Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Caught an early bus to the Pyramides at Teotiuacan. Pretty much had the place to myself for two hours before hordes of people, including hundreds of cute, little Mexican school kids showed up. They have no idea who built the impressive city and its temples or where they disappeared to. Then the Aztecs arrived, liked what they saw, and used the place themselves.

Back in Mexico D.F. I spent the afternoon hanging out in sunny plazas and courtyards, reading, watching and listening. There is music everywhere here; on the corner there will be a man with a windup music box, in another pedestrian arcade there will be a band of talented blind musicians, and outside the church I ended up at, a trio of girls with violins were playing classical music. I love this city.

While I was sitting outside the church, two cute girls smiled when they arrived and sat behind me for a while. When I left to find a restaurant I passed them again and one of them called out Hoya to me. They asked me something in Spanish, realised I didn’t understand, then asked me where I was from in English. Perla and Lilia are studying linguistics, English and German and ask if I want to swap some language skills with them over coffee. I learn how to say a bunch of things from them and Perla even writes it all down for me in a “Personalised Dictionary To Leon”. After I’d practiced, but not actually ordered a dish of enfrijoladas, they invited me to join them at a concert at the Spanish Cultural Centre next to the Cathedral. A strange Spanish guy sang a bunch of controversial and social commentary type songs. I couldn’t understand a word of it but watching his facial expressions and the accompanying classical guitarist was entertainment enough. Perla was kind enough to explain the meaning behind several songs, one of which was about a cigarette crossing the Mexican/US border as an illegal immigrant and then going around destroying everything (don’t ask me).

Was planning to hop back on the bike tomorrow and head for the Yucatan but the idea of hanging out with two cute Mexican girls seems more sensible.

Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Museo at Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Museo at Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Museo at Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

Museo at Teotihuacan Piramides, near Mexico D.F. (Day 186)

It took me three hours this morning to find a supermarket that I had passed on my way to the Pyramides yesterday. Stocked up on rice cakes, Snickers and fruit as well as investing in some new clothes.

Met up with Perla and Lilia after their classes and watched a film. We headed back to the cafe we’d been at last night where I got to have my enfrijoladas and then headed to a small party not far from downtown.

Perla showed me around Tlatelolco, some Aztec ruins within the city, surrounded by corporate buildings. In 1968, it was also the site of a bloody massacre of demonstrating teachers and farmers by the military that was covered up by the government until recent years. We headed to some markets in her neighbourhood that were alive with colours, sounds and smells. Perla had taken a pause in her medical studies in the fifth year to study linguistics. Her plan was to finish her degree and become a midwife and to promote natural birth in Mexico.  Her passion and enthusiasm were contagious and it was inspiring to hear how she felt about life and the world.

After sampling her Mum’s awesome home cooking (the best meatballs I’ve ever had, they had a boiled egg inside!) she wished me on my way with a passionate kiss that’s going to leave me on a high for days. I’m going to miss her.

Tomorrow I ride…

Day189

Victoria Hotel, Puebla[MAP]

Today I decided I don’t want to ride anymore. Why ride and perspire bucketfuls, getting sunburnt and breathing obnoxious fumes in the process when I could be drinking good coffee in small friendly cafes and wandering about exploring a new place? It’s fucked up. I’ve got my priorities all wrong.

So I left the hotel at seven and negotiated the cobbled, fairly empty streets of downtown. Good thing it’s Sunday, I thought. I eventually got to a main road where everything changed. I was suddenly competing with killer taxi-drivers and messy pavements. If I get lung cancer later in life, I’ll know exactly what day to attribute it to. I could have spent the day more productively and probably in a healthier manner, by sitting all day in an unventilated hotel room chain-smoking unfiltered cigarettes. And the heat! I had to keep wringing the sweat out of the padding in my helmet so that it wouldn’t drip into my eyes.

I eventually found highway 150D and followed a group of local cyclists through the toll gates. The road took me out of Mexico City and climbed upwards and upwards. Several times I thought I’d reached the summit but only to find that there was more.

Fifty-six kilometres later and I was at the top amongst a dozen roadside food stalls nestled under the pine trees. I had a total pig-out. No menu or trying to explain what I wanted; when I said I didn’t know Spanish the friendly waitress pulled me over to food to pick and choose. Soup with god-knows-what in it and soft green tacos with fritas and meat, it was bloody lovely.

Had to don my jacket for the downhill. It was about eighteen kilometres before I had to start pedalling and was very easy for another fifteen.

Got into Puebla, found a hotel and booked for two nights. I wandered into the downtown streets which were a riot of people, colour, dancing, music, balloons and clowns. It was fantastic, I guess it must be a Sunday thing. Everyone was out with their families and everyone looked like they were having a good time.

I saw mention of a passenger train between Puebla and Oaxaca in my dog-eared and out-of-date Mexico guidebook (two bucks from the Perth library throwaway sale). There’s only one thing better than a bike, and that’s a train.

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