Riding to Patagonia

[duccarlos]

You didn't go to Xochimilco. It's the Venice of Mexico!

[1.21GW]

I generally avoided the black hole of CDMX and its surroundings.  Too big, too many things to see and do.  I'd never get out of Mexico!

But thanks for the heads up.  Xochimilco goes on the list for the next trip.

[1.21GW]

Okay, so a little interlude here for those that have never driven or ridden in Mexico.  Traveling throughout Mexico you will inevitably run into various manifestations of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Marian vision reported by a 16th century Aztec man and since turned into a cultural icon.  Homages to the Virgin are so abundant and diverse they share little in common beyond their ubiquity: candles, tattoos, coffee mugs, key chains, cellphone cases, and checks are just a few examples.  A peculiar instance of this adoration is found in various roadside shrines, which appear in the most random and remote locations along the country's backroads and highways.

These shrines are as unique and diverse as the landscapes they inhabit.  They can be as large as a bedroom or as small a shoebox.  They take the form of cabinets, doghouses, churches, castles, rotundas, or simply holes chiseled out of the rock.  Some have locked gates to prevent vandalization, others openly gather offerings and personal baubles.  They often stand alone, but a few are part of elaborate constructions, complete with stairs or ornate entry ways.  They are painted from a full palette of impressionist's colors that call out from the din of brush and rock.  They are rarely found near civilization, which serves their purpose: out on an empty road they are beacons of hope and protection for those far from home, while offering a place of personal worship to locals in rural areas.

Here are fifteen examples of their infinite variety, but really I could post fifteen hundred if I had the time to stop and photograph every one.

[DarkMonster620]

You'll see lots of those shrines along the way in Central/South America, some are as a remembrance to someone who was killed there, others, have a more religious meaning

[d3vi@nt]

Awesome pictures and great narrative. Thanks for sharing 

Question; how is your Spanish and do you think you could make the journey with little to no Spanish?  I could see some things (trip to a mechanic for example) maybe not working out anywhere near expected without a decent vocabulary.

[1.21GW]

Awesome pictures and great narrative. Thanks for sharing 

Question; how is your Spanish and do you think you could make the journey with little to no Spanish?  I could see some things (trip to a mechanic for example) maybe not working out anywhere near expected without a decent vocabulary.

My spanish is ok. I speak at a solid B1 level.

It definitely helps the experience immensely when you speak the language.  Opportunities come up that would not if you couldn't communicate with the locals---invitations for activities, advice about hidden gems, etc.  However, I've met quite a few riders along the way that speak little-to-no spanish and they manage to get by just fine.

The problem for most of us traveling is that we tend to meet gringos along the way and speak w them in english. And if a local speaks better english than you do spanish, you settle on communicating in english. It becomes hard to practice.  Traveling alone definitely helps force you to practice more.  Couples I meet always have the problem that they never speak Spanish, or the one that is worse relies on the better one to talk to locals.

If you're thinking of doing a trip like this, I recommend trying to learn at least some spanish before you go, then you can stop in a city or town you like and take classes to boost your level relatively cheaply. I like Guanajuato so much that I stayed there for 2 weeks and paid I think $225 for the classes (4 hrs a day, 5 days a week). It was their down season and the other students were at beginner level, so I was alone---basically I got 2 weeks of private lessons. I found an apartment that was $75/week.  Very economical, very helpful.

[1.21GW]

This happened today:


So I was in the middle of nowhere in SE Oaxaca fighting some really nasty cross winds and I decided to pull over, hydrate, and decided how much longer I wanted to battle mother nature before I settled in for the night.  My ultimate destination, San Cristobal de las Casa, was too far to reach in one day.

Anyway, when I suit up and get riding again, my rear tire skids a bit as I hit the slight curb of the highway asphalt.  Then when I accelerate to highway speeds the bike feels really unstable, so I stop.  Rear is completely flat.  I try to pump in some air to get me to the next city, but it won't accept any so I figure the hole must be quite big.  Yet I can't find the entry point on the outside.  Maybe I torn the value stem?  I roll 3 km on a flat rear and find one of Mexico's ubiquitous tire guys ("vulcanizador").

The hole in the tube is indeed pretty big...and then we find the culprit:





When you all gave me the tire changing lesson, how come we didn't cover the repair process for a 3.5" knife blade rolling around the inside of your wheel?!  

We ended up identifying 4 holes in the tube and also the entry hole in the tire.  Salvador fixed all with ease. I said that I had a spare front (21") tube I could use until I got to the next major city but he said he could repair my shredded 17" just fine.  He was right.  Rode another 40 miles after he finished up, including a bold maneuver along a ridge across a torn up piece of asphalt that almost cost me a pannier, before setting in.

These guys really know how to fix a tire.  Actually, Salvador knows, the guy to the right just knows how to oversee things.  Sal says he does 6-12 a day which explains how he is so good.  Took just under an hour to do mine and the total charge was 50 pesos ($2.50).  I gave him 70, and a celebratory trago of mezcal that I had in my bags.  Behold the master:

[Speeddog]

Good that Sal could fix you up!

Use a 21" front tube in a 17" rear tire?
I'm assuming someone on ADVrider has done it and says it works... I'd think it would give up quickly or not work at all.

[1.21GW]

Good that Sal could fix you up!

Use a 21" front tube in a 17" rear tire?
I'm assuming someone on ADVrider has done it and says it works... I'd think it would give up quickly or not work at all.

Yeah, that is general advice from a few sources about how to keep your tool kit light by only bringing one backup tube.  But I have yet to meet anyone that has actually done it.

In any case, my experience today scared me enough to order a backup rear tube.  I will find the space in my panniers to store it.

[1.21GW]

Hi all,

Have been traveling a bunch, photographing less, and without internet for some days but I'll try to play a little catchup here.

So my next stop was Oaxaca.  Great city.  What makes it great is not really photographable, namely, the food, bars, arts, music, and general culture.  It is a shame, since Oaxaca and spiritual twin San Cristobal (in Chiapas) were my two favorite cities in Mexico and I have few pictures of them.  So it goes.

Anyway, Oaxaca and neighboring Chiapas are the two states that have had a lot of protests from teacher groups resisting federal education reform.  You can read about it elsewhere.  But it creates a concern for travelers like myself since the protestors tend to block main roads and interstate highways.  Sometimes you can get through, sometimes you can't.  The situation is fluid so asking locals before you travel is advisable.  I encountered a blockade getting into Oaxaca, but luckily they let me through.  In the city itself, graffiti served as a constant reminder of the state's rebellious soul.  Example (fyi - Zapata was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution):





As stated, I ate well, drank my weight in mezcal, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  But no photos worth sharing.  I did take a day trip to Tule, home of the largest (as measured by trunk circumference) tree in the world:











The tree had a official child guides that lead you around the trunk with a pocket mirror and reflect sunlight onto certain burls and knobs that have colorful names like the "witch's face" and "the legs of the giraffe" and so on.  My guide, Julio, was the youngest of the group.  He had more energy than patience:










About 10km from the center of Oaxaca is the ancient Zapotec city of Monte Alban.  It rises up over the valley offering sweeping views of the city and the mountains and giving it a celestial character.











[



After five days in Oaxaca I headed to the coast (more on that ride later).  The coast of Oaxaca is gorgeous and has the languid pace of all underpopulated beach towns, even my thoughts moved slowly.  I ended up in Mazunte, but there are a host of neighboring beauties such as San Agustinillo, Zipolite, and the Bahias de Huatulco in which I could have easily been trapped for weeks of morning reading, afternoon hammock naps, evening swims, and early nights at quiet bars.  But the road was calling, so...

[DarkMonster620]

NIce . . .

[GregP]

If I could bare to ride for more then a 20 minute session at a track day, your trip, photos and writing would surely motivate me to pack it all in and follow your example of taking the long way around.

Safe travels!

[1.21GW]

If I could bare to ride for more then a 20 minute session at a track day, your trip, photos and writing would surely motivate me to pack it all in and follow your example of taking the long way around.

Safe travels!

What happens after 20 minutes?

[ducpainter]

What happens after 20 minutes?

Pumpkins?

[koko64]

Okay, so a little interlude here for those that have never driven or ridden in Mexico.  Traveling throughout Mexico you will inevitably run into various manifestations of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Marian vision reported by a 16th century Aztec man and since turned into a cultural icon.  Homages to the Virgin are so abundant and diverse they share little in common beyond their ubiquity: candles, tattoos, coffee mugs, key chains, cellphone cases, and checks are just a few examples.  A peculiar instance of this adoration is found in various roadside shrines, which appear in the most random and remote locations along the country's backroads and highways.

These shrines are as unique and diverse as the landscapes they inhabit.  They can be as large as a bedroom or as small a shoebox.  They take the form of cabinets, doghouses, churches, castles, rotundas, or simply holes chiseled out of the rock.  Some have locked gates to prevent vandalization, others openly gather offerings and personal baubles.  They often stand alone, but a few are part of elaborate constructions, complete with stairs or ornate entry ways.  They are painted from a full palette of impressionist's colors that call out from the din of brush and rock.  They are rarely found near civilization, which serves their purpose: out on an empty road they are beacons of hope and protection for those far from home, while offering a place of personal worship to locals in rural areas.

Here are fifteen examples of their infinite variety, but really I could post fifteen hundred if I had the time to stop and photograph every one.

I like me a good grotto/shrine. Not sure why, just do.

I'll say it again as others have; you should write a book/articles on this. I'd buy the book. Also, send a copy to Lonely Planet. Your words really capture the feeling that makes me want to travel again.

On the other matter raised by GregP, old joints, a CPAP machine and a wife who hates camping make me adventure ride out of my 4x4 ute. We carry the bike, bike gear and all the GLW's make up, hair straighteners, clothes and other creature comforts to a 4-5 Star chalet as a base from which to adventure ride a few hours in any direction, but always able to return to "base camp" that night for champagne and a spa bath. It's tough, but I dig deep! Gone are the days of my twenties and thirties of sleeping in an open field on a tarp in my leathers with biker mates who smelled like dead water buffaloes. 

It's great you are doing this now.