Day 525
Mexiquillo
The final push on the hills took us to over 9,000 feet. Being used to living at sea level, this makes it hard to get a decent lungful of air. Tom wasn’t feeling 100% and he was really struggling for breath. For once I was the one encouraging him up the hills. We passed through the old military checkpoint at the top of the hill. There were a scattering of buildings, most looking derelict. I felt we should stop and buy a drink at least from one of the two shops, basically you know it’s a shop because it has a Coca-Cola sign outside. With Tom not good though we pushed on, receiving very cheery waves from the few people we saw.
So ready for a break after 3 brutal hilly days we dropped down into La Ciudad. I am not sure what I was expecting but this wasn’t it! La Ciudad lay before us, the best way to describe it was it looked like a mix of war-torn buildings and roads, with the wild west thrown in. Only the main road was paved and I use that word in the loosest sense. The rest were a mix of concrete and dirt. Nothing seemed quite finished. There was a happy, busy feel to it though, Christmas decorations were going up everywhere and the bandstand looked smart and ready for a party. We wound our way through the town, getting many curious looks and the usual greetings. Our home for the next 3 nights was a small hostel, Hostal Mexiquillo, named for a local area of outstanding beauty. The family that run it were so friendly and helpful. They spoke no English but with our few words and Google translate we had many friendly chats and got some advice on the best route to Puerto Vallarta. Apparently, the road that takes us over more mountains is the better option! We even got to watch the underwhelming England vs United States on a large screen TV!
Now after spending 5 months in the USA we had somehow managed not to be there for any major holiday. Today was Thanksgiving, so I was so pleased that the boys from the boat arrived to celebrate it with us. Nico being American made it extra special. I made a massive pot of soup, Tom provided the beers and we relaxed in the kitchen. In the mountains it’s now close to freezing on a night so the heating comes from a wood burning stove, just like the huts on the Icefield Parkway. Life on the road maybe hard at times but spending time with likeminded souls is just wonderful.
We all said our final goodbyes to Alfred, he needs to be in Mexico City in just over a week, Nico and Jong were taking it slow. They went on ahead a day before us but we were confident we would catch them up in Durango.
After a final goodbye to staff at the hostel we hit the road. Our plan was to stop halfway to Durango. Our pump was on its last legs so we decided to stop in El Salto. Pump bought we re-joined the main road only to be halted by someone shouting my name. A breathless Nico came running up to us. He and Jong were watching Mexico v Argentina in a pub, did we fancy joining them? So our plans abandoned we had a fantastic afternoon, though our team lost. We then had a frantic search for somewhere to stay but the town was full. Nico and Jong offered to ask if they could sleep in the corridor and give us their room but we decided to ride on. We stayed at a rather trendy holiday complex 10 miles up the road, 5 families had taken it over for a reunion and cheerfully invited us to share in the celebrations. Wonderful people.
The ground was still dusted with frost when we set out for the last day’s ride to Durango. The stunning mountains have gone, but the landscape was still fantastic, forests eventually disappearing and the road weaved its way down and up through canyons with near dried up river beds. The final few miles were an easy downhill, and with time to kill before our Christmas family Reunion we booked ourselves a few nights here. Nico and Jong are in town so hopefully we will have another night out with them!
