Day 108: New year eve kindness
Today had options. Option 1 is to continue inland to Guadalajara. Option 2 is to go to the coast towards Puerto Vallarta. Option 1 makes much more sense for many reasons. One such reason I didn’t know at the time was there was no good (read safe) way to cut back inland towards Mexico City after continuing on the coast past Puerto Vallarta. However, this is the benefit of hindsight… And research I guess, which I didn’t do. I did choose option 2. But more on this poor choice in the coming entries.
I saw a joke before that I am about to mangle. It was about using potential energy, with a picture of a guy standing on a cliff. A stupid physics joke. But the point is, all the terrible climbing yesterday meant that today would be mostly downhill. Lost about 1k meters in elevation today. Still felt it on the legs though, so I’m still getting used to being back on the bike. Feel a rest day is needed soon.
Two of my main problems on this trip have been losing spoons and losing sunglasses. At least it isn’t phones or wallets or something. I did lose a pair of sunglasses yesterday, so I bought a new pair this morning… but broke them at the next rest stop when they fell and my back wheel rolled over them. After some reflection, I think I understand how I keep losing them. When talking to someone, I feel it is rude to keep my sunglasses on, so I often take them off and set them aside… and then just forget them.
On my last break of the day outside an OXXO shop (where I broke my glasses), an American retired Navy SEAL came up to me and made conversation (so took off my glasses). He was going into the shop and offered time and time again to buy me whatever I needed. I thanked him but refused, as I had just gotten water and whatnot that I needed. When he came back out of the shop, he handed me about 500 pesos, which I felt terrible taking, but he was very insistent. He also offered me a place to stay for the night. It is New Year’s Eve, so having a place to stay would be cool, so I accepted this kind offer.
My bike wouldn’t fit into his car, so he drove in front of me for about 10 or so kilometers as I struggled to keep up. He found this all kinds of funny. Turns out I wouldn’t be staying in his house but in his “Papa’s” house. His “Papa” is actually his older friend’s house, who is also a retired military guy. It was simple, safe and indoors. We take those!
The village I found myself in was very small with nothing open, so New Year’s Eve dinner consisted of some pastries and juice. The gentleman I was staying with went to bed quite early. Next door, the New Year’s celebrations got started early… and continued until about 8 am the following morning. Mexican loudspeakers only have one volume, and that is the absolute fucking maximum. Or so it seems anyway. So it was a night for the earplugs, which helped, but not that much. I did try to stay awake to ring in the new year but fell asleep. Oops. Happy 2025.
