Day 534
23 becomes 1
We realised our day off was the right decision as the next two days riding were pretty brutal, so much climbing! Our next night was again in what we thought was a remote spot, but as we cooked our tea a herd of cows wandered by, very curious as to who or what we were. Three young local lads then gave chase to some of the cows, another cow came rushing by chased by a few dogs who stopped dead in their tracks when they spotted us. On the hills above us, goats wandered up and down whilst a young girl encouraged then to head back down the hill. Eventually calm was restored and though we could hear the cows bellowing they stayed out of sight. We had the hardest day’s riding to come, but I was back on form and relished the climbing. The views were getting better all the time. We thought we would have broken our climbing record but not quite. We headed into the woods to camp, well away from the river and the cows. Apart from one man looking for a lost dog it was a quiet night!
From being on such a high I woke feeling low. It was probably a combination of things, we had neglected to buy proper food when we could, and having to wear the same sweat stained clothing for 4 days in a row wasn’t fun. I was missing simple pleasures, like listening to the radio on a morning, and I so wanted to see my family and friends. I definitely had a ‘do I want to carry on?’ moment. I needed something special to lift me, and our fickle finger of fate didn’t let me down.
We knew after a few more hills we would have a big downhill, always a bonus! Though plentiful, the hills were not as steep nor as long as the previous two days, and the views simply got better and better. Then we reached the highlight of the road so far. A seemingly endless descent of hairpins over 7,000 feet down in less than 20 miles. We could look down and see bits of tarmac in the valley below but simply couldn’t work out how we would get there. It was a mind-boggling, breath-taking, exhilarating ride. We rode down past rock fall after rock fall, at times virtually covering the whole road. On a least 4 maybe 5 occasions almost half the road had fallen away, at other times great sections were simply a rough dirt track where all the tarmac had been destroyed by a rock fall. As for the pot holes, well there were countless of these, some small, some covering the whole road. It was hard to know where to look, at the jaw dropping views or straight down! I started to doubt if we could actually make it all the way through, but the bus to Durango passed us, heading very slowly up hill. If a bus could get through then so could we. All the way down, just like the rest of the ride, we saw almost no traffic. However we became used to passing a lone cow by the side of the road, many horse riders and so many people simply walking along.
We stopped at the bottom to calm ourselves, gaze back up at the route, scarcely believing where we had ridden. I read today that this route is classed as the most scenic in Mexico, dangerous for cars but fantastic for cyclists, we certainly wouldn’t argue with that.
Down on the valley floor it was nearing time to set up camp. However for the first time in Mexico we were really struggling. Fences lined the road on both sides. We passed a hotel, but perhaps rather foolishly pushed on. We knew there was a big river ahead and were hoping we could camp by it and have a swim to cool off. When we reached it, such a beautiful spot, it was clear it was perhaps not ideal as dozens of locals were swimming and relaxing there. It felt intrusive to camp there.
Finally we found what seemed an OK spot. A small river below a bridge which would hide us from traffic. There was one lone man walking there and he reassured us it was fine to camp. Then it just got busier and busier. Villagers were collecting water, dozens of young children came to swim, curious locals popped by to check us out. One chap wandered by for a chat whilst carrying a huge machete. He checked out our bags and though I’m sure he was just being curious we started to feel uneasy, and also somewhat in the way of what was clearly a well-used spot. Minutes later, Claudia popped by, did we want to stay with her? We certainly did. She was so kind and welcoming. We felt so privileged to meet her and her family, especially Alexandra, her enchanting 8 year old daughter. We spent the evening chatting in our broken Spanish sharing details of our lives.
One of the difficult things about our trip is to balance our desire to see and experience life in other countries without appearing too nosey or imposing. In material possessions so many of the people we are meeting have so much less than we have at home. No sanitation, electricity, access to TV, wi-fi etc. Life must be very hard at times but the freedom the children have, and the strong sense of community everywhere makes them richer in other ways.
The following night we reached the small town of Jesus Maria. We booked two nights in a small hotel. It’s another way of life, plenty of places to shop and eat. It has a hospital, a busy central square. Electricity, but still no running water. At home seagulls would raid the bins, here it’s pigs and dogs. We have been treated with such kindness, whilst also being a curiosity. People are so patient with us, each day we can converse more but desperately need lessons to be able to interact properly. Carlos, the son of the hotel owner offered to help if we needed it. He became such a good friend to us in our 24 hours I Jesus Maria, endlessly helpful. It is very clear that basically we are all the same wherever we come from. We need family and friends, a sense of community, and here in Mexico it is clear that they are wealthier than most in that regard.
