Tom's Travels

To view full size photos and captions click here:
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So I am back in San Diego now. The trip is over after about two months and I am alive and well, with little to show for it except for 10 pounds lost, an insane tan, and only minimal digestive problems. I bet some of you are wondering why I am back so soon, when I was supposed to take another two weeks or so. Well, there are a couple of reasons that I returned a bit early: I wanted to see Erin and my other friends, and I wanted to ensure I would have enough time to pull off my next adventure. In about a week I am going to ride my bike down the coast from San Francisco to San Diego. I am not in very good cycling shape, so it will probably take me about 10-15 days. If you live on the California Coast and would not mind taking me in for a night for a shower and laundry, let me know. Otherwise I will probably be sleeping in a tent somewhere.

After the bike ride, I go to South Carolina for ten days for my sister's wedding, and then start the next trip: Erin and I are travelling for 2.5 months in Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. After that she goes to Hawaii for medical school and I might go to India and Nepal and then a month in Japan. Anyone who knows anything about these countries, let me know, because I sure as hell don't.

Since the last update, I spent a bit more time in Guadalajara. The Lucha Libre was spectacularrrr! Imagine old school WWF, but much more fake and with wrestlers wearing masks. The crowd was ruthless too, yelling at people arriving late and leaving early, "Chinga tu madre!" and "Puta!" I got my mask, yelled at fans and wrestlers, and considered it a good night.

From Guadalajara, I planned on going to San Blas for a couple of days, but got to the bus station and they had a special (20% off) on tickets to Tijuana. That, coupled with the aforementioned reasons, was enough to sell me on the "32 hour" bus ride. Well, the bus ride was more like 42 hours, and three of the hours were spent broken down in the middle of nowhere and the middle of the night. When I woke up to see all electricity out on the bus and the bus rolling to a stop at 2:30 in the morning, I knew I was in for a long night. Sure, the driver tried to fix the bus, but eventually we just caught another one that stopped for us. I passed to time by eating "Marias" crackers with peanut butter and Nutella and brushing my teeth on the side of the highway. I thought my previous 10-12 hour bus trips would condition me for this one, but spending that much time in transit really sucks. It also sucks to be stopped five times by the Mexican Military to have my bag searched. I guess I just look too much like a coke mule. Instead of showing up at the border at 6:00 pm and taking public transportation to surprise Erin, I arrived at 2:00 am and called her to pick me up at the Jack-in-the-Box in San Ysidro. I chatted a bit with a guy from San Diego State who was out clubbing in TJ that night. He was a real smart ass.

Being back in the US is not as strange as I thought in would be. It feels like I was here just yesterday, but I do notice how luxurious this life is compared to what I have been living. I took a hot shower, drank cold water, and slept in a comfortable bed: an almost unimaginable combination of perks. I also forgot how fun it is to drive a car. Zipping around in Erin's 2006 Civic 5-speed beats the hell out of chicken buses and taxis.

This is my last entry in the trophycow blog. Thanks to David for hosting my stories and photos. I will continue the blog on some other DIY site, but I am not sure which one. Stand by for news from the bike ride and subsequent travels. Man, my life really kicks ass.

Tom

Fresh adobada pork on the rotisserie

Oldest cemetery in Guadalajara

Is it ironic that this hearse is dead?

Another giant church in Guadalajara

Typical Guadalajara night

Bootleg photo of the Lucha Libre (I think the purple pants team won)

The return of El Conquistador

Yeah, I went to the zoo, so what?

More bus problems in the middle of the Sonora Desert

Back in San Diego with a new shirt, haircut, and backpack (the backpack is actually Erin)

To view full size photos and captions click here:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/users/tommydavis/

Sometimes I suddenly find myself in a place with zero thoughts on my mind but the desire to leave. This is what happened in Puerto Escondido, and my last day was spent more or less waiting for an 8pm bus to Zihuatenejo. This particular feeling is not one of wanderlust and excitement, but rather the desire to get the hell out of a place that doesn´t seem to want me there. Last night I hung out with a couple of Norwegians and a guy with one arm. I tried to strike up a conversation with a Mexican guy wearing a Chivas shirt. He seemed positively offended that I, some American tourist, was in his town. He made it a point to speak English to me and tell me that he was from this town. I made it a point to speak Spanish to him and be genuinely friendly. It quickly became apparent that he was not amused and I said goodbye and the guy with one arm later noted that I was playing with fire, as this guy was just looking for a fight. Earlier that night, Dominic (tandem bike guy) explained an astute observation that he made while travelling through several countries. 99% of people are friendly and will respond positively to someone who approaches them with kind words. The other 1 percent, well, are not friendly and can get quite upset when someone invades their space. These are what we in America call ´´assholes´´ and those in England call ´´wankers´´ and I know we have all met some. I take his observation one step farther and say that a disproportionate amount of those 1 per centers will be hanging out in shady bars at 2:30 in the morning. For now on, I am going to make it a point of staying away from places that remind me of Koes in Stockton.

I didn´t go skydiving after all. It was too expensive and I think I will do it in a couple of months in New Zealand.

I caught a night bus from Puerto Escondido to Zihuatenejo. I have to say I am a tad disappointed to miss Spring Break in Acapulco, but I am sure I am sure the pain will fade with time. Anyway, I was watching Corazon de Valor (Braveheart in Spanish) and minding my own business, when a woman suddenly jumped into the seat next to me. I was somewhat confused at first but it quickly became apparent that she was a prostitute looking for work. I think this is the most scared I have been so far on the trip: sitting next to a hooker on a night bus, repeatedly telling her to leave me the hell alone. She finally got off the bus and I was a bit relieved to be able to stop protecting my bag like a small child.

Zihuatenejo was good, but again, very hot. I grew very tired of sweating while sitting down, so I decided to stay only one night. Most of the time I hung out with Adam from USD. That guy knows a hell of a lot about Mexican and Central American politics.

One of the best parts about travelling in Mexico is that if I ever feel even slightly down, I can be cheered up instantly with chiliquiles or orange juice. The former, for those who don´t know, is a popular Mexican breakfast made from tortilla chips smothered in salsa (if in San Diego, try them at the Super Bronco.) The orange juice is always made right in front of you with a juicer and is simply amazing.

It is quite astounding how much more bold I have become since the start of this trip. I strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone at hostels, on buses, and on the street. For instance, I started chatting with a really cool Mexican college student named Jorge on the bus to Guadalajara. My Spanish has developed quite nicely and I can hold decent conversation, with jokes and all. He invited me to a party with him and all of his friends in Morelia. Unfortunately, I had already bought the ticket to Guadalajara, and did not want to lose the money, so I had to say no. In retrospect, I think I should have gone with him as I am sure I would have had a great story to tell about it.

I made it to Guadalajara a couple of days ago and checked into a downtown hostel that is ridiculously expensive ($14 US). Anyway, the social scene here is almost non-existent, so I have been wandering the town mostly alone, looking at churches, markets, murals, etc. The other night I decided to try full Mexican immersion, but it backfired terribly. I thought it would be a great idea to go to a nearby bar and watch the Chivas game with my Chivas shirt on. They advertised 10 peso beers and that is hard to beat. Well, I walked in and sat in one of the few remaining seats next to a guy named Ramon. He was a really nice guy and started talking to me immediately. I inquired about the 10 peso beers and the bartender told me that was the bucket price. In other words, I had to order five. Well ¨no problem´´ I thought, ´´I can probably give one or two away to friends I make during the game and if worse comes to worse, five beers in two hours won´t kill me.´´ It was during the second beer that I took a good look around me and noticed two men kissing in the corner. Then I noticed that just about all the men in the bar had paired off and were either kissing, touching, or cuddling. I also noticed that Ramon was watching me more than the game. I drank all five of my beers by halftime and got out a bit shitfaced. Mexican gay men seem to come in two general categories: feminine looking/acting, and nicely dressed girly men, and cowboy hat and mustache wearing men´s men. When I got back to the hostel, I saw a guy that I recognized from earlier and immediately told him the hilarious story of being stuck in a gay bar. Well, he was gay also. I don´t think he took offense, and agreed with me that it was funny. Later, I went out looking for a bar or dance club with the gay guy and two girls I had just met. The only place we found that was open was, guess what, a gay dance club. I stuck close to the girls that night and when they left to get beers, I had to fight off a few advances. I don´t remember Guadalajara being so gay. A day later I told the story to a Japanese girl who spoke terrible English. She could hardly put together a sentence but managed to ask me in perfect English and all seriousness, ´´Is your butt okay?´´

I had dinner with Estella and Rudolfo, my host parents from summer school five years ago. They actually remembered me well and made a really nice dinner for me. They had two exchange students with them and we all had a great time talking about the old times and the new. I forgot how extremely nice they are, and am really glad I met them for dinner. We were talking about going on adventures and I told them about Dominic, the tandem bike riding Englishman from the last posting. They knew who he was because he had been in an article in the Guadalajara newspaper and was somewhat of a local celebrity. (Check out his promotional video)

Today I am doing a tour of the town of Tequila and directly afterward, to a Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling with masks and all.) These adventures in the next posting.

Still heading north,
Tom

Surfers in Puerto Escondido

A surfer taking the plunge

Sunset from Zicatela Beach in Puerto Escondido

About five minutes later on Zicatela Beach

Absolutely knackered in Puerto Escondido

Right around sunrise from the Zihuatanejo pier

Interesting cow art in Guadalajara

Orozco's Hidalgo at El Palacio del Gobierno

Orozco´s "Man on Fire" in Guadalajara

Lunch at a taqueria in Guadalajara

Big church in downtown Guadalajara

Man playing a guitar on a city bus

Me with Estela and Rudolf and their exchange students

Night shot of El Palacio de Gobierno in Guadalajara

Getting fancy with the camera