From the city of angels to the land of fire. Danny Beer, gringo on tour

A couple small villages cross your pass at nine km intervals and then nothing for thirty five km where you reach Campos. Lucky you stayed where you did last night. There aren’t any bank machines in Campos. You exchange some more Americanos and get some lunch.

It continues to rain. It lets up a little around lunch but returns with a vengeance. It’s not so bad though. The road is half covered in land slides twice further on. With only a couple km to go the road is flooded entirely. You put the bike in a low gear and go forward. You can see where big pot holes are under the water. Some of them. The water gets a little deeper and you need to rely on the ripples to spot the pot holes. Near the end the water is well deep. You peddle harder. Your feet get wet.

The kilometer markers end but you haven’t quite made it there. The road turns off and Playa Azul is another five km down the road. There isn’t so much here. And guess what. no bank machine. You find a hotel for about ten dollars which will also take your Americanos. It’s not much but it is better than the five dollar cabana otherwise available. Apparently there’s a bank machine at the next town. It’s not far, ten km or so, but haven’t you heard this one somewhere before?

Zehuenjeno.: A freeway all to yourself

Sunday September 2, 2007, 130 km (81 miles) – Total so far: 3,047 km (1,893 miles)

It rains. You finally find an ATM, after only four days of searching. You stop for lunch and to wait out the worst of the rain. It lets up to the point where you can now remove your coat. There is a new toll freeway in place for fifteen km but it’s closed for use. The busy highway passes over at one point and you find your entrance on. There is no traffic at all. Just you and the tarmac and nice ocean views.

But the freeway ends as far as you’re concerned and you are forced onto the highway with all the not so nice traffic. But not everyone’s an asshole. You sure do meet a lot of them though.

After about a hundred km a sign points off to a hotel. It looks nice. Too nice. And not worth the six km detour to find out. You press on. Closer to your destination more hotels and motels present themselves. The price looks right until you see that it’s only for two or three hours. You keep going.

Your feet hurt. The day wears on. Eventually you get into town. Only a couple more km now so you ignore the hotels on the outskirts. You’ll stay for a couple of nights so what’s the use of staying on the outskirts of town. To pack up and move three km further on? Bear the pain now.

It is dark by the time you find the main drag and a hotel that looks good. Ten dollars isn’t bad. But a look at the bike and the price hikes up to fifteen. Luckily the ol’ bat’s daughter, you think, lets you go with ten. It sure aint the Hilton though.

This looks like a pretty happening resort. Lots of people about and even a few foreigners too. It might be worth staying up for a cerveza or three. Tomorrow needs to be a rest day anyway.

Tecman.: Too many bus drivers make Danny go a little crazy

Tuesday September 4, 2007, 141 km (88 miles) – Total so far: 3,188 km (1,981 miles)

Yesterday is a day of rest, spent, well, resting in the resort town of Zehuenjeno. Or whatever it is called. You meet people and you enjoy yourself. This is a nice place. Better, and smaller than the other resort towns you’ve been through. Iztapa to the north draws the richer crowds.

It’s two long days to Aculpulco. You aim to ride about 120 km today. That’s half way. Traffic continues as before. It’s a little busy and once you are out of town roads cease to have shoulders. Bus drivers continue to endeavor to be the biggest assholes they can be. Ten overtake way too close for comfort in the first hour alone.

About an hour out of town, just before a bridge and on the right, is a nice looking restaurant with pool. Silly you for not turning back. But then you would be there all day. You pull in to a restaurant further up. It takes you a little while to realise that this is a school cafeteria. You keep looking.

Accomodation is plentiful except for where you want it. Tecman is only another twenty km further. Can you make it? There are a couple hotels just before Tecman but you press on. If you’ve made it this far you may as well do the five km more. Tecman only has one hotel in town but there are two more just on the other side as well. Ten US is cheap but of course you get what you pay for. Or you don’t get what you don’t pay for. No aircon, no TV, no toilet seat.

Acalpulco.: Riding without gears

Wednesday September 5, 2007, 104 km (65 miles) – Total so far: 3,292 km (2,046 miles)

Vowing not to go back to the overcharging restaurant you ate at last night you find a nice little place and have tortas. You break your rear gears leaving you with just the front ones to play with all day. This means having to walk up whatever hills lie ahead.

After an hour, 80 km before Aculpulco there is a restaurant with swimming pool. It looks very nice but you keep going. Lunch can wait a little later.

With just twenty km to go a toll freeway presents itself. You stay on the highway where traffic does increase tremendously. You make it to Acalpulco and meet Sofia, a Chilena girl you arranged to travel down the coast with. And now it is time to get acquainted.

San Marcos.: Local parts on a nice expensive bike

Thursday September 6, 2007, 84 km (52 miles) – Total so far: 3,376 km (2,098 miles)

A guy from the hotel goes with you to find a bike shop and help not to get overcharged. It’s a long way until you find one. He does some interpreting and you go to eat breakfast. You go to pick up the bike but there’s a problem. The gear system is too complicated and will cost 150 US to replace. Or for 5 US you can have a new brake installed on the side of the handlebars. It all sounds well dodgy but it is a bit of price difference involved.

Best not to hang around watching so you go to find a second breakfast. It is now afternoon. Sofia left much earlier to beat the midday heat. You’ll catch up with her sixty km down the road. Hopefully.

It’s another twenty km or so to get out of town. Traffic is heavy. There is a big hill to climb. You get a flat tire, and another out of town. Your new gear system looks well dodgy but it works fine. The hills aren’t so big around here. Lots of pigs running about the place. You stop to let a sow and her two piglets cross the road.

You make it to San Marcos and find Sofia in the first hotel there. It’s quite cheap and even has a pool which you take full advantage of. There doesn’t seem to be much in town. A pizza restaurant looks like your best option for dinner.

Mequense.: To beach or not to beach

Friday September 7, 2007, 83 km (52 miles) – Total so far: 3,459 km (2,149 miles)

It seems that there is a sizable town every forty km with a smaller town about half way between. After the first twenty km you stop and chat to some high school kids who call out. Lunch in Cruz Grande where for the only time today traffic is dense. And on to Mequense. You head off to the Playa to find Sofia but see her on the way back. It’s dirty she says so you find a motel in town, which is probably dirtier, and stay there instead.

This looks like an alright town. Enough options for food and supplies. Lots of hotels which make you wonder why you’re staying in probably the worst one you could find.

Puenta Nacional.: Festival in Oaxaca

Saturday September 8, 2007, 118 km (73 miles) – Total so far: 3,577 km (2,223 miles)

It’s 120 km to Puenta Nacional. There are many kids about shouting “Gringo’ at you. You don’t reply. You pass Sofia at around one o’clock and arrange to meet for lunch in the next town. But she never comes. You make it into town by dusk and seek out a hotel. One is cheap but it doesn’t have a toilet seat. Oh, by the way, you really do need a toilet seat today.

You find a place which does tortas. A retired English/American couple come by and you make conversation. Their truck broke down and are trying to sort all that out. You go for a walk and find a big fiesta for indepencia day. Naturally you join in and are given food and beer. There is also a party not far from your hotel.

As you’re away Sofia comes by looking for you. She is staying at the hotel you passed up on. If only you were here you both could be staying at the nicer hotel a hell of a lot cheaper.

Towards Puerto Escondido.: Riding on.

Monday September 10, 2007, 131 km (81 miles) – Total so far: 3,708 km (2,304 miles)

Yesterday was a much needed rest day. You certainly weren’t in any position to continue. Sofia continues on, probably. The day is spent watching TV, drinking lots of water and failing at trying to get the girl at the pharmacy to give you some drugs to combat this illness.

You leave this Penotipa Nacional and continue on towards Puerto Escondido. You make it to the Rio Grande before deciding to call it a day. You ask at the hotel but their 12 hour policy means you’ll be leaving by six AM. Fuck that.

With just twenty km to go a sign points the way to a campsite and restaurant. Sounds like one of those ideal places so you venture there. Two or three km down a crappy dirt road you finally turn back when the road becomes mud. It probably isn’t much further but it is possible to be closed. You make it back to the main road in the last of the daylight.

Another few km later you find a hotel. An expensive hotel. It’s not going to happen. But you can camp at the restaurant next door for fifty pesos. Sadly you are too late for dinner though.

The question which now remains.. tent or hammock. The hammock is tempting but shall you risk the mosquitos?

San Gabriel Mixtepec.: Over the mountains

Wednesday September 12, 2007, 67 km (42 miles) – Total so far: 3,775 km (2,346 miles)

You awake with hands and arms covered in red spots. Bites? But from what? You look diseased. Breakfast consists of coffee and a bun. You will have to wait until you get to town before getting any real food.

19 km later you roll into town and find Sofia booked into the hostel opposite Zapotepa beach just south of town. This really is the best area to stay. Lots of foreigners about too. It gets hot in the day but the evening is a cold wet thunderstorm. You sit with Sofia on the beach watching the lighting until one particularly close strike temporarily blinds you both and you decide to head back to the hostel.

But all that was yesterday. This is today.

Yesterday you awoke with your arms covered in little red spots. Today the rest of you is now covered. You were bitten to all fuck last night. Your hands and feet are the worst. Don’t stay in the dorm room of the hostel in this town. You have been warned.

It really is difficult to decide how to get to Oaxaca city. After speaking to the very nice and funny lady at the tourist information office yesterday you have a lot of information but are still indecisive. In the end you decide on the sissy route, the 131 directly north to Oaxaca from Puerto Escondido. Sofia will stay another day here, then tomorrow ride to Puerto Angel and take a but from there north on the 175. The 175 has the best scenery. It also has a 3000 metre climb. You’ve done it before and you will need to do it again before this trip is over. But for now the sissy route looks like a nicer easier ride.

You don’t leave until after one and there is a lot of climbing today. It rains hard. You find shelter in a, um, shelter. The rain eases up and you continue on your way. Not far to San Gabriel Mixtepec now where apparently a hotel exists. It rains hard before you can make it there though. You get into town and find a couple nice restaurants on the north side of town to wait out the rest of the rain. It is still early but maybe not early enough to make it to the next town an hour’s drive away. How many kilometers is it? Many kilometers.

There is a hotel in town. But it doesn’t exist. The building exists. The sign exists. But when you go to ask apparently it doesn’t. There is some kind of unofficial hotel almost opposite the non-existing hotel so you stay there for cheap enough. It’s not much but at least they have hot water in the shower.

To the summit.: Just before San Pedro

Thursday September 13, 2007, 101 km (63 miles) – Total so far: 3,876 km (2,408 miles)

You set the alarm for a quarter to seven and although it does wake you you decide to remain semi conscious in the nice warm bed. Tortas make a nice breakfast. You enjoy some very nice local coffee too.

It is 19 km to the next town, Santa Rosa. There’s not much there but you could probably pitch a tent there or at the restaurants a few km before and after town. The road keeps heading up until you reach the summit 37 km later. It rains hard and there is nowhere to hide. You continue on until a few km after the summit you come to El Vidrio. There’s not much there but you find a restaurant to shelter out some of this rain. Apparently there is a hotel in town but you’ll be damned if you saw it.

The views up would be nice if they weren’t clouded by, um, clouds. The rain doesn’t seem to ease up at all here so you press on. Not far down the mountain the rain stops and you cruise in luxury. You hit a stone and your front tire immediately goes flat. The tube is fucked. The tire is fucked. The rim is fucked. Luckily you picked up a spare tire yesterday and of course you now have a few spare tubes. The rim is fine as long as you don’t mind a clunk, clunk, clunk, every time you use the front brake. Looks like you have a few things to replace in Oaxaca.

Thirty km down in the valley is San Pedro. It is a descent enough sized town with a hotel. But it’s not on your map. From there it is a grueling 34 km up hill to almost the summit. It gets dark. It gets very dark. Energy levels drop and you start walking. Well you still are going two thirds of your pedaling speed. Besides, after riding in wet cycling shorts all day your inner thighs are red raw.

You find a restaurant. It is open but no one’s about. Barking dogs soon wake the owners though and dinner is served. They even let you sleep inside for the night. Dinner costs thirty pesos with a free hammock. They don’t have any change and you only just have enough so give the rest over anyway. It’s not much of a tip but they are grateful and it makes you feel like less of a sponge.

Oaxaca: Danny: TV personality

Friday September 14, 2007, 121 km (75 miles) – Total so far: 3,997 km (2,484 miles)

The hammock is small. Too small. It is cold up on that mountain too. You don’t sleep much. It’s another two km uphill and then seventeen all the way downhill to Vega. The road is mostly fine but best not attempted at night as potholes and such do exist. Yesterday’s troubles mean that it is difficult to use the front break. A dog suddenly jumps out and attacks on a rough section of road. Not fun.

Vega is a descent enough sized town with TWO hotels. After that it’s another dozen km uphill. You have no energy. You even attempt hitchhiking. But fret not as this is the last real long section of uphill. Then back downhill again. Then up and down again. There is another large looking town but it’s not on the road so you skip it. There are a few more towns now with places to eat but you don’t see any more hotels until after 85 km coming into a large town not far before the 131 joins up with the 175. You try to find food but it proves too difficult. Really.

Traffic increases a lot now. For the last two days it was virtually nil. Now it is plentiful. Buses overtake very closely and blow their horns when they have the world to maneuver around. Something hits you. Someone threw bread at you from a bus. On the 175 the road is wide with wide shoulders. But the shoulders are crap and often used for parking making them more of a hazard than anything else. Cars expect you to use them even though they are crap and get aggressive when you don’t.

It rains. A bus is at least two meters away but drives through a puddle splashing water all over you. Probably calculated. You get into town and find a hotel. Sofia will get here tomorrow so you tell her to meet you at nine tomorrow. You hang out and drink beer. They are doing promotions for Victoria beer and you are filmed saying “La Victoria se mia.” Or something like that. They give you a bracelet which doesn’t fit.

Mitla.: Need a good rim job

Monday September 17, 2007, 48 km (30 miles) – Total so far: 4,045 km (2,513 miles)

Oaxaca city is nice. Saturday day is wasted wandering about the market trying to find a bike shop for some new rims. All without success. You head out Saturday night with a couple of new friends. It is independence day and there’s a big fiesta in town. It’s a fun, hazy night.

On Sunday everything is free. You take the bus to Monte Alban which is nice and then visit Santo Demengo Cathedral, monastery and museum. You also meet Jacob, another cyclist who started in Alaska.

Monday morning you visit another bike shop to try to sort out those rims. Bike shops here sell. They don’t service. So what you need to do is buy the rims at one place and take them to another place to put them on. It sounds a bit complicated, even more so by your lack of Spanish, and more so again because what you want nobody has. Your wheels take 32 spokes and the only rims which cost less than your entire bike all take 36 spokes. So you need to replace some other things too to fit it all on. But nobody sells that and it is all very confusing and you still don’t get anything done. Perhaps the next town.

You ride to Mitla where some more ruins lie. There is a bike path leading out of town and then a nice wide shoulder almost all the way there. The ruins close by the time you get there so you will just have to wait until tomorrow. There’s not much to do in town.

San Jose.: Some great descents

Tuesday September 18, 2007, 98 km (61 miles) – Total so far: 4,143 km (2,574 miles)

I hope you fancy big long hills today cause that’s what you’re going to get. But don’t worry as there are more descents than ascents. A twenty km detour up the autopiste doesn’t help matters. Someone tells you to go back and get on the highway.

You already started the day late with a visit to the ruins at Mitla. They are okay by the way. Not very extensive or anything but nice to see if you are in town anyway. There’s an uphill section on the highway followed by twenty km of straight downhill. Someone painted ‘cyclists returno’ with a returning arrow on the road before the downhill. Cacti is in abundance out here. Head and side winds dog your day slowing you down even further.

Then get ready for the ascent again. You leave Sofia behind only to find her much later in San Jose where a hotel is found. As you head up the mountains the view to the south is nice. Glad you’re not heading that way then. Looks hard. And back down again. You find a town just before dusk. A hotel is found if you ask politely. Time for dinner. And much relaxation.

To Jalapa.: Pitching the tent on the roof

Wednesday September 19, 2007, 112 km (70 miles) – Total so far: 4,255 km (2,644 miles)

Some more mountains await your day. You make it to El Cameron by twelve and from there it is one long stretch up followed by another down. El Cameron has a hotel. The next hotel is 88 km further at Jalapa. There are places to eat in between but not much else but ascents, descents, and quite a nice view.

You leave Sofia far behind. A driver says she has wheel problems a long, long way away up the mountain. The kilometers drop one by one until Jalapa where you agreed to meet Sofia. There is one hotel in town. It’s expensive. You ask for another and are directed to a rooftop which looks nice for pitching the tent. Best to wait for Sofia first though.

Niltepec.: Nowhere to eat in town

Thursday September 20, 2007, 126 km (78 miles) – Total so far: 4,381 km (2,722 miles)

You pack up and find a restaurant on the main road for breakfast. Still no sign of Sofia. For once you are able to enjoy something of a tailwind. But before you reach Tehuantepic a freeway presents itself and you take it. This is a mistake. What was once a tailwind becomes a headwind. After thirty km of this the road veers around and the wind is more of a benefit again.

At one point the freeway stops for construction and you need to make a short detour on a smaller road without shoulders and more traffic. You have a strong crosswind to deal with now. This is certainly no fun with big trucks wanting to overtake at inopportune moments. Back on the freeway again you are less concerned with mentally writing your will.

You ask someone how far to a hotel. Five km. Excellent. Bullshit. It’s ten. The nice smooth freeway becomes a narrow shitty road. You arrive in Niltepec. There are two hotels in town. One is overpriced and you can’t find anyone to service the other one. But a wander about reveals the owner and you walk back with him to check in. It is the one year anniversary of his mother’s death so everyone is out celebrating. He’s a bit drunk and needs to piss. He does so while walking along, pissing out in front without conviction.

It’s a nice hotel. You find some interesting food to eat and wash it down with a couple beers. Sofia is now 100 km behind you. Looks like you’ll need a couple rest days to let her catch up. But not here. Best to leave this half town to the dogs.

Tapanatepec.: Good roads and tough wind

Friday September 21, 2007, 57 km (35 miles) – Total so far: 4,438 km (2,758 miles)

Just a short ride today. Sofia has to catch up somehow and if you keep going at your pace she never will. There is a town, Tapanatepec, just before the long hard slog up the mountain. It looks like as good a place as any to await Sofia for the climb ahead.

The day is hot and the road is crap. It sure is a day of road works. After six km the road widens to the lovable freeway once again but alas it is short lived as all too soon road works hinder the ride. Some minor issues with traffic but this has all become second nature by now. Truck driver seems to be a synonym for arsehole.

There are a couple hotels on route. After a bite to eat you really do feel like moving on. The town is as dead as the last and it would be nice to be somewhere more lively for the weekend. It is only three but you go back to the posada and check in. Good thing too as the heavens soon open up in a torrential downpour.

The plan now, if you can communicate this to Sofia, is to lie in tomorrow morning and hopefully meet up here for lunch. Then together you can ride another thirty or fifty km depending. Maybe.

Up and up and up.: Spanish or no Spanish you still get the same lack of answers

Saturday September 22, 2007, 45 km (28 miles) – Total so far: 4,483 km (2,786 miles)

You meet up with Sofia at the Posada at around twelve. After lunch it is all uphill. A guy stops and gives you some local food to eat. He seems to be praying for you. You probably need it.

Some guy wants you to stop and chat. He wants to take you to the lagoon but you insist on cycling. “Is it uphill’ you ask. Lots of curves is all you are able to get. Sofia catches up with you as you grab a bite to eat. She asks herself about ascents and with all her Spanish is only able to find out the same. Lots of curves. But what does that mean? Uphill curves or downhill ones?

Just after a town after 36 km of mostly uphill cycling you find a hospedaje. But the lagoon just ahead is apparently mui bonita so you detour another four km there to find out for yourself. It’s nice but there’s nowhere to really stay and now you need to cycle four km uphill to get back to the hospedaje.

On the way back you find a bee somewhere in your shirt. Some frantic moments a spent veering all over the road as you try to get it out.