In Zacatecas we got to watch the most amazing folkloric dancers. We were late and were right up against the stage. Nancy turned our little tiny Sony camera into video mode and captured this action. We thought you'd like it. There are two different videos here. I love them both!

Hi there all you folks working on your taxes at home! We know that it's tax weekend and wish you well. Some of you asked how we handle the tax event while we're on the road... Well we just do it electronically with Turbotax like we've done for years. We filed in February and got the refund in early March. Not to rub it in or anything.

But that brings to mind a story from the Oregon coast last fall. As you can imagine, not everybody we meet understands what we're up to or why - or can relate to it. We were talking to one fellow who was just flabbergasted at our trip and the informality and unplanned-ness of it. He said "so do you sleep under bridges?"... We said, "well, we have". He was horrified. But his next question was the most memorable indication of his disapproval: "But your taxes - how do you pay your taxes?". We explained that with little income you have little taxes. But we remain amazed that he was more taken with our disconnection from the tax system than with anything else about the trip.

We all make a choice in life. Stay within the lines or venture outside the box. He did not understand there are amazing things to experience outside the normal perimeters. We love to explore the life outside this box. And all you folks who are joining us, are also enjoying life outside this box. And for this we thank you for sharing life our trip.
We all have to pay taxes, we just do it online. Computers sure have changed our lives. Has the world become smaller or are we just more connected. What do you think?

I always find it interesting what people pay in other countries, so I'll give you a report on what we're doing financially right now in northern Mexico.

The current exchange rate is hovering right around 11 pesos for a dollar, so it's easy for us to figure out how much we're spending by just knocking a digit off the price or dividing by 10. We're not really working very hard at saving money, but it's pretty inexpensive nonetheless.

Approximate costs in US Dollars:

Hotel: $15-$25 (all have had hot water. Some very nice, others grungier)
Coke in restaurant: $.70-$1.00
Beer: $1.00-$1.50/bottle
Simple Dinner, per person: $4.00
Taco or burrito: $.35
5-hour bus ride: $19
Entrance to bullfight: $20
Gallon of purified water (in plastic bottle): $.90
5 gallons of purified water (need returnable bottle): $1.30-$2.00
Public Restroom: $.25 (includes toilet paper)
Museums: $1.00-$2.00
Doctor consultation at pharmacy: $1.50
1 Kilo (2.2 pounds) of corn tortillas: $.80  read more here... lee mas aquí... »

Some of you have asked if it's getting really, really hot down here (yet). Well, the weather is surprisingly moderate so far, mostly because we're at a high elevation (7000-8000 feet, 2100-2500 meters above sea level). The morning of April 11 we woke up at our campsite to ice crystals on our tent - the temperature was 32 F (0 C). But when we left at 9:30 or so, we didn't have our coats on, and by mid-afternoon it was quite sunny and uncomfortably hot (not intolerable, but pretty stinking hot). Most days it hasn't been near that cold. We're worried about what will happen when we descent to the east or west coast, and about the lowlands of the Yucatan. But I guess we can adapt... or flee... if we get into something we just can't handle.

I think everybody knows that immigration by Mexicans is a big issue in the US. But you'd be amazed at the view from our end. The entire migration issue is having a profound impact on all of Mexico and the entire Mexican people. We have been to many, many towns whose entire working population is working in the US. We went to a big festival in the town of Jerez the other day - everyone assured us that 99% of the populatin of Jerez is working in the US. That's why the festival is such a big deal - many of the "paisanos", as US-workers are known, return for the fiesta. It's the one cultural connection with the old home town.

Everywhere we go, we see signs for the bus to the US. There are amazingly good prices. From Chihuahua you can get to Denver for US $69. From where we are today in northern Guanajuato, you can get to Dallas for US $40. At least that's what the sign claims.

It's not hard to figure out why you'd work in the US for $100/day instead of working here for (maybe) $10/day. But it is hard to figure out what the cultural results are after a few more decades of this.  read more here... lee mas aquí... »

Here's the map of our route into Mexico so far. Today we're in Zacatecas (leaving Monday going south). The red sections are the parts we biked, and the blue are other forms of transportation (the train into Copper Canyon, a truck to the bottom of the canyon at Batopilas, and the bus from Durango to Zacatecas).
There are new pictures on the photos page...

March 21, 2007 to April 7th Parral to Zacatecas Riding the high plains of northern Mexico was peaceful enough with arid high plains, scattered stunted dark colored trees like scrub oaks and what I thought was nut trees. The was little traffic and what traffic there was gave us lots of space and many waves and friendly beeps from their cars. The high plains were broken up with a few river valleys which we descended to find the area blooming with the newness of spring and planted with apple orchids, corn fields, and other cultivated fields. It turned out that the month of March is the windy season and we were greeted with varying strengths of winds through out this stretch in northern Mexico.

About 56 kilometers (35 miles) south Parral as we rode into the town of Las Nieves, the wind blew sheets of dust across the town, the roads and us. It was so impressive to see the wind blowing sideways full of the dust and particles of the arid landscape. We bought a few things to eat from the local Pemex gas station and continued on our way to find Poncho Villa’s Villa in Canutillo. The villa was a run-down complex with a handful of building with large photos and a bit of history about this Mexican who both was a local hero, a famous general of the Mexican revolution, and renegade (from the perspective of the U.S.). After the visit to the museum we decided to find a hotel because we both were sick with a cold and did not have the energy to continue. We found a clean economical room next to the bus stop which we laid low for two days recovering from our ailments.

We headed out two days later feeling somewhat better. The winds where more gentle and the landscape was the same.

Several nights we camped in the desert along this stretch along with what Randy calls the Mexican brown bears (cows). It was so nice to have such quietness in the vast dry landscape. It gives me a well needed break from the cities, the little pueblo with dogs that bark at us in the nights, the cars booming with music that have to pound the sense out of the youth that drive around in these moving music jukeboxes and the constant attempts to speak a new language I know so little of. The nights we camp I have come to treasure more then I knew.

(You may want to click the "read more" below to continue - this is a long one.)

Here's a view of Zacatecas from above. If you click on it you'll get a bigger version and you can see the entire city center. It's an amazing place, with (too many) places to go and things to see. All beautiful, all the old, colonial city.

One of the issues any time we're trying to find out way around is that (1) we don't understand everything people say and (2) they don't necessarily give good directions. For example, if we ask for directions to some site, they may say "straight, straight, straight, just straight". But it turns out that you come to a "T". What do you do then? (Ask again, over and over, of course).

And sometimes there are no signs on a business. In one little town we were looking for an internet "cafe". It turned out there was one, but we had to find our way to the "yellow house". There was no sign at all on said "yellow house", but we did find it and it did in fact have several computers with very slow internet access. When everybody in a town knows where everything is, who needs a sign?  read more here... lee mas aquí... »