Map of World - Click a place Brad's been

February 2023 - Guanajuato, Cholula, Cordoba, Coatzacoalcos, Palenque and back home to PDC

In this month I made my way across the middle of Mexico stopping in Guanajuato, Cholula, Cordoba, Coatzacoalcos, Palenque and back to Playa del Carmen.  Good to return and get my feet under me, see friends and jump on the vball court.

Day 19 Guanajuato (350 km) - Started the day going the wrong way which seemed like the theme for this micro trip.  Went South out of Gdl on to marcolibramiento highway which isn't free! ("libra?" 50pesos). C3R8T2V8. Then on to highway 35 to Poncitlan. C2R7T3V6.  Second part of hwy 35 up to hwy 15D at Vista Hermosa (should have turned on hwy 110), C3R6T3V6.  So on to hwy 15D fought to get on to 37 going North after paying $50p. This miss on to 37 put me in 1 hr of slow construction C2R1T9V3.  Not fun!

Laguna de Cajititlan on Marcolibramiento
Lots of Tequila plants (agave)


After Vista Hermosa on hwy 15D

A few photo since I paid 50pesos for this road

There must be a trick to get around these?

Bad luck on hwy 37

Good thing it was an over all short day

May be 35km in 1 hour.

Finally on to Highway 90 all the way to Guanajuato trying my best not to get stuck on another Cuota/toll road. Used a lot of patience on this day especially around Irapuato. C3R7T3V6.

Incredible arrival in to Guanajuato tunnels...unexpected and super cool although a little nerve-racking with all the traffic and no where to escape on the bike.

Could have went to Aguascalientes...

A welcome wide open road, rip it up!

Clearly back on the free roads

Wild...tunnels under the city.

Not a lot of space


Nice chilly night in Guanajuato all the way down to 3 deg C. Walked around stopping in at "Ski" recommended Tragaluz for 2x1 and a tapa then Nigromente for Colibri and Mezcal with a great view!

Hotel Dos Rios - good
quaint, bathroom was tight and chilly

Love the "no drinking in room"
and a bottle opener on the door


Really scenic city in the hills

In front of Tragaluz in 
Plaza San Fernando

View at Nigromente


Walk around Guanajuato old town

Regional Museum

Day 19 - Cholula (500 km). Early chilly start (8 deg C) up on to highway 110 a very appreciated road to Dolores Hidalgo C7R6T3V8.  Then on to San Miguel De Allende C3R7T4V6 which was very San Cristobal like and busy.  A long day so kept on keeping on. 


Great morning ride


Rocky to Desert
Dolores Hidalgo


San Miguel de Allende

Bigger town than expected, red truck in shot


Some hours in to the day and I ran in to heavy traffic in Queretaro and GPS issues.  Ouch. 3 lane highway to Queretaro C2R7T8V5.  Through the city was tough.

As trapped as I felt

This wasn't the bad, no photos of heavy traffic

Out the other side, with lots of cars

Yes, open road!


Then on to Highway 45 to Ixmiquilpan C4R8T3-5V7. And on to Pachuca to Highway 88, 136, 190.  Topes, topes, topes, towns, cities...uff.  C3R7T8V6.  




Another red truck in my photo!




Bridge leaving Pachuca





A series of GPS silliness and off the beaten path I finally sifted my way through the outlying area to Cholula with 1% battery on both phones.

What is this moto guy doing? Not a highway.

Not really a highway

Looking to one of the surrounding Volcanos
Enjoying friendly tacos at "Emmanuel" Taqueria
100 pesos x 5 tacos, free taco, free drink. Nice!


Hotel Victorina, $40usd, 
Best shower of trip!

Cholula and the Luna

Little touristy

A lovely little town and good pick


Day 20 - Cordoba (200km). A much warmer start to the day including a hike to the top of the central church "Our Lady of Remedies" and a look at the Tlachihualtepetl ruins from behind fences in Cholula.  Happy morning.

Lovely surrounding to the
central church


Back of Tlachihualtepetl ruins

Popocatepetl Volcano

Climbing to the top of Our Lady of Remedies, amazing experience and views.





Front of Ruins

Good morning!
The railway to the centre
Of course there's a market here...


After a great morning I jumped on Blue Demon and set a course for Cordoba for a reasonably short day on a road I had seen before.  Hwy 150 C1R5T6V3, then Hwy 150D (pay road) Tapeaca to Esperanza C1R8T3V7 and finally on to Cordoba C7R8T3V7-8 through glorious mountains and curves. 

Highway police station, looks impressive

 Iztaccihuatl Vulcano


Runaway lane always a good indicator of 
sweet motorbike road.

Worth the 80 pesos?


7 pesos because I missed an exit!

Cordoba central plaza
Hotel Suites - $20usd!
El Patio de la Abuela

Tasty lunch at El Patio de la Abuela

Main plaza

Cumbia in the main plaza

Beef steak, not bad at
Moctezum

Day 21 - Coatzacoalcos (320km) A day that had silly and weird moments along with enduring the struggle of traffic while luckily avoiding rain. Highway 150 to La Tinaja at highway 145 C5R5-7T2V5, Sweeps! Hwy 145 to 175, bad. C1R5T7V5.

Packed and ready, sort of

Finally found someone to give
my airplane chocolate cookie
Unexpected open road to start

calm

Lots of tree filled trucks today
Foreshadowing... Hwy 175 to Cosamaloapan

C5R5T3V6 along a river
Cosamaloapan was odd

yeah, odd.  So many of these tree filled tractor
driven trailers. C5R4T7V6

5 km side road to sneak on to Hwy 145D

30 min surprisingly interesting detour

Hwy 145D, C1R7T3V6
That's the off ramp to avoid the toll roads

Last bit of peace
After town Rodriguez Clara
Rough and traffic filled

Hwy 145, worst traffic, pot holes C2R3-6R7-8V4

Last 20 km Hwy 185, C1-2R7T3V5-6


Stayed at a sex hotel on booking.com, "Priviledge" which was not close to the center, but good to get out of the city the next day.  They are always better value than other hotels.  Ate at Las Brasas for dinner, which was ok.  Great 1 km pier with a eerie calmness.  As noted by other Coatzacoalcos is a stop and nothing more.

Priviledge Sex Hotel
beers for $30 pesos!
Great tacos next to the Sex Hotel

Moto tour of town

Well appointed pier and seawall


Late day fishermen

Love this shot back towards the city

Day 22 - Palenque (320km).  What should have been a smooth morning exit from Coatzacoalcos was anything but.  GPS took me to the sister town via a brand new toll tunnel which I chose not to pay for at 6:30am. Then a series of messy side roads and finally I got on to an incredible foggy morning view on Highway 180 to Villahermosa for the last of the big city traffic which didn't disappoint. C4R8T2-8V7.

Morning tunnel detour to Allende

which took me through a lake

cow lined streets

Incredible morning views

Into the foggy sun


In to Tabasco for a few hours

Sign of a busy road ahead


Backed up cars and missed exit in Villahermosa

On to Highway 186 for $0.60 USD to hwy 199.

C2/3R7T3V6

Highway 199 to Palenque, C4R6T4-5V6

Arrived in Palenque and went straight to the Ruins before getting a room at Hotel Naj Kin ($400 pesos, good with parking in the centre). I'd actually been to Palenque before, but never to the Ruins so felt it was a must and a once in a life time to do thingy ($200p).  Ate amazing in town at Tropi Tacos and dinner at La Parrilla!  A great final day on the road. 

Just past the centre in route to ruins
Safe enough parking

Map says it all



Tight headroom


Tourism


Worth the hike up

A little Star Trek like?




Now that's a leaning bike

Tropi Tacos, Pastor Score!


Centre plaza full of Haitians... why?

La Parrilla, $300p for all that.

Nice.

Day 23 (800km).  Biggest ride of the trip, in Mexico at least (only bigger was Portland to Yuba City).  Google said more than 10.5 hrs and I think I made it in 9.5 hrs or so.  Hwy 199 to 186, C4R6T4/5V5.  Then hwy 186 to Escarcega, rough parts C1/2R4-6T2V4/5.  Continued on Hwy 186 to 307, Xul-Ha.  C2R6/7T2/3V4.  Highway 307 good up to Tulum, super straight really.C1/2R6/7T2-5V5. Close to coast, but no views of it.

Exciting finale
7am start


Always love how the load is the trailer.

The silliness of Escarcega

Straight straight on 186.


Big pipeline construction happening

Lots of hard working flaggers.  Free smiles!

My Home State

Foreshadowing...

Getting close to Playa

A lost screw, the only casualty of the trip

Tulum traffic, that will only get worse


And that was that...9750km mas o menos beginning back in October in Victoria, British Columbia.  A great adventure, lots of nice people, places and good times!

PS. Trying to ride completely free roads all the way I did get tricked and took a few wrong turns adding up to about $20-30 USD of paid roads.

Outside Playacar

Proof!

My bike!
Clau and Lalo had a welcome BBQ, Tasty!

Chia, the cat clearly runs the house.  No door can stop her! I thought someone was breaking in to kill me.  Enjoy the video.

Wake up Brad!

Alex and I on our Motos

Ran in to Sarah on a 
Tequila Valentine's Night


A Tequila Valentine's Night turned in to a "Being Kidnapped by the Cops Night".  Exactly 30 years ago I spent a sobering night in the tank...Happy Anniversary to me!

Stupid Side Story: Walking back on a well light street around 3am I slapped the green and white awning in the photo below which got the attention of the Popo.  I decided that wasn't a crime and they didn't agree so lights out for me, handcuffs and a ride in the back of the truck Mexican Style to the station to sit on the floor for 9 hours sharing a cell with a 6'6" Black dude from Atlanta who was kinda scared.  I got him and his wife out, but chose to stay in hoping not to pay $220 USD "fine" for Resisting Arrest which in Canada would be a criminal offence.  According to the great Canadian local consular it was the same level as peeing on the beach, simply a money grab which of course you can complain about, but you sure ain't getting your money back.  Next time I'll walk home on a Drug Dealer infested dark alley to play it safer, hahahaha.  

Mexico can be a real joke for some times like any country.

That's a guy who hasn't had 
water in 9 hrs and just forgot
his belt that he'll never get back.

That awning desired it.
Slap!


Relaxing with visiting Nathan and family.
Thanks for the care package!

Just relax

Thanks to Clau and Lalo for everything!!!

My waiters at a local restaurant who happened
to be in jail the same night as me.  
It's all laughable now. Then I found out if I stayed
36 hours behind bars I wouldn't have had to pay!


Other Stuff

New rental apartment in "Little Argentina". Great 2 bedroom with roof pool to be seen next month.



Option 1 building hunting
Option 2 building hunting
Looks slightly dangerous
Should see my Air Canada refund in 2030!


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