Today our ride from Puebla,MX to Oaxaca, MX was the shortest one so far at 250 miles (400 kms).
But for us motorcyclists, it was the nicest by far.
As we did not have a lot of miles to cover, we stayed off the cuota (toll) road and that meant thousands of curves one after the other. It was gorgeous.
Took lots of pictures as Dave and Bo in front of me snaked their way.
One of the features of the day were the topes (speed bumps) that come in different shapes and sizes and are lots of times hidden by the light and shadows on the road. They are lurking waiting for inattentive riders to “kick you” (literally) when you least expect, which is usually right after you just overtake a slower car and you are preoccupied with this maneuver and not looking for these sleeping policemen.
Today we were able to get our communication devices to all work and because we were traveling at relatively low speeds we could stay in touch with each other the all way. It really helps in safety as the front rider can warn the other two of dangers on the road and the back rider can warn of any cars that may be overtaking us.
It also helps as we call each other’s attention of things we see on the side of the road as we pass by the more populated areas.
One of the things we look for on a daily basis is our experience at lunch. We are looking for something that feels genuine, local and today we hit the jackpot.
Bo was leading and we kept asking him are we stopping now and he kept saying no, does not feel right yet. We eventually came from a set of curves and entered in this little town and in the right side saw a sign for a “comedor” which means restaurant. We actually overshot it and then had to come back for it.
We were received by a large family and the lunch felt like we were actually dining with them. As we have done so far, and has worked well, we speak directly to the cook and let her choose what she recommends. In this case it was pork chops with a very tasty sauce where we drowned the rice, added the black beans and put a bit of red chili. We used tortillas to round up the meal.
The most amazing thing is that the price of the lunch for three with a bottle of water, a coke and lime juice was $9.
After lunch rather than going back onto the bikes and speeding away we decided to take it easy, lie down on nets that were strategically placed and enjoy the sound of children playing on the background. Bo decided to take out his drone and film. Looking forward to see it.
We inflated a soccer ball (Bo had been carrying them around and they have been a hit) and gave it to children. Angel, the young man, kept it under his arm the all time whenever he was not kicking it around to his sisters. It felt amazing to bond with this family. They were precious moments.
As we were leaving, the family was opening a watermelon 🍉 and the first slices were given to us. I am always amazed at the generosity of people that have little but they are the first ready to share it.
We usually hear so many bad stories on the news that it is good to have these moments to counter balance and realize that deep down, humans are good and kind.
After leaving the lunch we were met by more curves and beautiful scenery all around. The vegetation kept changing from a more tropical, deep green to a more desert and brown colored look. For the latter, cacti 🌵abounded all around us.
We arrived at our hotel which we liked straight away. It has a special “chi” to it. It was not easy to find hotel rooms on New Years Eve but fate helped and we connected to Bianca the owner which found us 3 rooms and kept them for us with no deposit, just based on a guy calling her from Puebla and speaking to her in a “funny” Spanish. Thank goodness that she held out and did not rent the rooms because we were able to also meet here a family from Seattle area that we connected straight away with. They are walkers and have also traveled far and wide so we sat, in the beginning of the evening speaking about some adventures, sharing stories and drinking alcohol. Special mention to a bottle of mezcal (which is usually produced in Oaxaca), that started the night with a kick.
As it has been our modus operandi, we walked towards the plaza (which in this case was 6 blocks away) and joined the fiesta (which was in high gear being the last day of 2018).
Another great meal, special mention to the carne assada and mole sauce which are traditional here.
Bo and Dave called it a night but I stayed in the plaza, and decided to visit the church and enjoy a number of acts of local artists that use the plaza as their stage. It was a great variety show. I laughed heartily with the clown and paused to think as “Sounds of Silence” played above the noise of the plaza.
Did not last to see the midnight hour in local time so joined in thought the East Coast as they were welcoming the New Year as I quietly drifted off to sleep in the peace of my room.
Happy New Year !
Donation of soccer ball
Lunch on the road
Drone video of our lunch
Walking the streets of Oaxaca at night
Facebook post for the day
Click HERE for all the photos and videos of this Day
But for us motorcyclists, it was the nicest by far.
As we did not have a lot of miles to cover, we stayed off the cuota (toll) road and that meant thousands of curves one after the other. It was gorgeous.
Took lots of pictures as Dave and Bo in front of me snaked their way.
One of the features of the day were the topes (speed bumps) that come in different shapes and sizes and are lots of times hidden by the light and shadows on the road. They are lurking waiting for inattentive riders to “kick you” (literally) when you least expect, which is usually right after you just overtake a slower car and you are preoccupied with this maneuver and not looking for these sleeping policemen.
Today we were able to get our communication devices to all work and because we were traveling at relatively low speeds we could stay in touch with each other the all way. It really helps in safety as the front rider can warn the other two of dangers on the road and the back rider can warn of any cars that may be overtaking us.
It also helps as we call each other’s attention of things we see on the side of the road as we pass by the more populated areas.
One of the things we look for on a daily basis is our experience at lunch. We are looking for something that feels genuine, local and today we hit the jackpot.
Bo was leading and we kept asking him are we stopping now and he kept saying no, does not feel right yet. We eventually came from a set of curves and entered in this little town and in the right side saw a sign for a “comedor” which means restaurant. We actually overshot it and then had to come back for it.
We were received by a large family and the lunch felt like we were actually dining with them. As we have done so far, and has worked well, we speak directly to the cook and let her choose what she recommends. In this case it was pork chops with a very tasty sauce where we drowned the rice, added the black beans and put a bit of red chili. We used tortillas to round up the meal.
The most amazing thing is that the price of the lunch for three with a bottle of water, a coke and lime juice was $9.
After lunch rather than going back onto the bikes and speeding away we decided to take it easy, lie down on nets that were strategically placed and enjoy the sound of children playing on the background. Bo decided to take out his drone and film. Looking forward to see it.
We inflated a soccer ball (Bo had been carrying them around and they have been a hit) and gave it to children. Angel, the young man, kept it under his arm the all time whenever he was not kicking it around to his sisters. It felt amazing to bond with this family. They were precious moments.
As we were leaving, the family was opening a watermelon 🍉 and the first slices were given to us. I am always amazed at the generosity of people that have little but they are the first ready to share it.
We usually hear so many bad stories on the news that it is good to have these moments to counter balance and realize that deep down, humans are good and kind.
After leaving the lunch we were met by more curves and beautiful scenery all around. The vegetation kept changing from a more tropical, deep green to a more desert and brown colored look. For the latter, cacti 🌵abounded all around us.
We arrived at our hotel which we liked straight away. It has a special “chi” to it. It was not easy to find hotel rooms on New Years Eve but fate helped and we connected to Bianca the owner which found us 3 rooms and kept them for us with no deposit, just based on a guy calling her from Puebla and speaking to her in a “funny” Spanish. Thank goodness that she held out and did not rent the rooms because we were able to also meet here a family from Seattle area that we connected straight away with. They are walkers and have also traveled far and wide so we sat, in the beginning of the evening speaking about some adventures, sharing stories and drinking alcohol. Special mention to a bottle of mezcal (which is usually produced in Oaxaca), that started the night with a kick.
As it has been our modus operandi, we walked towards the plaza (which in this case was 6 blocks away) and joined the fiesta (which was in high gear being the last day of 2018).
Another great meal, special mention to the carne assada and mole sauce which are traditional here.
Bo and Dave called it a night but I stayed in the plaza, and decided to visit the church and enjoy a number of acts of local artists that use the plaza as their stage. It was a great variety show. I laughed heartily with the clown and paused to think as “Sounds of Silence” played above the noise of the plaza.
Did not last to see the midnight hour in local time so joined in thought the East Coast as they were welcoming the New Year as I quietly drifted off to sleep in the peace of my room.
Happy New Year !
Donation of soccer ball
Lunch on the road
Drone video of our lunch
Walking the streets of Oaxaca at night
Facebook post for the day
Click HERE for all the photos and videos of this Day
