The following are excerpts from e-mails that I sent to friends and family during and after my 31 day trip to Mexico in October - November 2005. They have been edited for content.
Subject: Saltillo
Hola Amigos y Familia,
Day1
I'm in Saltillo and I am well. I had about a 26 hour day
yesterday. I arrived in Laredo early. So, I decided to
cross the border and come to Saltillo. What can I say? I'm an Iron Man. All
went well, less a few minor mishaps. About 100 miles from Tallahassee, I
realized that I had left my belt and some cloths that I wanted to bring.
Fortunately, I had pack an extra pair of pants, and I purchased a suitable
belt at Wal-Mart. I got rained on twice while I was loading the bike. I had a
very large bag of clothes for Viengsay (Lulu's Baby). After I got the bike
loaded, I was a bit uneasy riding because it felt
overloaded. It would
almost tip over on the kickstand, if I wasn't careful. I stopped for gas in
Monterrey, and I dropped the bike when I was trying to exit my parking space. I
had a full tank of gas and a heavy load on a very top heavy motorcycle. The
load shifted and the handlebars locked to one side. I almost saved it, but in
the end it was too heavy. I hurt my arm and knee, but just a little. My pride
was hurt most of all. It broke one front blinker and put a few character marks
on my brand new left saddlebag. Two guys helped me pick it up the bike and I rode
all the way to Saltillo without another stop.
I made a new rule: If I can't fit it in the saddlebags
or tank bag, I don't need it. Think light!!!!!
For everyone in Tallahassee, It cost me $150.00 in gas
to get to Laredo. The most expensive gas I saw on the interstate was $3.15 for
93. 87 is $2.59 in Laredo. It looks like most people along I10 and in SE Texas
are paying less for gas than us.
I hope all of you are well.
Ken
Subject: Day 2 thru 5
Hello Everyone,
Day2
It was a good thing that I decided to be an iron man
and arrive in Saltillo a day early, because the next day was a miserable one. It rained all day and had fog like
pea soup. I spent the day with Lulu and Viengsay. Viengsay is a precious
baby. Not only is she a beautiful child, she is also a sweet baby. During
the day, I repaired
my blinker with super glue and duct tape, miracle
materials. When Juan Jorge got home we went out to a restaurant and I had
roasted goat. It was very good.
Day 3
I got up early and finished packing my things. Lulu cooked breakfast and I
departed at 9:25am. I rode back north to Monterrey and got on Hwy 85 south.
I had been on this highway a few years ago and it was still much like I
remembered it to be. Parts of it a very wide with two lanes, but they use it
like a four lane highway. Overall, the road conditions were good an I
decided to go all the way to Tampico, a 400 mile day. I spent the night there
in a nice $40.00 hotel.
Day 4
I woke very early and had to kill some time watching TV, they only had one
channel in English and it was porno. The movies did not have much plot, ha
ha. The kitchen was closed and I could not get any coffee :( I had to
settle for bottled water. I departed at 7:00am. This was a day of varying
road conditions. I road on super highways and two lane roads with no
shoulders at all and potholes. I covered 300 miles to Veracruz. I stayed in a
decent Howard Johnson Hotel for $55.00, it is on the beach. I watched A couple of
movies in English, Princess Bride and some crazy B movie on HBO, but after a
long day riding, I could not stay awake past 7:00pm.
Day 5
Again, I woke early. I have been working at night and it is hard to break my
sleep pattern. I was going to stay here another day, but there is a storm
brewing way south close to Central America. I figure I don't have too much
time to waste. I'm getting ready to go soon. I'm riding to Villahermosa.
Take Care,
Ken
Subject: I'm in Merida
Hello All,
I'm sure you all are worried about me and the hurricane, but
don't worry
I'm in a safe area. I probably will get rained on, but that's nothing
new. Now for the update.
Day 5 cont.
I left Veracruz at 9:45am, the plan was to go to Villahermosa. I had
heard about the hurricane so that influenced my plans. I got about 90
miles from Veracruz and it started to rain. I stopped under a bridge and
put on my rain pants. Then, it stopped raining. I rode through a lot of
wet areas and I passed a political demonstration the blocked the other
lane. I went on to Villahermosa, the people there drive like maniacs.
I rested for an hour and pressed on. I was riding into dark clouds. It
started raining, but there was no where to stop to put my rain pants
back on. I rode on to Ciudad del Carmen, a little over 400 miles. The
city was flooded in places, they had gotten a lot of rain. I was looking
for gas, riding through flooded streets. DON'T FREAK OUT!!!!!! I saw a
gas station and changed lanes, the bike came out from under me. I
crashed, it happened so fast. I got a few scrapes and bruises. It bent one of my
bag latches, but overall very little damage. I was lucky. I got myself
together and went to one of those hotels with the garages, so I could
make repairs. It was a nice hotel for $45.00.
Day 6
I woke up early and it was raining. When I looked in the mirror, I
looked like I had
the plague. I had been attacked by mosquitoes during
the night. I had about 100 stings on my hand and many more on my face.
Why me Lord? I packed up, put on the rain gear, and it stopped raining.
I rode on to the Uxmal Ruins. About 240 miles. I arrived about noon. I
got a room at the Hotel Villas for $75.00 a night. They had a laundry,
so I got some of my clothes washed. I walked to the Ruins and checked
out the entrance. I decided to wait to the next day for a visit. I got
something to eat and retired for the evening.
Day 7
I got up early for breakfast at 7:30am. Then I went to the Ruins at
8:00am. I hired a guide, his name was Gregorio. He spoke Mayan, Spanish,
English, French, and Italian. He was a good guide and made the tour fun.
He knew all the good places to take photos. I spent about 2 hours there.
I went back to the hotel for a rest, then visited some of the lesser
ruins in the area. I was very impressed by the Cave at Loltun. I met a
couple from Belgium and we toured together. It is a large limestone
cave, and the tour is 2km long, about 45 minutes. Just right, not too
long or too short. I went back to the hotel and waited for the 8:00pm
light show at Uxmal. It was a good show. I met a couple from Holland and
we traded info about the hurricane. They decided to stay there, because
they were planning to go to Cancun. It was a good day, I met lots of good people.
Day 8
I met some Canadians in the morning and we chatted about Mexico for an
hour. I left about 11:00am and arrived in Merida about an hour later.
This town is full from the people coming from Cancun. I have not found a
hotel yet. I going to find a place to get my thoughts together. I figure
the storm will be done by Sunday. I might wait it out here until then.
Don't worry, I check in with Lulu almost every day. She is my contact
person in Mexico.
I hope you all are well.
Ken
Subject: Day 8 and 9
Hola Amigos y Familia,
Day 8 cont.
After I left the computer, I decided to try to
find a hotel on the way out of town. I was also looking for a drug store
to buy some more band aids. I ended up in a the little town of Uman. I'm
staying in a small hotel, Hotel Don Quijote, $25.00 a night. It is a
nice place, it reminds me of staying in someone's home. The people are
very nice and they prepare food in front of the hotel. Good food and
cheap, just what a traveling man needs. When I got settled and put on a
pair of shorts, I noticed a big red spot on my thigh. I had been stung
by some kind of wasp while riding the day before. The way that he hit
me, I think I got all of his venom. I decided to find some kind of
clinic. There are a lot of tricycle taxis here, one of the guys working
at the hotel, Jose, had one. He took me to two places before we found a
doctor. It cost me $12.00 to see the doctor and $35.00 for medicine and
bandages. The doctor did what I expected him to do, he cleaned my wounds
from the crash and gave me some antibiotics. If I was at home, I would
have done something else, but since I am far from home I decided it was
best to do what the doctor says. Jose stayed with me the whole time, he
spent about 1 1/2 hours with me. I asked him how much, he said what ever
I want to give him. I gave him $5.00 and, from his reaction, you would
have thought it was a $100.00. There are not many tourist here, the
people are not spoiled.
Day 9
I got up this morning and it was raining. I have
been going back and forth all day, should I stay or should I go. If I
had left early, I could have made it out of town, but now it is too
late. We are at least 150 miles from where the storm will hit. I feel
safe, all the buildings are concrete here. I think it will be like many
storms that have passed near Tallahassee, some wind and rain. I may be
here until Sunday morning.
My plans have changed accordingly. I'm not going
to Chichen Itza or Tulum. I'm going south to Xpujil, then to Palenque.
Now, I have a reason to return to the Yucatan. The people here have been
wonderful to me, and the ladies of Mayan decent have a certain beauty
about them. The Mayan language is very much alive here, they are
broadcasting hurricane warning in Mayan. The hotel manager told me that
some people speak only Mayan.
I hope you all are well.
Ken
Subject: I'm in Palenque
Hi All,
I'm OK far from where the storm hit. Sorry that I
could not give you all an update sooner. I've been in the sticks. No
cell phone, no Internet.
Day 9
I rested at the Don Quijote all day and socialized
with the people there. I met a neighbor names Pedro that spoke some
English, he was a nice guy. He has a wife and two kids and works as an
electrician. He was telling me how difficult it is to support a family
in Uman. The seemed like a hard working blue collar kind of guy.
In the evening I chatted with Mateo, a
lawyer. Mexican lawyers are different than US lawyers. Not so high and
mighty. We talked about many things, he told me about some of his cases
and his family. The has a new baby boy. I liked him as well.
Day 10
I was growing restless at the Don Quijote, so I
decided to leave. I had already decided not to go further east, so I
went south. It was raining a little when I left. The first 75 miles were
not bad, but then the bottom fell out. It started raining hard. I kept
riding because I could still see. I kept the bike at a safe speed. I had
to turn off the main highway to take a more direct route to the Xpujil
Ruins. I passed through a small town named Hopelchen, the water was
running like a river through the streets, so naturally I took a wrong
turn. I ended up on a road that the pavement ran out. It ran out on a
down hill curve. I knew there was no way for me to turn around without
dropping the bike. So, I went forward on a two rut flooded dirt road. I
could see pavement ahead. Mind you, it is raining cats and dogs. I was
six feet from the pavement and I hit a hole and dropped the bike in a
mud puddle. Luckily, there was an old man working across the street. He
helped me get the bike up and sent me in the right direction. I did not
see any signs until I was going out of town. I rode through a few more
small towns that were flooded as well. I also rode through an area that
looked like it still had some damage from Hurricane Stan. About 1/3 of
the road was washed away, and there were many patched areas.
By the end of the day, I had ridden 5
hours/225mile through BFE , BFM in this case, to get to the sticks, and
I was wet wet wet. I had my rain gear on and the jacket did quite well,
but everything in the pockets was wet. When I took off my rain pants,
the only dry spots on my pants were the tops of my thighs. I had to ring
the water out of my gloves, and my boots were waterlogged. I took two
days for everything to dry out.
Day 11
I spent the morning visiting the ruins in the
area. I came to visit Xpujil, but it was not impressive at all. It only
had one structure worth a look. I also visited Becan and Chicanna, both
well worth the trip. I especially like Becan, I climbed one of the
pyramids there, it had a great view. I encountered a crazy old man that
followed me to Chicanna. I finally gave him 10 pesos, because he said he
was hungry.
I stayed in the Chicanna Ecovillage, no TV, no AC,
no telephone, and it was $100.00 a night. One of my guide books said it
was the only suitable hotel in the area. I found another good hotel, but
it was too late to change. The people were very nice there, and the food
in the dining room was the best restaurant food that I had ever eaten in
Mexico. I also met a couple form Playa del Carmen, one of the areas hit
by Hurricane Wilma. They had fled their home and arrive there three days
before me. They are Alex, Denise, and their son Noah. He is Mexican, she
is Swiss. The also had a Russian couple with them that had a little
girl. Everyone spoke English, so it was a nice change for me. They are
good people and I wish them well.
Day 12
I got up early and finished packing my things. I
ate breakfast and chatted with Alex for a little while. He was planning
to leave today as well. He was waiting for his car to get out of the
repair shop. I left about 8:30am. I rode to Calakmul. The turn off was
about 30 miles from the hotel, then the ruins were 40 miles into the
jungle. It took me about 50 minutes to cover the 40 miles. I saw small
hawks, turkeys, monkeys, and a cousin to the peacock. Certainly, the
most wildlife I had ever seen in Mexico. This was a very interesting
sight. The best I could tell, it was opened in 2002. It was not even on
my AAA map. They are still excavating and restoring it. It was well
worth the drive in the jungle. I spent about 2 1/2 hours there plus the
driving time. I was the only visitor, but on the way out, I met two
older couples from Holland. I don't think I have met a single person
from the US on this trip so far.
What was supposed to be an easy day, turned into a
long one. I'm in Palenque now, I have not even found a hotel yet. I
wanted to let everyone know that I am alright, because I had been out of
touch for a few days.
I hope you all are well,
Ken
Subject: Ruins of Palenque
Hello Everyone,
Day 12 cont.
After I wrote the update, I crossed the street and
ate tacos at a little taco stand. They were very good. There was this
crazy guy playing guitar and singing near the top of his lungs. It was a
little irritating after a long day of riding, but it didn't last long. I
found a nice hotel 5km from the ruins. The Hotel Villas Kih-Ha, it is a
very nice place. The lady at the front desk gave me a discount, $70.00 a
night. It has all the things I need, TV & AC.
Day 13
I got up early for breakfast and went to the ruins
around 8:00am. I hired an English speaking guide. He was a nice guy, but a
little overpriced for what I got out of it. The ruins are some of the most
beautiful that I have seen. The grounds are very well kept, and you can
tell that this sight has been open for a while. I finally ran into some
Americans, three ladies from Maine on a bus tour with about 40 other
people. I also met two German girls on a similar bus tour. They were very
nice. The hurricane effected their plans as well. They were supposed to go
to Playa del Carmen for the last two weeks of their vacation, but they
have to find a new location now. It has been a good day, I spent about 3
1/2 hours at the ruins and the rest of the day just relaxing.
I finished my medication today, I can finally have a
beer. My scrapes are healing nicely and the insect bites have almost
disappeared. I don't feel like I have the plague anymore.
I'm going to Veracruz tomorrow. I will be there two
or three days. It will be a long day of riding tomorrow, but all on good
roads. I will be staying at HoJo again, so I will have internet. I will
write again in a couple of days.
Take Care,
Ken
Subject: Saludos de Veracruz
Hola Friends and Family,
Time for another update.
Day13 cont.
After my last update, I spent the afternoon resting.
The hotel was almost deserted, so I had plenty of peace and quiet. I
chatted with the lady at the front desk for a little while, she sold me a
discount ticket for a show that they have nightly. They have a nice
theater on the grounds of the hotel. I had a decent supper and went to the
show at 9:00pm. It was a musical and dance interpretation of the Mayan
concept of the creation of Earth. It was a little artsy for my taste, but
a good time was had by all.
Day 14
I had a restless night sleeping, but I got up early
for breakfast. I departed at 8:15am. I had a pretty uneventful day of
riding across some beautiful country. I had to pay all the expensive tolls
again. I rode past a field of pineapples, then stopped at a roadside stand
and bought some fresh squeezed pineapple juice from an old man that looked
to be 90 years old. After 400 miles and 7 1/2 hours, I arrived at the
HoJo. I had met a young lady named
Klaudia when I was in Veracruz a couple
of weeks ago, she works in the hotel. We met for supper at the Zocalo
(town square) and had a nice walk on the boardwalk by the beach. She had
to work at 10:30pm. We planned to meet the next day. I went to bed around
midnight.
Day 15
Klaudia's relief did not show up, so she had to work
a double shift. She said she still wanted to do something after wards. I
hung out until she got off work at 2:30pm. Her cousin, Erica, came by the
hotel, the three of us went to the
Fort of San Juan de Ulua. It is a very
important piece of Mexican History. It is an old Spanish fort that was
started in 1532. We hired a guide and he turned a bunch of old buildings
into a good story. Well worth the $20.00 I paid him. I found the fort to
be equally as interesting as some of the ruins I had been to. After wards
we went out to eat, they took me to the same restaurant that I had been to
in 2003. What are the chances? It is a small place kind of off the beaten
path. They dropped me back at the hotel, and said they wanted to go out at
10:30pm. I didn't know how Klaudia was going to do it with no sleep for
about 30 hours.
We met like they said, and they took me to a night
club. It was a nice place, I figured I would be the old man in the club,
but I saw some folks that could have been my parents. From what I saw,
there are many beautiful ladies in Veracruz.
Klaudia and Erica are
certainly two of them. They had an11 person Cuban band playing that was
great. They had three ladies fronting the band that sang and danced very
well, it was excellent entertainment. We left about 3:30am. I'm sure Klaudia's eyes closed before her head touched her pillow.
Day 16
After the night before, I did not get up early. I
was surprised to get a message from Klaudia and Erica at 11:45am. The
three of us met for breakfast and went to the Aquarium after wards. It was
a nice aquarium, we spent about 40 minutes there before Klaudia had to go
to work again.
About 3:00pm, I went to check on my bike. The
security guys pointed out a bulge in the sidewall of my front tire. It was
probably damage from the crash that I did not discover. I had checked the
tire before, but it probably appeared later. I spent three hours riding
around town looking for a tire. Everyone that could get a tire, like the
one I have, said it would take 7 to 15 days. I have to be in Mazatlan by
the 4th of November. I found a tire that is the right size,
a bias ply
Pirelli made in Brazil. It is going to cost me $150.00 installed at the
Harley Dealer. I checked several places and they looked like the only
place in town that I would trust to do the job. What luck, huh? They tire
should be good enough to get me home.
I'm going to be here in Veracruz until
Sunday morning. Then, I will spend three days on the road to get to
Mazatlan, I'm 1000 miles from there. I probably will not write again until
I arrive in Mazatlan.
Don't worry, I'm well and I have good company.
Take care,
Ken
Subject: I'm in Mazatlan
Hello All,
I'm in Mazatlan with the Family. I'm doing well
after a few hard days traveling. Now for the update.
Day 16 cont.
After the tire ordeal, I went back to the hotel to
relax for a while. Klaudia was working so we had a little time to chat.
We were getting together after she got off work. I chilled out until
10:30pm, the time Klaudia got off. Ericka was a little late arriving, so
our party was a little late starting. We went to pick up another friend
named
Miriam. Then we went to another club that played Cuban music. It
was more of a show with Vegas style dancers, comedy, and music. We
missed the first part of the show, but what I did see was very good. I
had a few beers and we danced a lot. I did not get to bed until 4:00am.
I had a great time with the girls. I paid attention to how they acted,
they are very good young ladies. I am happy to have them as friends.
Day 17
I got up about 9:15am, so I could take my tire to
the
Harley shop to get it changed. It was raining, and some of the main
streets were flooded. I when by taxi, because my bike was already at the
shop. On the way back, the taxi had a flat tire. I helped the driver
change the tire, he was having a hard time. What is it with me and
tires?
I relaxed and had something to eat at the hotel. I
did not expect to hear from the girls early, because we had been out
late. About 1:45pm, I received a message from Klaudia to meet them at
the Aquarium. Much to my surprise, Klaudia had traded shifts with
someone and had the day off.
We went to a place called La Antigua to see Hernan
Cortez's house. We also got to see the first Catholic Church in the
Americas, we are talking 16th century. The church was in great shape,
but there wasn't much to the house. The most interesting thing about the
house was how some trees had taken it over. We spent a couple of hours
there, then went back into town to check on the bike.
They finished the bike, and all was well. The
brakes worked and the tire looked much better on the bike. I was happy
with the job.
We had the bike and the car washed while we went
to eat. Then we took the bike back to the hotel. Instead of wasting time
going to change, we decided just to hang out together until about
midnight. We went to the movies and saw The 40 year old Virgin. It was
very funny. I said goodbye to the girls and got to bed around 12:30am.
Day 18
I got up early to finish packing my things.
Klaudia was working the morning shift. I spoke to her, then went to eat
breakfast. Around 10:00am, with much regret, I said goodbye to my new
friend and departed Veracruz.
I had been riding in warm weather so long, that
was all I had on my mind. After riding 1 1/2 hours, I had to stop and
put on my electric jacket liner, gloves and chaps. I was cold. I had
went from sea level to and ever rising altitude. A few minutes later, I
rode into a fog back, and had about 3 bike lengths visibility. Can you
say slow going. I took about 30 minutes to get through. I made 200 miles
in the first 4 hours, but the closer I got to Mexico City, the heavier
the traffic got. I took me 4 1/2 hours to go the next 120 miles. I spent
the night in a small town named Nicolas Romero. The traffic was
terrible, and I had to go around the crazy streets before I found a
hotel. The hotel River was $16.00 a night, but very adequate for my
purposes. I was so tired and it was cold at 7800ft altitude. I had a
$3.00 supper, and bought some sweet bread from the bakery for $1.40 for
breakfast. I went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Day 19
After a cold night I got up early to discover no
hot water. I washed the important parts and got on the road at 8:00am. I
took me 2 hours to cover 56 miles on the mountain roads. The I saw some
very sweet works MERIDA CUOTA. 7 hours 15 minutes later, I was in my
hotel in Tepic, Nayarit. I covered 437 miles in total. The tolls were a
real budget buster, $71.00 tolls, $31.00 gas. I stayed in the Motel
Paradise fro $32.00. It was a nice place with hot waster and room
service. I had a chicken sandwich and fries. I was tired again, so I
watched Friends and ER in English and went to bead around 9:00pm.
Day 20
I tossed and turned a lot for some reason, I got
up early and packed my things. I got a couple of cups of coffee
from room service. Then, I departed at 7:00am. I covered 183 miles in 3
hours 15 minutes on two and four lane roads. I arrived at the Family
home at 10:15am. I been here about 6 1/2 hours now, relaxing and
visiting the family. It is good to be in Mazatlan once again.
I going to be here for six days. All is well, I
will write again before I depart.
Take care,
Ken
Subject: Mazatlan: Dia de los Muertos y La Piñata
Day 21 thru 26
I have been very busy with family and friends
here in Mazatlan. On the night of my arrival, I went out for a few
beer with Tio Rafa (Uncle Rafael), I had not been drinking much so I
got a little drunk. Tio Rafa is a fun guy, and a very good brother to
Papa Isaac.
November 2nd was Dia de los Muertos (Day of the
Dead) here in Mexico. Last year I was here at the same time, I equated
it to a rock concert in the grave yard. This year, it was the same.
Many people with many flowers visiting the graves of their relatives.
It is a great tradition, I saw real emotion on the faces of my friends
and family here.
On Thursday, I went to the school to talk with
the students in Cande´s English class. The students in the morning
were a lot of fun and participated very well. The students in the
afternoon were a little more shy. They asked me if I had a girl
friend, I said no. One of the girls told me she would introduce me to
her mother.
I have been to three birthday parties this week.
A birthday party for a child is called a Piñata, because of the
piñatas. We had Aymara´s 9th birthday piñata on Saturday, we spent
three days preparing for the party. About 70 children with their
parents came to the party. We all had a nice time, and Aymara got a
lot of gifts.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity
to see some of my good friends this week. I had went out to eat with
my friends Miriam and Adreana a couple of times. I, also, went to
visit my friend Patty at the Mazatlan Gallery in the Golden Zone. I
had a nice time visiting with my friends.
Isaacito is working out of town, but he came
home on Friday. I enjoy staying at the family home, especially when
everyone is there. I feel a lot of love in the family home. Isaacito
and I went out for a few beers on Friday night, we had a good time
together. He left on the bus last night to go back to work. He is a
teacher in a small town about 3 1/2 hours from here.
Yesterday, we went over to Juan Jorge's Parent's
house for a cookout. We had carne asada (grilled beef), it was so
good. We also had a few beers and watched a soccer game on TV,
Isaacito´s team won. We had some nice conversations with the family
and friends. A friend had her children with her, the youngest girl was
named Frida. She was so adorable. Papa Isaac had to go to work at
7:00pm until Tuesday afternoon, so we had to say our goodbyes.
I am spending my last day here in Mazatlan
visiting with friends and family. Tomorrow, I am going to Torreon to
visit a friend for two days. I will write again when I get to
Saltillo.
Take Care,
Ken
Subject: Torreon, Saltillo, and USA
Hello All,
Day 27
I got up early so I could get on the road by
7:00am. It was difficult to leave. I gave Angel a ride to school
on the way out of town. The Mazatlan side of the mountains is the
steep side. The altitude rises fast on the way up the mountains. The
road over the mountains was in the best shape that I have ever seen
it. It had new pavement in many places. I felt like I was going slow,
but I made it to Durango in 5 hours, very good time. I rested for a
little while at a gas station on the way out of Durango. Then, I
pushed on to Torreon. I arrived at my hotel at 4:00pm, 3:00pm Mazatlan
time. I had covered 368 miles.
I called my friend Elsa, and I met her and her
two daughters at the mall near my hotel at 5:30pm. We had supper and
chatted a while, Elsa's daughters are beautiful. Daniela is 10 and
Patricia is 8. The girls had school the next day, so we said our
goodbyes and planned to meet at 10:00am for a tour of the city. I went
back to the hotel to rest. A long day of riding takes a lot out of
you.
Day 28
I rose about 9:00am and prepared for my day. I
received a message from Elsa about 10:30am. A friend of the family had
passed away, so she was going to be busy with the family. I told her
that family was more important than me. I took a taxi to a restaurant
and had a good breakfast. Then, I took another taxi downtown to visit
some museums. I paid $1.50 to visit three small museums in the area.
The first was the home of the architect of the city, he was a German
who had came to the area in the 1800s. The next was a railroad museum,
and the last was the sight of the first hacienda in the area. After
the museums, I walked about six blocks to the Plaza de Armas. It is a
small square in the old down town area. I ate a taco and had a large
lemonade for a $1.60. After wards, I went in search of some postcards.
I did not have much luck. I called the same taxi driver from earlier
in the day, his name was Antonio. We spent 1 1/2 hours riding around
looking for postcards. I finally found some two blocks from my hotel
at the airport. Antonio was a nice guy and charged me a fair price for
the ride. That night, I rode the bike back to the mall for supper.
After supper, I returned to the hotel and relaxed watching TV until I
fell asleep.
Day 29
I had a restless night sleeping, so I was in no
hurry to leave. I called Elsa to say goodbye and left Torreon at
10:40am. 175 miles later, I arrived in Saltillo about 1:30pm. I spent
the afternoon visiting with Lulu and Viengsay. I was a little tired,
so I did not feel like doing much. We hung out at the house until Juan
Jorge got home. A friend, Paulo, came by and asked us to help him load
some tables in his van. He was traveling home to Toluca the next day.
The table were for his father. After wards, we just kinda relaxed at
home until bedtime.
Day 30
Juan Jorge left for work around 8:00am. Lulu
made breakfast for me and the baby. We loaded up in the car and went
to visit the Desert Museum in Saltillo. It was about a 20 minute ride
from the house. It cost $6.00 to get in, well worth the price. They
had lots of fossils, dinosaur skeletons, a zoo, and a plant nursery.
We spent about 1 1/2 hours there, it was a nice visit. We went and
bought fresh baked bread from two different bakeries on the way home.
In the afternoon, we watched Disney cartoons in Spanish with
Viengsay. Lulu and I did most of the watching. When Juan Jorge got
home, we watched Hellboy in English with Spanish subtitles.
After the movies, we went to visit Tia Juanie.
She is Juan Jorge's mother's sister. We had a nice visit and they fed
me home made flour tortillas. They were so good.
Day 31
I was in no hurry to leave Saltillo, 9:00am
turned into 10:00am, which turned into 11:00am. With much sadness, I
said goodbye. I put the hammer down across the desert to Nuevo Laredo.
I arrive at 1:30pm after covering 180 miles. I canceled my vehicle
permit and visa. Then I got caught in a traffic jam going across the
border. When I finally got to US Customs, the agent told me that they
pick one vehicle out of 100 to search at random. I was the lucky one.
I pulled over to the search area. They kind of half heartily looked
through my things. They asked me where I worked, I told them that I am
a Federal Correctional Officer. The Customs Agent took my ID and was
gone with it about 20 minutes. When she came back, she told me I was
free to go. Welcome back to the USA!!!!
I got to my truck a little after 3:00pm. I
chatted with the manager of the storage facility and shared some of my
Mexican bread with her. I took me about an hour to load up, then I had
to get gas for the truck. I changed my clocks to Tallahassee time. I
finally departed Laredo, TX at 5:20pm EST.
My plan was to drive to Beaumont, TX and spend
the night. When I arrived in Beaumont, I could not find a room. I
think all the hotels were either taken over by the state, or filled
with people who had come to the area to work. I saw a lot of boom
trucks. I had no choice but to keep driving. After stopping several
times, I finally found a room in Louisiana, 584 miles from Laredo. I
laid down at 2:30am. I had to pay $65.00 for the room that was not
much better than the room I paid $16.00 for in Mexico. At least the
bed was comfortable and I had hot water.
Day 32
A friend called my cell phone and woke me up too
early. I was tired and moving slow. I finally got moving around
11:00am, after topping the truck off with gas and getting some coffee.
I arrived home in Tallahassee about 6:00pm.
For the entire trip, I rode 4484 miles in Mexico
on the motorcycle, and 2172 miles in the truck in the US.
It was a grand adventure.
The only problem with vacations and adventures
is they have to end.
Take care,
Ken
Subject: Thoughts about the Trip
Hello All,
I have been home about two weeks now and it has been very hard to
get
back into a routine. I worked during the day the first week, and now
I
am working midnight to eight until Christmas. Add to that, I have to
work ten days straight before I get a day off. Today was my eight
day straight working.I had a little motivation to get the photos on to my website, so I
finished in about half the time I thought it would take. I am happy
about that.
Some of you seem to think that I was having a hard time on my trip.
I guess reading about it and living it are two different things. I
did have a couple of tough days,
but I never thought about giving up or going home. All of you that
know
me well, know that when I decide to do something, I do it.
I would like to share some of my thoughts about the trip with you. I
want to end this with a high point, so lets start with the low
points.
Low Points
You might think that I would say that the crash was the lowest
point,
but for me it wasn't. My toughest day was the day I rode 5 hours in
the
rain to escape Hurricane Wilma. It was the toughest day that I have
ever
spent on a motorcycle. I read a book called Storm, it was about a
couple
who took a motorcycle vacation in Europe. They ran into a lot of
rain on
the trip and the trip almost broke them up. I have a much better
appreciation of the story now. But, it turned out to be a good
decision.
It stopped raining shortly after I arrived at the hotel, and that
was
the last day that I had to ride in the rain.
I have thought about the crash a lot in the past weeks. I believe I
know what happened. There are lots of speed bumps in Mexico. There
is a
type made of metal that is like a half moon nailed to the road.
Usually
they are perpendicular to your path, but in Cuidad del Carmen, they
had
used them to divide the lanes. I was parallel to them when I hit.
Wet
roads, wet tires, and slick metal speed bumps just don't mix. The
next
day, I was a little timid on the bike, but I had too far to go. So,
I
had to get over it quickly.
Ruins
My best experience visiting the ruins was at Uxmal. The hotel wasnice, the food was good, and the ruins were beautiful. Also, the
guide I
hired was well worth the $45.00 that I had to pay him. I also met
some
very nice people there.
I had a similar experience at Palenque, but the food was just OK and
the
guide was not worth the $55.00 i had to pay him. The ruins at
Palenque
are magnificent. I would like to return there someday.
Best Non Ruins
I had a very good time in Veracruz. I had passed through Veracruz in
2003 and again this trip on my way to the Yucatan, but I had not
taken
the time to get to know the city. Veracruz is a city of much history
and
I was lucky to have Klaudia and Erika for my guides. Visiting Fort
San
Juan de Ulua and La Antigua was as interesting to me as visiting
Mayan
ruins.
Friends and Family
Visiting friends and family was a nice bonus on a trip like this
one.
I was amazed to see how much Viengsay has grown. I also enjoyed
visiting
with the kids that live in the neighborhood in Mazatlan. All of them
are
growing so much. I love staying with the family in Mazatlan, there
is so
much love in their house. I also enjoyed seeing my friends Patty,
Miriam, Adreana, and Elsa.
Biggest Surprise
When I planned this trip, I never considered making real friends,
because my time was limited in each location. I was not looking for
new
friends, but a friend found me. I guess I have Hurricane Wilma to
thank
for the extra time that I had to spend in Veracruz. Klaudia was my
biggest surprise. She went out of her way to make time to spend with
me. Klaudia and Erika made my time in Veracruz memorable. I am not sure why
they
picked me, but I am glad they did.
Final Thoughts
For every bad thing that happened to me, many good things
happened. It was a trip that I will not forget. I have over 650
photos to help me remember.
I hope you all are well,
Ken
