Now all of this sounds pretty perfect, however all the while these lovely experiences are happening, I found myself still feeling nauseous, bloated and unable to eat much else aside a few crackers. Fortunately though, we met a girl at the retreat center that was a herbalist and she gave me some foul tasting herbal tea (Chaparro Amargo) that clears out parasites and the next day I felt hungry for the first time in a week and have been good since. YAY! Cycling and not eating is not a good combination as it turns out!
After leaving Mazunte we found the coastal road (Highway 200) doesn’t really hug the coast and to go to the beach you need to turn off and cycle about 10 km’s. So we took some dips in rivers we crossed to cool down along the way. Also, it turns out the Oaxaca coastal road is not that scenic. There’s a lot more rubbish than other roads we’ve cycled on and it’s lined with very dry-looking barren trees. However, from time to time we did get a glimpse of the water from a distance and that’s always nice.
So it’s the Isthmus of Tehuantepec for all those that just watched our latest video. The day after we took that clip the wind got way stronger in a gusty kind of way. Roland did an amazing job steering the bike however we found a portion of the day too dangerous to cycle and got a ride for 40 km’s just past Juchitan (where all the wind turbines are spinning furiously around). We weren’t so concerned with falling off our bike but rather being swept in front of a truck as we did swing into the middle of the road a few times but was lucky as no vehicles were behind us. It’s not our favourite thing in the world to hitch a ride but we like to think we have sensible heads some of the time.
In between camping for a few nights under a bridge, behind an abandoned shack and in a cabin used during the day for loggers and the such like; we stayed with two other couch surfers. One was with lovely Nizbeth and her family in Juchitan (we were their first couchsurfing visitors which was cool) and then for three nights in Tuxtla Gutierrez (the modern Capital of Chiapas). After doing a 150 km cycle day we were greeted by Claudio and Angel in Tuxtla and promptly booked into the Camino Real Hotel which was totally unexpected and very generous. There was another couchsurfer already staying with Claudio and he felt bad that we would be using our mattresses on the ground. No amount of trying to assure Claudio that we were accustomed to sleeping on our mattresses and that we were simply appreciative of a place to stay worked. We were ushered to the hotel where we slept soundly in a king-sized bed and had extra long showers.
The next day after a lazy morning we took in the Canyon El Sumidero in Chiapa de Corzo via boat. It was really pretty and the temperature was perfect with the breeze and shade of the towering canyon above us. We saw crocodiles and heaps of vultures but missed out on the spider monkeys that apparently hang out there too. That night we shared a meal out with Claudio and Angel and the other couchsurfer (Maddy, who just finished a cycling trip in the US). I even ate some seafood (go me!), watched Mexico versus Iceland (Roland represented Iceland), had a bit of a dance, and drunk one too many ‘Micho Sabores’. Eek!
We arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas after climbing from 430m to 2100m. We stayed with our friend, Alejandro who we met back up in the Copper Canyon around Christmas time. It was so great to see him again. We got the house to ourselves for two nights as Alejandro is a doctor and volunteers in rural villages offering advice, education and treatment at no cost, which we think was pretty amazing. We really liked San Cristobal and even though there were a few more tourists around, it had a really good vibe, felt safe and there were lots of interesting things going on. For example, Alejandro lives across the road from a small plaza and every night we stayed there was live music and yummy food stalls and a buzz about the place. Our favourite thing to do in San Cristobal was strolling around the pretty streets, plazas and markets at night, lit with thousands of lights and fulled with entertainment and a good opportunity to people watch.
We went to a local village called Chamula. They are an independent Tzotzil group and follow some unique religious practices, to the point where Chamulans practicing other kinds of Christianity (not Chamulan Catholicism) are expulsed from their villages. Unfortunately, when we where there we were totally bombarded with vendors (including children) pushing for a sale or to be given a gift. It makes for a tricky situation and generally makes you feel pretty stink saying 'no gracias' constantly. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the church but there were many locals chanting and praying with many lit candles and even sacrificed chickens at the alter. We also went to the graveyard that has black crosses for old people, white for the young and blue for others that have died.
Off to Osocingo in the morning to see Tonina, some Mayan ruins and then onto the grand Palenque!
What did we find on the side of the road?
- Fireworks that (to Roland’s utmost disappointment) didn’t work.
- Two hair combs
- A climbing carribena
- A bunch of mangoes that had fallen off a truck.... yummy!
Roland 120
Belinda 71