THE TRIP TO HELL AND BACK
We left San Miguel de Allende early for the West Coast , we were looking foward to seeing the sea again after so many months of being in land ( we live on the sea back in NZ ). It was approx 538k kms to Zihuatanejo and we had great expectations for a great ride and a great destination .
But first I must mention the Toll Roads , all the good roads are Tolled and for Mexician standards very heavily . The toll gates seem to be about every 20 to 30kms , and can vary from around 20peso to 150pesos (.40c to $1.50 NZ) , and as you would expect no cars just a few trucks .
Well Ruth found this a bit of a piss off , because if it was a 100pesos to her it was like a $100 and this was just not on , especially when you had to pay them every 20 to30kms on the same road . When we got to the next toll gate she would wave the ticket at the toll person and say We paid just back there and fix the bloody pot holes and we have not got any money left because we gave it to the last bloody toll gate . The toll guys just looked because they had no idea what she was saying and she had a helmet on any way , I laugh to myself and thought Aggie,Ruths Grandmother, she would have got out and attacked them. She would have been proud of Ruth .
Anyway back to the story , the first 350kms was great all highway, tolls but no cars, we were in heaven (well me anyway , Ruth was mumbling about the bloody tolls , she had givin the Barstards $300 in her mind ) . Then as we came over a very high Mountian range, we hit it , it was like riding into a huge bowl of jelly . The air was so thick that it almost stopped us in our tracks , I would say 5000% humidity and bloody hot . Every thing changed , the climite the fauna and flora (we were now in the tropics ) the roads ( they were now absolutley rubbish , pot holes , so narrow that trucks took up more than half the road and the vegetation was right to the road edge and about 10feet high ) the people (they kind of look more Polynesian now) and the rubbish , it was every where . Quite the opposite from the Mexico we had left , it was very clean . We also saw a hugh snake crossing the road , it was nearly as wide as the road .
We arrived in Zihuatanejo a small town not unlike any Polynesian town and found our hotel after about a 1 hrs of crossing streams ,mud filled streets (in all fairness the day before we arrived there, there had been a huge storm that had washed out the entire coast line . Just our luck !!). There was so much humidity that the sweat was just running off us (very pleasent ) and we just got to our room and laid on the bed until dinner time and hoped it would cool down (it did but bugger all ).
The next day we were off to Acapulco , and thinking well paradise will be found . It was about 430kms to Acapulco and were expecting to get there early afternoon and we did arrive around 2pm , after a wrong turn which took us off the resonable road to a Mud filled, car fulled , truck filled , people fulled , dog fulled , pothole fulled , stinking mess for about 2 hrs . There was so much traffic it was like a Dodgem race , it was only a 2 lane road with 8 cars wide , and to boot the 5000% humidity and car fumes (we were in hell for real ). When we finally arrived in Centro Acapulco , we run a Red light with about 20 other cars (I said to Ruth when in Rome do as the Romans do , my mistake ). Well 2 minutes later the police pull us up , and the Guy says you run red light , you in big trouble and his mate comes over and say you have to pay 2,500 pesos . The other guys says you pay me now other wise you have to got to station and pay tomorrow and we take your licence . Well Ruth says we have got no money because we gave it all to the bloody toll people . I pull out 40pesos and the Cop say no good you in big trouble you pay now 2,500pesos , Ruth say we gave all our money to the bloody tolls , and goes through her bag and pulls out 150pesos so that makes it now 190pesos . The Cop say no no good not enough , and we just look at him and say we got no more money , he say again you in big trouble . Then he gives up and takes the 190 pesos and shakes my hand and say you have good time in Acapulco and gives us directions to where we can go to a hotel (and remember it is still 35degc and 5000%humidity , with all our gear on, sweet running down my legs , by now my boots are full and over flowing ).
It rainned all night that night and very heavy , but was fine by the time we left the next day
The next day we think, great only 380kms to Puerto Escondido and Zicatela (supposedly the 3rd best surf beach in the world , and they say it is beautiful . We get away early to try an avoid the worst of the humidity . It took us 8.5 hrs to cover those 380Kms , it was the worst road I have ever been on , the potholes, and potholes ,OH and to mention the bloody Topes 100,000 of them (speed bumps ) some gave warning and some not , it seemed that they were every bloody kilometer about 4 of them about 20 mts apart .The V Strom and Ruth took a pounding for 8.5hrs and we only covered 380kms , the road took us over some great mountians (not that I could see them as I was looking for the Bloody Topes ) .
We arrive in Puerto Escondido and it is an other dump , heaps of washed out road , mud ,rivers to cross and this is in town again . We get to a hotel and I kid you not I was asleep by 6.00pm and never woke till 6 am , I was F###ed totally and never even had any refried beans for Dinner (I must have been tired ). And again it rained all night and again very hard , we never had any rain during the day , baring the odd bit of drizzle .
The next day we are up and packed by 7.30 am (that is when it starts to get light ) and ready to go and a guy comes over and asks where we are going , and say the road is washed out you had better stay and go tomorrow ( f######k we cant get out of this stinking sweltering Topes filled hole ). So we decide to go on to the next town which is 70kms away and close to the turn off to Oaxaca and relief from this heat and Humidity .
We arrive in Zipolite and we thought the last stop was bad , this was Pheng Prison Camp , we rode into town again ,mud and shit every where ( I suspose with all the rain we were getting the wrong impression, maybe!! ) . A young guy came over(Marc from New York with his dog Jango. He is living in Mexico City playing the Trumpet for the Mexician National Orchestra, a bloody nice kid ) and said that he was riding a bike (BMW KL100) and we asked if there was a good hotel in town , he said yeah where he was staying , so off we go and book in 200pesos ($20nz).
Well now I know how Sharpel Corby must feel in Peang Prison Thailand , again the heat ,humidity 5000% , ants , mosquitos , no hot water , the hand basin water just run straight through onto the floor (at least this did help wash away some of the ants ), windows with no glass just bars . I just lay on the bed all day and sweated and sweated and sweated somemore , it had a fan which really didnt work . That nite I went out and brought some eggs and bread and had eggs on toast (relief from Refried Beans at least).
The next day after a shit nite sleep we are ready to go around 7.30am to Oaxaca (240kms) and relief from the heat . Young Marc (24) and Jango are going to join us on the ride to Oaxaca , we had been told it was a 6 hrs ride over very windy roads and mountianous . I didnt give a shit I just wanted to get way from this bloody heat and humidity , I just longed for the mountians .
It took us only about 1hr to climb out of the heat and up in the mountians , it was a very very very windy road and took us about 4 hrs to get to the top (and down the other side) approx 2600mts above sea level and I was cold and loving it . The road was in very good condition with a few washouts but not that bad, great corners but tight and you had to be careful not to out ride the corners as the traffic coming the other way had no room to move, the roads are very narrow ( Marc and i had a great time). We passed through lots of Mountian villages , often wondering who was better off the people living up in the mountians or the coast people .
After we came out of the mountians Marc says it is a straight ride into Oaxaca (wrong) , we had about 70kms to go and this took us another 3 hrs , after detours that took us 50km in the wrong direction and road wash outs and Topes (f#####king Topes I hate them (speed bumps ). Anyway after 9hrs and only 300kms we arrive in Oaxaca . But first we had to duck and dive through the traffic for about 50kms , bedlum .
Young Marc (24)and Janjo stayed with us the night and went on to Mexico City the next day .
The most amazing thing about this trip in the last few days is that you can be on beautiful roads for say about 20 or30kms and then you get to a town, and right on the town limits the road through town are absolutely shit . The road turns to mud , potholes hugh potholes , rivers of mud , cars , busses , trucks , donkeys , people , people , people , dust , diesal fumes , sewage stink , all congugated into a small area , you have to duck and dive to get ahead or you just get left behind or run over , if there is a gap you have to go for it before the bus or donkey or car or what ever does before you . We only wish we could have taken a pics going through but it is impossible because you are just in survival mode . And just as you think this is going to go on forever it is over and you are back on a beautiful road and all alone Amazing .
Photos
1. 2. Mountian Villages on the way to Oaxaca
3. Jango outside our Peang Prison Hotel in Zipolite
4. Smoko stop on the way to Zihuatanejo
5. Veiw from our prison window Zipolite
6. Our Prison Cell Zipolite, Ruth reckoned that it was not that bad , I we let you be the judge from the photos
7. Puerto Escondido
8. Acapulco
9. Zihuatanejo
Now you guys are going to look at the pictures and say beautiful , well first put your head in the Oven for 2 hrs on high and rub shit under your nose and then you may see them in a different light .
Also in fairness you must also remember that they had just had a lot of rain , I mean a lot and things alway look worst I guess when it is or has been raining and the humidity is 5000% . MAYBE !!!!!!
