El Cielo, Tamaulipas

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Like some of you might have realized, we haven't moved from the city of Cardenas, Mx, for over a week now. Two Fridays ago (Oct 17th) our trip came to a screetching halt 2 hours south of Veracruz, when oil started splashing on my boots...sinking feeling... When we opened the engine, the oil level was low, it consumed 1.5L in the last 2000kms, and the screws holding the exhaust camshaft journals were loose. The result is that the camshaft rattled and enlarged and lifted the journals until the cams hit the cover and put a hole in it...No way to continue, next step is complete motor meltdown.
Now, this bike is not being sold in Mexico, so parts are not available locally. A call to Kawasaki Canada revealed that the main part is backordered with no ETA date. As in, minimum delivery time is a month but could be 2. Great. Same story in US. This is starting to look like a disaster unfolding.

But this is for the next posting, I don't want to spoil the current Blog entry... there'll be more on incompetence, bad sleeping, bad fluids and good company ...

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Finally left Monterrey, slept a night in CD Victoria, a cute little town, bought a whole rotisserie chicken and ate it in the main plaza under the curious eyes of locals. Did I mention it is hot here?

Left in the morning for the main attraction of the area, El Cielo, a national eco-park, with it's own micro-climate. There are species that only exist here but they must be really good at hiding, cause I saw more critters in the back yard of the Richmond Hill basement we rented before.

Reading about and then seeing it is a bit of a disconnect, things look very different than what we imagined, I guess that's a good thing, it breaks the standards.

Isn't that gorgeous? The vista that is...

Tits on the horizon

We tried to go up the mountain on our bikes and after 200meters we realized there was no way in hell any 2 wheeled vehicle would be able to make it. Let alone two loaded mules like ours. So we opted for the military service. Joking, just an old beat-up 80's truck. We did 12 kilometers in 2 and half hours on a path I have trouble calling road. It rearranged all our internals. Insane. How does that truck stay together is beyond me...

Full of hope at the beginning of the "road"

The Cloud Forest!! Impressive.

Another great view with an abyss

The "Road"

A famous rock, apparently

Entrance to the park....

... Is guarded by a "nino"

Who took our money and opened the gate (he's counting the money in the pic). They start early here!

Here's another noble steed, waiting to hitch a ride... or beeing the ride

End of the road
**** Caroline Section :-) *****
some furry friends we meet on the way...

"Can I keep one?!?"

Caroline made a commitment to rehabilitate all the animals on the way by giving them lots of love (and scars from scratching).

The only restaurant up there... but "sponsored" by C. Cola.....

Not really a restaurant as we know it, but a kitchen with a big table in the middle. Lunch was made with everything very fresh, tomatoes straight out of the vine, potatoes from the ground and eggs from the chicken's ass :-)

"How much for a tour in the area?"
"200 pesos"
"Sorry, only got 100"
"Ok" :-)

What started like a nice walk through some beautiful meadows, turned into a steep climb that our guide had no trouble with. Kept the same pace as on the flat section without breaking a sweat.

Where are those damn monkeys ?!?

Tunnel of Love was a mosquito trap!

Arrived at the destination, a huge cave.

ECHO...Echo..echo...

I really felt like Indiana Jones here, the cave actually continued further deep down, and without a light it was very eerie.

I'm baaaaack!!

A whole bunch of 50's truck cabins. No idea why they're there, but it's full of them everywhere.

They're so tiny inside! No way two big Mexicans could fit in there....

I love rollercoasters, but have you tried to be on one for 3 hours straight, instead of 45 seconds?

And on this funny note, that's the end of the El Cielo trip.

Next Entry: Tampico-Veracruz-VillaHermosa (almost!)

MEXICO BABY!!!!!

Welcome to Mexico. I mean Bienvenidos a Mexico, cause nobody speaks inglesh...not even before the border, actually. The border crossing was easier than crossing a busy toronto intersection (although we will soon find traffic that puts anything I know to shame, but that's later).
I knew better than just drive into the horizon, and we took the poorly signalled way to "aduana", where we needed stamps, copies and declarations and finally money out of our pockets. But 2 hours later, the bikes and us had all the "required" bureaucratic crap in order. Except, Caroline is still sad cause she doesn't have a Mexican stamp on her Canadian passport

Ze proud Canadiens!

Look ma, no hands!

Freedom! or something like that....

Mexican bugs, scary...

El Torro, in the background. There's one in Spain like that, I remember it well for some reason, even though I was only 5 years old at the time.

After a couple of hot, dry and boring hours we arrived in Monterrey. Very impressive at the beginning, but awe soon turned into stress then into desperation. We circled the city for 5 hours!! Madness, all city streets had been converted to 1-way, even though they have island dividers in the middle. So it's all very confusing, and when you turn right you have to look for traffic coming from behind you!
I don't know how we didn't have an accident, and this is no exaggeration, I had a few reeealy close calls, but eventually a motorcycle cop put an end to it when we blew a yellow, and pulled us over. After a good 15 minutes of sign language lunacy, we understood that he was going to take our licenses away and give us huge tickets (like $120 each). When he figured we understood our predicament, he mumbled something about $40 each, and after a few bargaining signs, price was set at $40 for both, and it included a personalized escort to a nearby hotel. My first bribe!!!!

Here's our buddy in action with another "customer"

So after paying a ridiculous $60 for a hole, we decided to try a cheaper alternative for the second night...the 7 star Nuevo Leon. Its light shines brightly in the hell of hotels...

Fully equipped, includes chandelier in the garage

I should mention that the towels were not actually white. Quite the culture shock. NASTY!

Lets visit the neighbourhood. We just walked around like it was our own backyard, but we found out later that this area had the highest criminality of Monterrey...freakin' clueless morons! In retrospect, and after having been in Mexico for about 10 days now, yes, it looked shady, but we didn't know any better.

Below, an example of a one-way street. Of course there's no arrows, you have to look where the lights are..

These guys were faster than any cars including cabbies. That's the solution to Toronto's traffic jams! Also notice the make of these buses, pinpin'

The famous hotel, in the famous 'hood.

Mexico welcomes you, stranger.

No freakin clue where I am, this place looks like a labyrinth game.

Churrooooos!

Downtown is a different story, much nicer and complete with a replica of the Riverwalk from San Antonio. Not as nice though...

The Palacio del Gobierno had a nice calm look when we arrived...

and an amazing light show started when we left. Pictures don't do it justice, and it went on for a long time.

Inside the Palace

No roof, that's the moon! Typical spanish architecture.

Public toilets...right?

Veedub bugs are everywhere, and Caroline is in heaven, she loves these cars.

Chillin on a terrace, downtown Monterrey.

On the 3rd and last night, we decided to spend the dough, and upped the class. We had reserved parking in front of the hotel complete with night guard. One even proposed to get the bikes inside the lobby!

cones...I feel so special..

Daytrip to the nearby La Huasteca Park. Great!

El conquistador. And his horse.

Some typical and necessary pictures

Caroline wants her own noble steed.
Noble steed not want french rider...

Little off-road adventure, cool, but tiring.

These guys looked like mosquitoes on the wall, this is the zoomed view....

Yeah, they're somewhere there..

Yes, that sign says Canadian Thanksgiving!

Back to Monterrey

More walking downtown. The building and the sign didn't go well together.

And a couple of margaritas....

...Makes me wanna be friends with anybody, anything..

Caroline found the vegetable mini-me.

So on the way out we got hit by the biggest rainstorm I have ever seen or been into. Then we got stuck in traffic. We didn't just get wet, the boots filled with water! It was ridiculous.
Here the roads don't have canals, so the water just stands or turns into small rivers which is quite fun when the river runs across the road and double-hinged 36(?)-wheelers go by you at full speed, it's like riding into the ocean.

What a buffoon...

We went through that, but the dude in the middle didn't make it, he's stuck. Others got stuck later.

And a video of this madness...

So after a few hours of waiting, we decided to call it a day, and rode to the first motel. Another fun experience, it was too good to be true. The price was good, the room fantastic, room service, private parking, and blue-lit ceiling (that should have been the clue). Watched a free DVD among the large choice including porn (the second clue) and went to bed.
At 6am we get a call and shortly after a bang on the door: they wanted money for the next 12 hours...What? what do you mean? Yes, you only paid for 12 hours. HA??!
Eventually we figured out it was a "Matrimonial Motel" so people go there to do the adult thing. We argued (although "waved my hands" is closer to my method of communication. I also spoke extensively romanian, english, italian and french) with some clueless employee until the boss came an hour later and he let us stay until 9.

That's all for now, next stop: Ciudad Victoria and El Cielo