http://rumbum.com/1138-the-kindness-of-strangers

December 18, 2009

I am a lucky woman. How many women do not recognize they are in love, before they throw away their affair?

This was the day before I was to leave Mexico, and  I had come to realize I was in  love with Tope.  I still had a day to cherish, worship, and capture some of his personalities with pictures.

Who is Tope?

Tope is your average Mexican Speed Bump.

Oh, he’s a wily one, too. Often unpainted, he can sneak up on you and give you quite a surprise.  He can be rather stern and severe, and yet at times very gentle.  Sometimes he is easy to get around, and sometimes he is in the only place you want to be.

Tope can be smooth and gentle, and tope can go to an extreme.

Here are some of the many faces of Tope:

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There is a lot written on the internet about the Mexican topes, so I will not bore you here with that.  Basically, you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. One thing is for certain: they are  e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!!! I’ve seen them marked and unmarked, in small villages, in towns, on major highways, e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!

I chose to love them–while they slowed other vehicles down, I used them to pass long lines of traffic that were generally annoying. Especially delightful for me was to pass trucks that I’d had difficulty getting around int he mountains, and when we’d come into a small village, they’d slow waaaaaaaaaay down. I’d slow down, too, but my dual-sport bike can handle them much better than cars and trucks, so I would sail over them.

(Thanks to the super suspension setup I got from Cogent Dynamics, I could FLY over them, giving me untold glee   )

One of the truly fortunate things about meeting up with so many “local” motorcyclists is that not only do I get insights into daily family life and the cultures of the places I am staying, but also locals want to show me their best roads / views / etc.

One of my favorite things on this trip is taking off the laden Trax boxes

- 42 pounds on the right: 37 Liter Trax box: all things mechanical: tools and spare parts, Hennesey hammock, sleeping pad, sleeping bag
- 38 pounds on the left: 45 Liter Trax box: Daily use items: clothes, computer, shoes, second camera, toiletries, sleep sack, books, princess pillow, tarp and U bolt lock for bike
- 22 pounds on the top: 38 Liter Trax top box: bike paperwork, candies for kids, bug repellent, bike cover, maps, meds, jacket, winter hat (bought in Guatemala and which I use surprisingly often!!)

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So Carlos takes off on his R1200 GS. Man, is it hard to keep up with him, even with my panniers off. You’ll see in my pictures that it gets even harder once I start riding one handed and taking photos…

Valle de San Cristóbal, hacia el cerro Huitepec.

Cerro Huitepec (purpura house)

Huitepec.

Huitepec-bajando al pueblo de Zinacantán.

Huitepec-bajando al pueblo de Zinacantán.

Iglesia de Zinacantán.

Basket-bol en Zinacantán.

Camino de Zinacantán a La Ventana.

Camino de Zinacantán a La Ventana.

“Bienvenidos a San Juan Chamula”.

Entrada a Chamula.

Iglesia de San Juan Chamula.

Chamula- Saclamantón.

Chamula- Saclamantón.

Chamula- Saclamantón.

Chamula- Saclamantón.

Chamula- Saclamantón.

Chamula- Saclamantón.

Saclamantón – San Cristóbal.

Saclamantón – San Cristóbal.

Valle de San Cristóbal (viniendo de Saclamantón).

Valle de San Cristóbal (viniendo de Saclamantón).

Even though Doris has a lady that helps in the kitchen, Doris loves the market and chooses to go herself. And I was lucky enough to be invited along. Doris was on a mission. She had to find just the right plates for her cookies.

While she was busy wheeling and dealing, I walked around looking at all the strange fruits and vegetables.

This pic is for my sweetie: Missing you

My friends Ruben and Aurora introduced me to their friends Carlos and Doris in San Cristobal. By another chance of fate, just as I arrived in San Cristobal I met up with Carlos–and he brought me back to their house for la comida, the afternoon meal.

Doris, bless her, fed me some more chicken soup, and my three days without food (as prescribed by the doctor) were up. Yeah! First real food.

Doris and I hit it off, yakked for hours in her kitchen, and I helped her bake Christmas cookies. She had to make 10 KILOS (which is 22 POUNDS!!!) She bakes artisanal cookies and sells huge decorated plates of them at Christmastime.

Carlos suggested that they ride with me to the Guatemalan border…only this was, their daughter was coming home from college the next day, and so they could take me on Saturday. In the meantime would I like to check out of the hostal and stay with them? Heck Yeah!

I fell in love with San Cristobal. There is something in the air there–I mean, I fell in love with it even before I hit the main street. There was something in the air as I drove into town…an energy a feeling, I felt good.
I won’t bore you with the extreme details, but I want to share that in San Cristobal is where several things came together simultaneously for me.

I was finally feeling better again. I met some great motorcycle people that live there. I baked Christmas cookies. I had an idea for a new business, and met the contacts to make that happen. I expressed an interest in living in San Cristobal in the winters and fund an apartment. And a lace to keep the motorcycle. Edward agreed to try living in Mexico with me. AND the lovely people renting my house expressed an interest in renting for another year, enabling me to follow through on my ideas. Plus Gloria and Macey said they would help me find a solution for my cats. My MOM even said she *might* be able to stand it if I lived abroad half the year. Could it really be this easy?

Only time will tell, as it all depends on my house. (No pressure there
Lina and Steven)

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Anyway, I’ll share some of the magic of San X through pictures…

December 15, 2009

Niltepec – San Cristobal de las Casas (San X)
185 miles
Moving Time = 4:38
Stopped Time: 0:41

Well I left my truckers roost and rode through more wind, rode through the flatlands, then started climbing into the mountains again.

I’d been through several military checkpoints, and all were very friendly, more chattng with me about the bike and where was I from, all  the way from the US? Solo? Where was I going, how did I like Mexico, how fast did the bike go, how much did I pay for the bike, etc.  The few times the military police asked to look inside my panniers, it was with no thoroughness whatsoever–it was clear that it was really more about curiosity than actual fear of contraband.

This was the first military checkpoint where THEY asked ME if they could take a picture of me! So I took advantage of the opportunity an asked if they would take pics with my camera as well.

This was mountain territory now–if was briskly cold, and the views limited by the mountain fog, yet outstanding.

There was a market here that sold mountain handicrafts…I pulled over to take a view of the village below

This was farming country, even at 8000′.

Nice roads too!

Corn to my left, mountain fog ahead

descending towards another mountain community

More corn

And around this curve, a whole village of monuments

I was curious, so I parked the bike and waled back up to see them.

Details:

It must have been some terrible accident 02 December 2002. All those crosses! Maria Elena in Parral had told me that they either signified salvation (no cross) or loss of life (cross).

Unfortunately at this point the battery on BOTH my cameras was now dead, so I could not capture them all.

Mexican culture is incredibly supersticious — I’m enchanted.

December 13, 2009
Monday

Alas, I was feeling better. My stomach evidently just needed a “rest”. Aurora helped me “cheat” a little bit by making my carrot juice one afternoon, and another time chicken broth. filled my tummy, gave me some nutrition, and gave me strength.

Strength enough to roll out of Oaxaca.

I met Ruben at the blood bank.

Ruben was nice enough to lead me out of town. He’d been doing some errands that morning and found out there were roadblocks on the way out of town. Evidently the indigenous population wanted something from the government, and to make their point they parked buses at the major entrances to town.

Ruben led me in a crazy zig-zag all though back streets, and finally got me to the road on the way out of town, in the direction I needed to be going.

We said good-bye, and I headed on down the highway towards San Cristobal. The road was pretty flat at first

Now the other thing this region is known for is its Mezcal–

Evidently it was quite potent, because there was a drunk guy laying in the street at the tope. I t Stopped to ask this moto-taxi driver if the guy was dead…

The mototaxi driver was chatty and told me that someone had stolen the horse’s legs…

Agave–the basis of Mezcal.

And it was growing *everywhere*.

The road started to get a bit curvy, which I like

Yeah, trash is a problem here, but sheesh! Look at the view!

Me likey curvies

Beauty shot for the magazines

Yup, I had to pass a lot of this

But got to see stuff like this

And this

The terrain had changed, although it was still desert. Now cacti were growing rather than agave.

back to agave

back to curves!

with great views

Meow!

A roadside chapel

Just endless beauty

And from the main highway I saw this church in the distance –I figured out how to circle back and navigate the city streets to it

Inside

One of the alcoves

I took a leisurely break there. Ate some pan tostada (toasted bread, which had been my staple for about two weeks)

I was feeling really great–glad to be on the move again, really enjoying the riding, looking forward to the rest of the trip.

I had t go around this particular traffic circle three times to capture this beauty

And then the road got really flat. And straight. Now to give you an idea of the driving obstacles, this is a main roadway, complete with people traveling on horseback.

In Mexico there are all manner of people, livestock, slow cars, potholes, debris, etc. in and beside the road.

I came to my destination for the night (where I’d calculated I could make it before dark), and begain the nightly ritual of looking for a hotel.

I was taking it pretty leisurely, doing my usual loops around the city, thinking I’d just “wing it” and see a nice looking hotel an stop, since th Lonely Planet Guiide seemed to list only expensive stuff (that should have been my clue…)

I could not find a hotel for under $40. Yowtch! I finally decided on one, (after de00gearing three times at three separate hotels, going insie, asking the price, whether there was parking for the motorcycle, etc) but they gave me such crap about the bike, telling me I could park it in their car park down the street, etc. but I’d have to leave my luggage at the hotel…grrr…I had to round the block, but through a maze of one-way streets I had to actually travel about 7 blocks…finally I said scrub it, I am going to the next town.

Well, my mood was sour.

And it was getting dark

Further soured by seeing a cow get hit by a bus…

And then it got windy…

So windy that the bike was blowing all over the road. Duh. Ruben had told me about this stretch of road, but I’d forgotten.

I tried to muscle through, but there was no town in sight.

And then it came full on dark.

And I was breaking the #1 rule of riding a motorcycle in Mexico.

1. DO NOT RIDE IN THE DARK

Sheesha.

Could it get any worse? I was so sad seeing the hit (and not dead, which was what was haunting me!!!) cow.

So I tucked in behind a semi. and let him be the animal killer if if came down to it.

Well, about an hour later I cam to a town (sorry, I did not write own these names in my journal–stressful day!!!)

There was a hotel. I was so happy, I would have paid ANYTHING!

Sorry, lleno. LLENO? FULL? OMG! I was near panic. would this be like the nightmare night I had a couple of years ago in Italy where we looked for a hotel room until 2:00 and finally ended up circling the bikes and throwing our sleeping bags down on the pavement in a parking lot?

Ah, but then he tells me there is a (truckers) hotel down the block…it’s really bad and he apologizes for sending me there, but I thank him and go.

Well, at least it was cheap (ish) And they let me put my bike in the lobby.

See the wind?

Oh, and here’s my deluxe bathroom.

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Yup, that would be the shower over the toilet.

I did not go out, I just ate more pan tostada and finished a trashy novel I’d been carrying from Rhode Island. The wind kept me awake all night banging the building. At one point I thought there was an earthquake the wind hit the building so hard–I jumped off the bed.

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Yup, I did see a cockroach in my room in the morning. First one of the trip.

I’ve forgotten to mention in here that one of the other specialties of Oaxaca is their crickets, chapulines…large. small, any way you like ‘em. And you cannot leave Oaxaca without trying them.

Stomach issues notwithstanding, one of our jokes was that I had to try one…and believe me I resisted.

Here’s Ruben teasing me with some

and here’s the close up

You actually see them at the markets in a wide variety of sizes…

large

medium

and small

Ultimately I tried one of the smallest ones possible…(no, this is not what made me sick!) I figured it looked least like a cricket and was the least crunchy.

It was actually not bad.
(No photo because I just popped n in my mouth real quick.)

tasted like lime & chili pepper…

Some adventure eater I am … ha! I guess I’d better give up illusions of winning on “Fear factor”!!!

Before I leave Oaxaca Aurora takes me to the market again–this time the food market. What a wonder these places are.

I’ll just show you some random images because they are so cool.

One of the great things about having a personal tourguide is I learn more. For instance, Aurora explained that these dolls all wear the traditional costumes from the various regions of Oaxaca…

So I take a closer look

No Way would I have known that being a solo tourist. Very cool.

An eating area where you select your fresh meat

And then they cook it for you

A tour of the molinero

The clothing side of the market

Hand carved Oaxacan specialties

More clothes

Dresses for young Oaxacan princesses

Yeah, well, stuff for the older princesses

Then Aurora took me to a store that sells religious artifacts…Whar a holy BIG business! I think the store had about 20 rooms…

Christs

Marys

Saints

Statues

Wall to wall icons

And last but not least an ice cream. (Well, a sorbet–no dairy for two weeks!!!) Sorbet is just frozen liquid, right?