My Ticket To Ride the World... destination unknown!

The heat hit us as soon as we disembarked from the ferry in Mazatlan. Heat, and a new thing: humidity.

Our goal was to reach Durango by the end of the day and to spend most of our time on the free road, which promised to be more fun. And it was Incredible curves climbed up and up, winding through distractingly gorgeous scenery for miles and miles. It was VERY slow going though, with many curves necessitating 2nd gear and some even requiring first. The sun was beginning to dip, and the temperature was decreasing as steadily as we climbed. Eventually, we decided we’d had our fun for the day, so we got onto the rather expensive toll road in order to make it to Durango by nightfall.

After fueling up, we were about to get on the road again when an rider on a packed-up Kawasaki Versys pulled into the Pemex.


Alex from Mexico City, with his Versys that he is riding back from Utah

We began to chat and decided to ride together to Durango where Alex had connections, and so we rode. By the time we made it to Durango, we were freezing and rather tired. Alex’s friend picked us up in the main square in front of the beautiful cathedral, and we followed him through the city thinking we would be camping in his backyard, or something.


Making new friends in Durango


Instead, he led us to a simple but very comfortable hotel (i.e. one that offered safe parking for the bikes), where he had made arrangements for us.

The next morning, we met up with Raul, a doctor, and his motorbike Templarios group member, Gerardo, for breakfast and had a fascinating conversation with them about their worldwide motorcycle group.




Breakfast and route advice with Los Templarios


Alex asked the astute question: why the skulls and bones? I think this is a question a lot of people don’t bother to ask and simply assume that the the skull/cross bones are meant to communicate violence and instill fear. Quite the opposite, we were told that this is meant to signify that underneath whatever clothes we wear, whatever skin color we have, our basic physical essence is the same: skull and bones.


Mmmmm... Birria for breakfast. For Roel. (Goat's meet soup... nomnomnom)


Personally, I'm all set with huevos rancheros

From Durango, Alex offered that we could join him and his family in Aguas Calientes. Craving spending some time with a family and wanting to work on my Spanish, we were extremely keen.


Alex touring us around Zacatecas






Some interesting highway-side art in Zacatecas - sadly, the photo does not convey how intricate or massive this installation is :/

And so we headed off, making a quick tour of Zacatecas, before arriving in Aguas Calientes to the warm welcome of Alex’s Aunt, Uncles and cousins.



We spent a few days getting to know this diverse and interesting family (with 11 siblings in total, what else would you find) and it was wonderful. I learned a bit about Mexican cooking, Roel had his first mole ever and we were serenaded by Alex’s very talented uncle.


I can get used to these breakfasts!


Pollo con mole!!!

For the first time in ages, we went out to a bar like ‘normal’ 30-somethings, with Alex’s cousins. They toured us about the beautiful city center of Aguas Calientes, which also happens to be the geographic center of Mexico and boasts one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the entire country.
It was a fabulous evening and a great way to end our time in Aguas
Calientes.


Roel, making new friends in front of Templo de San Antonio


The interior of one of the most beautiful temples in all of Mexico: Templo de San Antonio

Aguas Calientes Centro




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We’d heard that Guadalajara was a city not to be missed, so we headed in that direction from Aguascalientes.

The free roads are slower, more picturesque and take you through a lot of small towns along the way. All of these things are good, but for the part that each town has anywhere from 2-20 topes - large speed bumps or strings of metal or plastic mounds. They’re rather annoying, to say the least.

We enjoyed our first night wild-camping just outside of a small town up on a hill overlooking the town lights, just below the gate to a cattle pasture. The next morning a guy on a 150cc Honda came riding up to turn on the water for the cows. We were just packing up and were slightly worried that he’d be annoyed by our presence, but instead, he told us that we could move our campsite behind the gate (which he was offering to leave open for us) up on top of the hill because it was prettier there. Welcome to Mexico.





Guadalajara Centro was indeed very pretty and there were tons of people enjoying the historic buildings with us. The highlight for me was the José Clemente Orozco murals in the Palacio de Gobierno: Lucha Social - Social Struggle and The People and its Leaders, which is in the State Congress Chamber and is meant to depict Hidalgo signing the decree to abolish slavery in Mexico.


Jose Clemente Orozco's "Lucha Social"


Orozco's "The People and Its Leaders"

While Guadalajara was nice, it wasn’t our city so we left and headed in the direction of Guanajuato.

Again, we were taking the free roads which brought us through every small town. My rear tire needed to be swapped out, and apparently 17 inch tires are not that common in Mexico. (After an hour of calling around while we were in Aguascalientes, we had resigned ourselves to waiting until Mexico City to change the tire.) While riding through Arandas we spotted El Gato Motorcycle shop and it looked promising. Sure enough, there was ONE 17 inch Pirelli MT60 sitting right there, practically waiting for me. Pirelli is usually not in our budget, but Manuel, the shop owner was willing to give us a great deal and was extremely kind and generous. He had one of his employees change the tire in the shop next door (for free) and even gave me an oil treatment once he heard that my bike was burning oil. While we were waiting, he showed us awesome photos of his time as an off-road racer. Obviously, he’s just generally passionate about motorcycling and it was evident in how his shop was stocked and set up.



Lucky for us we chose to ride the small free roads. Because of this, we got a Perelli tire for nearly 30% off, met a great rider, and both bikes have new or nearly new tires all around

Hola!!! No había visto el posting aqui. Solo había comentado en FB.

Bueno, hace tiempo que no entro. Pero qué Bueno! Good to see you here! I'll be following you guys here now.

Good to see a great couple in two amazing bikes!

Awesome! Bienvenidos Locorider!!!

We're just getting caught up with our videos footage from Baja so I thought I'd share this here for your viewing pleasure... <br><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sipl8K0jsdE" allowfullscreen="" width="560" frameborder="0" height="315"></iframe>

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Guys, great RR! I finally made it to your current posting!

Y'all are living the dream and I'm living vicariously through you both!

Hopefully I can convince my better half to take on an adventure like this....once the kiddos have flown the coop!

Keep up the great work, have fun and be safe!

Fair winds and shallow sand crossings!

Cheers!

JP

I’m going to start this blog by thanking my Guardian Angels and our sponsors who have made and given me gear that keeps me safe: Moto Machines for the Hepco & Becker Gobi cases that prevented my leg from being broken. KLiM for the Altitude suit that kept my knees and legs from unknown bruising and road rash. Racer Gloves for the Ladies Sport gloves that sustained the deep scratches instead of the heels of my palms. And although Scorpion is not a sponsor, they made a great helmet and thanks to that helmet my face is not purple and puffy.

And lastly, I’d like to thank the Universe for conspiring with the lessons I needed to learn, and in-turn showing us a silver lining to what started out as a VERY bad introduction to Guanajuato.

As Roel and I follow Jose Sr. out of Guanajuato, he on his Ducati Monster, leaving the Twin and Transalp in the dust, I am trying to figure out to share with you just how much Guanajuato, and her inhabitants, have come to mean to me.

So I have a little story for you. It’s a long one, so go grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine - or beer) and get comfortable.


There are topes.


A reasonable, although annoying, Mexican tope (a.k.a. "speedbump)

And then there are fuc&ing topes.

These, my friends, are what fuc&ing topes look like:


Unreasonable, fuc&ing dangerous, death-trap "topes"...

And yes, as you’ve probably guessed by now, I picked a fight with one and lost. Actually, it was probably more than one that pulled me down. That should probably make me feel better about it, but it doesn’t.

And that’s because I really only have myself to blame, like *almost* any motorcycle-only crash.

I’ll tell you that Roel and I had had a little tiff and perhaps my head wasn’t exactly where it should have been in order to ride into a bigger city like Guanajuato, one that has lots of tunnels, one-way streets, and sneaky, slippery fuc&ing topes.

I still haven’t decided if I’m going to give my consent to the video being posted (my Mom is a strong woman, but there are some things I think she doesn't necessarily need to be confronted with)… but to sum it up, we are riding through a tunnel that leads into the city of Guanajuato. I ride out of the tunnel into the light and am temporarily blinded… then I realize that the Centro is to the left, I am on the right and all I can see ahead of me are one-way streets that do not lead back to the road to the Centro. The communication system is off, (yes, due to aforementioned tiff) and in a split second, I make the decision to take on a string of topes dividing one lane from the other. Silly, stupid girl. I slowed down slightly, tried to square up to the topes as much as possible and then gave it a little extra gas. At this point, I was probably going 40 kilometers per hour. Or more. :/

The front tire crossed without issue, but the rear tire was another issue entirely.

In a frightening display of sideways movement that no motorcycle is meant to achieve, the bike does a 180, the rear tire sliding along the slick topes, the back of my Gobi case making hard contact with a 20cm tall curb. When the bike comes to a stop, we are on the ground facing oncoming traffic. I never remember the part of dropping (or crashing) my bike where my body hits the ground; and nor do I remember it this time. But I do remember my bike being at a very strange angle to the ground… and then looking over and seeing my left Gobi case a few feet away.

Damn.

The lock that secures it to the luggage rack mount has been ripped off upon making contact with the curb. (I later find out that the Gobi cases have been designed this way to ensure that minimal damage is done to the actual frame in the event of a crash.)

Despite being royally peeved at me, Roel jumps off of the Africa Twin and picks up the Transalp.

Moments later, a nice woman in a green 4x4 who was in traffic behind us, stops and asks over and over if I am OK and if she can help. The concern on her face is obvious, and I so appreciate that she cares… but there is really nothing that she can do.

We assess the damage:

The detached Gobi case is the most obvious issue, but upon inspection, Roel deems that it will be easy to reattach the lock with proper tools, and he pulls out a tie-down strap to re-secure it to the luggage rack for now.


Things I love about my Gobi cases now include: 1. The fact that rather than allowing damage to the bike to occur, the lock simply broke off and the case detached from the rack. 2. The case broke my fall and protected my leg. 3. The case is still water-tight. 4. Although the mounting device had broken off, with the use of one tie-down strap, the case was temporarily and reliably re-mounted to the rack in a matter of moments. 5. You're going to have to look really closely to see that anything ever happened. No dent. Only some small scratches. And everything inside the case was fine, too.

“Walter” however is another story. Walter is my DeWalt Toolbox-cum-Topbox that I have been using since eastern Canada. Walter had already been cracking on the bottom due to alterations we made to the mount so that it would work well with the Gobi cases. Well, the cracks let go once the Gobi case was off and Walter hit the ground with some force… there is a gaping crack in the bottom of Walter.


As you can see, "Walter" did not fare so well in the crash :eek1

Roel runs off to find something to rig up Walter with so that we can at least continue. I later find out that he found a rubbish pile a little ways down the road and began digging through it with the local children, until he found a piece of wood that he was able to chop with the ax he is fortunately carrying, so that it would support Walter.

While I’m waiting for him with the bikes, waving traffic emerging from the tunnel around the bikes, my head begins to pound and it is at this moment that I realize that I must have smashed the front of my helmet on some part of the bike (handlebar?), as my chin is also somehow a little sore. I’m not crying, which I think is weird. Now I realize I was probably in some state of shock. And I am alternately kicking myself for my stupidity, first of all, for being dumb enough to ride distracted and two, for executing such a stupid move, but mostly, I am thankful to be physically OK.

With the bike more or less back together, Roel checks the frame and takes it for a test ride. He deems it safe to ride for me.

We proceed into the city and Roel warns me about EVERY single tope. If you know Roel, you know that this was done with a sneer, now that he knows I’m OK. Nonetheless, I begin to think to myself that if I was going to hit a tope the wrong way in this city, I’m glad it happened where it did… The tunnels are filled with topes and the lighting isn’t the best. Had the same thing happened inside of a tunnel, I likely would have been run over by the cars behind me.


Teatro Juarez in Guanajuato Centro

We ride around the city, easily getting lost on the one-way streets and eventually find a well-priced hotel with a serene courtyard, AND secure parking for the bikes: Hotel Embajadoras. It’s a lovely spot and the shower is hot and strong, but all I can do is vacillate between feelings of self-loathing and incredulity at the state of things.

The next day, I am feeling better and we decide to spend the morning wandering around the city until we have to check out at 1pm. It’s a gorgeous city and wandering around by foot was healing for my mind and body.




There were calla lilies EVERYWHERE... an easy reminder that this was the birthplace of Diego Rivera.






We treated ourselves to a rare brunch at Restaurante Campanero - delicious and inexpensive.

While we were packing up the bikes to leave, the owner of the hotel comes out and starts chatting about our travels. He’s a lovely older gentleman who speaks perfect English and we find out he studied in Europe and loves Holland. He checks out the bikes and tells us:

“You can stay for an extra night, for free, if you like. Amsterdam Student Hotel was very generous to me and so this is the least I can do. And I have something to donate to your trip. Wait here.”

He returns with a fluffy, lush sheepskin to replace Roel’s which is falling apart by this time.


Daniel, whose family owns the wonderful Hotel Embajadoras, Roel and the Africa Twin's new sheepskin


I'm guessing Roel won't be so quick to take breaks from now on...

We take him up on his offer, grateful for another day of rest (especially now that I’ve realized that I have a nice case of whiplash).

With the afternoon free, and grateful not to have to support the weight of my helmet with my sore neck, just yet, we head to the Mummy Museum of Guanajuato. Easily one of the most creepy places I’ve ever been. Families at one time had to pay to keep the bodies of their dead family members buried, and if they failed to pay, the bodies where disinterred. Most of the bodies in the museum were disinterred between the 1850s and 1950s… many still have hair and clothing.




Yes, VERY creepy.

Realizing we’re going to be in town for another day, I think to send an “SOS” message with my number to a guy named Jose Jr. who had sent a message a week ago to this point:

“Let’s catch up for a beer and talk about moto traveling. I live in Mexico City but my parents live in Guanajuato. My dad has a great shop, so if you need anything don’t hesitate to get in touch with him.”

Within an hour, Jose Sr. calls me and gives me directions to his home. And says:

“By the way, do you remember the woman in the green car who asked if she could help you? That was my wife, Laura.”

Wow. What are the chances in a city of 160,000++. ……………….?

That is too cool.

They sound like awesome people.

Yea, I was pretty blown away. They are indeed awesome people. More on that once my fingers recover from typing that last RR

Glad you are okay!

Thanks thereandback - and Merlin III! I am indeed ok and very grateful to be able to say that.

To your question, I don't exactly know what to compare La Vantana/el Sargento with, but I wouldn't say that they have become totally blown out with Gringos and condos, but there was definitely a collection of very nice homes that appeared to be empty.
The beach we were camping on was remarkably 'wild' and awesome - so you're safe to happy return there. It was a really awesome spot - I'd say it's worth going back to someday :)

Thanks for reading and the props

Ya tiffs and silence, been there done that. Good to hear all is well that ends well.

Kiss, make up, and move on.

Every day is a school day; experience may be cruel but sadly she is your best teacher,

Stay safe...we have speedbumps, but not those...:huh

Glad you're safe. AGAT...

And lucky, in fact , to had some speed. the no-slide low speed fall makes a lot of broken parts (bike and body)
We all do sometime strange things on our two wheels horses...( me first, I did some, especially after some argue !)
Just hope, even if it's impossible mission, that you manage to have a lighter bike.... Always impressed by these 1/2 cars ... Don't blame, it's a choice and each has his own, thanks, otherwise we will all be the same ...

Anyway, big thanks to adv forums which show me the less is the better ... Speed and momentum are no more my cup of tea to be able to go on shitty trails...
wish you lots of good adventures

Thanks DrydenRider. Yea, I'm sure every couple that rides together has been there and done that... like you said, the experience was a good reminder for me that riding while even remotely distracted is not a-go.

Silver linings are the best... we never would have found ourselves here had it not been for my mishap with the tope and hence meeting Jose and Laura.

So picking up right where we left off… What are the chances that:

1. Given all of the motorbikers in Mexico who we’ve met either in person or online… one guy from Mexico City sends us a lovely message and offers that his Dad, in Guanajuato, has a great workshop “should we need anything.”

2. And then I crash, in that city.

3. That the ONE person who stopped to see if we were OK and offered to help, in a city of 160,000+ people happened to be his mother?

4. That not only did his father have an incredible workshop, between Jose Jr. and Jose Sr. they’ve owned an Africa Twin and a Transalp?

Wow.



Leaving Hotel Embajadoras, after some much-needed R&R

Anyway…

The next morning, we arrive at Jose and Laura’s. They are warm and wonderful and welcoming. They have a lovely home, loving dogs for us to cuddle and they pour us steaming cups of the best coffee we’ve had since Northern California.

We were hoping Jose would have a pop-rivet wrench, the only tool Roel think’s we’ll need to remount the Hepco & Becker lock.



Within minutes, my lock has been re-mounted onto the Gobi case with Jose’s pop-rivet wrench.

I love my Gobi Cases.


The Gobi cases fare much better than Walter. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much longer my tool-box cum top box is going to last :/

Jose asked if we needed to do anything else on the bikes and we quickly took him up on the offer to do some work that we’ve been needing to do for a while:

-replacing the fork oil on the Africa Twin
-Flushing the brake fluid in both bikes
-greasing the clutch cables and other moving parts
-Sanding the Africa Twin’s front brake pads
-Etc.





When the bikes were finished, Laura and Jose offered to take us to Cristo Rey, a statue of Jesus high up on a mountain outside of Leon. He was indeed impressive and the view was not something you could capture with a camera.







And then they took us to a small town nearby that was at one time larger than Guanajuato, called Mineral de la Luz.



The padre of Mineral de la Luz’s cathedral, came out and opened the church for us. We wandered around, admiring the artwork inside of the church, but then the padre insisted upon bringing us back to his own home. We didn’t entirely understand why until we arrived: he might be Gaudí reincarnated.








Our mouths were gaping open the entire time we were wandering through his little paradise. The walls were constructed with semi-precious crystals and there were whimsical details everywhere we looked. The immense amount of creativity, attention to detail and love that has gone into this building was simply staggering. It was honestly one of the most amazing man-made creations I have ever seen, and I think Roel would say the same.



On our way back to Guanajuato, Jose and Laura took us to the town overlook for this stunning view of Guanajuato. We had "found" it by accident on the first night when we were lost, too, hehe.


A statue of Pipila, a hero of the city for his bravery in the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence.

And we never would have gotten here had I not crashed my bike and had a reason to take Jose. Jr up on his offer to work in his Dad’s shop.

And now, Jose Sr. is guiding us out of Guanajuato, our spirits lifted, the bikes in better condition than they have been in a while and feeling very grateful for simply being healthy and whole and finding the silver lining that the sneaky slippery topes of Guanajuato had in store for us.

One of the rare moments where Jose hadn't left us in the dust on his Ducati Monster

Great R\R. I have enjoyed the photos and the stories. Sorry to see your top box in such shape. I have a DeWalt tool box also, it is great. Real easy to overload.
Just a thought on the crack. Have you tried JB Weld? I would also look into forming some sheet metal on the bottom and up the side some. Holding it with rivets. For extra support you could get some aluminum angles and run down the bottom corners, this might let you loose your log under the box.
Just some thoughts. Have a great day. If you get back over by Kyrgyzstan let me know.

Mac

Nightlife in front of Parroquia de San Miguel Archangel

From Guanajuato, we headed just down the road (about 100 kilometers) to San Miguel de Allende.


The ride to San Miguel was beautiful and along the way we passed a Pilgrimage group for whom traffic was being directed around the mountainous roads.

This city has quite a concentration of artistically inclined Gringos who have likely come to admire the Parroquia de San Miguel Archangel and decided to immigrate and settle in this lovely town in the mountains.

Our plan was to settle in a hotel or hostel for the evening so that we would be able to walk into the city which we were told comes alive at night. We explored the cobbled streets of San Miguel until we found the Alcatraz Hostal, which offered reasonable rates in comparison to everything else around (one “economy” hotel wanted 700 pesos - about $50 - whereas the Alcatraz at least 180 Pesos - $13 each - for rooms in a dorm. Not ideal, but at least Roel would be able to get the bikes into the lovely hostel courtyard so we would be able to explore the city and sleep at night without worrying about the bikes being bothered.






Secure bike parking at Alcatraz Hostal

We wandered into the city to meet a friend of a friend from the US, Betty, who had recently returned to San Miguel after spending her youth there. The square in front of the Parroquia de San Miguel Archangel was indeed alive.



Being that it was the anniversary of the town, there was all sorts of entertainment including a dance presentation that included dances from every state in Mexico. It was fabulous (and FREE)!!



Betty and I hit it off right away and she showed us around to her favorite haunts, all of which either offered stunning views of the city by night or the best tacos al Pastor we’ve had to date.




Tacos al Pastor, similar to Shawarma, and perhaps brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants

On Friday night, there was a classical band playing live music in front of the Parroquia and then later on, the mariachis were in full force.









San Miguel de Allende was a lovely city and we’re glad we were able to experience it now. Talking with Betty about how much has changed since she was living there 30 years ago in addition to seeing how the Gringo wealth has largely pushed Mexicans out of this city, was really saddening. While wandering around the streets, we saw a real-estate office, staffed by Gringos for Gringos… In a country where the minimum wage is just over $5 PER DAY, there were modest homes for sale at the “fabulous price” of $550,000. Unreal.

Many of the Gringos in San Miguel are doing really good work that is undoubtedly helping Mexican children and folks in the local community, so the gringo influence is certainly not all bad. But truthfully, walking around the streets of San Miguel de Allende, we didn’t feel like we were in Mexico until the sun went down and the city came alive.