11. Oaxaca and the road to the coast
Day 24 Departure from Puebla was straight forward. Soon enough I was on the freeway enjoying an easy ride. But no so fast, cowboy. A massive, I mean a MASSIVE traffic jam which lasted for 30+ km. Both eastbound lanes for jammed. Nobody was moving except me. People out of their cars, chatting and smoking. My Mexican attitude kicked in and I was weaving among the cars and on the shoulder. I am a PRO at this by now. But there were cars driving on the shoulder TOWARDS me! That’s new. Well, another truck crash caused all of that. Even though the line up was in the middle of nowhere, all of a sudden there were vendors offering water, refreshments, stuffed toys and you name it they had it. They are very opportunistic bunch. Got through all that and the rest of the trip yesterday was uneventful. Arrival to Oaxaca was hectic as in every big city here. There were huge storm clouds everywhere but didn’t start raining until I was safely in my hotel. The hotel was basic, but very clean and with good internet.
As per SOP I went to explore the city. It is nice with colourful houses. Of course, a big church on the main square with a stunning architecture inside. The Spaniards were very prolific builders. They were not just sitting around and drinking tequila. I had an early dinner and back to update the pictures. I didn’t feel like writing yesterday. I didn’t know where I am going to go today until late last night. It is the weekend so all local attractions will be packed. Well, I am heading for the Pacific. Again.
Day 25 I am heading to Puerto Escondido on the coast. The road is very twisty and Mr. Google says it will take me 7 hrs for 250 km. I want to leave early but I am blocked by another guest in the hotel. Finally I lost my patience and start honking my horn. The owner of the car got the hint and I was quickly out of there.
I had high hopes regarding today’s ride based upon other twisty roads I experienced here. But 7 hrs is a lot. I stopped for gas on the way out of town. If there is something Mexico has plenty, it is gas stations. They must follow Starbucks bylaws. They are on every corner. I have my tank full of gas so off I go. But I am in Mexico, so I am not going anywhere fast. The friggn speed bumps. 100km and speed bumps every 50m! And these ones are not nice ones, these are square! You have to come almost to a stop if you like your wheels. It is frustrating but there is nothing you can do. They are in every village, in front of every food stall or just in the middle of nowhere. On top of that, the road surface is very very bad. With potholes that will swallow a truck. You can see the results of recent and frequent rain. Landslides, rockslides and washouts. Everywhere. Closer to the coast, the worse it gets. The road turns into a narrow dirt path at some places. If I get to 2nd gear, I am speeding. That’s why it takes 7 hrs, now I get it. Actually it took me “only” 6 hrs to get to Puerto Escondido. Stormy clouds all around me, but I arrived in my hotel dry.
I am tired and I need a break. I am taking a day off tomorrow, hopefully it will be a nice day. My bike is parked right outside of my room so I don’t have to haul my stuff anywhere. Bonus. I am staying few km out of town, just one block from the beach. A huge beach with a nice surf. Local were riding the waves but it looked very dark towards the north. The rain is coming. I parked myself in an empty restaurant and had a nice diner. They have great salads here. I know, me eating a salad! Who knew … I am sitting on the beach, drinking a Corona and watching the storm coming. And boy, it came strong. I was OK but the same couldn’t be said about the wedding party next door. Their reception turned into a swimming pool. So much for a romantic wedding on the beach … Even though the storm didn’t last too long, every little dry creek bed turned into a raging river. Water everywhere. My weather Gods were with me and the rain stopped right in time for me to go home.
No idea what the plan is for tomorrow. I know I will try to sleep in …