Southward Bound en Mexico Lindo y Querido

Road from Tamaulipas to Mexico City in the Mountains

I crossed into Mexico Wednesday, January 27th, into the flat deserts around Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

Its only been a few weeks and a few towns and cities later, and I feel like Mexico is such a bigger country than I ever imagined. If you looked at a map of the United States and thought of it as a big animal, Mexico looks like an appendage hanging off to to the side. I'd zoomed across the whole body of the United states, the length of 7 states including the massive landscapes of Texas so Mexico should be like a pleasure cruise. I should be able to take any route I want and not worry about time and how far I have to go.

It turns I've continued my old habit of underestimating the unknown.

After hassling with the border guards over the importation of my motorcycle, I was given my "Transmigrante" visa which stated I had 30 days to cross Mexico. This seemed like WAY more time than I was considering being here. I'm not starting to make sure I count how many stops I'll have to make before getting to the border so I don't find myself an illegal alien in Mexico.

It seems like I must just be letting time blow by while I take a deep breath after graduating, but really it's just so many memories are stacked on top of each other in such a short time its hard to appreciate the array experiences that have happened in 18 days.

I chased an armored car across the desert at warp speeds (punch it chewy), I actually won playing poker in a country club, I got refused entry into a fancy night club because I have a beard and long hair, I spent a birthday by myself on a scavenger hunt in the muddy rain for motor oil - and enjoyed it, I lost my only pair of glasses, I lost my spare oil - twice - along with my chain oil, and lost my spare tie downs. I thought I was going to die of hypothermia. I thought I was going to die because of sweat dehydration. I've been stung by bees, scratched by cats, chased by dogs, dodged cows, goats, horses, pigs, and birds.

The bird wasn't so lucky.

Roger the Turtle - The start of his own great adventure

I've been pulled over by the police - turning left on red is apparently a crime. I've seen the most incredible sunsets of my life. I've seen baby sea turtles make their first voyage from the beach into the ocean. I've fought with hostel owners over money. I've ran away from hostels without paying their outrages claims of what they think I should pay them - I paid what was fair.

I've finally gotten my first sunburn of the trip on the beach of Corazilillo. I've learned to enjoy the flavor of Mezcal. I've seen snow capped mountains. I've panicked that my motorcycle is dying in the mountains. I've had a young boy save my sanity with a socket wrench.

Emanuel - 100km outside DF

(Si escribe tu nombre incorrecto, escribame a michael.thelen@gmail.com)

I can't even make sense of the list of things that have happened. It's all still a blur in my mind, but thats how it happened in the first place. One event after another, each something I wanted to write down and remember, but often did not have the chance before something else remarkable was happening.