Mosh pit in Mexico

Hey folks, just a quick update from Mazatlan.  The last 5 days have been carnaval and it has been really amazing.  Everynight they close the streets and there are tons of huge stages set up all throught and the people get WILD.  I stopped at a stage that had a punk band and decided to go moshing.  The result is tons of bruises and I hit my face and smashed my glasses in half.  It was really still a blast though.  People really like to dance here. 

Vincant Michael, and the swiss girls are all heading to Puerta Vallerta tonight to take a plane back to Switzerland.  So once gain I am on my own.  It is really hard to decide what to do cause I have to get rid of a month somehow because he needs to return to catch up.    Well thats all for now, I will post when I decide what I am doing.  Mazatlan is great and an ok place to be stuck.  I do need to do some biking soon though or I will go crazy. 

Andale pues

Mazatlan

Hey guys, greetings from Mazatlan. I arrived three days ago by ferry. The trip was an 18 hour overnight boat ride, but it was really cool to wake up in Mazatlan.  It is a pretty big city, just a little smaller then Frisco.  Carnaval just started on the 19th so it has been one big party with music and lots of happy people.  Today my friend Vincent that I biked Baja with is coming up to Mazatlan by bus leaving his bike in Puerta Vallerta.  There is a good possiblilty we will proceed south together. I met a beautiful girl two days ago named KT who just went home last night.  It is really sad that we didnt get to spent more time together, she was really amazing.

I have been feeling kind of lonley latley.  I have been on the road for over 4 months now and had to many hellos and goodbyes with people I would love to spend a life getting to know. I still have drive to finish but a part of me is really missing a sense of community.  If the people of Mexico werent so friendly and open to begin with I dont think I could do this.  Love you all!

From Parker’s Mom–our trip in Baja

Hi there—this is post is from Parker’s mom. I was lucky enough to fly down and meet Parker in Baja. We had a wonderful time together; it was an endless series of adventures. It was so great to see Parker he is truly having the time of his life he is happy and healthy. We stayed in Cabo San Lucas because it was convenient and I was able to score a 5 star place for $99/ night. We hopped on the bus to the town of Todo Santos (about 90 miles away) to check out their annual art festival, I am pretty sure the tacos we ate there were the best I have ever had. Parker and the friends he travels with have a rule about food: if the menu is written in English or even English and Spanish, they don’t eat there. They are always looking for the real deal and this was the real deal. Parker’s Spanish has gotten so good. We hit the art festival and bought some gifts and then headed out to Cerritos beach—this is a very popular surfers beach. Many of the beaches on the Pacific side have an undertow this beach does not. It was a beautiful spot and Parker wanted to try his hand at surfing. This beach is at the end of a long dirt road with some houses along the way. At the beach there is an outdoor restaurant and place to rent boards, very simple and very popular. Parker grabbed a board and I went out in the water, he was doing great (in his previous post you can see he went back for 4 days). A while into it he came running and screaming in that something bit him. Turns out it was a Ray; I have never seen him in so much pain. Everyone was wonderful and took us to the clinic in Todo Santos –they treated Parker for about $14, this included giving him Oxygen, and shots for the bite so the pain would be under control till he could get to the hospital to have an x-ray and make sure there was not a piece of the Ray’s barb in him (the Ray’s are very poisonous)—we did not have a car so we road 90 miles in an ambulance to Cabo to the hospital. I could go on and on…but I won’t it was quite an adventure everyone treated us well, all the bills were less than $200 including the ambulance ride and the hospital treatment etc. The moral of the story is shuffle your feet in the ocean so the Rays know you are coming and can get out of the way.

 

We rented Kayaks one morning, and paddled along the area where the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean meet. We say dolphins swimming, sea lions on the rocks and whales spouting.

 

We got to spend lots of time together just talking, playing cards and hanging out. The weather was wonderful. Parker has now continued on, in March his dad and sister are going to hook up with him.

Surf Break

Hey folks just wanted to drop a quick update.  Me and David from Vancouver BC headed down to Cerritos beach (yes the sting ray beach) for 4 days of surfing and relaxing.  I was able to work in the morning for free surfing and water and camping there.  It was a blast.  I am back in La Paz now.  My next move is either to go to Mazatlan today or tomorrow or theres a possiblity my friend guillermo can come and visit.  This will be decided soon.  One of these days im going to have to hop back on that bike!

¿Adonde Va?

Hey folks, decided to drop an update, much has been happening.  I went down to Cabo to meet my mom which was really cool.  We spent a lot of time relaxing and catching up.  We took a bus out to Todos Santos and checked out the art festival there and I rent a surfboard.  On the way in I got stung by a Sting Ray and that really flipped the day around.  I could not believe how much that thing hurt, it is definitly the worst pain I ever felt.  After some shuffling around a guy that worked at a nearby resturaunt gave us a ride to the hospital in Todos Santos from the beach we were at.  It was very scary because I was showing signs of going into shock and I was shaky and having trouble breathing.  When I got to the clinic they gave me some shots in my foot and my ass and put me on oxygen and I felt much better and was stable.   They then took us on a crazy ambulance ride to Cabo that freaked my mom out a lot.  They took x rays and prescribed some pills and it seems to be getting better.  Always shuffle your feet when walking through the shallows on the sea of Cortez!  The next day we rented a kayak and paddled out to playa de amor (lovers beach)  It is where the pacific meats el mar de cortez.  it was an incredible trip, the water was really clear so you could see the fish swimming under the kayak.  There were also beautiful rock formations.  It was extremley sad to see her go but we had an amazing time I will always remember and I know she will always be there.  Most of you know I have one of the coolest moms on the planet.  I feel her with me on the road.

I took the bus ride back to La Paz feeling kind of lonley and out of place.  When I got to the hostel though I was blown away.  Michael was there with his girlfriend, and I befriended another cyclist named David.  In 15 minutes 10 cyclist walked through the door.  I couldnt believe it.  From Austria, Australia, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, and US!  The Hostel was all of a sudden the bike hang out.  We all mobbed around the streets of La Paz feeling great.  It is an awsome feeling to meet a cyclist that has just done what you have.  Because you know that they know what youve been through and vice versa.  It is hard to explain to someone that just flew in exactly what it is youve been doing.  This prompted me to stay in La Paz at the hostel for a couple days of road stories.  Its only costing like 9 dollars a night anyway.

The next day me and David took a break from the hostel and cycled 25 KM up the road near where the ferry is to camp on a beautiful beach.  We had a very peaceful relaxing time.  Much Needed.  We came back and are now trying to make a move us to what to do.

The route picking so far has been very easy.  The coast route all the way and the only paved road in Baja.  Now I am looking at many maps of Mexico and its hundreds of roads and am having a lot of trouble.  I was going to stay on the coast but many of the cyclists that have done more research then me have said very bad things about it.  I also need to corrispond with my dad for a meeting place.

If any of you have places you have been on the mainland you suggest and more importantly any road advice that we be great.  It is very hard to find info on the web about cycling mexico.  There is enough on Europe to write a book and nothing on Mexico and Centeral America.  So now the question is from Mazatlan ¿Adonde Va?  (Where to go)