Hi,
Am now in Mexico having crossed the border without too much trouble.
Some will be glad to know that the weather went a bit pants and some violent storms hit the coast. I rode down the Baja peninsula of Mexico and saw total devastation caused by the hurricane.. I met up with another chap ,Albert, also on a bike trip and we travelled together for a few days before an unfortunate event meant he had to go home.
The historic centre of Mazatlan is beautiful which is fortunate as I had to spend a few days there due to some impassable roads after the storms. I still ended up having to ride the bike through a pretty severe river where the road had disappeared which was an 'education' .
I then rode over the Sierra Madre mountain range in torrential rain on the way to Durango ,which was 'refreshing' before stopping off at Zacatecas, yet another very well preserved beautiful old town.
I have now ditched the tent and am staying in some very lovely hotels. The comfort is not as intense now without the discomfort of the camping to compare it with but it is a welcome change .However I know I will miss sleeping outdoors and may well revert back to canvass when I arrive in Peru.
I am now in Oaxaca my favourite Mexican town so far The 'Day of the Dead ' festival is on for the next few days which is a time when all deceased relatives are celebrated and said 'hello' to. All the little kids dress up in incredibly elaborate ghoulish costumes and dance in the streets singing songs about dead Granny and Grandad, to the local mariachi bands. They are the some of the happiest, sweetest kids I've ever seen, if a little weird.
I love this town so am staying here for a while and going to school for 5 hours a day for 5 days a week to learn Spanish and learn how to say 'No refried beans with the strawberry cheesecake, gracias' amongst other things. I'm also moving in with a local family for a couple of weeks.
All sounds rather lame after the USA but it is very tranquil , elegant and beautiful, as are the Mexican women, another reason to learn the language..Guatemala,Honduras,El Salvador,Nicaragua,Costa Rica and Panama next before heading into Columbia and the rest of South America.
Pictures to follow asap.
Bye for now xxx,