Day 502
Día de Muertos
We were keen to be on our way to town of Guerrero Negro. Today is the Mexican Dia de Muertos, the Day of the Dead. The tradition is to create a private alter containing favourite foods, drink, photos and memorabilia of a lost loved one. The idea being that this will encourage the souls of deceased to visit and for them to know that their loved ones still miss and think of them. First though we had to pass through the 28th parallel and enter the state of California Baja Sur. Religion, geography, money and greed have helped create the two states in Baja California, just like the rest of the world! No trumpets sounded just another military checkpoint and a machine gun toting bored soldier to wave us through. We headed straight for the cemetery, it seemed as though all 10,000 occupants of Guerrero Negro were there too. It had a respectful but joyful celebratory feel to it. We were greeted with the usual waves and calls of ‘Hola’ and ‘Buenos Dias’. The cemetery was so different to a UK one. Each family had a small colourful building, inside were the alters, pictures and flowers all around. Families sat chatting, children ran around playing, a ceremony was taking place in the centre, our Spanish, as yet too poor to fully follow what was being said. The whole thing felt rather special, no one seem to mind us wandering around, and just observing. When I take my mum to visit my father’s grave, it’s a bleak miserable experience. We have no links to my dad there. I often wonder about the people buried next to my dad, who were they? How different it would be if instead we too did something similar. Took chairs, and with friends and family sat around and remembered, ate some of my dad’s favourite chocolate, drank a few small bottles of beer my brother Chris was so fond of and just for a day felt they were with us again.
Instead, we headed to town. Now as you, my regular reader will know, I have a black dress. Purchased on the advice of two women tourers. It rolls up in a ball but is crease free when I pop it on. It just feels great not to wear cycle kit all the time! Turns out Isabell has one too! So dressed up, we went out to dinner! We also had company on our first night, Stefano from France. He is riding a solar powered recumbent and is whizzing his way through the Baja!
The cycling over the last few days had been a mix of endless roadworks, meaning we have to ride in the dusty verges, and take it from me, with all the trucks etc it’s dusty! The surrounding scenery of cacti and mountains though made it all worth while. Apart from our two nights in the hotel we have wild camped, and it’s been a challenge to stay clean and vegetation free! Frequent stops for a wash at the Taco stands helped! Onwards we go!
