Our first Costa Rican Dish Made by Laura, black beans, onions, rice, cilantro, and fried plantains

Arriving on Saturday kept us from getting the bike to a shop until Monday. The sound was horrible and we didn’t even try starting it again  because we knew it was bad, it is now parked in Lander’s garage safe and sound. It’s feeling like we will be enjoying San Cris for a while. Regardless of the bike situation I was excited to be staying with Mateo’s cousin! We went down into town and found Laura who was still there selling jewelry and she had Inada. Lander is funny and smart, he has a job working at a government owned community farm. Laura is really sweet, they both have really kind and welcoming hearts for Mateo and I. Inada is super cute and smiles all the time even though she is teething, with four upper teeth coming in. Where they live is about 3 kilometers out of central San Cris, in a quiet little nahborhood, we were able to set up our tent in the back court yard on the roof of some other apartments. In Mexico it feels like there are very little homes that are completely finished, with Mexico’s lack of building regulations many people start building get one section/level done and then move in and keep building up. Where we were camping seemed like a section that could still receive a second floor. Lander and Laura’s place is complete with a spacious kitchen and bedroom. They are vegetarians which I am stoked for, we haven’t been eating too healthy since being in Mexico. I found out later that they are both awesome cooks as well! We took the bike to the shop on Monday the guy says to give him a couple days and come back for some answers. We are in limbo again, we both know this feeling from when we broke down before. Maybe it is just another 400 peso fix, maybe we won’t be so lucky this time. Riding on a motorcycle is a very stress free way of travel, we just get on the computer figure out our route find a place to stay at the end of the route and pack on our bags and we are off. So the thought of leaving the bike means we have to figure out bus schedules times and stay more in the cities. That would bum me out.

An awesome church in the city central

San Cristobal da la casa is located at a high altitude and has what I consider great temperature, very temperate and cool. I was really excited to meet more of Mateo’s family, from what I have heard from Mateo, Lander is really great and we are both excited to meet Laura Lander’s partner and Inada their 7 and a half month old daughter. It has been great meeting Mateo’s Mexican family, every one has been so nice and welcoming of us! It is a Holliday week, the week before Esther so there are many cars out on the road and San Cris is poplar place for people to vacation. Also there are added patrols out as well. Much like we experience on Fourth of July, a ton of extra people everywhere. Lander and Laura spend a lot of time selling their hand made sliver and macramé jewelry during the two Holy weeks due to the amount of traffic that goes on in the city. We were about 6 kilometers away when we heard a breaking noise, the gas hadn’t run out, the tires were still intact, our chain was good. It was the engine defiantly, oh geez the engine was bonkers again. For only 400 hundred pesos we sure did get far! We pushed the bike until it was just around the bend on the side of the highway. The two options we had were flag down a truck that would take our bike and us into San Cris to find Lander or possibly push the bike up the hill until it started on a down hill slope and hop on it and ride on a non running bike into town. Our Mexican phone had no reception, there was no calling Lander for assistance, and he and Laura just sold their Guatemalan licensed VW bus a couple days before we arrived. Many trucks were passing, but it was the same as trying to flag down some one on I-5, not an easy task when cars are zipping by you. At least we were just around a corner so we could see who was coming around it as they neared. We spot a white truck, bahh it looks like there is something in the bed of his truck. Then he turned on his emergency lights, ah a tow truck. And on the side it said green angles, a free towing service enlisted by the state to get people off the road. This all sounded awesome but he tows cars not motorcycles. He is pretty confident that we can get the motorcycle up into the back of the truck, this is Mexico. I was not so sure the truck bed is nearly as tall as I am, and there is a built in towing device in the back. Stripping the bike of the bags, we all joined together to push/pull the bike into the back of the truck. No easy task but no other options. The truck driver man was a skinny older guy, then there was me, then there was Mateo, Mateo did most of the pushing from under the bike and I did pulling/maneuvering from in the truck and little truck driver man helped. Eventually the bike was in the truck with our back packs and Mateo, I road up front with what ever remained of our gear. Once we were in phone reception at the edge of San Cris and we had the truck driver talk with Lander to drop us off close to the house. After giving him some information we where dropped off in San Cris and Lander said he would be arriving soon. It cost us nothing for the tow, and the truck driver man wouldn’t take a tip either. We where so blessed to have that tow truck driver man show up and tow us, we weren’t on the side of the road for more than a five minutes.

Just out side of the thunder storm

sky is clearing up

We chose our next destination to be Tuxtla Gutierrez, it was a good drive around two hundred and fifty miles but it would put us only a two hour drive from San Cristobal da las Casas. We also located a great hostel for cheap to stay in Tuxla. The rain clouds were beginning to creep in as we were closer and closer to the end of our ride. It had been a really rainy day as it is, and at the beginning of our day I dropped a glove, so we drove 40 minutes back to see if we could spot it on the road somewhere. Nothing, this is when the rain started. Eventually we gave up, we were to be little soggy beans the whole day. The wind was warm and at the toll road booths you could see the people being sad for us. Today was a toll road day to get us where we needed to be, we don’t take many toll roads mainly just all free roads. Sometimes the free road do not go directly where we need to be. We had one mountain pass to cross over, the closer we were the darker it was, soon enough we were in the heart of a rain storm. It quickly included thunder and lighting, not the sort of thunder and lighting that you watch in the distance but the sort of thunder and lighting that breaks right in front of you and is felt in your chest. This is a time when headset devices would be nice, to communicate with Mateo. There was no pulling over only being very careful, trying to miss the large boulders that had fallen onto the road and other cars swerving. A red VW bug was in front of us, they were horrible drivers so passing them was on our agenda. Luckily they did drive through water over the road way that we had not spotted and we quickly slowed down and stuck our feet up not to get water directly inside our shoes. Our bags were a different story, once finally making it though the storm on the descend of the pass we were relieved to see the city of Tuxla Gutierrez. Arriving an hour later than our scheduled check in time at the La Casa Del Jardin (the garden house).

Really the only way we can make sure the bike is safe at night.

Garden House

We stripped off our wet clothing and emptied out our bags of all of our fairly wet belongings. Our hostel room looked like a washing machine threw-up everywhere with wet clothing and riding gear. Hopefully the people sharing a room with us won’t be here for a while. Mateo and I wanted to venture out into the city but had no energy, the storm had really taken it out of us. The hostel was also a cafe that we received 20% off at, so I soothed my tired self with a hot chocolate and crepe, it felt good to be warm and fed. That night the mosquitos came out in a vengeance from the storm, attacking all four of us sleeping in the room at 2am. It was too hot to hide under the sheets so we applied repellent and they all seemed to disappear, thank goodness. I can’t sleep at night when all I can hear is the buzzing of mosquitos. We had a casual morning of crepes and heard about this awesome gorge we should drive up to.

Look out point Center

My favorite bird the Vulture

Parque Nacional Cañon Del Sumidero

One of the Five look out points

Great bus selection.

Crazy is as crazy does!

We arrived back to our hotel just in time to shower and hit the road before our checkout time. Veracruz here we come, I had planned in our route to drive along a small strip of land that boarders the cost of the Gulf of Mexico.

Mateos first time basking in the Gulf of Mexico

Then camp some where in the National Park of Los Tuxtlas. Our late start on our day is going to hurt, less stops more petal to the metal… MORE butt hurt, a little more everyday. Or it gets better everyday. After few stops we arrive in Heroica Veracruz, it is a normal beach town, feels a bit like a party in the streets. With the shortened time, continue on we must. Heading south since we arrived on the Gulf of Mexico, we will soon be passing through Alarado a small village on a small strip of land that will take us to Los Tuxlas. I see all these cars turning toward the beach, we are in need of a pit stop so we follow. This is the first time I have ever seen the Gulf of Mexico and walked along the beach, what a good place to stop. We soon headed towards the coast to find camping about 60 miles more. We carried a prize possession with us a pineapple we had bought at a stand.

Trusted fruit stand, piñe is successfully purchased.

After the long drive we realized we were not on the coast but we were close to a a giant lake, and from what we have read it’s common to just approach a house and ask to pitch a tent, I wasn’t really sure of this option. In search for such a home we found nothing, but we did see water. In the town beforehand we talked with the tourist people and they said to go about seven kilometers and there is Agua de playa. We were also looking for that place or a place to camp, turning down toward some houses and realizing they were all deserted, luck was running thin and the sun was on its way down, thinking the main road may be better we nearly both fell over from the downhill slope and rocky dirt road. Proceeding down the main road again we passed Agua de playa it just looked like a resort. We started looking at the maps on Mateo’s phone and found a location for camping, a place call La Jungala. In the next couple of kilometers we came upon a sign that said  La Jungala, I was so excited to find this place! The drive way was long maybe a kilometer full of rain forest foliage and really rocky. The driveway opened up, we parked and went to talk with whoever to check in, the price was reasonable and the guy was really welcoming. We pitched our tent and ate our pineapple and finished with some tequila we had been caring around since Mazatlán. This was really a jungle hut in the middle of no where right on a lake, the bugs were not bad and the homemade swimming pools were great. Too bad we only spent an evening and morning there. Every minute was awesome.

Big waves in the Jungle

Under water vision

Under the canopy

Lake Catemaco

Cheese Balls

Every place we stay that has a swing I’m happy

Jungle Camping, and the water slide

Tuning up before we leave

If only our signs to Mt Rainer were this rad I’m sure more people would be climbing it!

A Creator of a lake.

Another chilly day ahead of us. We were heading to the small town of Orizaba west of Cordoba. We had some beautiful scenery today. Mexico has really surprised me with it’s wide variety of scenery. From mountains to rainforest, desserts, and jungles. Much, much, more than I could have thought. Climbing up a giant mountain pass and down, twisting in to the valley. There is a mountain close to Orizaba that resembles Mt Rainier, with no snow. We pulled in to Orizaba around 6 pm, the roads were all one ways and confusing and we hadn’t found a hotel location to stay in before leaving Celaya. The draw to Orzioba was that Mateo had read a blog and it had mentioned some hikes close by. I know I need to do more hiking, it is my therapy, being on the bike is therapeutic for Mateo and hiking is therapeutic for me and Mateo. So it was an absolute yes to Orizaba. Out fist stop was the Holiday Inn, thinking this would be on the cheaper side of the hotels, it typically is in the US so of course it is also cheap in Mexico. We thought wrong, 1000 or more pesos and they were booked. I’m realy not ready for a really bad hotel when our tent accommodates us so well. We rode around and found ourselves at a cute hotel where the cockroaches were few and the linens were clean, extra plus no shared baños! We met the owners furring our checkin, they were a super sweet couple, the wife spoke very good English and the husband a little as well. When we meet people they normally ask where we from, and we normally get a astonished response when we say we have travels by motor cycle to where ever we maybe. Even on the Baja people were surprised! We cruised around Orizaba for the rest of the evening after unloading our bags and found some excellent tacos and horchata.

Lock that Love

Tasty Tasty

We woke up early to hike, our check out deadline from the hotel was 1pm. We hit the road early and arrived at the steps, the 500 steps was closed so we opted for another route with 300 and a good hike to follow. Hiking down into the rainforest and over a water processing plant, then into the woods. A hike is really what I needed with the bike breaking down and our delay in Celaya. It was nice to be exerting energy and pushing my self a bit. I have fallen out of shape in the last couple months, riding on a motor bike make you a strange exhausted, where you really want to be active because your have been on a bike all day and you don’t even feel like dinner just sleep. we finished our hike with climbing the stairs a couple of times. I felt it in my calfs the next day thats for sure!

Pretty little big flower

Mateo is getting old.

Oh those stairs what a beaut

Looks safe right.

And the cutest hiking couple award goes to…..