We Can Almost See Guatemala from Here
Trip Start
Jul 04, 2010
1
115
163
Trip End
May 10, 2011
Where I stayed
Hotel Don Carlos
Huixtla, Chiapas, Mexico
Thursday, January 6, 2011
AltTrip 239 m
Avg Climb 2%
Max Climb 7%
With our flashing bike lights on, we took off at 6am. Our plan was to keep today short and go to Escuintla 30km down the road. But when we arrived there by 8AM we decided to push on another 15km to Villa Comaltitlán where Dave thought there would be a hotel too. By 9AM we pulled into Villa Comaltitlán and cooled off with a pint of cold chocolate milk at the OXXO. We crossed the road to have a more substantial but standard fare breakfast at a small comida, Menu: eggs, beans, and tortillas. We felt pretty energetic so decided to continue on to the next big town of Huixtla. Even though temps were still quite warm, we were able to do a more respectable 63km for the day.
Along the way, we encountered 15km of road construction that made the riding tough, competing with the large trucks and buses for the narrow strip of drivable road and frequently were pushed down 6 inches to the fragmented, potholed and rocky half of the road that was under construction. At one point Michelle's left panier popped off and tumbled in the middle of the busy lane. Dave was quick to stop and rescue the bag and prevented it from getting flattened by oncoming traffic. This was the second time this happened with one of our Ortlieb panniers on this trip. The old style Ortlieb panniers had a similar problem so, when we shopped for panniers, we sought out the new and improved model that was intended to resolve this kind of problem.. We are a bit disappointed the redesign didn't work better.
After checking into our hotel, we went to explore Huixtla. The first nicer restaurant we spotted served Chinese food. We were not really excited to try Chinese/Mexican food again this soon but this place was popular. Michelle's vegetable chowmein was prepared just right. Dave's dish was quite tasty also. Okay! We now have renewed confidence in Chinese restaurants in Mexico. And they certainly are a nice change of pace from typical Mexican cuisine.
In the well manicured town square, a fiesta was just getting started. A giant torta was laid out across a bunch of tables. The town band was playing in the park. Everyone was sweating bullets in the sun. We suspected the party would really get started after the sun goes down.
The steet and sidewalks are typical of many in these parts. You need to pay attention or you could fall and break your leg .... We've documented a few of the hazards in pictures here.
