In the heart of the small city of Tlacolula, just 30 minutes south of Oaxaca, lies one of the oldest markets in Mexico and Central America. People from the villages surrounding the city come to sell their goods each weekend just as their ancestors did hundreds of years earlier. I came to the market to see what it was like and to try a special snack found mainly in the state of Oaxaca. For weeks while riding my motorcycle from California through Mexico I would see the roads covered in … [Read more...]
The Ruins of Monte Albán
On a hill 10km away from a busy Walmart in the city of Oaxaca is Monte Albán, the ruins of a grand ancient city that ruled the region for 13 centuries. From 500 BC to 850 AD, Monte Albán is considered to have been the regional political, spiritual, and cultural capital of the Oaxaca Valley. Before arriving to Oaxaca I didn't know of Monte Albán but when I arrived I heard that it was one of the largest ruins in Mexico. I decided to go check it out with Marcelino, Ace of Cakes, who works at … [Read more...]
Wind Tunnels and Banditos
The Road from Tlacolula to San Cristobal de las Casas I wanted to stay in Tlacolula and continue to help out at the children's home but I have to keep making my way south to get to the boat on time to sail to Columbia. Believe it or not I was hoping to do another cement pour before I left. Leaving Tlacolula is easy as there's only one road. I followed 190 south into the mountains for about 3 hours. Gorgeous vistas around each curve. View Larger Map The road leaves the … [Read more...]
Dia de los Muertos in San Cristobal de las Casas
I didn't have any place to be for a while so I spent 3 days in San Cristobal de las Casas. I could have stayed longer as the city and surrounding area have plenty to offer and the family I stayed with was awesome. Located in a valley high in the mountains of Chiapas, San Cristobal is small but has an endless number of roads each with something to explore. I got in at night and after putting my stuff away I went out to the centro with Kevin, my host and fellow lover of ska music. It was his … [Read more...]
Chamula, Mexico
Chicken Sacrifices for the Cleaning of the Soul A few miles outside of San Cristobal de las Casas is the small village of San Juan Chamula. Kevin and I drove over one day to see what life was like outside the big city. Kevin and his father work in sustainable agriculture/development and they work with a lot of local farmers in the area. You would think that many of the farms in the small villages would use farming practices passed down from previous generations but most now use seeds … [Read more...]
Xela
It's Pronounced Shel-ah The road to Guatemala from San Cristobal isn't very long but it possibly has the most topes (speed bumps) per km. It made the trip to the border pretty slow. The last hour or so in Mexico it gets better. Checking my motorcycle out of Mexico was a breeze. Now I was ready to cross into Central America for the first time. I had looked up what I needed to do at the border and was warned about all the people who will solicit their border crossing services and offer bad … [Read more...]
Yo No Hablo No Bueno Espanish
A week learning Spanish in San Pedro on Lake Atitlan. The ride from Xela to San Pedro is only 51 miles but it was a slow two hours of riding because of heavy fog, rain, and the nice pavement turns into rubbish as you descend down steep narrow switchbacks down the mountain to the lake. I heard there was a recent robbery in between two of the towns along the route so I stuck close to the microbus that was heading down the mountain. Half way down the fog cleared and I saw why so many people love … [Read more...]
Tips for Motorcycle Travel in Mexico
On my trip from California to Argentina, I spent a month traveling through Mexico. Here are some things I learned along the way. This is not a complete guide, just some things that might help you plan a trip or get a sense of what it's like. If I posted something wrong let me know but I don't want to start a whole discussion here of Mexico tips. Just my take on it. You can find additional info on an ADVRider post here. Temp Vehicle Import Permit If you're traveling outside the free … [Read more...]
Rivers, Rocks, and Mud
Riding to Semuc Champey “The word adventure has gotten overused. For me, when everything goes wrong - that’s when adventure starts” That's a quote from the documentary 180 Degrees South. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, says it and when I first watched the film that line stuck in my head. Thinking about this trip I feel like I've already been on an adventure. But in Yvon Chouinards definition maybe my adventure began yesterday morning when we left San Pedro. I decided to ride with Kyle and … [Read more...]
Broken Bolts in Cobán
I woke up early knowing I had to find a mechanic to have the damage from Semuc Champey repaired. To complicate things I was in a town I didn't know and would have to try to explain in Spanish what I needed done. Kyle and Trevor packed up to ride to Honduras to go scuba diving and I stayed in Cobán to find a shop that could fix my sheared bolts. The guard at the hotel had a motorcycle so I showed him what happened and he drew me a map to a mechanic. I pulled up to Taller Israel Moto Shop and … [Read more...]
Getting into El Salvador
But Only After Getting Lost in Guatemala City The morning started off early but with complimentary coffee and bread I was feeling great. But when I was all ready to go, I was blocked in by someone else at the hotel. After a few minutes of the hotel staff trying to figure out whose car it was, a woman came out to move it. By the looks of it they woke her up. Sorry lady. Not surprisingly it started to lightly rain as I left Coban. Not very much but enough to make the traffic on the road slow … [Read more...]
La Playa to Volcan San Salvador
As soon as I stepped out of my hotel room I quickly remembered I was in the tropics. Even at 7:30 in the morning it was already at least 90 degrees with possibly 98% humidity. I couldn't wait to get on the bike and feel the wind. I kept my word about leaving early and was on the road by 7:30. View Larger Map I headed south on CA-2 which sticks along the coast through the mountains. The area was beautiful and the road was in pretty good condition. It seemed like the whole road was lined … [Read more...]
Repairs in San Salvador
While in San Salvador I had some work to do on the bike so I spent the first half of the day at the shop. I wanted to get the other three bolts for the rear rack enlarged to 8mm to hopefully prevent them from breaking. Mario has a motorcycle sales and repair shop but the mechanic that could tap threads was out so he sent me to another shop. Alfredo did a great job and in under an hour had all three threads nicely done. While he was working on the threads, I cleaned the air filter, and … [Read more...]
Crossing into Honduras at El Amatillo
I had heard so many horror stories of the border crossing into Honduras that I was seriously considering traveling over a "blind border." But I decided that might be more horrific if I was caught and fined a large sum of money. So to hopefully avoid some of craziness of the El Amatillo crossing, I wanted to get as close to the border the night before then cross very early the next morning. I left San Salvador just before 4pm and knew I would have a little over an hour of sunlight to get to … [Read more...]
The Honduran Countryside
A Weekend at Caserio Valuz Many travelers enter Honduras in the morning and leave in the afternoon. Whether it's the frustration caused at the border or the stories of bad roads and that it's an unsafe country, most people skip right to Nicaragua. After an opportunity showed up on Couchsurfing, I decided I'd spend the weekend there before going to Nicaragua. Not in the chaotic capital city but out in the beautiful Honduran countryside. I rode along the Pan American and then took CA-5 north … [Read more...]
