Puebla was rather uninteresting but we needed to rest after our volcanic experience so stayed a couple of days and shuffled around on aching legs. I seemed to have forgotten how to walk after La Malinche. Luckily I just about remembered how to ride a bike when we set off again towards Oaxaca…a five day challenging ride, some of the best cycling we have had on the trip but some of the hardest. A day of mainly down hill persuaded us that doing nearly 80miles was a good idea, however, having dropped so much height the last 20miles of up and down were torturously warm. This heat persuaded us to leave at dawn for the next few days, making hay while the sun didn’t shine. I adopted the technique of pretending I was really cold. The sweat that I wiped out of my eyes was actually icy rain and the water, turned hot in my bottle was a cup of tea…it worked pretty well but Sam thought I had completely lost the plot.
The fourth day saw the biggest challenge, we climbed 6500ft in 20miles and the 30mile ride took us 9hours in total. The climb was extremely hot, both of us felt a little wobbly, Sam got a puncture…and while we sweated fixing it by the side of the road, not one of the many passing cars stopped or slowed to check we were OK, an enormous contrast to cycling in the US. We got through the climb 2miles at a time, taking in the awesome views and looking forward to the next (fairly infrequent) shop or restaurant for cold drinks. The day finished when we reached a small restaurant where Anko had previously camped and recommended. We found the tiny Mexican lady plaiting her grandaughter’s hair and she welcomed us into her restaurant for food and gave us a safe place to camp. It was beautiful and quiet and as the sun went down the fire flies appeared…a special sight which neither of us had experienced before.
The final day to Oaxaca was fairly painless and the countryside was beautiful, arriving in Oaxaca felt like a small smile stone as we remember talking of coming here before leaving the UK. Oaxaca is an attractive colonial town and we settled down for just over a week to rest our legs but test our brains. We enrolled in a weeks Spanish course, in the mornings we had 3hour lessons followed by 1 hour conversation in our separate teaching groups. There was no let up in the afternoons as we had an hour to talk with our ‘intercambio’ partners (a local Oaxacan person) followed by 2hours Tajedo (Mexican weaving) We were exhausted in a whole new way. Learning a language is insanely difficult but we are hoping it will give us the boost that we needed to help us improve and the confidence to speak more. We are now off to the coast, excited to see the Pacific again and hoping we won’t cook as we drop to sea level. Adios, hasta pronto!
Out for a Spin 
Did you sing the song at your school? “Me duele la cabeza” ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_PAr2I6zoA
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For some reason ridiculous songs weren’t in their teaching methods…kind of catchy though!!
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Night ride lady is looking at Sam as if to say: “What is this wild Englishman?”
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I so admire your stamina! A good idea to give bodies a rest and exercise the minds instead. Such empty roads!!!
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Thankyou…riding in mainland Mexico is proving to require a bit of stamina. And the roads for the last few weeks have been mainly beautifully quiet…fingers crossed it continues.
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Ola! – that’s the total of my Spanish. I don’t suppose you are hearing much English being out in the sticks. Do you see many other eurpeans/americans travelling around? I have googled you again on the map so I can see the equator is getting closer, hence the heat I guess. Are you heading for Guatemala next? I have just booked our flights to Cuba – just over the sea from where you are now but we intend to leave our bikes at home. This time last year Laura – we were getting ready for Paris. What a difference a year makes. I am very very glad I am not trying to keep up with you now as you must be be sooo fit.
Enjoy the pacific again
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A year ago that we went to Paris?! Crazy. Such a fun trip, although it feels worlds away now.
Nope, no English in the sticks at all which feels like the way it should be. You will have to swat up on some Spanish if you are going to Cuba, heard good things about it from fellow travellers, when do you go?
I think Belize then Guatemala…bit more Mexico first though.
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What was the night ride about? It looks as if the whole town was escaping
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There were about 50 people, most on hire bikes and rather precarious! We followed a man with a loud speaker and music playing from a trailer on the back of his bike. They blocked traffic and stuff which was fun and we were just guided around the city for an hour or so x
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Escaping from Sam’s beard maybe, Jackie?!? I am sure you would feel a whole lot cooler Sam without it?!? I am aware though that you might not have such easy access to little tit bits if the beard did come off! Enjoy Oaxaca.
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He is too attached Toit! He says its useful in the sun because it protects his face and saves on sun cream!
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Your Mum gave me the link to your blog so I’ve been catching up on your trip. Great pictures, you look like you’re having an amazing time. Cate xx
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Lovely to hear from you Cate! Its always strange when people say it looks like we are having an amazing time…because we are…but in the nature of travelling for so long it has just become our life. So I guess that makes us amazingly lucky! Hope you and yours at all safe and well. Xxx
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