It took some more effort, and I have to say that it didnt really seem worth it...
There is so much traffic hassle,and so much smog etc... Plenty of "experience", but not much fun!
Actually, thats a point that most people probably dont appreciate about motorbike touring...
Its not like being in a car or a bus... There is no air-conditioning and minimal sound proofing (the helmet does dampen sound though to be sure).. Rather, you are very much "engaged" by the "olfactory environment". On the good side, I get to smell that sweet smell of dampened dry grass when it rains while Im driving through the fields; And the smell of freshly cut grass every time I pass a road crew cutting the grass or hacking back the jungle on the road sides... And the smell of rain on hot pavement is also quite pleasant.
But on the down side, I can smell in intimate detail the corrupted flesh of every dead dog I pass on the road (and thats many times each day down here!), and in the case of Mexico DF, I get to smell the dense hot fumes of many thousands of smog belching diesl trucks and buses for hours on end while I drive through this massive city...Like I said, ups and downs :))
So, after a quick stop in the central plaza... Since there was absolutely nowhere to park on the streets in the area... There didnt seem to be many rules that people followed when it came to driving, but "no parking" did seem to be one of the few that held sway! :)
I consulted my "inner self", and found that I had no desire to stay here. So, I consulted my map, my GPS, and a couple of police men who were friendly but also very sure that there was no place for my bike on the "sacred pedestrian-only zocalo"; I headed out of the city toward Puebla... A smaller city a couple of hours away that is apparently quite nice...
Anyway, Spent one night in Puebla and its a nice enough place in the colonial district, but I guess Im all "colonialed out" at the moment.
Puebla's claim to fame is that the walls of most of the old colonial buildings are covered with a mixture of terracotta and blue and white tiles...
And, true enough, it does seem to be the city of a thousand tiled walls... If you are ever wanting for some ideas on different tiling patterns for your terrace, then just come to Puebla and have a look around :))))
I had a quiet evening and strolled around a bit. I ate some churros (The latin equivalent of donuts) and watched a couple of older guys hand making cigars in a little shop near the town plaza.
In the morning, I headed South again...
Got to Oaxaca city which is in Oaxaca state (as per Chihuahua, Durango, Puebla, Guanajuato and Zacatecas.... The city in the state). Last time I was here, I thought it was quite a large city and quite cosmopolitan. This time it seems much smaller and less impressive.
Im sure that some of it is due to me comming here from Mexico DF and then Puebla; whereas, last time I came from tiny little villages on the coast.
But I alsothink its because I am somewhat different and my world has "shrunk" since last time... Ived done so much travelling since then.
So, there is a good dose of "perspective" involved I think.
