From: San Fernando To: Tuxpan, MX
Amazing "topes" in every town and sometimes just out in nowhere.Topes are "speed bumps" on steroids. Single and in pairs and small groups. Every journal that I've read have commented (cursed) these things. Most are a simple concrete or asphalt strip across the highway and about 4-5 inches tall. Some are much taller. At small towns people sometimes stand in the middle of the road to sell stuff as vehicles slow to a stop when encountering these monsters. Some highways are super and for a good distance the pavement is great then bam. . . pothole city. I guess its like having one county keep up repairs and the next county not. Tomorrow we go past Veracruz and on to Minatitlan, a long day of over 375 miles. Note: Oaxaca was scratched from our schedule after reading about civil unrest and violence as we thought it was enough to risk our lives just riding.
Day 7
From: Tuxpan To: Minatitlan, MX
Sunday morning. Nice, cool, bright. Good highway and scenic.The day turned into another monster (by my calculations, that 4 out of 7 days so far qualify as monsters). Add tolls to the topes and terrible drivers and you've almost got it. Topes at small towns and topes in the middle of no-where. Roads being repaired and roads needing repair and you have us reaching Minatitalan at dark. The original plan was for about 250 miles per day average. Of course on good highways that could be more like today's 375. However we didn't adjust the schedule. Very bad. I think we've seen everything "but" ships burning off the shoulders of Orion.
We arrived as it was beginning to get dark and beginning to rain. Minatitalan is an extremely large city with extremely fast drivers and bad streets. I felt like I had been dropped into a giant blending machine. Thank goodness Harold keeps his cool much better than I. Huge pot holes and "topes" everywhere in the city and we were trying desperately to find a hotel. We rode all around the huge city for more than an hour without spotting a hotel even thought we stopped several times to ask locals for help. I was so tired and "wired" that the hotel we finally found was a blessing Did I mention that earlier before reaching our destination, we rode approximately 125 miles on a toll road with no gas stations, no towns and only one exit (to God knows where). I've never ridden anywhere for that distance without a service exit. We are enjoying the Mexican food and I've been trying many things I can't pronounce. And and I haven't seen at restaurants back home. Every hotel so-far has had bottled water in the rooms.
Day 8
From: Minatitlan To: San Christobal
Wow. Today made up for all the crap in the last several days. Although we found pot holes in the expensive toll roads and a few more topes, it was a fantastic day. We began heading southeast which took us through mountains ever-bit as breathtaking as the Rockies. It was purely AWESOME. We arrived in San Christobal about 4:30 and located a small hotel in the downtown business district. By business I mean every kind. Across the street is a bank. next door a open air cafe. On one corner is a home that opens with a large door to what appears is a family room that doubles as a tiny cafe. Its really quite interesting. Unlike evenings thus far, we had the time and energy to walk about and see a few sites. Tomorrow we head for the Guatemalan border.
1 & 2. Halloween parade with lots of kids having a great time.
3. Wonderful old church in San Fernando
4.The beach at Vera Cruz was worth stopping to take a picture.
