Pyramids, Birthday Tequila, and Mexican Wrestling

My how days fly by the further you go south! After our kind breakfast in San Juan with the mountain biking friend, the three of us decided to try out a new part of our adventure with the bus station. You might be like us and think "busses? How hard can that be? People use buses everyday!" However, what we needed to focus more on was taking a bus with bikes. We were able to buy three tickets, but the storage underneath was far too small so we ended up waiting another 4 hours for a larger one to Pachuca. Since it was already late, we quickly settled for a little restaurant called "buen comida" since it had to be good food! Lucky for us, they didn't lie and we were so hungry we ordered an extra round of quesadillas.

With a new mode of transportation under our belts, we got up the next morning, stumbled upon the largest mural in Mexico, and pedaled all the way to our destination in Teotihuacan. After cooking a feast at the base, we spent the next number of hours climbing the spectacular sun and moon pyramids, walking down and visualizing the street of the ancient peoples, getting harassed by countless vendors, watching current excavations take place, touring a well put together museum, and reading numerous signs to try and understand a bit of history that made such incredible monuments that have stood the tests of time. Although abandoned, the city thrived prior to 1000 A.D. and had a complex social structure. I think my favorite line from a sign was "Welcome to Teotihuacan: the place where men become gods."

Leaving the pyramids, two men stopped us to try and get us to eat at their restaurant. After a bit of discussion, we settled on deal. We would eat at their restaurant, but we also got to camp behind it in the protection of their gates. None of us could quite put our finger on why, but we had a strange feeling about the town and were happy to gain a little security. That night we called it in early, sharing a bottle of wine and taking turns reading aloud treasure island from Jon's phone.

The next morning, we treated ourselves to some fresh bread with nutella and started a long trip to Puebla. The morning was very hilly, but the afternoon was downhill and flat. At one point, we maxed out our speed at a little over 45mph. In a car it may not feel like much, but on a bike it feels like you're a few inches away from going mock-2. The little rain drops start to sting, the views whiz by, but boy is it fun :) Eventually, on the flat, we did learn our lesson though. Kai came up a bit too close on the flat parts and our bikes hitting were enough to turn his handlebars and take him down at 20mph. I turned just in time to see Kai skid to a halt on his hands and come up with bloody palms. Since Kai and I were riding ahead of Jon with the med kit, all we could do was irrigate the wound with a waterbottle and wrap strips of my cut up bike rag/shirt to put pressure on them. Already soaked from the cold rain, we were glad to navigate the busy city traffic the last 16 miles (I even got bumped by a bus that wanted the lane I was in I guess) and grab a cheap hotel. Under the sheets and a hot chocolate later, we were both feeling much better and more relaxed.

Soon after, Jon joined us and our EMT finally got to play with some of his toys. While he slowly mummified Kai's hands, I took a few minutes to explore the streets of Puebla. It's an absolutely beautiful city. A big population with a smaller town feel and countless pieces of old and significant architecture. The next morning, we ran into a man in the center so excited for life and learning who was teaching a couple students English. He said he loved to show foreigners around his city since people were so kind to him during his own travels, and he wanted to use us as practice for his students. Although he walked extraordinarily fast, we managed to follow him to a variety of museums, markets, a delicious buffet, climbed in the world's smallest volcano, and even visited a classroom where he had every girl give me a hug, sign a balloon, and sing for my birthday. Our tour ended at a place where you can get free pedicures, manicures, and hair cuts since the students are learning. Feeling brave, I decided I wouldn't mind a free hair cut. It's interesting how quickly that can turn into a scary event though after you realize you can't say what you want and the stylist is a new student. Overall, I'd say she did a great job! And besides, the price was right. My helmet does feel weird now though with shorter hair...

Jonathan already did a good job sharing the state I/we were in that night so I won't go into too much detail, but I spent the afternoon of my birthday laying in bed with a headache and fever, only getting up to send more "butt pee" into the toilet as we called it. That night, it took everything I had to choke down 3 pieces of Pizza Hut pizza and when we stopped by a bar for a mandatory birthday beer, I was gifted an ever so generous shot of tequila from the bartender. The night ended with early, falling asleep to the Simpson's in Spanish.

The next night, we were all feeling better so we properly celebrated. The night began with a cider place that had different combinations of apple, strawberry, and blueberry. We all agreed they were good, but with the sweetness one was plenty. Next we had a delicious dinner at an excellent Indian restaurant where Jon explained the menu and we each treated ourselves to a chai tea and Jon got a mango laassie (a heavenly yogurt like drink). Feeling full, yet still determined, we shamelessly used our prime Spanish to ask where we could find "a store that sells alcoholic drinks like whiskey or tequila." Not exactly our strongest impression for Americans, but it worked!

Satisfied with tequila and sprite, we were ready for the final part of the celebrations--Monday night Mexican wrestling. We're talking fully masked men in tights performing acrobatic flips, slaps, tackles, in all shapes and sizes. To say we were thoroughly entertained is a major understatement. We spent the night picking a man at random and cheering him to victory. A bit ridiculous? Yes. Worth seeing? Absolutely.

The next morning we planned the next part of our trip to Veracruz in an internet cafe and took one last look at the cathedral in the main square. They don't allow pictures which is as gratifying as it is disappointing because they could never do it justice. The size, detail, artwork, three organs, colors, and history of this place are nothing short of indescribable. The only way I may be able to do it any sort of justice is by saying I will be sincerely surprised if we see anything more impressive in the rest of Central America.

After the crash, we had a couple bike parts to pick up and both Jon and Kai decided it was time to invest in gloves. We ended up at an awesome shop with super friendly and patient owners who got us everything we needed and when they heard about the trip, they took a picture of us for facebook and gifted each of us a chain guard. Super sweet of them. If you're ever in Puebla and need a bike anything, be sure to check out Urban Bike.

The rest of the day was devoted to getting another bus to Veracruz. We would have liked to bike out, but between the cold, rain, our recovering health and Kai's hands (as well as knowing we might need a few extra days to fully take in the beaches of Mexico) it seemed like the best decision. Only time will tell, but if there's been one piece of consistency so far, it's that no matter where we go it will be incredible. With the speed we're going through places, we are not short on things to do or see. Instead, it becomes a game of prioritizing best from better. Yes, we lead tough lives :) Thanks for continuing to follow along, feel free to comment with any thoughts, and can't wait to see what beach life is like!