November 8 - November 11, 2014
Progress continues through more of Mexico's prominent cities. Before leaving Aguascalientes our host, MJ, showed us around the city. Aguascalientes has a beautiful downtown area and many modern parks which you can search for on the internet for pictures because I took none. Thanks MJ for a wonderful time in Aguascalientes!
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| Last photo we will ever take looking into the sun. |
We left Aguascalientes and took two days to arrive in Leon, stopping for the night in Incarnacion de Diaz. The highway we used to leave town was awful, and had tons of debris which gave Jason and i a flat each. Another mechanical problem was created when I foolishly decided to ride down a steep, rocky side road after I took this picture:
The damage it caused is proving more serious to fix than the flats: my front rack snapped off at a crucial place. I knew when I bought it that I was taking a slight risk by buying an aluminum rack. I gambled and lost.
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| That ain't right. |
Leon has a beautiful city core and we were fortunate enough to have warm shower hosts, Fernando and Frida. We stayed with them in their house and conversed in Spanish. He gave us his sister's address so we had a place to stay in Guanajuato as well! Muchas gracias a Fernando and Frida!
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| Plaza in Leon. These are bustling places! It gets even more crowded than this picture. |
Before leaving for Guanajuato, we had the memorable experience of talking to Fernando's chemistry class. We stood infront of 42 high school students and answered all sorts of questions about who we are, what our trip is like. After class was over, we were mobbed for photos, and requests for beard touching. I told them no, but at least one student sneaked a beard tug.
Guanajuato is just a short ways from Leon, and it only took us an afternoon to get there. We were surprised to find out that Fernando's sister, Laura, was more than asked by Fernando that we would be staying at her house. She didn't seem to mind, and by the end of the night I could tell for sure Jason and my Spanish speaking is improving! Being forced to converse in Spanish is wonderful practice.
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| Plaza in Guanajuato |
We left Laura's house to explore Guanajuato. We will spend tonight in a hotel downtown. Guanajuato is beautiful and has lots to do and see. Despite its charm, it put me in a foul mood as I got lost in its streets. I stupidly lost one of my cycling shoes off the back of my bike. I tried to retrace my steps but that is an exercise in futility as the streets are impossibly difficult to navigate because they criss cross and end and make curves with no sense of direction. Of course the crazy streets help give the city its charm, but it can be an aggravating charm nonetheless. I will have to add "shoe" to the list of things I have lost on this trip.
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| Guanajuato from afar. |
Here are some of the sights along the way.
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| If you love dogs, you will love and hate what you see in Mexico. Lots of puppies and interesting mixes of breeds, but many live in the streets. |
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| Somewhere between Aguascalientes and Guanajuato |
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| There are many "Yonkes" or junkyards around, but this one has to be the best organized. |
Mexico looks beautiful man, especially the photos of the countryside!
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