The Journey begins
The following are Nats letters from around Christmas time. I’m a lazy, bad typer friend, (sorry Nat) so the entries are late. I didn’t get the letters right away either.
(Note: I didn’t think that I would be able to get on line, so I mailed Kim journal updates, though mail took 2 months to reach Vermont, and there are interweb cafe’s everywhere, making the whole process pointless, and laborious - not that it’s a first for me.)
Sunday.
6 am and I haven’t slept yet. What have I been putting off? Maybe I’d better do my taxes…6:30. None of the numbers add up- check-2004 taxes done. 6:32. sleep. 6:46. wake up and go to bus station. We make it 4.5 km to a hotel to repack, and lie in bed in Airplanes, Hwy Cars and Trains. I sleep like a baby.
Monday.
2 hrs of stop/go traffic and we (my father Barrie and I) make the boarder. Bikes aren’t allowed (they chose to enforce it) on the coastal road and we’re sent back to Tijuana. Hot, very dirty, and almost 2 million people living on top of each other. When they dies old tires come here to become retaining walls and stair cases. Up one 5km hill I notice black water on my front pannier bag. Eh? Not to worry. My exhaust and dirt blackened arms cause the sweat to turn black! I stop for water and a local gives us some sugar cane. Tasty. Fun. Try it. Our next stop We ride up our 3rd 5km hill of the day, open a gate and camp behind bushes. Super Stealth Mode.
Tuesday
After a night under the stars, a guy appears from the bushes inviting us for coffee with his wife pointing down the path. I’ve got a flat, so we change that and leave.
The last few days have sort of blended together. How, why? Because for going on 5 days we have been riding through one big desert. The types of cactus have varied, we’ve seen the ocean and come across an oasis, but we’re still seeing dust, thorns, prickers (poking a hole in my air mattress) and more skeletons than animals. Yeah, you’re never far from death here. Free range cows/horses make up the big bones. We saw buzzards who’d picked the legs of a cow clean while the rest of it was intact (and bloated) On Christmas day we saw a calf waiting patiently beside its dead mother. But what can we do 40 km from the nearest building on bicycles? Hares, eagles nesting, hawks, 40 different cactus are all things we’ve seen.
We are boiling all non bottled water, but still get filtered water (trucked in, stored in suspect tanks) because the ‘natural water’ had very high mineral content.
We have encountered lots of 4-5km long 34×28 hills. 2 continuous days of 40 km/hr sidewind which cancelled out with 2h of tailwind. Near Grillo Negro (sp) we had 200km of flat roads. Pavement has generally been the tar/stone stuff which is slow, but not too bumpy. There are no shoulders at all, and everthing, save the main road is paved. Dirt embankments and wide dirt/dust shoulders make up towns.
Many smaller towns seem to be communal with a restaurant, bathroom, store, garage all family run. About $5 each gets us a meal of fish enchiladas etc., though when we ask for a menu they have to write it out by hand!
The people are incredibly friendly and helpful. they listen to music, drink, socialize and procreate. Though most westerners frown upon their living conditions. They are rent/debt free. They are really happy. We have camped in a few town squares and someone who speaks English is found to welcome us etc.
Drivers are great giving us a full lane when they pass and flashing lights to warn others about us. A few transports have forced oncoming traffic off the road in favor of giving us a clear birth. We had a pictures taken, handed water, and i out of 4 cheer, while every other car waves.
Christmas was pretty mellow here, everything was pretty normal, save kids lighting off. Lots of bottle rockets etc the night before.
Most campgrounds are a dirt lot for RV’s. So we have only managed to stay in a campground once. It didn’t have power outlets (solar run) and the showers were cold and tasted more like ocean than water. We did meet a British couple who were bike touring with surfboards! Unreal!
Towns also have a series of speedbumps. 10-15 of them. They seem to put these speed bumps things out at random as well on the highway. Also we have passed 5 very heavily armed military checkpoints, which only check northbound traffic. i assume are looking for drugs.
Ahh yes I have seen road runners too…
December 28.
By Panama I will be ready for a break a nd probably will probably do the next part later. Will have to change my ticket.
