Day 126-127: La Paz to Mazatlan via Ferry

October 26-27, 2014

There are few certainties about bicycle touring, but I think I can be certain about this: You will accumulate a massive Karma debt. Our La Paz hosts, Jerry and Celine, were incredibly kind to us: hot breakfasts, hot dinners, food recommendations, and a snorkeling guide connection that was superior in every way to the company we had originally planned to go with. Jerry had even more recommendations, but we didn't take him up on all of them. 

So a big thanks to Jerry and Celine for helping us to maximize our time spent in La Paz!

But it was time for us to continue to the mainland, and so we said goodbye and made our way to the ferry. 

This ferry is much more oriented towards cargo transportation than tourism, like the British Colombia ferry. As such, we had to cram our bicycles into a small control room without touching any of the buttons, knobs or switches. And we had to leave room for Menno, Spencer, Kate, and a fourth German man who we would meet later.

A semi truck is backing into the tunnel in the middle. 

The ferry is an 16-18 hour ride that goes overnight, leaving at 5:00 pm. They provided dinner and breakfast, which was better than I expected. They played movies and so I watched Gravity, which everyone else told me was a ridiculous plot and too far fetched to be a good movie. I got caught up in it and was really excited. Then I saw a picture of the sunset I missed because I chose to watch the movie instead of going up on the sun deck and I got mad at myself. 

While everyone else slept in tents on the deck, I stayed inside to take advantage of the air conditioning. I slept in the chairs, but judging by my the foul mood I was in when we arrived in Mazatlan mid morning I did not sleep well.



The sleep was so poor and our ability to conquer our chores so diminished, we switched plans and got a hotel. Once again I was able to successfully save 50 pesos by bargaining it down! The hotel reminded me of a Mexican themed Hogwarts, beautiful and with lots of mysterious passageways and staircases to explore. And all of this was for less than 500 pesos, I think. There was a jankey cieling fan and the beds were a little worn, but no matter. for less than 50 bucks you can get 4 beds, wifi, and beautiful hallways, courtyards, and views.

You should see this thing in action. It is terrifying. We turned this fan off before sleeping under it.

Day 125: Snorkeling in La Paz

October 25, 2014
0 Miles

Snorkeling has been at the top of my to do list for La Paz, and we were extremely fortunate to have our hosts set us up with two amazing guides who created an unforgettable day on the ocean. This was truly a highlight of the trip. Throughout the day I reminded myself, this is happening, this is real life. 

First we went to a place where whale sharks gather to eat krill and plankton and whatever else it is that they eat. We were unlucky and after 20 minutes of put putting around we gave up and headed for  Isla de Isantu and to swim with sea lions. They sound really funny, like they are all belching at each other. They are also very graceful and friendly in the water. We got within a meter of some of them as they played with each other around the rocky island.

This is a small rocky island off the tip of Isantu.

Note the gap in the island. We were able to snorkel underneath it and so were the sea lions. That's where you could get really close to them. 

Next we went to a beautiful beach on Isla Isantu and swam in the shallows. No stingrays stings this time!

The boat we road. Our guide Leo at at the bow and Israel at the stern.

And after the shallow beach we went to another unique beach that has a pool of freshwater flowing into the ocean. The guide said he had never seen so much water pooled up there. There were also many little crabs scurrying around the sand.



Then we went to a coral reef where I found interesting shells and a starfish on the bottom. And we did some more playing around with the shoals of fish. Finally, we went back to the spot where there were supposed to be whale sharks. We stopped there on the way out and there were no whale sharks, but on our way back we saw the fins of a whale shark poking above the water, and a group of snorkelers swimming alongside it. We were not as successful as the other group, but most of us were able to get a glimpse of it while snorkeling. I got a good view of its back and tail fin as it swam underneath me. It was so big I wasn't able to see the whole thing at once! And then it dove deep and we did not see any more.

Menno and Spencer had GoPro cameras that could go underwater. Here is the link to Spencer's blog that hopefully will feature some of those underwater photos. He hasn't updated it yet. I will put some of Menno's pictures up on a separate post after I look at them and organize them.

When we weren't swimming in the water we enjoyed each other's company on the boat. This truly is a great group to travel with, I feel very fortunate to have met every one of them.

It was blue day.

Don't you want to know what she's talking about? Leo at helm looking for whale sharks.

The true Mexican experience.

La Paz is a trip highlight for sure. We could definitely stay longer but more adventures are down the road!

Day 122-124: Ciudad Constitucion to La Paz

October 22-24
70ish miles
64ish miles

When riding a bicycle, there are certain road conditions you always want to avoid. The long and straight road is often forgotten as one to be avoided. And we certainly had a long, straight road for the better part of 2 days. After cycling for 30 miles or so of straight, flat road (I cannot overemphasize this point: there was literally, not a single curve or bend to the road for over 20 miles) we were so happy to see this little bend that Spencer shouted "CURVE AHEAD! CURVE AHEAD!" and I was inspired to take this photo. This was the highlight of the day.

Daisy and Jason snagged this campground that also work well for a scene in an indie film. An elementary school's fustal/basketabll court on the edge of a tiny village.

That village was called "El Cien" which means 100, because it is 100 miles from La Paz. Clever, eh?

We woke up the next morning and did it again. Long, straight, boring road. And then it got really exciting when we had to ride through 20 miles of extra dusty construction with lots of loose sand, washboard gravel, and impatient drivers. It was a day of extremes.

Finally, we made it to La Paz, our final city on Baja California. Upon arrival we immediately noticed and fell in love with its distinct cultural... wait... is that a Wal-Mart behind the welcome sign?



Seriously La Paz is a beautiful town. I know this is true because at the ferry station I listened to tourism propoganda for 30 minutes while waiting in line. A couple told a story about getting drunk, riding in the back of a pick up truck (which, they quickly pointed out, you can't do in the USA), dropping their wallet on the road, and then having it returned to them with nothing missing, including all $500 in US dollars. I had a good chuckle with that and the videos other exaggerated claims.

My favorite part of La Paz has been our hosts, who had allowed us to stay in their house for 3 nights and even cooked us dinner and hot breakfast. Jason and Daisy met them at a restaurant in North Baja California while I was sleeping because I was too tired.




Talking with Cops episode 2:

After going through 20 miles of hellish construction, I pulled over to rest and drink some water. A couple of cops were standing a short distance away in the shade. One of them waved me over, so I went over to him. He asked if I was hungry, and held out a styrofoam box of beef and rice. I accepted and thanked him.

He left, and a different officer came up to me after a short while. After talking for only a short while I was surprised at how casual our conversation was. We discussed police corruption and he told me about how it harms the reputation of Mexico's law enforcement officers when people hear about the bribes. Then he told me about Cabo San Lucas, and what happens during spring break. Specifically, he told me what you can watch women and men do together when they become intoxicated. He assured me, "Don't worry, no pasa nada." Later he asked me about what I heard about police corruption and mistreatment of foreigners. I avoided the question by talking about bringing drugs and guns into the country. His response was that it was fine to smoke a joint and he wouldn't bust you.

I left amazed that I was able to understand everything the cop said, and surprised at the direction our conversation went.

I finished the meal, Jason and Daisy showed up, and we went to the next gas station for carbonated beverages.



The desert is full of surprises:

Question: In the photo below, what is the dog missing that makes him unlike most other Mexican dogs? (scroll down for answer)

Answer: He's missing his testicles! I'll bet you were going to say "His right ear." Jasper and his litter mate are the first neutered dogs we have seen in Mexico. He is super friendly, old, and has bad knees so when he leans on you he really leans and nearly falls over. Delightful dog.

Day 120-121 Loreto to Ciudad Constitucion

October 20-21
12 miles, 68 miles

We are back in the middle of the peninsula after enduring a set of mountains and a long, straights section of flat land. The mountains were beautiful, but we paid for it later when we had to endure 20 miles of straight flat prairie that looked like it could have been any prairie in the USA. But with cacti.

These are some of the mountains we had to cross. Sorry about the sun. It has been relentless, as it is in the photo.



The enormous tarantula is by far the coolest thing we saw today. Jason spotted it trying to cross the road. Although they only bite when they are disturbed, picking one up is not advised.

Here is a photo of the area where we will are spending the night. Between the time I took this photo and now as I type this entry we gained 4 more people and 4 more tents.

This is also the most awesome pool design I have ever seen. I floated on my back around Cactus Island several times.

In an earlier post I forgot to mention that our 11 year old friend, Eduardo, pointed out that I have caspa. It took us a while to figure out that caspa means dandruff. I went into educator mode and tried to impress upon him the importance of personal hygiene.

Days 116-119 Santa Rosalia to Loreto

Day 116-119
September 16-19
Rest day, 40 miles, 13 miles, 53 miles


Bargaining, Beaches, and Stingrays

Although it goes against my non-confrontational nature, I have had some success in bargaining for lower rates at the places where we stay. After lowering the rate from 500 pesos to 450 for a night for Kate and Spencer, I successfully got the same rate for Tanja and Meno. Here they are trying to avoid carrying bags up the stairs. Personally I think this looks like more work, but it was definitely more fun.

On the second night of our two night stay in Santa Rosalia, we walked along the shorefront area and along the streets. The streets were surprisingly busy. There were cars bumper to bumper going along the two main one way streets. I'm not sure what they were doing, but the streets were so narrow, the cars so many, and the sidewalks so close to the cars that by the end of our walk my lungs were noticeably irritated. At the end we also got food at a nice little restaurant. It was a most enjoyable time!

 After Santa Rosalia came the first of two beaches we slept at. It was the first one we came to, and when it looks this good on the approach, how could you say no?

The sign said 100 pesos for a night (just under 10 dollars) and we decided that was too much. It was 25 pesos more than we had ever paid in Mexico for camping, so we agreed if I could get it knocked down to 75 we would probably all stay there. After back to back nights of successful negotiating, I was feeling lucky so I went to see if I could get a better price. I told her that 75 was a better price for us, and she after she thought for a second, she said "Okay, 70 pesos."

And that is how I negotiated a lower price than my initial offer.

And I wasted no time to begin splashing in the ocean!

Bug net couple. I hope they don't mind me putting this photo up. I love it. The mosquitoes here bite harder than any on this trip so far.

And we had a nice sunset. Unbeknownst to us at the time we paid, there was a little party going on at the restaurant behind our little palm hut things. So the music went from Mexican/Carribian/Latin themed music, which I was really digging, to 80's rock and pop, then to party pop, and finally hitting rock bottom with Sexy and I Know It and I'm Too Sexy. It was super loud, but I somehow managed to fall asleep shortly after they transitioned back into some Latin based stuff.

Sleeping is difficult in Mexico because of obnoxious dogs that snarl and bark and yelp in the middle of the night no matter where you go. So even when the music died down, we had to endure two dogs fighting throughout the night. Fortunately sleepless nights on the Mexican beach can be remedied like this in the morning:

We swam in the ocean for an hour or so in the morning before getting back on the bikes. We rode for a whopping 13 miles before stopping at another beach for the night.

We stopped at a restaurant/cabin rental place owned by an ex-pat and what I think may be his wife, but I'm not entirely sure. At any rate the woman was rude and mean. We asked if we could get some water, and she told us that we could not because they had just driven 30 miles into town for it. Then when we requested to pay 10 pesos for the internet password (which the sign made clear was available to us for the price as long as you didn't stream, download a lot or otherwise use a lot of bandwidth) she accused us of plotting ot have one person pay and then share the password with everyone else so we could all download high definition, two hour long videos of child pornography porn. She actually did accuse us of plotting to share the password, but not the porn part. I added that part because talked and acted as if that is what we were doing. She was crazy.



The ex-pat was a cool guy though, and as laid back and nice as she was crazy. "I have plenty of water, don't worry about it," was what he said while she went off on a rant about why we should wait until tomorrow to bike 20 more miles to get more water. He also told us about how to find clams in the water in front of his place. Jason, Daisy, Spencer, and I went to give it a try.

We found nothing except for Jason's 2 rocks. Then Jason yelled "Ouch!" very loudly. Turns out he stepped on a stingray!

The proper cure for getting stung by a stingray is to immerse the stung body part in 113 degree water, scalding hot. This temperature is a happy medium that is hot enough to break down the chemicals in the poison, but cool enough not to destroy flesh. It just makes everything swollen. Here is Jason suffering while mellow Ex Pat tells him how he will be fine in the morning. The man talked about Jason's dire condition in the as if it were a bump on the head. His even keeled nonchalance was almost annoying, and probably was extremely annoying to Jason, but I guess he just knew better than all of us that his voodoo-witchcraft-medicine technique actually worked.

As Jason recovered we mad a pot-luck dinner of lentil/carrot/cabbage soup with chicken broth with sides of rice and cucumbers. It was delightful.





Stingray beach.



On October 19, we rode from BuenaVentura to Loreto. This required us to cycle inland a little bit and see some beautiful mountain ranges.

In town I met Eduardo, who explained to me how gearing works, and figured out what all the cables are connected to. Sharp kid.

He also was our tour guide. It was fun talking with him, and I think he enjoyed the company. When we left, he laid on my back saddlebags and said "Don't go! Don't go! Don't go!" Spencer has a picture of it and I'll post it when I get ahold of it. Right now we are at Hotel Posada in Loreto. Tomorrow we head for La Paz, where I will hopefully partake in kayaking and snorkeling!

And now for the daily Mexico fail: This poor dog did not move more than 10 feet at a time until 9:00 at night when the sun had been down for hours and the temperature began to cool. Pet owner fail.

Day 115: San Ignacio to Santa Rosalia

October 15, 2014

San Ignacio to Santa Rosalia

45ish miles

Today marks the end of traveling with Antonie. He will be taking more time off than I am able to do, and so unfortunately we will have to part ways. He is ready to go and do Mexico on his own, and will be especially ready after a couple weeks of Spanish lessons under his belt from La Paz. Good luck Antonie!

From left to right: Philtrons, Antonie, Me

Fortunately for me, there are many groups of people riding through Mexico. For the next several weeks I will be traveling with the Philtrons!

But today I mostly rode with Spencer and Kate, who are pokey getting going in the morning, like me. I never thought I would be one of the pokey ones, but long distance bike tourers are even more up and at em than I am. 

The scenery went from good to great as we approached volcanic mountains, and went through a series of climbs to get a glimpse of the ocean!

Look at the ample amount of space the driver is giving him! Mexican drivers are by far the most friendly I've encountered. My arm gets more tired from waving back to friendly honks, waves, and thumbs up than from anything else. They wait patiently for a safe opportunity to pass you and often give you a thumbs up or a wave afterwards!

These mountains are called The Three Virgins Volcanoes. This brought us a philosophical conundrums: If they are virgins, does that mean that they have never erupted? And if a volcano never erupts, is it still a volcano? And from this, what does that say about humans....

This was part of the descent into Santa Rosalia. The steepness isn't really captured well here.

Terrible roads, great view.

At the plaza, drinking Horchata.... Wait. That's not how the song goes!

In one of my prouder moments I tried to get the hotel guy to lower the price of the rooms because there we would be taking 2 rooms for 2 nights. In the end I did get him to lower one of the rooms down from 500 to 450! But not the other because we were 3 people. Here's what 3 bikes and gear look like in a hotel room. I thought we'd feel cramped, but even with three people, bikes, and gear it feels spacious. It's safe to say I am used to living without "modern comforts."

Around Lake Taho I saw tons of bumper stickers that said "Keep Tahoe Blue." I still don't know what it's all about, but obviously it has to do with preserving Lake Tahoe. And so with that, I bring you the Mexican win of the day: