town of Iguala, Guerrero dealing with an attack of diarrhea. I really only had full-fledged diarrhea for one day but I stayed the extra days because my kidneys hurt and I wanted to make a full recovery before I hit the mountains. Diarrhea is something to be taken very seriously here: it can be indicative of a more serious illness and can kill by itself because it causes dehydration. I have had much worse cases of diarrhea in Mexico, before. During the Day of the Dead in 2004( also known as election day in the U.S.) I had an attack of food poisoning that caused me to purge food out of both ends and lasted for three days. To combat diarrhea, one must drink a lot of water and find food which they can stomach. The very thought of eating meat or dairy when you have a bad case of diarrhea will make your stomach turn. I find that dry foods such as saltines and amaranth bars are the best things to eat. You generally have to force yourself to eat because you probably won't have an appetite. If the symptoms last for more than three days, check yourself into a hospital because you probably have something more serious than a mere case of food poisoning.
The town of Iguala is not a very interesting place for a tourist. It has about 300,000 residents, according to a local, but about all of the businesses shut down after 6:00 p.m. as if it only had 3,000. I have read but not corroborated that the Mexican flag flying on the edge of the city is the largest flag in all of Latin America. It is pretty big and you can see it from far away on all sides of the city.
I didn't do much when I was in Iguala other than stay in my hotel room and watch movies. I ventured out occasionally to surf the internet or buy food and water. The hotel where I stayed at had a very basic cable package so I had a lot of movies to choose from both in English with Spanish subtitles and dubbed in Spanish. Some of the translations in the subtitles are laughable. My favorite translation was when the translator translated pussy cat in vagina. Vagina is vagina in Spanish. It was one of those jokes with a double meaning that was completely lost in translation. This same movie had a scene where the main character goes to Belize and the soldiers there are speaking Spanish. In case yall didn't know, Belize was a British colony until 1973 and English is the official language there. This just reinforced my opinion that Americans are culturally ignorant.
I took my time leaving the city, today for I did not want to overexert myself while coming off of a sickness and riding into the heat. The mountains are not as high as other parts of the country but the climbs are much more challenging because it is about 30 degrees hotter. I drank and sweated out more water while climbing 10 kilometers, today, than I often do while riding 50 kilometers. I expect more of the same while going towards the coast as most of Guerrero is covered in mountains. Hell, I expect more of the same all the way to Colombia.

Day 81 kt:42.2 ta: 3946 gps: N 18 degrees 21.393' W 99 degrees 50.891'

I spent another day climbing hills all day in the somniloquent heat. Just about every time I found a shady spot, I took a nap. I like naps and they keep me from overheating. The heat definitely slows me down. I am going to be moving slowly all the way towards the coast as the place is called "Tierra Caliente" or "Hot Land".

Day 82 kt:75 ta: 2413 gps: N 18 degrees 19.300' W 100 degrees 17.912'

What goes up must come down, or so they say. I got to enjoy a long stretch of descent today after some initial climbing. This was definitely nice because it was hot and steamy. Suffice to say, I believe I have officially left the part of the country where it is ever cold. I had a scare today when a bus passed me with about two feet to spare when I was descending a mountain. I was moving a 50 kph and two feet is nothing at that speed. I had almost no margin of error and I was almost forced off the road. If I was forced off the road at that speed, I would almost definitely die, with or without a helmet. At least the driver honked before bullying his way past me. This is not the first near-death encounter I have had on the road and it probably won't be the last.
I could have travelled farther today, but I am a sociable person and probably spent at least an hour talking with people who were curious about my journey. I spent another hour and a half in an internet cafe in Arcelia, Guerrero and found myself racing the sunset to find a decent campsite. I was lucky to find a flat, well-obscured campsite just off the side of the road. At just over 1,100 feet, I am pretty sure that this is the lowest point I have been at in all of Mexico. I expect to sweat in my sleep, tonight.

Day 83 kt:54.3 ta: 1061 gps: N 18 degrees 20.011' W 100 degrees 41.330'

I enjoyed another happily lazy day, today. Finding shade is more than enough of an excuse to rest. Someone told me, today, that this is actually the hottest part of the country. I am inclined to believe this.
If this isn't the hottest part of the country it is, at the very least, the most uncomfortable part of the country when you combine the heat, humidity, and swarming insects. Gnats and mosquitos aren't a problem in the dry desert. The mosquitos aren't as bad as the gnats which swarm you as you come to a rest anywhere. To call the gnats evil or even to use the superlative "most evil" is an understatement. You really don't do them justice unless you describe them as the most evil motherfucking bastards the universe has ever spawned." This is not hyperbole. Tomorrow, I am going to wear my full-length bicycle tights despite the heat because the gnats are that bad.
Today, while approaching the town of Tlapehuala, Guerrero, I saw what could very well be the largest carved head in the world. It dwarfs any of the Olmec heads or the giant heads of Easter Island. It is a giant head about 60 or 70 feet tall sculpted in the guise of Lazaro Cardenas upon his death in 1977. Lazaro Cardenas is the former president responsible for nationalizing Mexico's oil industry and is revered by all. To put this reverence in context, I don't think that there are any statues of Jesus or La Virgin de Guadalupe that come even close to the size of this head.

Day 84 kt: 50.9 ta:3413 gps: N 18 degrees 08.914' W 100 degrees 56.451'

There is a discrepancy between what my GPS and map tell me is the distance to Zihuatenejo and what the signs in Ciudad Altamirano said. It is a difference of 100 kilometers. Unfortunately, I think there are still 200 instead of 100 kilometers.
While I was riding through a small village, that is not on my map or GPS, looking for food, I happened upon a party with band and food and everything. Being that I was ravished, I endured the stares of just about everyone so I could eat something. I was definitely an oddity being the only guero and definitely the only person who rode my bike there. I am used to people staring at me, anyway. It turns out that the party was for a little girl that just got baptized today, though you wouldn't know it from all the debauchery that was going on. As is the case with most religious holidays here, it is really just an excuse to get fucked up. Almost all the men were piss drunk and everybody was dancing to Musica Durranguense which is essentially just Norteño music as Durango is a state in the northern part of Mexico. The men eventually got me to dance with a girl even though I don't like dancing to Norteño with strangers because of the proximity involved. I even drank a little beer. It was literally a little bottle of Corona that even said "Coronita" on the label. ¡Que lindo!

Day 85 kt:33.9 ta:3139 gps: N 18 degrees 01.422' W 101 degrees 06.795'

By the time that I wake up, it will be a new year. While many people in the U.S. will be partying, I will be sleeping. I guess my resolution this year is to be a little bit braver about flirting with beautiful women.
I saw some pretty exotic birds today, but, as birds are pretty elusive creatures, I did not get any pictures. One was blue and yellow but was not a parrot and the other was brown and had a long tail.

Day 86 kt:60.6 ta: 3576 gps: 17 degrees 51.697' W 101 degrees 22.704'

I don't think that I have mentioned it but Guerrero is one of the drug trafficking hot spots of Mexico. Last year, narcotraficantes threw a couple of decapitated heads of police officers into the police headquarters in Acapulco.
I met someone, today, who I would consider a victim of the drug war but who the government considers to be a criminal menace. He served 16 years in prison for transporting 700 kilograms of cocaine. Granted, this is a whole truckload of cocaine but the heavies transport boatloads of cocaine. He was not the boss, just the person who transported the merchandise. All one had to do was look around to see that he wasn't lying about this. I counted at least 9 people in the extended family who shared a two-room shack constructed from discarded wood and metal roof shingles. Moreover, two of the women were noticably pregnant. There is no plumbing or electricity in this stretch of highway. The family was sharing a meager breakfast of tortillas and the Mexican equivalent of parmesan cheese. Despite their poverty, they shared their breakfast with me and I accepted as I consider it rude to decline people's generosity. As far as I can tell, the only ways to make money in these parts are by selling sodas and chips to those passing by on their way to Zihuatenejo and through drug trafficking. It is no wonder that many people choose drug trafficking because these people are lucky to make $5 after subtracting the cost of the products they sell as very few people pass by these parts.
The man, who will remain anonymous in respect to him and his family told me that there are many people who get busted with truckloads of cocaine without ever knowing the true contents of their cargo. The transaction usually goes something like this: the owner of a "transportation" company approaches said person and tells them that their driver is sick and ask them to transport their cargo which is usually disguised as something legitimate. The narcotraficantes can pay them less than someone who knew what the cargo was. Moreover, if the driver gets busted with the drugs, he is usually too afraid of reprisal to point the authorities towards the man who contracted them. The man who contracts the driver is usually a leutenant and not a heavy, anyway. Many innocent men have fallen victim to this scheme.
The man was resentful of the 16 years he had to serve in prison especially when there are those close to power who he termed "intocable" or untouchable. He mentioned, of course, the brother of former president Carlos Salinas who was strangled to death in his car 3 and a half years ago and the sons-in-law of former president Vicente Fox. These are not entirely baseless accusations as I have read the same in the Mexican press. When Carlos Salinas's brother was killed, there was a blown up picture of the strangled corpse on the front page of the news the very next day. The article did mention that the murder was probably drug related but I doubt the government ever did a follow up investigation.
I had to move on, though I wanted to listen to this man some more as he spoke from a perspective that I can only imagine.
Further down the road, I happened upon the aftermath of a cockfight. I was attracted by the commotion as I usually don't see suck a large group of people gathered in one place in the countryside. There, on the ground, lay two dead roosters. I did not get to see the champion as the owner had already left with his rooster and his winnings. It should be mentioned that, personally, I consider cockfighting to be cruel, but I was not about to lecture 20 grown men, some of whom had been drinking, about the evils of animal cruelty. Anyway, it is not like they just throw the roosters away. They cook them and eat them. The owner of the house offered me cocaine but I graciously refused explaining that my father was a drug addict and that it was probable that I have a genetic predilection towards cocaine addiction. Moreover, as I have never tried cocaine, I did not want to have an overdose many miles from any kind of medical facility. I told the owner that I was hungry and asked if I could have some food. He was happy to have something to offer me. After I had stuffed myself and tried to offer remuneration, the owner's wife refused payment. I thanked them profusely and went on my way.
The owner of the house where they had the cockfight asked me a question which I have heard many times before: Why don't Americans want Mexicans in the United States? I grow weary of apologizing for my countrymen. The answer is complicated but I have decided to simplify it. My response: most Americans are racist and jealously guard their wealth. I think that these people understand that not all of us are like that as I am a white American who has gone through the trouble of learning Spanish. I guess that I am an ambassador of good will for my country. There are, however, few people like me and lots of people who fear and hate Mexicans in my country.
I finally topped out the mountains and got to descend for about 40 kilometers. There were several times when donkeys got in the way when I was hauling ass. I almost killed myself laughing when one almost fell down while running from me. I should make it to the coast, tomorrow.

I

I Love Mexico City

Day 60-71 I stayed in Mexico City

People might wonder, with all the crime, traffic, and pollution, why I love Mexico City as much as I do. The answer is simple. This city is filled with so many wonderful, amazing, talented, and beautiful people. It is overflowing with culture. I would even go so far as to say that it is the cultural capital of Mexico. All the musical acts throughout the country have to come here and perform if they even want to have a modicum of success in the rest of the country. Mexico City, has been the home of many famous artists including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco to name a few.
There is huge amount of art and amazing architecture in every corner of the city. One only has to go la Ciudad Universitaría (C.U.), as the U.N.A.M. campus is called, to see some of the most impressive murals in the world. The library there is even covered in murals on all sides made entirely from rocks that were collected from all parts of Mexico. One of my favorite places in C.U. is the Espacio Escultorico. It is a natural park area with massive sculptures which sculptures that you can climb and walk all over. Though there are many impressive works of art and architecture in C.U., you would have to spend many days exploring the city to see all of the notable artistic and architectural monuments that abound in this city.
I had the priveledge of seeing some very good music when I was in the city these last two weeks. One group was from Xalapa, Veracruz. Their name is Sonex and they play Son Jarocho fusion mixed with elements of hip-hop and flamenco. Another group named Paté de Fua had an Argentinian frontman with all Mexican musicians. They play a mixture of tango and jazz blended with various other Latin elements. My friend Edgar plays in a band called Los Malditos Hippies. They play a mixture of ska, reggae, and cumbia. Edgar also plays in a Mexican hardcore band called Cannabis Cerdos. All of the above bands can be found on myspace if you would like to listen to any of them. There are many talented musicians that call Mexico City their home.
There are so many incredible museums here that you could spend months exploring all of them. Among some of the more notable museums are the National Anthropology Museum, the National Museum of Art, and the National History Museum. I have been to al of those museums before so I decided to visit one of the more obscure museums when I was here. Last Thursday, Edgar and I rode our bikes to the Museum of Torture. This museum houses some truly horrifying instruments of torture with notes in both English and Spanish about their uses. One of the more interesting things that is at the museum are the shackles and chain in which Christopher Columbus was brought back to Spain after his third voyage to the New World. Among some of the more interesting things I learned was that it would often take days for someone who had been impaled to die, for, though the spear would go through the anus all the way to the mouth, it would miss most of the vital organs. Often, the spear would even have a rounded point so it would take longer to pierce through the body. I left the museum impressed with the ingenuity that people have when it comes to conceiving new forms of cruelty to perpetrate against their fellow brothers and sisters. I think that most of humanity is good but that there are some really evil motherfuckers out there. The problem we have is that, throughout history and today, many of these evil motherfuckers happen to be in positions of power.
I stayed with La Familía Medina during my stay here in Mexico. They have been the most wonderful and gracious hosts. They have fed me and let me stay here rent-free for two weeks. Whenever I would wash dishes to help out they would always insist that I leave them in the sink. Both parents are retired. Their son Edgar, who I have already mentioned, is a very talented guitarist as well as musician in general. Their daughter Idania, designs costumes and acts in a theater group which I also had the priveledge of seeing perform. Luis Fernando, the nephew who lives with them is eight-years-old and enjoys swimming and playing the trumpet. Bidel, the daughter of Idania is the newest addition to the family. She is cute as the dickens and is the princess of the house. La Familía Medina shares their house with five cats, and three dogs so, as one might imagine, it is quite a zoo.
I spent most of my time here hanging out with Edgar going to parties, museums, lucha libre, etc... It seems like Edgar knows everyone in the city because whereever we went we would run into friends of his. Now is the time of the posadas or Christmas parties and one can find parties in the streets of Mexico where everyone is dancing to salsas and cumbias and where there are free food and drinks. Techno is still pretty popular at parties thrown by college aged people here. Though I don't like techno quite as much as I like cumbias and salsa, I still had a good time at the parties because I met many beautiful women. I swear, it seems like every woman here between the ages of 15 and 35 is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. After leaving one of these parties I witnessed further proof that the cab drivers here are insane. The cab driver who gave us a ride home pulled Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine. When my friends and I got in the cab, he was calm and polite. He drove patiently and chatted with us about various subjects. As soon as someone cut him off though, he was a different person. He rolled down his window, cursed the driver out, and then proceeded to drive a lot more aggressively: he started driving a lot faster and flew over speed bumps to the point where we had to hold on tight or risk injury. I guess Mexico City drivers would have that effect on anyone because I definitely found myself cursing people out when they didn't give me enough respect on the road.
The lucha libre matches here are a cultural phenomenon that are worth witnessing. The luchadores are much like American wrestlers except even more over-the-top. They still have the staged battles between the good and bad guys or the technicos and rudos as they are called, respectively, only the moves are more acrobatic. It is not uncommon to see the luchadores flying over the ropes, out of the ring, and hurling into their opponents below. If someone removes the mask of a masked luchador they will lie face-down on the ground motionless as if their source of power has been stolen from them. My favorite match was between three dwarfs and three normal-sized people. Though the matches are obviously staged, I couldn't help but be impressed with the athleticism of the luchadores. You have to know how to fall and roll to be a successful luchador.
I have done quite a bit of shopping during my stay here in Mexico. While electronic equipment is more expensive here, just about everything else here is less expensive. You can buy pirated C.D.s, D.V.D.s, software, clothing, etc... Most of the pirated goods are sold by ambulantes as the street vendors are called. The ambulantes are a feisty bunch who often block roads and steal electricity from the city's power grid. They are known to have pitched battles with the police whenever they try to crack down on piracy. There is an advertising campaign by a conglomerate of companies that says that pirated goods are of lower quality than the originals but the sad truth is that the originals are not that much better. I have several pairs of pirated Adidas socks which I bought here over three years ago which still do not have any holes in them. I bought two pairs of full length bicycle tights for about $20 each. They would cost $100 in the United States.
Tepito is the center of ambulante culture. It is also known as one of the more dangerous parts of the city. In Tepito, you can buy D.V.D.s for 80 cents. You can buy drugs and guns. You can find hookers and contract hitmen for $1000. I have even seen tattoo stands on the street which I am sure are dirt cheap. Needless to say, I went to Tepito to do some shopping. I bought some $5 "Oakleys" and some C.D.s. The reality is that, during the day, your chances of getting shot are lower than they are in a mall in Nebraska. During the night though, a white boy would stick out like a flaming queen at an N.R.A. rally. I would never go to Tepito at night.
I did not go to Tepito to get my new tattoo. I, instead, went to a shop that Edgar took me to that was close to C.U. I still got a good deal. I now have a tattoo that covers my chest from nipple to nipple. It only cost me $200. The same tattoo would cost, at least, $1000 in the U.S. The artist, who goes by the name of Russo, took great care making sure that the conditions were sanitary. Don't ever let anyone tell you that tattoos don't hurt. Even after nine hours under the needle, the pain was barely tolerable. I had to bite down on tongue depressors and I would tremble in pain whenever Russo filled in the areas around my nipples or sternum. The pain was worth it, though. I now have a tattoo that is a mixture of Greek philosophy with the peyote inspired art of the Huichol Indians. My tattoo is an artistic rendition of the reunion of the four elements of earth, wind, water, and fire into the fifth or quintessential element which is life itself.
Those who know me well, know that I am a lover of the funny expressions that exist in language. I learned some funny ways to refer to sex during my stay here. If you want to say that you are about to have sex, you can say vamos a matar el oso (we are going to kill the bear) or vamos a ponerle Jorge al niño (we are going to put the Jorge on the child). Cops are commonly referred to as tira, chota, puercos, or cochinos. Coca-Cola is sometimes referred to as agua negra de los Yankee imperialistas. I even saw a bumber sticker that said Coca-Colonización. At a party, when I was having a conversation with Edgar, I told him that, in my religion, I dance as a form of worship. He then asked me what my religion was named. I was just joking around but, together, we invented the words ganjobiciclatolico and ganjobiciclatolicismo to name my religion. They are formed from the words ganja, bicicleta, and catolico which I don't think that I need to translate.
I am going to miss all of my old and new friends in Mexico City but, alas, it is time to move on. I will soon head to the Pacific coast of Mexico and then to Guatemala.

Climbing Mountains Hasta Chilangolandia

Day 44 kt:71.4 ta:2132 gps: N 22°46.490' W 102°34.283'
Day 45 I stayed in Zacatecas
Day 46 kt:52.1 ta:732 gps: N 22° 32.941' W 102°15.093'

After crossing the Tropic of Cancer, I have noticed a slight change in the ecosystem. It is still very much like a desert prairie but there seems to be more moisture and more trees. When I woke up on the day I went to Zacatecas, there was thick fog covering everything. It had not rained the night before but my tent was wet as if it had. The wind coming from the south had a very tropical humidity. It remained, more or less, overcast all day on the way to Zacatecas. Right when I arrived in the city, it began to rain and hail. Fortunately, I did not have to travel very far to get to the hostel in which I stayed.
Zacatecas is a cool, beautiful city. It was a silver mining city during the 18th and 19th century and its colonial wealth is evident in its architecture. There are many obviously old buildings here that were made by skilled artisans that were brought there by the silver barons of the time. The central city is covered with winding cobblestone streets which are clogged with traffic. This can make maneuvering through traffic quite difficult at times. Today, it is still a thriving city. It recieves a lot of tourism and it is a college town so there are lots of young, beautiful people and there is a night life here. One of the cooler things that happens here on a nightly basis is called a callejoneada. The name comes from the word callejon which means alley. The callejoneada is a wandering street party that comes complete with musicians and a donkey laden with mezcal. The party grows as it travels through the streets. I could definitely live in Zacatecas.
The place I stayed at is a wonderful place named Hostal Villa Colonial. It is smack dab in the middle of the city and has one of the better views of the town's cathedral from its rooftop terrace. It is affordable but nice and travellers come there from all over the world. The owner speaks Spanish and English and does his best to make everyone feel welcome. While staying there, I even met two other cyclists who were biking to Argentina: Sjaak from the Netherlands is biking from Alaska to Argentina and Ryan from Canada is biking from his home in Winnepeg to Argentina and possibly through Africa and Europe afterwards. I got contact information from both of them and I am hoping that we cross paths again for they both seem like pretty cool fellows.
I managed to get my bike repaired but with some difficulties as, again, no one seems to have the same size rims, wheels, tires, spokes, or innertubes as I have. Once I get to Mexico City, I am going to get my entire real wheel relaced with new spokes. In retrospect, I shouls have probably purchased a mountain bike because it is much easier to find replacement parts. I usually have to go to several bike shops before I can find what I need.
It was hard leaving the city and my new friends today, but, alas, that is the life of a nomad. I took my time leaving the city. When I finally left, I was happy to discover that it is mostly downhill or flat while leaving in the the direction of Aguascalienties, Aguascalientes. When I chose a place to set up camp outside of the city of Ojocaliente, Zacatecas I decided to hop a fence due to the lack of good places to stay. When I was sitting by my campfire, a man on horseback rode up to where I was. He didn't seem to mind at all when I told him I would leave in the morning and put out the fire. He shook my hand and then rode off. It is always easier to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.
I have added cow brains and cow blood to the list of different foods that I have tried. They are called sesos and moronga, respectively. I was also happy to find a woman that sold tamales and atole in the morning. She not only had champurrado but also had atole de guayaba or guava. It is quite delicious. I have been feasting of Mexican food for Thanksgiving.
This is the time of year when I normally spend time with family and friends but I am sitting in my campsite alone, right now. I miss all of my family and friends but I am not even remotely longing to go home. Every day is exciting and stimulating and I have never felt happier or more secure with myself before. Even the aches and the pains that I would feel in my body whenever it got cold have left me. I am in as good a shape as I have ever been. I feel rejuvenated and I don't want this trip to ever end.

Day 47 kt:95.1 ta:2336 kt:95.1 gps: N 21°46.952' W 102°16.857'

As far as I can tell, I have entered the agricultural heartland of Mexico. Ever since I started approaching Zacatecas, I have seen nothing but farmland. The towns seem to be getting bigger, too. The central part of Mexico is the most densly populated part of the country. Every town I pass through seems to have at least five thousand people living in it. This is nice for me because I have many more food options and I don't have to worry about running out of water.
I rode about 80 kilometers to Aguascalientes by 3:00 p.m. today so I had plenty of time to surf the internet and find food. Aguascalientes is a large city of over a million people. It seems to have a large industrial sector as I passed by a Nissan factory and several other large plants, today. It has malls, movie theaters, and everything that you would expect to find in an American city of the same size. This is not to say it is like an American city because it is very much a Mexican city. For a city its size, I found riding my bicycle through it to be quite pleasant. There seems to be plenty of space for bicyclists and I saw everyone from kids to old men riding bikes.
I am camped out on the southern edge of the city as I was unable to make it out of the large urban area. I found an abandoned building, which Mexico seems to have an abundance of, and set up my camp. I am well hidden from the road so I shouldn't be bothered by anyone, tonight.

Day 48 kt:68.1 ta:2634 gps:N 21°17.230' W 102° 00.182'

I lost some time, today, when I had to fix a flat. That comes to 11 flats thus far on my journey. It is all right, though, because every flat I fix is pennance for when I would so gleefully break glass bottles on the street when I was a kid. The flat terrain has been replaced by rolling hills, not unlike those of the Texas Hill Country. The wind was coming strong from the west. Some of the gusts of wind almost blew me into the highway. I am just happy that it wasn't a headwind because that would have made my day pretty hellish.I crossed into the state of Jalisco today and should cross into the state of Gaunajuato tomorrow.
I ended up taking the cuota road between Aguascalientes and Leon. This saved me money because there were limited places to stop. I have only eaten tuna melts, palenquetas, and até, today, for I have a ton of all of those items. I am just trying to lighten my load a little.
About an hour before sunset, I saw the perfect campsite on the side of the road. By perfect, I mean that it is close to the road, well obscured so I could have a fire, and on the leeward side of a hill, meaning the wind would not bother me. After seeing this, I decided it was time to stop because I could not pass up such a nice spot. The extra time before sunset gave me time to start studying my Portuguese-English dictionary. It is never too early to start preparing for my eventual Portuguese immersion.
I feel like I have come to master the rhythem of fire. I have started fires, without lighter fluid or paper as tender, in a variety of ecosystems. The dying embers of the fire I built tonight are keeping me warm as I write this entry in my journal. There is fire in my belly from the warm food I prepared and I can now pick up hot coals with my fingers without burning myself. I have tamed the flame.

Day 49 kt:54.6 ta:1600 gps: N 21°04.102' W 101°35.660'

I have really come to understand the meaning of highway robbery a lot better while being on the road. Mexicans seem to really take it to heart. There are places on the highway that seem to mark up the prices at least 60% from what you would expect to pay in the city. Because of this, I make my best efforts to buy all of my food and water in the cities now.
My appetite continues to astound me. At my most ravenous, I can eat more than three pregnant women combined. I learned, today, that I can, indeed, eat a whole chicken by myself with tortillas and salsa in one sitting. I figure that is more calories in one meal than the daily recommended amount for the average person. I should have eaten a lighter meal, though, because this made me feel sluggish and tired. I even felt kind of feverish, though, I can't say this is because of the chicken. I decided I would quit riding early and rest up for tomorrow.

Day 50 kt:92.6 ta:1861 gps: N 20°28.875' W 101°12.825'

It turns out that my fever was nothing that 12 hours of sleep couldn't cure. I felt fine this morning, though, I drank drank several liters of fresh squeezed orange juice as a precaution. The juice is getting cheaper as I ride south which pleases me a whole lot. When I lived in Mexico City, I probably drank 2 or 3 liters every day because it was so cheap.
I passed through Irapuato, Gaunajuato, the self-proclaimed strawberry capital of Mexico, today. Alongside the highways leading into the city from all directions, one will find hundreds of roadside stands selling fresas con crema. I did, indeed, indulge. I even brought some dried strawberries covered in chile for later. Mexicans and I would definitely agree that sweet stuff can be spicy. Those who have tried my habanero-chocolate covered strawberries can attest to that.
I decided to skip going to Gaunajuato City, today, even though I had a free place to stay because I spend money in the cities like I have a week to live. I am more interested in natural places than historic places, anyway. If I wanted to visit a historic place I would have ridden in the direction of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. This is the town where Father Miguel Hidalgo rang the church bell on September 16 , 1810 and issued a sermon to those who congretated known as the Grito de Dolores. This is essentially the Mexico Declaration of Independence from Spain.

Day 51 kt:101 ta:3945 N 19° 42.263' W 101°10.979'

This morning, I found some thorns embedded in my skin which I had not previously noticed. I then proceeded to dig them out with my knife. They could become infected and they cause a constant annoyance so I would rather endure the temporary pain of stabbing myself to remove foreign objects than leaving them as they were. This is not the first time that I have had to remove foreign objects from my skin and I am sure this problem will only get worse when I get to the jungle.
I have not seen like hills like the hills I climbed today since I left the Sierra Tarahumara. It is different here, though. I am definitely no longer in the desert. There seem to be a lot more jungle plants than cactus here. This is not to say that I am in the jungle because it is still pretty dry here. With that being said though, I can feel more humidity in the air and it is noticably warmer in the night even though I am at roughly the same altitude as before. I rewarded myself when I got to Morelia, Michoacan by renting a room and taking a shower. I should be well rested for tomorrow when I get to ride through an area they call Mil Cumbres. This translates to a thousand summits. Woo hoo! Fortunately I think this refers to the general area and not the road itself.
Since I have been passing through more cities, I have been having to deal a little more with those who see me as nothing but a walking, talking peso dispenser. I can tell their intentions almost immediately because they have a greedy look in their eyes when they look at me. It is similar to being eye-fucked and I feel pretty violated after receiving these looks. I usually just pretend that I am in a hurry and that I don't understand Spanish very well when I encounter these types of people ,though, I am not afraid to flash my teeth if I have to. I am happy to share stories of my adventures with those who are curious but I don't like being treated like a dumb gringo with money.
I worry that every time I go travelling, I cause some cosmic shift in the universe that leads to friends of mine getting hurt. When I rode my bike down the west coast in 2001, a friend of mine lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. This time, some friends of mine got hit by a drunk driver, though, they are relatively okay. Also one of my BMX heroes, a man named Jimmy Levan, had a skateboarding accident and was comatose for the last two weeks. He is, now, out of his coma and is recovering but his insurance doesn't pay for everything. He still owes a lot of money in medical bills and I wish him a full recovery. I have had the priveledge of meeting him and getting to hang out with him for a while and he is a very down-to- earth, likeable guy. He hasn't let being a superstar get to his head. I hope that this is the last bad thing that happens to any of my friends.

Day 52 kt:44.1 ta:3004 gps: N 19° 40.816' W 100°53.644'

I have added Morelia, Michoacan to the growing list of cities here in Mexico where I could live very comfortably. It is another beautiful colonial city nestled in the mountains. It,probably, has the best preserved aquaduct that I have seen in Mexico, thus far. There are lots of young,beautiful beautiful people here as it seems to have its fair share of universities. I fall in love with another Aztec goddess every day. The difference between Morelia and the other colonial towns that I have visited is that it is on the edge of the jungle.
The markets in Morelia are amazing, though, not necessarily more amazing than those in other cities. The farmer's markets in Austin are pretty pitiful compared to these markets. There are so many fruits and vegetables for sale here that you can only buy in Mexico. Mamey is probably my favorite fruit that can only be found here. For breakfast, I had two licuados de mamey to go with my two cups of cinammon atole and one cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice. I then finished that off with a quesadilla made with fresh tortillas mushrooms and chile peppers. For brunch, it was made with puerco adobado, which is a chile marinated pork; beans; avocado; and cheese. The lady who made the torta gave me some excellent fire-roasted tomato salsa to go with it. The food of Mexico is, alone, enough to make me consider never returning to the U.S. again. I would very happily live out the rest of my days exploring the markets with the Mexican abuelitas every morning and enjoying the flavors of Mexico.
Morelia is a wonderful city but I have to keep moving. I really, really want to see the monarchs. With that being said, I moved at a very leisurely pace today. Though the mountains here are as high as the Sierra Tarahumara, it is a very different ecosystem. There are probably more jungle plants than pine trees at lower elevations for these mountains receive a lot more precipitation. Once you reach an elevation above 8,000 feet it is mostly pine forrest but the pine trees are much bigger than in the Sierra Tarahumara.
About an hour and a half before sunset, I heard thunderstorms approaching so I hastily set up camp. Right after I set everything up, I witnessed the fiercest hail storm I have ever seen in my life. I did not see any golfball-sized hail but it hailed enough to make the ground look like it was covered in snow.
I am camped out at over 8,300 feet so it will be cold tonight and tomorrow morning. There is a large fallen, rotting pine tree close by so, in the morning, I will dig out some dry wood with my buck knife and attempt to make a fire. Man's ability to survive in the wild largely depends on his ability to make a fire in any weather condition. I hope that I didn't just accidentally plagiarize my "Army Field Guide to Survival".

Day 53 kt: 70.1 ta: 3134 N 19°45.337' W 100°41.309'

It was surprisingly not freezing cold this morning. My tent was unusually dry as well. I have woken up on days when it did not rain at all when my tent was wetter than it was this morning. With that being said, I still decided to test my incendiary skills out by building a fire to cook with. I found some dry tender and mostly dry wood covered in pine sap underneath the rotting tree. I then proceeded to coax fire out of the wood. It was not easy and I had to cheat by using toilet paper as tender, but I was able to cook a warm breakfast with my little fire. If this were truly a survival situation, I would already have a cache of dry fire wood set aside and protected from the elements. Because of this, I was pleased that I was able to make a fire at all.
I thought that I was close to the summit at 8,300 feet but I didn't top out until I reached 9,500 feet. The road wasn't in the greatest condition but it had a whole lot of race-track turns that lean to the side as you turn. I love these turns as it sometimes almost feels like you are riding horizontally on a wall. I, however, had to keep myself on a short leash when I say a sign that said grava suelta or loose gravel. Loose gravel can be deadly for a bicyclist. It will cause you to lose traction with the road just as easily as ice. When you are going 40 mph down a mountain, the last thing you want to see around a blind turn is loose gravel. Eventually, the gravelly road gave way to the smooth asphalt, so I got to get a little bit more fun in before it started raining.
Boy,did it rain. While I was stopped at a store around 2:00 p.m. buying water, the sky just opened up. I tried to wait it out but I eventually realized that the rain was not going to relent. It was time to dig out my rain gear from my bags and put it on for the very first time of my trip. I usually don't like to wear it unless the rain is heavy or cold because I can get quite hot while fully suited up. This rain was both heavy and cold so the use of my rain gear was more than justified. There was even a little hail, though nothing like last night. I never gave thanks for Thanksgiving so I just wanted to say that I am thankful for my waterproof boots, jacket, pants, jacket, gloves, and bags. I am thankful that I have a dry sleeping bag and dry socks so I can change out of my sweat-soaked socks at the end of the day.
Mexicans are wonderful people but horrible drivers. The number of crosses on the side of any Mexican highway will attest to that. I have ridden my bike on straight, one-mile stretches of road where you can see for miles in both directions and still seen dozens of crosses. The problem with drivers here is that they are just too aggressive. Today, when it was pouring and the streets were beginning to flood, I saw many people trying to pass slower moving traffic in front of them. Being that this was an undivided, two-lane highway, this pretty much pissed me off. I would usually hog the lane and angrily gesticulate that I wanted them to returen to their lane before I inevitably relented and allowed them to pass in this manner. I would like to see one of the crosses on the side of the road read, " Loved by all except this others on the road." because I know that a large number of these people probably died as a result of their own asinine driving.
I managed to make it to Los Azufres today which was nice because the hot springs were quite a treat after riding through the cold rain. You can see the steam rising from them as you approach on the road. I am camped out right next to a stream that is fed by these hot springs. I am hoping that this will make my campsite warmer as I am above 8,000 feet, again.

Day 54 kt:59.6 ta:3110 gps: N 19°37.229' W 100°16.807'

I made it to Angangueo by 2:30 p.m., today. After seeing the steep, rocky hill leading up to the butterfly sanctuary, I decided that it would be less trouble to leave my bike at the bottom and hike to the top. There were some curious onlookers watching me as I locked up my bike so I asked them if I could leave my stuff at their house and away I went. As usual, the sanctuary was a lot further than people had told me. Instead of being about 5 kilometers away, it was closer to ten. I managed to shorten my trip to the top by hitching two rides. Hitchhiking is easy here as most people with trucks are happy to offer a ride.
I managed to make it to the butterfly sanctuary with just enough time to hike the last two kilometers to see the monarchs. I am in exceptional condition and I just about killed the old man who was my guide/babysitter while we were hiking to the top. Fortunately, he seemed a bit more spry when we descended the trail.
The best time to go to the sanctuary is at noon and not in the late afternoon. At this time the clouds come in and it gets colder so the butterflies cluster together to conserve energy and stay warm. There were a few butterflies flying around but the vast majority weighed down the branches of the trees in their clusters. I was not able to use the flash in my camera or cross the barriers so I was, unfortunately, unable to take any good pictures of the butterflies.
By the time I left the sanctuary, there was only about half and hour of sunlight left. I tried to get a ride down to Angangueo but I scoffed at the $30 the man wanted to take me down the ten kilometers into town. For $30 I can buy a lot of food. I was not as lucky hitching a ride to the bottom as no one was going down to Angangueo at night. I had to walk all the way to the bottom by myself. It was well past dark when I arrived at the place where I left my bike. The family that lived at the house where I left my bike was very nice and helpful. They invited me inside for dinner and showed me where I could find an affordable hotel. I was very grateful as I was very hungry and worried about where I would sleep because it looked like a thunderstorm was approaching.

Day 55 ta:2788 kt:41.5 gps: N 19°27.030' W 100°14.220'

I am not one that buys the religion that others are selling but if I were buying I would buy the religion with more tradition and better architecture. I have not seen a single church in the United States that comes close to equalling the ornate architecture that every single church in central Mexico seems to have. Just about every town in this part of the country has a church that is at least 200 years old and was constructed by skilled artisans. If you want to sleep in, tough shit because all of the churches here ring their bells early in the morning. This is a tradition that harkens back to the colonial times when they would ring their bells calling all of the Indians to morning mass. The friars would whip those who were tardy. Now that is effective proselytization.
As usual, whenever I rent a room, I don't leave town until the early afternoon. Going from Angangueo to San Felipe, there is a large downhill stretch. I played leapfrog with a big rig until I reached this stretch of highway. I would pass it at all of the speedbumps and it would pass me going uphill until I finally obliterated my competition on the long, steep descent. When I waved hello to the driver at the bottom of the hill where there was an intersection, the driver gave me a loud honk of approval.
The rest of my day was all uphill and I decided to quit riding about 2 hours before sunset so I could rest my weary calves. They were aching from the 20 kilometers of mountain hiking I did the day before. I can ride my bike all day long but I used a different set of muscles for all of my hiking.
I saw something today that would make a vegan cringe. Hell, it would probably make a lot of meat-eaters cringe. While I was resting at a convenience store next to someone's house, I saw a butcher come and slaughter a sheep right there, about three feet away from me. He drove up in his truck, chatted and joked around with the family for a while, and then killed the sheep. He perfuctorily grabbed the sheep and turned it over on its back, stabbed in the throat with a small knife, and then stabbed in in the brain through the same hole with a larger knife. It seemed like he had done this a thousand times before because the whole process lasted only a few seconds. The sheep even had a death twitch as it kept kicking the sides of the truck while the butcher paid the family. I think that I could kill an animal for food though I would do it a lot more squeemishly than the butcher did.

Day 56 kt:82.8 ta:3909 gps: N 19°17.163' W 99°36.134'

From Zitácuaro, Michoacan to the border of el Estado de Mexico, it is about 30 kilometers of pure ascent. I was ecstatic when I finally got to go downhill some. I am in Toluca, Estado de Mexico, right now, and I shoud be able to make to my friend's house well before sunset tomorrow. I am so excited that I get to see my friends.
I saw something that I found quite amusing, today. There was a little girl, not much older than eight years old, who brought an empty forty ounce malt liquor bottle to a convenience store for a deposit and then, promptly, bought a new one. She was probably buying this for some one who was older but that shit wouldn't fly in Texas.
There are some unexpected hazards of the roadway here in Mexico. Today, I had to dodge a loose spare tire and I have had to avoid the shrapnel from an exploding semi tire, before. Hopefully, there will be no more unexpected obstacles in my journey.

Day 57 kt:74.5 ta:2766 gps: N 19°14.702' W 99°07.637'
Day 58-62 I stayed in Mexico City

When I woke up in Toluca, there was a frost covering everything:my tent, my bags, the grass, etc... It was only after the fact that I found out that Toluca is the highest city in the republic. There are small towns that are at a higher altitude but not any large cities. The field where I was camped out at was at an altitude of 8,500 feet. It's funny but it did not seem that cold to me. Maybe, I have grown accustomed to these higher altitudes. I was even wearing my shorts by 9:00 a.m. This was a mistake for, by the time I had reached the top of the mountain range between Toluca and Mexico City, I had reached an altitude of 10,200 feet. I had flirted with 10,000 feet several times in the Sierra Tarahumara and Mil Cumbres mountain ranges but this was the first time that I reached the official 10,000 foot mark. The cold mountain wind was blowing hard. This inspired me to out on my sweater, gloves, ninja mask, and wool cap for the long descent into Mexico City. Needless to say, the ride down the mountain was very fast and took a lot less time than the ride up the mountain.
I knew when I had reached Mexico City because I started passing the traffic rather than the other way around. It is pretty much gridlocked from about 15 kilometers out of the the official city limits all the way through the city. I have compiled a list of rules for navigating the city for those who have not undergone the baptism by fire:
1.)A red light is only a suggestion. Most people do not seem to think that it implies a mandatory stop.
2.)If you are in the far right or far left lane and you want to continue straight ahead, watch out. I have seen people cut across five lanes of traffic to make a turn.
3.)Give the taxi and bus drivers as much space as possible. They are fucking crazy! They regularly execute maneuvers that would make a Nascar driver shit his pants. If you see someone in front of you flagging them down, watch out, because they won't hesitate to cut you off with inches to spare.
4.)Do not let yourself become aggravated. This will only make the situation worse. Chilangos, as Mexico City residents are called, are notoriously impatient. They completely overuse their horns. It is not uncommon to hear someone use their horns for 2 or 3 minutes straight. You have to somehow block out the horns and develop a zen-like acceptance that you are only going to move at a snail's pace.
5.)Pay attention!!! The moment you blink you could lose your life. Drivers here will run you over without stopping.
Trying to fix my bike here in Mexico can be beyond frustrating. I rode all over the city travelling to many bike shops looking for spokes. I probably went to about ten different shops asking if they had the right sized spokes only to be turned away. One shop in the central city even sold me the wrong sized spokes. I am determined to get my bike fixed. Si se puede.
Yesterday, I was happy to see that the same naked protestors that were here when I lived here before are still here. Now, they play drums and dance while wearing Vicente Fox and Carlos Salinas masks. The protests seem to be largely ignored but at least they are entertaining.
I am so happy that I ride a bicycle and not a car. Between the protests and the random road blocks there seems to always be a long detour for the drivers. I swear, sometimes the police here set up roadblocks for their shear amusement. I blithely ignore all of the roadblocks and go whereever I want. The police let bicyclists do whatever they want to do.