What a crazy place! And not for any of the reasons people told me it would be. I had no probems getting through Tijuana, the drivers have been excellent and given me loads of space on the road, I've met no corrupt policemen or soldiers and can't imagine anyone here getting worked up enough to make me feel threatend.
No, this is crazy because of the terrain and the weather. As I write this my thermometer is hovering around 40C and this isn't the peak heat of the day. I crossed the border early on the 4th July and for the first night I stayed at Ensenada which is on the coast and so a bit more temperate, but since then I've spent the rest of the week cycling through desert. Strangely, the heat isn't the worst thing on the bike. You obviously need to keep drinking to stay hydrated (and although places to stock up can be far between I can carry enough when needed). The the worst thing is on the bike you're in the open all day so you're exposed to the intensity of the sun which can be brutal, especially in the early afternoon. So I've modified my cycling tactics: I aim to set off around 6am each day and cycle hard to get where I want to be before the sun really kicks in and if I can't get there in time then find a shady spot to sit out the hottest part of the day and wait for it to cool down into the low 30s before finishing off.
But despite the weather and hilly terrain this I've been making good progress - I've covered 900km of the Baja peninsular in the last eight days and I'm now in the verdant oasis town of San Ignacio. In fact, it's probably because of the weather as I'm not all that inclined to hang around. Also, this is perhaps the first pretty town I've been through. Most are just a half shanty type sprawl along the main road, but San Ignacio has a lot more character and still retains some of the original town built by the Spanish Jesuit and then Dominican missionaries around 200 years ago. It's also very green and shady with date palms everywhere, which makes a nice chage to cacti. I can't upload photos easily here, but will put some on to give you an idea in the next major town I pass through.
So, although I'm not inclined to linger in Baja, overall I'm enjoying the experience of cycling here and I'm settling into the Mexico leg of the trip.
No, this is crazy because of the terrain and the weather. As I write this my thermometer is hovering around 40C and this isn't the peak heat of the day. I crossed the border early on the 4th July and for the first night I stayed at Ensenada which is on the coast and so a bit more temperate, but since then I've spent the rest of the week cycling through desert. Strangely, the heat isn't the worst thing on the bike. You obviously need to keep drinking to stay hydrated (and although places to stock up can be far between I can carry enough when needed). The the worst thing is on the bike you're in the open all day so you're exposed to the intensity of the sun which can be brutal, especially in the early afternoon. So I've modified my cycling tactics: I aim to set off around 6am each day and cycle hard to get where I want to be before the sun really kicks in and if I can't get there in time then find a shady spot to sit out the hottest part of the day and wait for it to cool down into the low 30s before finishing off.
But despite the weather and hilly terrain this I've been making good progress - I've covered 900km of the Baja peninsular in the last eight days and I'm now in the verdant oasis town of San Ignacio. In fact, it's probably because of the weather as I'm not all that inclined to hang around. Also, this is perhaps the first pretty town I've been through. Most are just a half shanty type sprawl along the main road, but San Ignacio has a lot more character and still retains some of the original town built by the Spanish Jesuit and then Dominican missionaries around 200 years ago. It's also very green and shady with date palms everywhere, which makes a nice chage to cacti. I can't upload photos easily here, but will put some on to give you an idea in the next major town I pass through.
So, although I'm not inclined to linger in Baja, overall I'm enjoying the experience of cycling here and I'm settling into the Mexico leg of the trip.
Dude - have you got your phone with you? AndyA
ReplyDeleteIt's a-called, siesta, si? MER xxx Glad you're coping. Will txt.
ReplyDeletePull your finger out Ring. I expected you to have summited Aconcagua by now...twice. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood miles - hope Mexico continues to be trouble-free. Don't get too used to the heat. Otherwise we'll have to get you an ME Greenland for when you arrive back in the UK.
Hi Ant
ReplyDeleteEnjoying reading your blogs and looking at your photos too - looks like you are having a great time. You're making me very jealous as I sit at my desk looking out at the rain!
Hope all your adventures continue to be fun!
Lucy
Hi man, I just returned to the UK. I've only just started going through the 1,000+ photo's I took, but here's a taster http://www.jacoblewisgraphicdesign.com/photos/usa/ant.jpg
ReplyDeleteHey dude,
ReplyDeleteHope the rest of the ride went well? How did you like the ride south of San Fran?
Cheers for that. Will you be putting them all on there? Keen to get hold of some of the golden gate bridge photos, especially where we're all there.