On May 9, I arrived in Oaxaca and found a cheap motel. The next day my mission was to do my laundry. A do-it-yourself laundromat is rare in Mexico so I was forced to pay 100 pesos or about $20 to have my laundry done. When I returned to my cheap hotel it was pouring rain and the water was coming in the closed window. Outside, a sewer had backed up and the street had turned into a river.

         The next day, I planned on visiting the ruins of Monte Alban. I finally found a bus at a hotel that would take me there and we started the roller coaster ride up the mountain on a narrow winding road to the ruins. As usual, I was not allowed to take my tripod into the site and they wanted 30 pesos for using a video. These ruins are unique in that they are on top of a mountain so they have a spectacular view of the valley and Oaxaca City below. I spent three hours at the ruins and when I went to catch the bus back, I was told that I had missed the return time stamped on my ticket and, therefore, had to pay another 10 pesos.

         On May 13, I packed up and headed out of town feeling very tired. Everywhere I stopped, the usual crowds gathered to ask about the bike and my trip. That night, I slept in a farmer's field and awoke as a farmer drove a flock of cows down the road. I started the day with a short climb then an incredible down hill that zigzagged down about a 1000 meters. Before long, however, the climb started again and I could see mountains going on forever. When I reached El Cameron, I was beginning to feel ill from the heat so I decided to stock up on food and find a hotel. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money to buy food and pay for a hotel and there were no banks around so I continued out into the country to set up my tent.

         The next day, the climb continued endlessly. I was starting to feel claustrophobic with nothing but walls of mountains around me and I was running out of water again. I stopped to take a picture of the mountains when a strong wind came up and a wall of rain descended on me. The wind was so strong the rain was blowing horizontally. I waited till the worst was over and then carried on riding in the rain. The rain had subsided by the time I set up camp that night but everything was soaked. I set up a cloths line and hung everything up to dry just as a man, leading a donkey loaded with wood, walked by. We exchanged greetings but he didn't seem surprised that I was there with clothes hanging on a line.

         On May 17, I passed through Reforma where a 20 kilometer downhill run started that took me out of the mountains and into a flat valley. That evening, I managed to find a lake where I set up camp and had a swim. The next day, I rode into Tehuantepec and found a bank, hotel and the internet. I left my bike locked up in the village square and found a place to eat. When I returned, the usual crowd had gathered around the bike and I told them about my trip. Back in the hotel, I started to do my laundry by hand as there was no laundry service in town. The next day while I was out looking for gas for my stove, I got a flat so I walked the bike back to the hotel.

         On May 20, I spent the day looking for gas for the stove and patches for the flat tire. They only sold packages of patches that would last a life time or at least the rest of my trip! That evening while wandering around the square, I met someone who taught English so we talked about my trip and my impressions of Mexico. We wandered over to the stage to watch someone singing American jazz in English to native people in their traditional dress.

         On May 21, I was out on the highway again when the winds started and the traffic increased adding to the turbulence. It was impossible to control the bike and I crashed into the ditch. After about 35 kilometers, I pulled into a treed area by a river, had a swim and set up camp. The next day, the wind and traffic continued and the condition of the road deteriorated. My throat was starting to get sore from screaming out profanities to vent my frustration. I passed through a town called Future, presumably because of the wind generators they had there.

         On May 23, I stopped in Tepanatepec to stock up on food and water and to have a rest before heading into the mountains again. I found a cheap hotel and settled in for the night. I was awakened in the morning by roosters crowing, noisy traffic and a horrendously loud grater that had pulled into the repair shop by the hotel and left the motor idling for 20 minutes. As I prepared to leave town, I realized that I had a flat tire which I repaired. I headed into town to buy supplies and when I came out of the store, the tire was flat again. This was caused by the fact that the tube was not the right size but I knew I would never find the right tube I needed until I reached a large town. Very soon after leaving the town, the climb started. I stopped for lunch at the border between Oaxaca and Chiapas.

Mexico - Chiapas