Shingles, oppressive heat, to Guatemala?

The Mexico/Guatemala border cuts across Vulcan Tacaná.

2 June 2023

In the morning I arrived in Oaxaca city. My friends Nick and Emily live here. They have jobs and an apartment. 

"Teacher Nick" teaching English classes online.

Nick also teaches English classes in person at a local language school.

Emily makes pizza at a bakery. She also sells cookies and scones and independently. 

Nick, Emily's coworker, and Emily. We share dinner at their apartment. 

5 June 2023

In the morning, there is a pain in my leg which worsened overnight. So I decide to not leave Oaxaca yet. 

The next day the pain is worse, and the day after that is it much worse. Even though I'm resting. At 3am the pain is horrible and Nick and Emily help me get to a hospital. They give me pain medication, which only helps a little bit. 

The next day the pain is worse again. At midnight we go to a different hospital. They say I have Shingles, and they prescribe the proper medication. 

At times like these, I second guess whether I like bike touring, because I'm in so much discomfort. But it is the Shingles which suck, not the bike touring; I would be suffering just the same if I was in the US.

Here is a picture of my shingles rash. 

I improve slowly for a week, and feel very thankful for Nick and Emily, who helped me so much.

18 June 2023

I finally leave Oaxaca, after hardly visiting the city. I'll ride along the Pacific coast, because it will be easier for my hurting leg, and faster to leave Mexico. I only have a few weeks left on my tourist permit. 

Harvested agave for Mezcal and/or Tequila. I think the little agave is for Tequila, the big one for Mezcal, but I might be wrong. 

A new highway is being constructed. 

There is some controversy surrounding it's construction, and progress is very slow. But I was happy to ride the completed sections. 

Wide, empty highway with big roadcuts. So much earth has been moved.

Agave fields. 

Beautiful cloudy pine forest

These bananas with red peels have a more tangy flavor. 

20 June 2023

In the afternoon I descend to sea level. The heat is oppressive. I camp along a dry river and only sleep a couple of hours because of the heat. Also, my Shingles rash has become immensely itchy. Miserable.

21 June 2023 

I reach the ocean. 

Punta Cometa Peninsula. One person told me this is where central America starts. It's the southernmost point of Oaxaca, Mexico.

The ocean is warm, so it only cools me slightly. The surf is sandy and turbid, so I get sand in my underpants when I get in the water. The salt irritates my rash and mosquito bites. 

Roadkill snake is huge. Would be terrifying to encounter alive.

I camp in a gorgeous cactus forest. 

Inside the tent I constantly drip sweat. Outside the tent I drip sweat and there are mosquitoes. It feels like I'm stuck in a sauna.

Hello little lizard.

Covered in dirt and sweat and sand. Finally arrives the blessed rain. 

I stand outside in the dark, illuminated only by lightning, and smile as the heavy rain cleans and cools me. 

Illuminated by lightning.

22 June 2023

Along the highway, the shoulder width and traffic volume is variable. Sometimes there are side roads I can use. Consistently, drivers are very courteous. There are many food options.

This is called a Tlayuda and they're a Oaxacan dish. A big meat quesadilla with cheese and other things. Very juicy, delicious. Pineapple juice on the right. 

I encountered some sand dunes at a beach a few km from the highway. It is so humid, they don't dry out after the rain. So I can ride my bike on them. 

Dunes

At the end of the beach is a dilapidated palapa under which I sleep.

On side roads, I always encounter wet conditions:

The trouble is that I never know how far I'll have to wade through muddy water, and if I decid to turn back, I need to do it all over again. 

25 June 2023

I stop to buy water, snacks, rice, beans.

It's cheaper to buy a 20L carboy and only use half than to buy individual bottles of water. And the carboy gets reused. 

Guadalupe (left) and her taxi driver. We chat and I mention I might stay in hotel tonight so I can shower. 

Immediately, Guadalupe's invites me to shower at her house.

Guadalupe feeds me seafood and tamales and later we go to a Cantina; a simple bar with a deafening jukebox. A man named Jesus shares half his Tlyuda with me and later I fall asleep in Guadalupe's hammock. Thank you Guadalupe. Thank you Jose.

26 June 2023

Along coastal highway 200 I pass many military checkpoints, and many immigrants traveling north. 

This group of immigrants asked me for water, which I shared. We rested together for a while.

I spoke most with the man on the left, a native English speaker from Cameroon. Many immigrants travel to the USA for employment, he said. Others, like himself, are fleeing hostile situations in their home countries. 

He explained the situation: During decolonization, English Cameroon was forced to choose between joining either Nigeria or French Cameroon, since the UN deemed their population too small to be a separate country. French Cameroon controls Cameroon politics and military, but English Cameroon contains oil and gold. The English Cameroon population has grown dramatically, enough to be their own country, and now they want independence from French Cameroon. Of course French Cameroon wants to remain united and in control, so a civil war began in 2016. The refugee I spoke with said his life was peaceful in Cameroon until the civil war violently upended his and his family's life. He left Cameroon in January 2023 and has traveled through the Congo, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, the Darien Gap, and central America. 

I wish him the best. Hopefully he can reach his family in Oklahoma and find work there. 

In the evening, I asked about camping and was invited into a home. 

I follow José and Naytee (phonetically, idk how it's spelled) behind their horse cart, back to their house. 

On their porch at night. Naytee fed me a delicious chicken soup. Thank you. 

28 June 2023

I made a video about some happenings of today:

My front tire began to leak sealant and bulge in worrying ways. 

Inside, the tire was disintegrating, so I spent an hour removing all the thorns, and then installed an inner tube:

With permission I slept under a large carport at the back of a gas station that night.

This was a surprisingly nice campsite: electricity and water, shelter, security. I couldn't sleep much, though, because my skin itches from shingles, and my tent was infested with ants. A miserable sleepless night.

The next day I got a new tire at Bicicletas Hurtado in Tapachula. This family of four makes up the owners and staff. An excellent bike shop.

29 June 2023

Last night in Mexico, I camp in the 20-meter strip of sandy wasteland between the highway and a commercial parking lot.

The tan building is a 24-hour private security building which gave me permission.

Nice people in the parking lot the next morning.

Time to enter Guatemala! I am only 15km from the border!

On my way to the border crossing I meet two mountain bikers!

They live in Tapachula.

They lead me to a restaurant in Cacahoatán, a little bit out of my way. 

The restaurant is named Bolillazo. Bolillazo is the name for this dish. It's a torta (sandwich) with cheese, beans, and boiled banana. My first time eating banana in a sandwich, it's really good. 

A Bolillazo. Horchata on right.

The restaurant is a hub for the local cycling community. The owner Veronica was excited to hear about my trip, and invited me to stay with her.

Cyclists at Bolillazo. 

Veronica invited me to her home. Guatemala will have to wait.