• Holly and Karl

Southward Bound

Una aventura de 264 días de Holly Leer más
  • Welcome to Guadalajara

    21 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Our entrance to Guadalajara was unpleasant to say the least. As we got closer to the city more and more highways merged until it felt like one big stream of cars, trucks and buses flowing into the centre, and as is the custom in Mexico, no shoulder to speak of. We managed to dodge the tunnels and stay mostly on the laterals, and as we neared the centre of the city traffic slowed, making for ideal biking conditions as we wove through semi-stationary cars. Around the roundabouts you just have to have faith - pick your line and trust that Mexican drivers are generally alert to the many hazards on the road and will seamlessly (and without honking!) navigate around you. We started seeing bike infrastructure in the city - although our first encounter with a "Prioridad Bicicleta" street was almost laughable, as we felt the city had gifted cyclists the shittiest, roughest road in the city. Our Warmshowers host Luciano was at work until 5 pm, so we toured through the city, happily stumbling upon old churches and monuments, and quaint plazas and pedestrian streets. Holly bravely entered the San Juan de Dios market, a crazy 3-story 3-block market, while Karl relaxed with the bikes. After arriving at Luciano's and settling in, a crew of his friends came over to chat about an upcoming bike adventure they were planning, discuss recent trips and just generally catch up over beer and pizza. Luciano and 3 of the guys had biked Alaska to Guadalajara 4 years before and his friend Devora had just returned from biking from Mexico City to Argentina. We had fun swapping bike stories and getting a glipse into Guadalajara's bike culture. The next day we dropped by the Casa de Ciclista, a really neat project that provides a space for touring cyclists to stay and for locals to work on bikes and other cycling projects. We wandered around the city some more and looked into taking a Spanish course the following week since we really enjoyed the vibe of the city. That evening, Michel, a cyclist we had met on the street the day we arrived in Guadalajara, who had just returned from biking from Tijuana to Vancouver, invited us to join him and his girlfriend Janette on a trip to Mazamitla, a mountain town about 2 hours from Guadalajara, for the weekend. So after less than 48 hours in the city we hopped in a car and headed out of town with new friends... What a welcome to Guadalajara!Leer más

  • Lunch in the Hills

    23 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We arrived in Mazamitla around 11:30 pm, far past our bedtime (!), and met Jovanna and Carlos Eugene, Michel and Janette's friends who have been renting a place in the small mountain town. After a good rest we had a casual morning, with chilaquiles for breakfast made by Janette - this traditional breakfast dish is essentially tortilla chips or tostatas boiled in homemade salsa, and it's tasty! We wandered around town gathering food and booze for the day, then headed out to Carlos' relatives' avocado farm. We tried delicious pulque, a type of beer/sparkling wine made from fermented agave, the same plant used to make tequila, and ate chips, guacamole and potato salad (made by Karl). We got a good kick out of Michel's flavour addition to the potato salad - looks like a siracha explosion! We wandered around the avocado, lemon and orange trees, working off our lunch, before heading to another friend's cabin and trying more local liquors: rompope, a Bailey's type drink made from pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios or almonds, and punche, a sweet tequila based liquor, ours with the flavour from pasiflora, a relative of passionfruit. After a failed attempt at cards and a few too many dog farts in the cabin, we called it a night and headed home for bed.Leer más

  • Tastes of Mazamitla

    24 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We spent our second day in Mazamitla similarly to the first - wandering and sampling. We started with a scenic drive to explore the surrounding valleys, then walked around this Pueblo Magico (Magic Village: a heritage designation). We decided we had to try some more of the local drinks after the girls ordered Michelada's (beer with clamato and other spices), so Holly tried a Vampiro (Vampire, made with tequila, sangrita and lemon soda) while Karl tried a creamy sweet drink. The drinks came with lids so that snacks could be placed on top - perfect for drinking and snacking your way around town... only in Mexico! After watching some cobblestone roadwork and wandering a few more streets, we loaded up and headed back toward Guadalajara with Michel, Janette and Carlos. This time we made a detour to Chapala so Karl and I could see Chapala Lake, and Michel and Janette treated us to a pizza dinner with the most spectacular view of the lake just as the sun was setting. We were so floored with the hospitality we received from these guys - Michel really went out of his way to make us feel welcome in Guadalajara and repay some of the hospitality he had received while on the road on his most recent bike trip. This is what we love about the Warmshowers and cycletouring community: everyone just keeps paying forward the hospitatlity they receive and it makes for a vibrant and giving community to be part of.Leer más

  • Exploring the City with Friends

    25 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Back in Guadalajara we met up with Helene and Francois, who have also ridden from Whitehorse, and spent the day touring the many historic sites of the city and taking another walk through the crazy San Juan de Dios market. We had to ask our host Luciano about the plentiful orange trees that line the streets of Guadalajara as we were surprised they had so much ripe fruit on them - apparently this particular tree is known for being hardy and not for producing tasty fruit, so the oranges are more of a decoration than a food source. We spent the evening relaxing with Helene and Francois at Luciano's place and working on our supply of liquor from Mazamitla so that we would be light enough to hit the road again the next day as a team of 4.Leer más

  • Back on the Bikes

    26 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It is always fun to ride with other cyclists so we were happy to start the next leg of our trip out of Guadalajara with Helene and Francois. We got a respectably early start after a quick good-bye photo with our super accomodating host Luciano and cruised through the charming suburb of Tlaquepaque before climbing over a ridge and through the smog that hangs over Guadalajara. Soon we were back in the countryside and enjoying the cleaner air and lower traffic. Karl got a kick out of the "No Inverted Passing" sign and was also excited to see the picturesque corn stooks being processed (presumably for cow feed) as we were wondering what they were used for. The last photo is a classic example of Mexican traffic: 3 cows in a 1 ton truck overtaking a tractor with a wobbly wheel as it crosses a speed bump. A few cyclists pedalling along the shoulder is nothing compared to the obstacles Mexican drivers have to navigate everyday, which makes them far more courteous than your average North American who believes they have a right to zoom along without losing a precious second on their daily commute.Leer más

  • Mexico Keeps Getting Better

    26 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We rolled over 100 km on a beautiful rail trail through Atotonilco En Alto that made us feel like we were back in a bike-oriented Canadian city. We asked to camp at a soccer field and a municipal park, but as is often the case couldn't find the right person with the authority to grant our request so had to continue our search. Finally, Holly tried the fancy Real Campestre Restaurant, just hoping to gain access to the field behind it. To our amazement we were not only welcomed to camp on their beautiful lawn, but owner Luis and the whole family came around to chat with us after they closed and brought us a giant meal from the restaurant that 4 hungry cyclists had a hard time finishing. We were blown away by this spontaneous hospitality, and continue to appreciate the connections we get to make with Mexicans as we cycle through their beautiful country.Leer más

  • Tequilla!

    27 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Having heard there were some big climbs in our future we got another early start the next morning. We rode past miles of picturesque tequilla farms, sugar cane stands on the side of the road, and encouraging dogs barking at us from rooftops, as we slowly ground our way up to the pretty tequilla town of Jesus Maria at ~2100 m. The high altitude and overcast skies made for great cycling temperatures, so much so that it was hard to take a break without getting chilled - a real change from the sweltering cycling temperatures we had experienced on the coast!Leer más

  • Cold Ride to Guanajuato

    28 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We camped in the tiny village of San Jose de Los Sauces after a bigger day than anticipated, and had another chilly morning ride the next day - the first time in months that Karl rode with more than a t-shirt. We saw tostadas being made in Romita as we took our first break of the day, and then accidentally bypassed the city of Silao on the busy interstate and headed straight into the last climb to Guanajuato, where we started seeing colourful buildings on the outskirts of town.Leer más

  • Touring Guanajuato

    28 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Entering Guanajuato was a confusing affair - it's hard to make sense of the city even with a map, as there are circular roads winding up the hillsides, many narrow alleyways that end in stairs and even multiple tunnels throughout the city for foot and vehicle traffic. How do you map such a 3-dimensional city?! After struggling along the bumpy cobblestone roads and through a few tunnels, we were directed to one of the main squares, where we were able to find a cheap hotel. We showered and left the bikes to go exploring the city on foot. We started in the lively Hidalgo Market, then wandered through many colourful streets and alleys, losing track of our route, but somehow making it back to the hotel. We always enjoy seeing (and often tasting) what local delicacies are being sold on the streets and in shops, so we got a good kick out of seeing giant bags of bulk chips and cheesies for sale. After an Enchilada Minera dinner (miner's enchiladas, the local meal on offer, named for the long mining history in Guanajuato) we called it a day.Leer más

  • Above and Below

    29 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We took a rest day in Guanajuato, and continued our wandering through the streets and squares of the historic city. It's amazing to see churches dating back as far as the 17th century and imagine how the city has grown into the colourful maze that it is today. The Saturday streets were filled with people out and about, and delicious food (as always!). We walked up to the Pipila Statue to get a good view of the city, then through a few tunnels, and finally made sure to walk through the famous Callejon de Besos (the kissing street).Leer más

  • Awesome Ride to Dolores Hidalgo

    30 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We planned to ride to Dolores Hidalgo, since Holly wanted to see the famous ceramics of the region, but later thought of skipping it given the 900 m of elevation we'd have to climb on the road between Guanajuato and Dolores Hidalgo. After flip flopping on our route with Helene and Francois, we finally decided to do the ride, and we weren't disappointed. We climbed 600 m out of Guanajuato, with the view improving on each hairpin turn, then afer a couple hours of climbing we enjoyed a long and super fun descent winding down through the hills. We arrived in Dolores Hidalgo before noon and enjoyed our lunch in a plaza before taking in the main square and church, where Father Miguel Hidalgo made a famous speech sparking the revolution for Mexico's independance in 1810. After our brief sojourn in town we checked out the many pottery workshops and shops on our way toward San Miguel de Allende.Leer más

  • Hotsprings!

    30 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    It has been fun to keep in touch with the many other cycle tourists we have met on the road, and especially useful for sharing information about places to see and things to do. Our Austrian friend Mike told us of some awesome hotsprings north of San Miguel de Allende, so when the ride to Dolores Hidalgo went quickly we pushed on to Atotonilco, and the hotsprings at La Gruta. It felt like a different kind of vacation to relax in the hot pools and explore the cool grotto for a few hours after the big ride. We then got back on the bikes and bounced our way down a nasty cobble road into town and eventually found a nice spot in a hay field to spend the night, after meeting the lovely trilingual owner Adriana.Leer más

  • San Miguel de Allende

    31 de enero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    A short morning ride took us into the beautiful city of San Miguel de Allende. As with most other Pueblo Magico's we have visited, the cobble streets were far from bicycle friendly so we stashed our bikes and toured the city on foot. The abundant jewelry, pottery and other trinkets for sale on the streets were interesting to look at, but what we were really excited about was the 50 peso breakfast buffet we found. Stuffing ourselves before climbing the extremely steep cobble streets to exit the city wasn't our best call, but the chilaquiles and hot cakes were irresistible.Leer más

  • Pilgrims, Cheese, Fire and Food

    1 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We spent the last night of January with yet another amazingly welcoming Mexican family in the tiny town of Tierra Blanca. After clearing a space in their yard for our tents, they brought us a table and chairs to cook on, then fruit and chicharon (fried pork fat, which Karl reports is delicious) topped with veggies and cueritos (pickled pig's skin). The next day's ride wasn't terribly scenic, but we had numerous distractions to keep us occupied. First we passed hundreds of people (who we later learned were pilgrims) walking along the road towards San Jose Navajas where we had seen what looked like a fair springing to life along the road. We stopped at a wine and cheese shop and got a tour of the barnyard and cheese aging room before buying a Mexican take on provalone for lunch. We regularly encounter fires burning along the road, but this day an (un)controlled burn was particularily close to the road and burning hot. As we neared Tequisquiapan Helene's bike computer rolled over 10,000 km, a moment every cyclist deserves to celebrate (although we missed ours, ooops, we'll be sure to celebrate our 15,000th km!). Our Warmshowers host Luis came home from work to welcome us into his tranquil yard so we could relax while he finished his day working at the family vineyard. When he came home we built a fusion feast from the food in our bags and some delicious additions from Luis' kitchen. We had a creamy quinoa and veggie dish, Sashimi tuna, chicken salad and one of Holly's unique improv desserts.Leer más

  • Around the Mountain

    2 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    In an effort to avoid the busy highways that feed into Mexico City we took a hilly route through some Baja-esque desert landscapes to Huichapan and then spiralled around an old volcano up to 2500 m before enjoying a long descent back into a valley containing sulfur stinking Lake Endo. What had seemed a good camping destination quickly became an area to avoid, so we pedalled onward and after talking with a few unusually skeptical locals in the town of Santa Ana Ahuehuepan found a friendly mechanic named Angel who allowed us to camp in his yard for the night.Leer más

  • A Pyramid in Tula & More to Come

    3 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We stopped at the archeological site in Tula de Allende for our first introduction to pre-Aztec pyramids and the impressive stonework associated with them - at this site large warrier statues, likely an indication of the importance of war in the Toltec culture. The rest of the ride to Teotihuacan was marked with narrow roads, over 100 topes, the crazy Mexcian drivers we have heard about for so long, streams running black with pollution and a thermoelectric plant belching smoke and particulates. Needless to say we understood why many people we talked to recommended taking a bus on the roads within a 100 km radius of Mexico City. We were glad to share this challenging day with another couple as we all questioned travelling by bike, but together we made it safely to Teotihuacan and found a cheap hotel for the night. It was a much needed luxury after a challenging day, and all the more so because Karl had some stomach troubles developing despite all of our efforts to filter water daily as we pass by Pemex gas stations.Leer más

  • Teotihuacan

    4 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We arrived at Teotihuacan at 9 am on a chilly morning and got some exercise climbing the massive Pyramid of the Sun and huge steps of the Pyramid of the Moon for views that would be far more impressive if they weren't limited by Mexico City's smog. Karl was feeling weak after a rough night so sat out the elective walks around the sprawling ancient city to save energy for the second half of the day, while Holly, Helene and Francois visited the Avenue of the Dead, the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl, and got a great explanation about the cosmic significance of the site by a helpful information ambassador. Needless to say, the vast scale of the site and the pyramids and temples is mind boggling, as is trying to imagine what this sacred city looked like in it's hayday.Leer más

  • Fiesta at la Presidencia

    4 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We had lunch at the pyramids and then cruised to Texcoco, before climbing 650 m to 2896 m, the highest elevation we have ridden to on this trip. We descended ~10 km to San Felipe Sultepec, where we stumbled upon a fiesta when we went to ask for permission to camp at the Presidencia. Maria Louisa, the gracious president of the small community, let us into a covered sports court to camp for the night, then introduced us to the ~30 ladies of the town's group of the tercera edad (the third age, i.e. senior citizens) celebrating the February 2nd holiday during their weekly Thursday gathering in the adjacent hall. We were soon seated at a small table with an unending stream of delicious Mexican food appearing in front of us, including our first encounter with delicious mole sauce. We also got to eat tamales, which we have heard so much about as part of the Kings Day (January 6th) and the Candelaria (February 2nd) celebrations - families or groups eat Rosca de Reyes, a sweet bread containing hidden figurines on Kings Day, and who ever ends up with a figurine in their slice of bread has to host the Dia de la Candelaria feast and make tamales for everyone else. The party ended with brandy, much toasting and animated singing. After getting installed in our comfortable camp for the night, and heading to sleep at our usual early bedtime of 8 pm, we had a great sleep, and the next morning were invited to eat sweet bread and coffee at the Presidencia before we hit the road. All in all we were thrilled with the great hospitality we were treated to in San Felipe!Leer más

  • Welcome to Puebla

    5 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We expected an easy ride to Puebla as we had ~500 m of elevation to drop over a distance we thought would be about 90 km. However the road rolled up and down and made us feel like we were hardly moving. Then we were denied access to a toll road for the first time in Mexico so had to take the longer free route through Tlaxcala and into Puebla on hectic highway 121. We breathed a collective sigh of relief once we made it within the city limits and traffic slowed to a crawl as we rode through a busy market to Omar's house. We had met and connected with Omar's cousin Omar (yes both of the same name) in coastal State Park campgrounds of Oregon and California as he and his friend Kish were riding from border to border of the US west coast. As he knew we'd be heading through central Mexico, Omar mentioned that he had family in Puebla if we found ourselves passing through the city. Despite being within Puebla city limits, Omar's family's home felt like a jungle in a rural village, with lots of trees and plants in the garden surrounding the house, in addition to 9 dogs and 20 birds! As soon as we arrived we were seated and given water to relax (or as they say here descansar = de tire yourself). We chatted with Omar and his mother Alicia, then later Omar took Karl, Francois and Holly out on the town (Helene wasn't feeling well, so stayed in to relax). We searched for tacos arabes - without luck due to the late hour - but got to see the city all lit up at nighttime and the squares still full of people hanging out on a warm Friday night. Puebla's architecture is quite different from the other cities we have visited and we enjoyed wandering around and later getting a view of the city from a viewpoint at the Zona Histórica de Los Fuertes.Leer más

  • Cholula and Family Time

    6 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The next morning Omar disappeared with Karl's (re)broken front rack, had it repaired within half an hour, and refused to let us pay for the repair, before we'd even made a plan for the day. After a relaxed morning we jumped in the car with Omar and his girlfriend Oyuki to tour Cholula, where the main attraction is a church built on top of a pyramid. The Church of Our Lady of Remedies was completed in the early 1600's, but it is built on a massive pyramid of the Teotihuacan era so its foundation is literally thousands of years old. We had another great view of the city from the top, tried champolines (seasoned crickets) and tepache (fermented pineapple juice) for the first time, and even got to tour the labyrinth of tunnels (just big enough for Karl to fit through) that have been excavated by numerous archeological digs through the pyramid. We had cemitas for dinner, a cheese filled torta sub that is famous in Puebla, and spent the evening laughing and practicing our spanish with Omar, Oyuki, Alicia, Omar's sister's family, and his nephews Christian and Moises.Leer más

  • Puebla to Tecamachalco

    7 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Omar and his family were so welcoming that it felt wrong to leave so soon, but we were all eager to make it to Oaxaca so after heartfelt goodbyes we set off once again. A short day got us to Tecamachalco where we were hosted by Omar's friend and co-worker Trinidad, who welcomed the 4 of us into her home, let us veg out and watch the Superbowl, and fed us delicious tacos and breads from nearby street vendors. It was a great short taste of more Puebla hospitality and food, gracias Trinidad!Leer más

  • To Tehuacan and Beyond

    8 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We hit the Monday morning meat market rush as we left town the next morning. We were passed by hundreds of trucks of all sizes bringing animals to auction. One of the more impressive loads we passed as we weaved our way through an apparent auction on the highway through town was 2 full grown cows in the back of a tiny pickup (the one lying under the other presumed to be dead or near death already). Thanks to a gradual descent we made it to Tehuacan early in the day, navigated the busy streets to find a bike shop and still had time left to push on a little further. The gradual descent continued, but the wind increased significantly making for a challenging ride to Coxcatlan where we were eventually let into an unoccupied house for the night.Leer más

  • Riding by Rio Grande

    9 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We chose to ride the 135 libre to Oaxaca because it was slightly shorter and seemed like it had less up and down than the 125; instead it had one long decent to 540 m before one massive climb to 2300 m. The large scale of the elevation profile we looked at didn't show the numerous small hills we had to ride up during our continued descent to the Rio Grande though, so we all expected an easier ride than we got, but the scenery was beautiful and the road had very little traffic. We were also pleased to see such a beautifully clean river, as natural flowing water alone is a rare thing to see in Mexico, but this river made us feel like we were home in Canada.Leer más

  • So Much Up!

    10 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We had our first true "wild camp" in mainland Mexico beside a mango orchard on the banks of the Rio Grande at ~650 m, and from there began the biggest one-day climb any of us have done so far on this trip to 2336 m. Again the scenery was beautiful, the traffic very low, even the weather was cool and perfect for climbing, but we were all very happy when we finally rolled over the summit after 5 hours of steady climbing.Leer más

  • First Tastes of Oaxaca

    11 de febrero de 2016, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After a relaxing stay at the church in San Francisco Telixtlahuaca we pedalled the 35 km remaining to Oaxaca. We grabbed some groceries, then scouted the cobblestone streets of downtown Oaxaca for a buffet - we were rewarded with a 40 peso buffet with great food and fruit, but no mole (yet!). We met up with our Warmshowers host Juan Pablo in the afternoon and went to tour the local markets to try some typical Oaxacan food - tejate, a prehispanic energy drink made with coconut oil and cacao; chilacoyota, sweetened squash water; chapulines, the smaller (superior) Oaxacan grasshoppers; and chocolate, delicious and made locally. After our tour we stopped at Juan Pablo's friend Erika's design & internet shop, and she decided that she and her mom Silvìa would host us as their house was bigger and then we wouldn't have to camp on Juan Pablo's tiny patio. While we waited for Erika to finish work, Silvìa made us delicious hot chocolate, made with her own homemade chocolate, and we learned that this is the best way to enjoy the plentiful sweetbreads of Mexico. With the chapulines we had bought at the market and a variety of other grocery purchases we had all the makings of a late dinner (eaten at 9:30 pm) of tlayudas - the local large corn tortillas, with homemade guacamole, black beans, quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese), cream, salsa and the chapulines. The next morning we ate marmelas made by Silvìa before heading back out to explore the sights of downtown Oaxaca and delve deeper into the markets. We also searched for Juan Pablo, who is a street musician, among the downtown squares, but eventually found him back at Erika's shop at the end of the day with his guitar in hand. Given the great intro to food and excellent folks in Oaxaca, we were thrilled with having finally arrived in the city!Leer más