02/22/24 Tecamachalco

February 22, 2024

A pleasant ride

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Nothing exciting in terms of scenery but I quite enjoyed today’s ride. A slight tailwind and gentle terrain made for easy pedaling, and friendly encounters and a half roasted chicken at the end of the day left me feeling happy and satisfied.

Every morning I just start riding my route without breakfast, confident that I will soon get to a cart on a corner with a pot full of vitamin T

Two of these will last me all day. Rajas and queso is my preferred choice

Unbeknownst to me at the time, this was my final view of Popocatépetl. It soon disappeared into the distant haze

Carlos “Charly” saw me taking the above pictures and got quite excited about my adventure. Here he is interviewing me

I later appeared on his Instagram feed, as he did on mine

and quickly became a hectic, toxic stress fest

Google routed me onto this protected lane and I relaxed, briefly. Then a kid overtook me and with a terrified face pulled his bike off the path and indicated I should do the same. I got to the side just as a bus roared past with inches to spare. He explained that these are bus lanes and it’s incumbent on the cyclist to get out of the way. The buses are fast and the lanes are exactly one bus wide, so I stopped using them

Once in Puebla city there were normal protected lanes that were •generally• respected by motorists, but it was a “never let your guard down” morning

This cutie was sitting on the corner while her mom walked the stopped cars with a baby

I followed this guy for a while, he seemed like he knew what he was doing

It was a free for all at the outer edge of Puebla

“Men can combat harassment against women. Denounce it!”

Dominic rode up as I was finishing my popsicle after escaping Puebla. He’s French Canadian and riding south from Monterrey, having done Canada to Monterry last year. He rides faster and further than I, but we may meet again in Oaxaca in some days

Looking back for a final view of Puebla and Popocatépetl and finding them both lost in the smog and distance. Dominic zipping up the road in the background

and passing me on his way Tehuacán, my destination for tomorrow

I was tempted by both the kites and the hammocks, but decided I didn’t need to carry any more stuff

Tepaca apparently hosted the President recently (or soon, I didn’t ask)

I noticed these parapets from the highway and rode into town to investigate

Then I saw these towers and rode down expecting a prison and finding a boring shopping center under construction

Which was next door to an ice cream parlor. I had a cup of jamaica (hibiscus water) and a pretty watermelon popsicle

The popsicle was so good l bought another and ate it in the Zocalo. Tepeaca is 502 years old

and noticed it includes the eagle on the top

I’ve developed a taste for pulque, it’s refreshing and leaves you with a gentle buzz. I was found to have an interesting story and told “no charge”

I was so relaxed from my pulque stop that this didn’t faze me

This looked Buddhist from the road, I went to investigate and found a decorated church

and festive streets. Must have been quite the party

I’m spending tonight in Tecamachalco, the City of Progress

Trying to capture the full moon on my cell phone

Home for the evening. Only $19 for decent Wi-Fi, a comfortable bed and a nice hot shower

Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 2,020 miles (3,251 km)

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