May 1st, 2016
Rolling hills lead us out of the Sierra Madre to the market town of Asuncion Nochixtlan where we shack up in a hotel for a well deserved shower, and a stroll through the tianguis.
Cycling Stats
Start Point: Wild Camp near San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Destination: Asuncion Nochixtlan, Oaxaca, Mexico
37.3 km trip, 2:57 time, 55.1 km/h maximum speed, 12.6 km/h average speed
Route Description
The day starts near the toll booth and you climb a couple of hundred meters to start the day. Then you just continue rolling hills through the day with some climbs. Again it is the quota highway with a big shoulder. We decided to pull the plug in Nochixtlan rather than trying to make Oaxaca. There is a hotel right on the highway for 200 pesos. We went into town for food and stayed at a hotel for 250 pesos with a pool and wifi that was close to stores and food. There were also three other hotels to choose from. It was a bustling town of 10,000 people and definitely worth the stop. We were there on a Sunday with a big market and it was wonderful.
Accommodations:
We stayed at a hotel for 250 pesos with a pool and good wifi that was in town and near food. There were many other hotels to choose from and we found one for as low as 200 pesos.
What happened…
Andrew writes: Oh my god, I did not want to ride very far today. I think in my heart of hearts I had hoped that we would reach Asuncion Nochixtlan yesterday and we could enjoy the creature comforts. Fortunately Amanda was on the same page, and we pulled the plug after just three hours of riding. I was even ready to hit up the first hotel that we came to, located just off the highway. Amanda saw some tents in the streets of the town down below, and coaxed me into checking it out and I’m glad that we did.
Being a Sunday, everyone from the surrounding countryside has descended upon the town and it is a hive of activity. Several blocks are taken up by the farmers market. Every second stall is selling shoes, or fruits and vegetables. I think this is the largest tianguis we’ve seen yet, in all of our time in Mexico. I’m struck by the beauty of the people, mostly indigenous to the area, as they buy and sell their wares in “traditional dress” as I like to call it. For regular Mexicans, traditional dress is blue jeans and a shirt. For the Mex-Indians as I’ll call them, they choose more colour, and their fashion just seems to fit with my idea of rural Mexico. It’s really nice.
Today really hit the spot. Even though I spent the afternoon walking around, I was able to rest my cycling muscles and I really enjoyed exercising my tourist muscles.
Amanda writes: As we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the market spattered with local farmers I was really struck by how much of the beauty of Mexico lies within it’s people. There have been so many things we’ve seen over the last week as we ride through small communities that are so picture worthy, yet I don’t know that a photo would do it justice; that and I can never get the camera quickly enough. Let’s see if I can paint some pictures with words here. There’s a farmers field of grain of some sort and a farmer is sowing the field with his horse drawn tool. And while it’s not uncommon to see a farmer with a horse drawn tiller, it is less so to see it being done with his family. He’s got two hands on the tiller and his wife and young child are right beside him. The Mom is holding the hand of the little boy and he’s being taught to guide to the horse along with his whip. The boy can’t be more than 5 years old and can barely move the whip but he’s being included and has a huge grin on his face. I loved it!
A little later down the road there are some fellows working in a field putting freshly cut grass in the back of a trailer for … horses probably. In any event they try and and fill the trailer as much as they possibly can. There’s one guy standing on top of the grass to move it within the trailer as the second guy just moves grass from the ground onto the trailer. The guy on top of the trailer suddenly loses his balance and his feet come out from under him. He tumbles off the trailer (probably close to 10 feet high) and goes ass over tea kettle onto the ground. His landing is great as he summersaults as he hits the ground and is laughing his ass off. He looks up to see Andrew and I riding by at that moment and I give him a big thumbs up and return the smile. Now he laughs even more knowing someone saw it and rolls on his side holding his gut while he continues to laugh. The sights and sounds of simple farming have been very enjoyable.