| July 3, 2002 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico The (almost) three weeks
since I last wrote have been, perhaps, the best of the trip. In brief summary, left
Santiago Ixcuinatl, rode down the Sea of Cortez coast to San Blas, then turned inland (and
uphill!), to Tepic (the capital of Nayarit state), Ixtlan del Rio, Magdalena, Tequila, and
eventually here, last Monday, June 24, to Guadalajara, the 3 million plus people capital
of Jalisco state. Have been taking it VERY easy on mileage (partly because some of the way
was QUITE steep, partly because the scenery just makes me mellow), and am about 250 miles
Santiago (400 total since flying back to Mexico from California exactly a month ago -- not
quite the blazing pace of last year's AIDS Ride!).
SAN BLAS.
San Blas was the last of my coastal towns, and a nice way to finish up that part of
Mexico. Although small, it has a lot to offer. It's main attraction, as a tourist
destination, for many Mexicans as well as foreigners, is the Jungle River Ride. Our guide
pointed out crocodiles large and small, tiny marsupial like creatures, birds so colorful
they almost hurt your eyes, and explained to me that the large, basketball size mud balls
I saw hanging from the thick wall of mangrove tree branches were termite nests. After
visiting a "crocodile farm," we stopped at a natural spring that feeds into the
river, with a little restaurant alongside. I went for a swim, had a bite, and watched a
group of kids jumping into the swimming hole from a trapeze swing suspended from a large
tree.
After the river ride, I hiked up a nearby hill past the municipal cemetery and ruins of
the original town from 1770's, and got a phenomenal view of all three rivers that surround
the town, the coastal line of palm trees, the village below, and the beautiful bay which
extends south about 15 miles.
I also learned why the tiny church in town had part of a poem by Longfellow ("The
Bells of San Blas") inscribed on a plaque affixed to the wall by the entrance. As
best I am beginning to understand, San Blas, an historically important port city, was the
first in a series of battles where the Ninos Heroes (the Children Heroes -- a group of 19
and 20 year students at the National Military Academy in Mexico City), began their defense
and lost their lives in various battles during either the French Intervention or
Mexican-American war (I haven't completely figured out which yet). However, I DO think the
end result was an important Mexican victory in Mexico City itself.
TEPIC
>From San Blas, I rode along the beautiful coast south, and then had a challenging,
but rewarding ride from sea level up to over 3000 or 3500 feet (in the blazing sun and
jungle humidity!), to Tepic, the capital of Nayarit State. Nayarit was fun, and reminded
me of the small villages I had been riding through, just on a little bigger scale (about
300,000 people). There was a pleasant small regional museum, with exhibits on the four
major indigenous groups in the Mexican west, two really pleasant urban parks, a large
plaza in front of the town cathedral, and a good size commercial district and street
market. It made me think of a capital of, say, Iowa. Big, but still small. And, less than
ten miles out of town, as I was descending (quickly, but safely), the mountains to the
east of the city, I was passing through tiny villages with chickens in the front yard, and
a good many people riding horses and burros.
Tepic's main lesson, though, was in finally letting go of any ideas I may have had left
that I am "in charge" of where I go or what happens on the trip. On my third
morning in Tepic, I woke up, carried my bike downstairs to the lobby, made the three trips
back and forth with all my bags, loaded everything up, strapped down my back-pack and
then, doing my final pre-ride check, put a little more air in my back tire -- breaking the
valve in the process. No big deal. After all, how many broken spokes and flats have I
already written about.
So I took the wheel off, put in a new tube, pumped it up, reloaded all the gear, and
got ready to ride off, when I noticed the tire was flat, again. Apparently the tube had a
slow leak. (Turns out, as the guy at the Tepic bike shop told me, the heat and humidity
make it VERY difficult to get a good seal on a patch. NOW I learn!) So, went through the
whole process a THIRD time, as it was getting late, and I was already sweating in the noon
sun without having cycled a foot. As I started in on the third tube, I thought, if this
doesn't work (it didn't), I'm not going today. I think it finally sunk in that I really,
truly, have no schedule to adhere to. I stayed the day. Amazingly, the desk clerk somehow
knew where the best two bike shops in town were, and she gave me perfect directions to
them. I bought three new tubes, then spent the afternoon in my cool, dry hotel room,
repatching my spares. Knock wood, SO FAR, the ride out of Tepic the following day saw my
last broken spoke for 150 miles. Hope my luck holds.
IXTLAN DEL RIO, MAGDALENA, TEQUILA
This trio of small villages, the first two in Nayarit, the last in Jalisco, en route to
Guadalajara, were really amazing. Small towns of 50,000 or so people, nestled in small to
mid-size agricultural valleys, each had its own charm and character to spare. Outside
Ixtlan, I visited Western Mexico's pre-eminent archaeological site -- a pre-Hispanic
palace, temple, village complex of 47 acres that has been preserved of a much larger area.
Some reconstruction of the ruins has been done to give a feel for the palaces, altars, and
public squares. It has really gotten me excited for the sites in Mexico City and the
Yucatan.
Magdalena was a great place to relax and really start some writing projects in earnest.
While I was there, the sun was shining, the sky was scattered with gorgeous white puffy
clouds, and a gentle breeze kept it all cool enough to be perfect. I could see a mid-size
extinct volcano from my guest house, and the nearby hills and distant mountains were all
covered in grasses, shrubs, pine and deciduous trees, and a sprinkling of cacti here and
there.
The main, old highway, which I followed from the coast all the way to Guadalajara,
zipped right into town, zig-zagged around the central plaza, and then continued east
towards Tequila. Parallel to the old highway, were the railroad tracks and modern toll
highway which have been ran alongside me for the entire route.
Tequila, is, in fact, the birthplace of the drink. The rich scent of roasted agave
floats everywhere through town. Alot of folks visit from nearby (50 km) Guadalajara, to
visit The Tequila Museum, The Sauza Family Museum, and tour either the Sauza or Cuervo
distilleries, or take, as I did, the municipal city tour out to the La Confandia
distillery to see the agave fields, agave hearts a.k.a., pineapples, ovens, crushers,
fermenting vats (with assorted butterflies and cockroaches floating on top), and
distillation vats. During the tour I sampled cooked agave (sweet!), and sampled various
tequilas (silver/white, i.e., unaged/uncolored; gold -- unaged/colored/flavored; rested -
up to a year or so old; and viejo or anejo, aged for several years in caskets and quite
tasty, and pricey!
The rainy season HAS arrived, but is nowhere near as bad as I feared. While it does
rain STRONGLY every few days, the storms generally only last a few hours, and it looks
like they shouldn't interfere with my travel plans. (Though August/September is supposed
to be REALLY bad).
GUADALAJARA
I went into culture shock when I arrived here. Guadalajara is Mexico's second city, a
metropolitan area of 3 million (as opposed to Mexico City's 20 million). I was not
prepared for the overwhelming "cityness" of it all after my Baja desert riding,
and my acclimation to small villages.
The city is a mix of everything Mexican, with a good point of Norteamericano culture
thrown in. My second day here, I couldn't resist and walked out to the Magna Centro -- the
newest Mall and (window) shopped at the Armani store, the Radio Shack, read the menu at
Chili's, had a Starbuck's clone Frappucino, and watched a movie at the stadium seating,
air conditioned, spotlessly clean 19 screen cine-plex. There is money in Guadalajara, and
lots of it. I have walked through neighborhoods that could be transferred to Beverly Hills
and fit right in. Conversely, on the east side of town, I could be back in any of the
small villages I have visited, just on a larger scale.
Historically, too, Guaudalajara is amazing. Founded in 1542, the large central
cathedral (completed in 1618) is surrounded by four beautiful large plazas and a
historical district with tons of buildings from the 1500, 1600, 1700 and 1800's. Simply
amazing. Too, the cultural scene is phenomenal. I went to a Jalisco Symphony Orchestra
performance, the University of Guadalajara Ballet Folklorico (both in the 19th century
Theater Degalado), and there are art museums and galleries everywhere.
>From here, the plan is to leave the bike for a bit, bus up to Zacatecas for a few
days, then continue a meandering path to Mexico City by way of Gaunajato.
Best, Jeffrey |
