December 8, 2009
Ixtapan – Acatlán (Mexico)

Moving Time= 7:16
Stopped Time=2:38
200 miles

I wanted to try to get all the way to Oaxaca today…I had some friends-of-friends there, and they were expecting me to arrive today. It would be a big push, and unfortunately I got a late start because my stomach was really upset last night…I was up a lot of the night. Gas? Not sure. Felt like gas.

Rode for an hour, then in a small town I stopped for breakfast. I’d had a “liquado” a couple of days before,

and was craving another one–fresh fruit juices, granola, some protein shake, yum and easy to digest. When I saw the telltale blender roadside, I did a U-turn. No liquados, but they had jugos–just juice–and what would I like? Um, I don’t know–make it up. Then they talked me into a gordita. My stomach was acting hungry, the food smelled good, so I got one of those and sat down with another olde couple. Turns out they were ont heir way to Cautla, were intrigued by my trip, and we spoke for about half an hour. Nice people. I asked them what the heck I was drinking, and it was beet & carrot juice. It was good, but an unusual combination.

The gentleman was nice enough to write in my journal the town-by-town directions for me to get to Oaxaca, since I’d told him how I always get lost in the Cities.

Miacatlan a Alpuyeca
Alpuyeca a Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca a Cuautla

grrr. Cuautla. Not only can I not pronounce it, but I got profiundly lost there. For two + hours I tried to find the right road, get on the right highway (I refused to take the toll road–I’d been told I could get to Oaxaca for free on the libre, and I was determined to do so!) I did circles and circles. I started to sweat. I was thirsty. I could not find the right road. I was hot. The GPS said the road was right there, and yet it ended in a market. So I tried to go around, and ended up in a school. then a corn field. Grrr! I felt faint. Maybe I just needed some water. I aslo ITCHED. It sems I had a bunch of bites–not sure where I got them, since I don’t remember getting bitten.

I finally stopped to get some water, and bought a Sprite, a water, and some more Maria crackers. I felt weak, but didn’t feel like eating. I asked the shop lady if I could just stand there for a few minutes, drink my drink, gather my wits for few minutes. She asked about my trip, etc. and I told her I was feeling badly, had been off & on, etc. She said I should go to the pharmaist and get a pill. A pill will cure me? I’m all for THAT! In that moment I was ripe for a pharmacist, and there happened to be one across the street. The pharmacist said I had a stomach infection, and a parasite, adn gave me two boxes of pills.Great! Pills will cure me. I took them. Walked back across the street, thanked the shop lady again and told her I got pills, and got back on the bike.

OK, I was cured, and suddenly it was easy to figure out how to get out of town.

Then I got stuck in some construction

and knew I was not going to make it to Oaxaca.

Cuautla a Matamoros
Matamoros a Huajapan e Leon
Huajapan a Oaxaca

But I got to ride some more nice roads

And even broke FOR AN IGUANA at one point. How cool is that?

Got stuck behind some traffic

And finally came to Acatlán, where I needed to stop for the night. I was feeling badly again, and it was close to dark. Shoot.