December 9, 2018
Let's get this blog back on the road
Mulegé to a beach 30 kilometres from Mulegé
My humblest apologies for the woeful lack of updates over the last two and a half weeks. As you may or may not remember, the previous journal entry had us ready to set off from our lengthy stay in Mulegé with a cast of new friends, with many potential adventures ahead of us. As luck should have it these cast of new friends did provide us with many adventures, so many adventures, in fact, that there was no time whatsoever left in the days to do any blog writing. And now that my online absence has been explained I shall attempt to catch up as best I can while telling you about all of these aforementioned-but-yet-to-be-described adventures.
Let me start by reminding you of these three new friends that we made in Mulegé on our last evening there. They are a 22-year-old Swiss boy named Nathan, a 28-year-old Irish fellow named Ciaran (previously reported as Kieran), and a 34-year-old American named Tom. Here's a reminder of how we got to know one another, as I helped replace Ciaran's broken spokes:
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We reconvened the following morning, the 12th of December, in the town square of Mulegé, where a quick look at the three amigos' bikes confirmed that they would surely be faster than us (as everyone tends to be). For this reason Dea and I decided to leave town first, assuming that the boys would catch up to us pretty quick after they'd been up to see the church and lookout point.
It felt good to be back on the bike after a few days off, and the ride along the coastline was pretty nice with plenty of sea-views, although we weren't going far. After just 20 kilometres we pulled in to a beach where we had agreed to stop for lunch. It was a surprise that the boys hadn't caught up to us, but it wasn't long before they joined us on the beach.
And what a beautiful beach it was, an arc of fine white sand lining a bay of clear blue water dotted with islands, a real paradise. We all went into the water for a swim and a game of catch with the tennis ball. The beach was lined with RVs and campers, mostly belonging to Americans, and a dog appeared from one of them to join us in the water. For a while the dog swam around between us, paddling after the ball every time it was thrown in a hopelessly unfair game of piggy-in-the-middle. It literally had no chance of ever intercepting the ball, yet its doggedness was almost rewarded when Nathan spilled a catch and the ball landed in the water. I didn't really want the dog to get the ball, lest it might pierce it with its teeth, and so I hurried over and made a last-ditch dive to rescue the ball away from the dog's reach. My joy at having saved the ball soon turned to fear, however, as the dog suddenly lost all interest in going after the ball, and now began instead to pursue me. It doggy paddled in my direction, its gaze fixed unerringly upon me and only me. I did my best to flee, trying to run through the water to evade the crazed animal. The others did little to help, caught up with the task of laughing hysterically at my misfortune as they watched the farcically slow water-based chase, myself and the dog going around in circles in the water, until eventually I decided to take my chances on land. I stepped out of the water, and the dog did the same, but on land it had lost its appearance of menace, and simply trotted happily alongside me, as if the whole thing had just been a tremendous game.
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 5 | Comment | 0 | Link |
For the first time we all rode together, all five of us, but it was not destined to be a long ride. We had heard about another beach where it was possible to camp for a few pesos, and it was actually only eight kilometres along the road. That certainly suited Dea and me just fine, we were more than happy to continue with our lazy pace if we could.
We pulled into the 'Playa coyote' beach, a narrow strip of land that cut down beneath the cliffs that the road climbed over. We found many palapas, thatched structures that offer a little shelter from the sun and the wind. Almost all of them were taken, most of them by people with RVs or caravans that appeared to live here permanently, at least during the winter months. But we found one that was vacant and in a nice quite spot away from the permanent residents. As with our lunch spot, the bay we were nestled in was a truly beautiful piece of paradise.
But we had stopped early on a beach for more than just the views. I'd told the boys all about Eureka Ball and they were all keen to play, and play we most certainly did. A new rule allowed five players to play in rotation, with the ball going through the legs leading to a substitution, and we all had a jolly time. It was the longest game of Eureka Ball in history, the victor eventually being Tom who, having played baseball in his youth, had an advantage over us Europeans with our lack of throwing-based-sports, and he finished with an astonishing 50 points. But Tom's throwing ability was certainly appreciated by me when he and I went into the water and had an epic game of catch, or dive and splash catch as I like to call it. And not a dog in sight.
Today's ride: 30 km (19 miles)
Total: 1,001 km (622 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 7 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
5 years ago