The New Beginning Oaxaca to Junction de Zaragoza to San Cristobal de las Casas 1110 2010

Damon and I left Oaxaca, the day after Ruth had gone home . We were headed for Juchiton de Zaragoza approx 300kms . Our first stop was to see Tequlia being made in some little town approx 1hrs from Oaxaca and then on into the Mountians . Just before the Mountians we had a lot of very strong winds and I mean very strong , it was scary watching the trucks as we passed them , they were on such a lean that I thought that they would blow over ( I came very close to a knock down myself ).

The road through the mountians again was great with nicely banked corners and some great mountian scenery .

The truck and bus drives are just crazy and you have to be very careful not to out ride the corners ,as when they come around the very tight corners they take up most of the road . It is not uncommon to see them passing on very blind corners . I saw a bus pass a truck with so little room and on a blind corner that the mirrors smashed together , I was just amazed and this happens alot . Not long after this we came across a fuel tanker off the road and just about to roll down a steep bank . We stopped and saw the driver was ok and then we run , because we were not waiting around, any minute we could see another truck roaring around the corner and running into the petrol truck . After leaving the mountians it started to get very hot again and memories of Acapulco started to come back , it did get very hot but not so humid

We arrived in Zaragoca late , found a hotel and were up early for the trip to San Cristobal de las Casas approx 400kms .

The road again was very good (well for Mexico , still alot of Potholes and only a few 1000 Topes ) . San Cristobal de las Casas is probably the one of the nicest cities in Mexico I have seen , we stayed 3 nites , had great food ,great coffee and a very nice hotel at only $150 pesos each ($15NZ) a nite (Damon and I share a room ) .

On the second day we came across a young Mexician Guy ( Jaime Sandoval 24) on a BMW in the main plaza , we started to chat . Only to find out that he was on this way down to Brazil with his uncle , at the Guatemala border he found that his passport was invaid . So he had to back track and get a new passport in Tuxtla (about 50kms from San Cristobal ) the next day . We arranged to meet a few days later and cross the border into Guatemala together .

The next morning( we had planned to go to Palenque) just as we were about to leave I started the bike and noticed petrol leaking from the motor . So that was that we were off to Tuxtla with Jaime to go see a Suzuki shop and get the fuel problem sorted out. We took the back road to Tuxtla , another very windy road but again very scenic and over some great mountian ranges . On the way we came across a village that was flooded from all the resent rain and looked like it was about to stay that way for a very long time .

Tuxtla was just a big city full of crazy drivers and not that nice at all , but we found a hotel and the next day Jaime got his passport and the Suzuki Guy found the problem . It was a leak from the hose from the tank to the motor , I will try and get a new hose in Panama . The Suzuki guy did not have a replacment, so he just switched the hose and said it should be ok , till we get to Panama ) .

That afternoon we rode back to San Cristobal , then it will be Palenque with Jaime to come as well , it is great to have a guy that speaks Mexician along, but also Jaime is a real nice kid and great company to have along .

Photos

1. 2. The floaded Village just out of San Cristobal , they have had some of the most rain ever lately

3. 4. San Cristobal de las Casas

5. The Truck off the road

6. Making Tequila

7. Leaving Oaxaca