Rule #45 Don't RIDE at NIGHT

San Blas was left behind with a great sense that a circle had been completed in my soul.  I was happy that I had visited the town again, and I was feeling very good about the people and the community.  A small fishing village with a huge amount of history, both personal and international.

It looked like the Pacific was building up for another storm, so it was good to be moving inland.

 The ride from San Blas to the Tepic/Guadalarja hiway is twisty and very limited in terms of getting off the road to take pictures.  The lack of a shoulder prevented me from stopping and taking a pic of the big snake on the road.  I have been sweeper for the two ToughMiles.com riders, so they are seeing the neat stuff, like taruantulas and the like.   By the time I blow by, the spiders are either crushed or blown off the road.

Most of the dead animals have been dogs, although I have seen a few bloated cows and a couple of pussy cats that did not make it to the other side.  Bikers are not the only creatures who should not be on the road at night.

We had a bit of difficulty clearing Guadalajara, and circled the city a bit.  It has one massive skyscraper in the middle, and that is the only way this directionally challenged guy could tell we were going the wrong way.  Eventually we cleared Guadalaraja and headed easterly.  Our goal was to get close to the pyramid of the Sun, while avoiding the toll roads.  The toll roads in Mexico are very well laid out, do not go through villages and peublos, but can get very expensive, even for motos.  it was a long day, with a couple of stops, but overall we travelled close to 700 kilometers in an easterly direction.

 We passed through one town where we spotted a moto shop.  Everybody needed some chain wax/cleaner, so we stopped at chatted with the bike shop people.

 The kids/mechanic had to climb on Jon's bike.  They didnt even look at Blondie...

We ended up finding a hotel in Gueroto, another town that I had been to before, as it has these strange tunnels dug underneath the city.  It is a very picturesque city, and was hosting a world class festival, so it was tough to get rooms.  I remember being in those tunnels when I was hear before.  They are somewhat wet, and very slippery, as it is bare rock and water combined.  I just about lost Blondie as the ass end came out on me.   Maybe the weight on her tail helped...keep her up.

We went out for dinner, and were seranaded by a mariachi band.  The family next to us was celebrating, and the young son sang along with the band.  It was very beautiful, and so was his sister.  Dad, who was very loaded, came over and comisserated with the old guy (me) about children gone and grown up, and how proud we are of our children.  He was loaded on rum, and I was high on a good ride and a beautiful evening in Mexico.

The next day, the goal was the pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan, which is just north of Mexico City.  The closer one gets to Mexico city, the more roads and bypasses there are.  We were trying to avoid toll roads, and consequently went in a few circles during the day.  I say another F800GS, and I suspect it was local to this area.  I was too busy trying to figure out the turnpikes, as I had become separated from the other two riders.

Beautiful colours in the morning light

An example of the tunnels underneath Gaureoto

 A painting of drunken friars in a restaurant

We ended up riding into the dark, through a mutual decision.  Looking back on it, I think that each of us agrees that riding at night in Mexico is stupid.  We were fortunate to eventually find a hotel. Jon did a marvelous job of navigating.  I would not have been able to navigate and ride at night, and I don't recommend it.

We took the day to relax, to tour the Temple of the Sun, and to marvel and the huge size of the structures.

I have to admit, there was some puffing and huffing to climb this huge monster.

Like a meathead, I forgot my hat on my bike.  This picture gives you and idea of the slope and size of the main pyramid.  It is truly huge in size.  

This is a shot from the western edge of the  site.  At one point, pre Aztec and pre Toltec, there were 175,000 people living here, with the main purpose to keep the Gods happy.
The pyramid dominates the whole valley and it is truly a world-class site.

As in any attreaction, there were a lot of vendors.  The obsidian artifacts were incredibly well-done, and I managed to get away with purchasing an eagle whistle and not a whole load of stuff.

We decided to walk for awhile, we had an interesting wander around the site. After lunch, we got a ride in a VW Van collectivo.  As we were heading back to town, the van lost its brakes.  The guy was rolling down the road, in the wrong lane, while his co-pilot was busy waving off oncoming traffic.  We politely but quickly left the van and the earliest lurch to a stop.

The smaller Pyramid of the Moon.  "La Luna" y "La Sol"

A good day, and a very interesting visit to Teotihuacan....