From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

After leaving Oaxaca, we stopped in Mitla, where we were not only able to visit the Zapotec ruined city, but we also got to take part in a village festival. Representatives from all the surrounding villages came to show off their traditional dances and clothes. Despite the frigid winds, it was a fantastic evening!

The next day we got back on the Panamerican Route heading South. We were surprised by how little traffic there was on this famous highway. The Southern part of Oaxaca state is very poor and sparsely populated, but the people are just as friendly and the country side just as beautiful. The small farmers farm their land using d!!onkey!!s, oxen or horses, no machines. Along the way we've seen a lot of locally made Mezcal – it seems to be a common activity in the region. The differences between the North of the country are striking. But we're found a least one similarity with Basse California: the dogs are just as mean and aggressive! As soon as they see us coming, they go crazy. They bark like mad and try to chase us down to bite us in the middle of the road, even if we are coasting downhill at 40km/h. The swerves that we do to avoid them are getting more and more dangerous.

Monday we camped near a river that actually seemed pretty clean. Clean is no longer a guarantee here – the state of the side of the roads is getting worse and worse. Garbage of all sorts litters the roadside. There are many signs against littering, but to no avail: “A clean road is a safe road,” “Live up to your education, don't litter.”

In three days we went from 1700 m to 200 m in altitude. The downhills were beautiful, but we also had a number of tough climbs under the punishing sun. The climate has changed a lot: it's much more humid and we are starting to see trees again as well as all sorts of different kinds of birds. We've been hearing some quite interesting noises coming from the bushes at the side of the road, and once we saw an iguana cross the road right in front of us.

Our daily encounters have also been engaging. First, there was a kid, around 12 years old, who crept up shyly beside us and sat down on the steps of the taqueria at the top of a hill where we had just bought some cool drinks. He seemed very interested in our bikes and wanted to know where we were going. We're not sure whether he really understood our answer, and then when we asked him if he went to school, he said no. Later, as we were about to leave, he took a chance: “Do you have a dollar?” “No, sorry.”

At the bottom of the hill, we thought we would come across our town-stop, but we didn't make it past the crossroads leading to the village. A couple of taxi drivers spontaneously stopped to help and pointed us in the direction of the only hotel in town.

Tuesday night we stopped in the village of Tequisistlan, about 2 km off the Panamerican highway. We caused quite a stir arriving with our fully-loaded bikes. All the villagers looked us over from head to toe. The few that were brave enough to speak to us asked us why we had come all the way here, explaining that they hardly ever see any tourists over there. A supermarket supervisor asked us a lot of questions about our trip, and then offered us his help for anything we needed.

Yesterday we had a tough day. We left early (at 7:30, the sun rises at 7) to avoid the heat and the wind that had been blowing for two days. We were able to do 50km in the morning without any trouble, and with the wind behind us and a little to the left.

After a break at Tehuantepec for a pastry and a glass of “agua de frutas” (fresh fruit juice mixed with water – we had melon and coconut) we thought we only had about another hour before reaching Juchitan. In the end, it took us more than three... the straight 26km stretch between Tehuantepec and Juchitan was tough going. On the plain, there was a strong wind blowing in sharp gusts which practically blew us into the ditches beside the road. So to avoid being blown off the pavement, we had to ride further to the left, and in the busy traffic, it was getting dangerous. We managed about a dozen kilometers, and only just escaped being blown over a couple of times. Sara couldn't take it anymore and got off to push her bike – not as easy as it sounds. The wind buffeted us from all sides, cocooning each in our own thoughts. Then the wind got worse. Alright, it was time to admit defeat. Sara had been ready to throw in the towel for a while, and I finally relented. We hitchhiked the last 12 kilometers. After five minutes with our thumbs out, a flat bed stopped. A couple helped us put the bikes on the truck, and settled us there too: no room up front in the cabin. They dropped us off, without a word, at the gas station in town. We did the rounds of the town looking for a place to stay. Incredibly, in one of the poorest regions in Mexico, without any real tourist attractions, we couldn't find a decent room for the price that we would normally pay (200 pesos, or about US$15). Here, for that price, our room wasn't very clean, and there was only one pillow and no hot water. Up until now, for that price we were staying in the equivalent of a 2 star hotel!

The market here is overflowing with fruits, vegetables, fish and other meat all sitting in the sun and the dust. And those that are sheltered from the wind are instead covered with a cloud of flies. They also have iguanas for sale, but we haven't tried those yet.

To our great surprise and immense pleasure, we were stopped by a couple of Zapotecs, even though we weren't with the bikes. We talked with them for 15 minutes (in Spanish!) - they asked all about our trip and we asked all about their lives.

PS: Thanks so much to everyone who sent us encouraging messages – they really mean a lot to us.

Sébastien