May 06th. Quezaltenango to Salina Cruz (Mexico)
Trip Start
Mar 17, 2010
1
56
77
Trip End
May 27, 2010
Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The border for Mexico was about 100 miles away and it was a real bad one. Super hectic! Got through the migration part OK and had the bikes bug sprayed which costs more bloody money. They don't bug spray us so whats the point? Jo was being our fixer and dealing with it all while we all laid down and chilled out, ( Hes a bloody good chap that Jo).
Once this was done the custom office for the bikes had to be found. These are normally the other side of the border post but oh no, not this one. We were told it was about a 20 minute ride away. We must have spent an hour looking for it. Bloody ridiculous! It was tucked away down some back roads and this one was even busier.
Had to get just about everything photocopied and then you have to pay $36 dollars on your credit card before they will let you in. If you don't have a card you have to pay $436 cash!! You get it back at the exit border but if you don't have the cash on you, you don't get in.Simples.
As is the norm it took a few hours of queuing and waiting then it started to piss hard. Great, boiling hot and wet ! Got on our way with Jo, Baz, Pete, Timmy and the biking viking (Jonny). It is gonna be a long day. Luckily there was a couple of hundred miles of dual carriageway which we ate up nice and fast.
The Tenere felt like it had a new lease of life and was running better than ever, I don't know if the engine had all of a sudden loosened up or what but I was enjoying it. I got 93mph out of it twos up fully loaded (obviously on a private section of road), not bad I thought.
Pete hit a dog at about 80mph or rather the dog hit him. The last thing the mutt saw was a boot hitting him in the head. Game over for our Mexican quadruped.
It got dark and wet and the last 50/60 miles was really hard on mind and body. Got in about 10pm and we have to be up at 5am for a long slog past Mexico city. Its not clever to be riding anywhere near Mexico city at night so we have to make sure we are well past it before dark.
Had a club sandwich, shower, bed at 12.30am.
385 miles.
