Oaxaca and the Bad Side

Oaxaca

Pxl and I have made it into the state of Oaxaca – a beautiful, diverse and politically charged state in southern Mexico. Taking a rest day in Pinotepa, we experienced a religious procession, a protest to free a disappeared professor and a beautiful city center. We will soon be at Puerto Escondido, a beach town with a surf culture and much to do. However, after this port the future is uncertain. Could the Brigada Mariposa be disbanding completely? Will we all seek out our own adventure and manifest our own future reality separately? Obviously a stressful decision, but the forces that draw us together also draw us apart. It feels like an impending breakup, like when Andy left us in the Zocalo in Colima with that song playing in the background: “I don’t want to leave without you…” or some sad shit like that. Now I feel the call of the mountains, the cool air, the jungle, the ruins, the chocolate, the culture and the political atmosphere calling me away from the coast, the state of Chiapas (for now) and my cycling companion, Pxl. I am looking forward to cycling solo, adventuring onward without compromise, like Andy has finally started doing (I think he just left Colima today).

Thanks to all of those who continue to write me and keep in touch. I’m not homesick really, but I do miss my friends. So, if you haven’t written lately – let me know what you’re doing!

And now, the dark side of cycling through Mexico, the stuff we deal with that causes great discomfort, stress or other bad feelings and thoughts.

The bad list:

· Climbing up a huge mountain stuck in heavy traffic, breathing almost pure exhaust.
· That greasy spot on your tire from that roadkill you didn’t see.
· The smell of death from the “fresh” roadkill
· The smell of my gloves
· Riding through a thick cloud of burning plastic and other garbage
· The massive piles of unburned garbage that litter almost every landscape.
· Blowing out a tire on a fast downhill with lots of traffic.
· Rack failures (we’ve all experienced this – most common problem)
· Sand in your chain
· More guns than I’ve ever seen. Seems like the army and police are ready for war.
· Missing friends and family
· waiting for hours in an internet café to post those pictures for you on a super slow connection

(There is a longer list in my journal, I’ll update this post with an edit later on)