Zacatecas to Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende

Sorry to be so long without a post , but Internet has been a problem and time .

It seems so long ago that we were there but the road from Durango to Zacatecas was very good and we had no problems (i think about 300 or so kms ), but I did see a big snake crossing the road .

Zacatecas was another very beautiful old town with lots of charater an small cobbled stone streets and again very European in buildings and set out . We had a great room with a view , but we had to cart all our gear up and down 6 flight of stairs (keep us old buggers fit ah ). We had 2 days there , first thing in the morning after breakfast we walked up the big hill just behind our Hostel , great veiws of the city (and there is a story but maybe for another day) . Then just buggered around the rest of the day .

Guanajuato (it is said nothing like it is spelt , the closest I think is Wanahento)

Another 2 day stop and an even better town to stay , a Uni town (and very Colonial) so it was full of kids and a lot of colour . One thing we did do was go to the Mummies Musum , it was bloody hidious ( i'm over dead people stuck on show ) they dug them up and found that with a lot of lime in the soil they had been keep near on perfect . I think that there was over a 1000 of them and to think that idiots like us pay to go and see them (the only reason we did go was that a guy at our hostel had said that it was great) . We went out to this Museum by bus and got a taxi back , well we thought we were getting a taxi back . I called him down and in my flunt Spanish said Centro please , and asked how much it cost . He said 30 peso and in we get , well off he goes in the completly wrong direction . Ruth says where he taking us , I say buggereed if I know . Ruth had bought some post cards of the city, so a take one out and point to the card and show the driver and say this where we what to go . He nodds his head and says good , (cause he doesnt know what im say at all ) . Well we end up at the Centro Bus station about 5kms out side town . So when he stops we both say no no we what to go here pointing at the card and he say after a few minites OH !!. So off back to town we go and I payed him 50 peso for this troubles and with great relief we got back to our Hostel

Most of the roading system in Guanajuato is under ground , it is like a maze and we had a lot of fun trying to find our way into town and out .

San Miguel de Allende

It was only about 84kms from Guanajuato and reported to be the best of all the little Mountian towns in the area . Well it was another great little town a full of very interest people , we had probably the best hotel of the trip there and only 300 peso a nite ($30NZ) . We met some very nice peole there from the USA who offered us there help and gave us the numbers of people who we could get in touch with on our trip if we needed help .

Next blog the Trip to Hell and Back .

Photos

1. San Miguel de Allende

2. Guanajuato our Hotel and very nice to, but it had a night club on the corner and a school just across the street again we were sayed by a very nice Americian Lady who found us the hotel , The one that we were going to had closed down .

3. San Miguel de Allende Plaza

4. Ruth getting her boots cleaned in Guanajuato

5. The Mummies

6. Guanajuato

7. 8 Zacatecas and our Hostel and the view from our room .

Creel to Hidalgo Del Parralo to Durango to Zacatecas 20 09 2010

Creel to Parral was one of those great rides , 450kms of excellent winding roads , no cars , Pine tree covered mountians and great weather at the right temp.

Parral was just a small city with no great charm and we arrived late and were gone early . The only charm was our hotel which was very 70s in deco and age , we parked the bike in the lobby and I would say we were the only people staying there .

The Meal that night nite was grand , we ordered the meal Tortillas with Pollo (chicken) first they brought out a big bowl of corn chips and bread with dips (hot but not that hot ) then the meal (with heaps of Refried Beans (yum ) and we also had 3 beers . There was plenty and we left very full for 200 pesos or $15.50 US ($21nz) a bloody bargin , the room cost us 300pesos or $24us (aprox $30nz ) for the nite, Bloody great I love this country .

Parral to Durango (approx 450kns)

Was the complete opposite from the day before , it was just straight roads and a lot of Valley riding with a few small hills to get over . But in saying that we were at approx 2500mts above sea level most of the time on both days , so it was a perfect temp for riding .

Durango is very European , you could have been in Italy or Spain no problem . Our Hotel was about 200 years old and again only 250 pesos a nite, we parked the Bike in the Lobby for the 2 days we were in Durango . We really enjoyed Durango, had McDonalds for Dinner with no Refries (thought we mite give out bellies a rest , because on our way to Durango I looked up to see the Buzzards circling around , to which we had to stop and get off the bike, so I could yell up to those Buzzards, that we weren't dieing and that it only smells that way . Go those Refried Beans . because as the saying goes .

Refries are good for your heart

Refries make you fart

The more you fart, the better you feel

Refries for every meal

Durango to Zacatecas (2400mts above sea level)

Another great ride ,no cars and a great road over mountians and down again to Zacatecas (approx 300kms ) .Zacatecas again is very European and a bit of a tourist spot , at our Hostal (250peso per nite) there are a few Poms and a lot of Mexicians on holiday . We walked up the hill behind Zacatecas (approx 1hr) and then rode the Cable Car back over the city , then we had our first Starbucks Coffee in Mexico (things are looking up ) . We are having rain and thounder most afternoons around 4 0clock and it lasts for about 2 hrs

We have crossed the Tropic of Cancer on the way to Zacatecas so next mile stone is the Equator in Ecuador .

Tomorrow we are off to Guanajuato approx 300kms , and guess what more refries for Dinner hee haa

Photos

1. Durango Plaza

2. Zacatecas

4. Durango

5. On the way to Zacatecas

6. Parral

7. On our way to Parral , having lunch with a view

Batopilas 15/09/2010

The Road to Batopilas

We were on the road by 9.00am for an expected 5hr (140kms, first 60oddkms on tar and the rest on metal ) drive down the Copper Canon . With us was 2 other Mexician couples (one couple our age the other young , our driver was Martine) . Approx 35kms into our trip and the Van shit itself (dropped a piston as in the photo ) so with that we were for the next 2 hrs, towed, pulled, push and carted on the back of a pick up to the turn off to Batopilas . Where we waited for a new van to arrive from Creel .

When we were final back on the road 2hrs late we finally hit the road to hell 64kms of some of the worst, roughest, and most dangerous road I have ever been on . We were so happy that we took the advice of the people who advised us not to go on the En Moto , as there had been a lot of rain and the washouts were just about undriveable in the 4 wheel drive van we were in (if it had been in NZ no way would we be on the road ) . It was not only the washouts but the entire top of the road had been wash off , leaving only rocks some the size of footballs sticking up . Anyway after 7 hrs we make Batopilas , and we were buggered from being thrown around like a couple of rag dolls for 3 hrs in an oven, as the temp had risin to about 40degs in the van which had no air con and we are only doing about 5 kms hr.

When we got to town it was quite remarkable , after such a shit road and to find such a beautiful little village . It was established 300years ago when silver was descoverd there , they only stopped mining 2 years ago . There is approx 1500 people there and there main income now is tourisium .

The only problem with going down there is that you have to come back up and we not looking foward to that the next day , but we made it the next day and so the Batoplias experiance is over . Not quite as I had planned it , but for the best in the end, as if we had of taken the bike down I would have had doubts that we would have made it in one piece , so alls good and now we are off to Parral approx 370kms .

The food so far

Well the first nite we are in Casa Grandie we ordered a meal,and they bought out before the meal some chips and sauces to start with . So I into it with no caution , a spoon full of this and 2 off that and a hand full of chips , so you can imagine the results . My bloody teeth started to melt and my tongue just about suffered 3 deg burns , I had 3 beers before I even started to get my feeling back in my mouth . Now I eat with a lot more caution and ask the waiter" is this hot or what" (with a lot of hand waving ). With every meal we get refried beans , so for breakfast it is eggs and refried beans , lunch is Tacos and refried beans and Dinner is Tortllias or Borrittos and refried beans .

So our bowl movements are very regular to the point that I have to stop and rush behind the bushes out on the road . But the best thing is that it all costs bugger all, I would say about half to three quarters cheaper than the States , so bring on those refried beans.

The people are very friend and we havent been shot yet (as our American friends said we would ). The language barrier is a big problem but we laugh a lot and they do to, as we try to get things across but in the end we work it out . With all having a lot of fun in the process .

Photos

1 400 year old Cathedral about 7 kms passed Batopilas

2 Batopilas

3 Our Hotel very nice and quite old .

4 5 6 The road to hell

7 The van shitting itself

8 Before the turn off to Batopilas

Casa Grandes/Cuauhtemoc/Creel

The ride from Casa Grandes to Cuauhtemoc was as pretty as we have seen , we climbed some mountians and crossed some of the most beautiful valleys you could see .There were vast open plains being mosty cattle country , the roads were empty of cars with a few very large trucks on very narrow roads . About 50kms before Cuauhtemoc we passed through the vast farms of the Mennonites , they are a religous sect (not unlike the Amish of Americia ). They moved to Mexico from German via Canada back in the 1920s and have not mixed or intermarried with the Mexicians and don't speak Spanish and are very Germanic looking .

Cuauhtemoc

Cuauhtemoc was not what you would call a good looking city, the Hotel we stayed at had bed bugs (not good for a good nites sleep , thank god we had sleeping bag liners to sleep in . But for $17 a nite what else can you expect I suspose . There was a celebration going on in the Plaza , so we had a good nite people watching and there were some characters, we had a lot of fun watching .

Creel

The road to Creel was another great ride again few cars and great scenery , it is completely the opposite of the scenery that we expected . Beautiful farm land and great riding mountian roads, the roads in general were very good but not that wide and a little lumpy .

Creel is not very big but very interesting and a little bit touristy, but bugger all tourists . The Hotel we are in ( called Casa Margarita) is very clean and comes complete with Dinner and breakfast for $24 a nite a real bargin .

We were to have tomorrow off and then go down to Batopilas (the bottom of the Copper Canon ). But we had been told by another Biker (Dr Artoro Macias from Chihuahuas he was riding a BMW) , he stopped us just before Cuauthemoc to ask us where we were going, and if he could help us in anyway and offered us contacts on the way through South America . This is just the kind of help and people we have been running into on the trip so far , just so helpful . Anyway he advised us not to take the bike down to Batopilas (64kms down the Canon all Gravel) because they have had a lot of rain and the road is very badly washed out and that we are to loaded up with weight to go down there . With this in mind I asked some of the locals what they thought and they said the same "Road no good for En Moto to much rain , no good", but I still had it in my head to go . Until we were offered a trip down in a van for $120 including 1 nite accommadation . So we just said bugger it for $120 , why take the risk and damage the bike if the road is as bad as they say . And maybe we will enjoy it a lot more , and also met some other tourists to boot .

So tomorrow we are off to Batopilas

Photos

1/2 On the road to Casa Grandes , Casa Grandes

3/4 On the Road to Cuauhtemoc ,Cuauhtemoec

5. A town on the way to Creel , San Juanito

6/7 Creel and our Hotel Casa Margarita