:lmao:
Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...
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:lmao:
peterventure
Well-known member
Amazing trip!
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/69.html
Uruapan was a really nice week-long break, especially since we had only intended to spend a couple of days there! From there, we rode through Morelia on our way to the far east side of Michoacan.
Faint moon over the Cathedral of the Divine Savior of Morelia
Morelia is one of the largest cities in Michoacan and the architecture of the downtown core reminded me very much of Durango. Like Durango, many people in other parts of Mexico have warned us not to go, stating lots of crime and violence, but when we got there, it seemed like any large city. Seems that most people are always afraid of their neighbours, even when they're in the same country! Pretty much everyone in Canada says Toronto is a cesspool of pollution, criminals and lowlifes. Which isn't true, that distinction belongs to Oshawa, which is just down the highway...
Music is always in the air in Mexico
We only spent one night in Morelia, as we are just passing through. We got a chance to spend some time in the historical part of the downtown, lots of colonial style buildings, expensive cafes and restaurants, the main cathedral and the plaza just outside.
Jardin de las rosas
Someone has to guard the flowers
Birds flee the fountain in the main plaza
The next day, we set out to Angangueo, nestled in the mountains of eastern Michoacan. It's about a couple of hours away and the smooth asphalt twists and turns through the green terrain and we stop a few times to admire the scenery.
Between Morelia and Angangueo
Bikes resting in Michoacan
We arrived in Angangueo in the early evening and found a place to park our bikes and ourselves. The forecast called for rain so we're holed up for a couple of days to wait out the wet weather. Angangueo is 8400 feet above sea level, so the temperatures have gotten close to freezing overnight! Our hotel didn't have any heating, so we piled on the blankets and shivered all through the night and into the morning! No one told us it gets so cold in Mexico!!!
Bikes are under covered and secured parking
Next day, outside our restaurant, we hear bikes! Local riders doing the twisties in the roads around Angangueo!
Uruapan was a really nice week-long break, especially since we had only intended to spend a couple of days there! From there, we rode through Morelia on our way to the far east side of Michoacan.
Faint moon over the Cathedral of the Divine Savior of Morelia
Morelia is one of the largest cities in Michoacan and the architecture of the downtown core reminded me very much of Durango. Like Durango, many people in other parts of Mexico have warned us not to go, stating lots of crime and violence, but when we got there, it seemed like any large city. Seems that most people are always afraid of their neighbours, even when they're in the same country! Pretty much everyone in Canada says Toronto is a cesspool of pollution, criminals and lowlifes. Which isn't true, that distinction belongs to Oshawa, which is just down the highway...
Music is always in the air in Mexico
We only spent one night in Morelia, as we are just passing through. We got a chance to spend some time in the historical part of the downtown, lots of colonial style buildings, expensive cafes and restaurants, the main cathedral and the plaza just outside.
Jardin de las rosas
Someone has to guard the flowers
Birds flee the fountain in the main plaza
The next day, we set out to Angangueo, nestled in the mountains of eastern Michoacan. It's about a couple of hours away and the smooth asphalt twists and turns through the green terrain and we stop a few times to admire the scenery.
Between Morelia and Angangueo
Bikes resting in Michoacan
We arrived in Angangueo in the early evening and found a place to park our bikes and ourselves. The forecast called for rain so we're holed up for a couple of days to wait out the wet weather. Angangueo is 8400 feet above sea level, so the temperatures have gotten close to freezing overnight! Our hotel didn't have any heating, so we piled on the blankets and shivered all through the night and into the morning! No one told us it gets so cold in Mexico!!!
Bikes are under covered and secured parking
Next day, outside our restaurant, we hear bikes! Local riders doing the twisties in the roads around Angangueo!
When the weather finally clears up, we ride up another 30 minutes to El Rosario. The cobblestone road rises up another 3,000 feet above Angangueo, taking us well into the forested mountains.
Banditos put up a roadblock in front of us! No, actually a schoolbus trying to make a 3-point turn on the narrow road up to El Rosario
El Rosario is one of several butterfly sanctuaries in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which covers the area around Angangueo. Every winter, almost a billion Monarch butterflies migrate 4,500 kms from Canada. Kinda like us!!! It takes 4 generations every year to make the trip from Mexico to Canada and back.
Parking lot in El Rosario
The entrance fee to the El Rosario butterfly sanctuary also gets us a personal tourguide. In actuality, the guides are more like security guards. They make sure that we don't disturb the butterflies as they wait out the winter. We are cautioned not to make excessive noise and not leave the roped-off path leading to the resting spots. This path is actually an endless staircase, what seems to be another 1,000 feet further into the mountains. It takes us almost an hour because we have to stop to catch our breath and rest a couple of times, meanwhile our guide (who we find out is 70 years old!!!!) is barely breathing hard and tells us this is his second time up today! </shame>
The branches are drooping thick with orange Monarch butterflies
As we approach the area where the Monarchs rest, we notice all the trees seem to have grey and orange leaves. Those aren't leaves, they're butterflies! Millions of them! Our guide says that in El Rosario alone, there are over 250 million butterflies. It's not uncommon for the branches to break off the trees because of the weight of the butterflies! SO COOL!
Neda spies some lively butterflies
In the morning and early afternoon, the butterflies are sluggish because of the cold, but when the afternoon sun warms up their wings, most of them take flight and blanket the blue skies with a Monarch cloud.
Neda has become quite the Instagram artiste
Some loners stray out into the sun
This little guy needed some warming up
Mid-afternoon sun brings the Monarchs to life!
When I breathed on the butterfly on my hand, he flew up onto my sweaterand then walked all the way up to my ear! It tickled!
This guy seemed to like Neda's backpack
We made tons of friends that day. Muy hermosas!
Someone told the villagers that Ewan and Charley were in El Rosario. Our ride back down to Angangueo was met with a lot of disappointed faces...
Banditos put up a roadblock in front of us! No, actually a schoolbus trying to make a 3-point turn on the narrow road up to El Rosario
El Rosario is one of several butterfly sanctuaries in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which covers the area around Angangueo. Every winter, almost a billion Monarch butterflies migrate 4,500 kms from Canada. Kinda like us!!!
It takes 4 generations every year to make the trip from Mexico to Canada and back.
Parking lot in El Rosario
The entrance fee to the El Rosario butterfly sanctuary also gets us a personal tourguide. In actuality, the guides are more like security guards. They make sure that we don't disturb the butterflies as they wait out the winter. We are cautioned not to make excessive noise and not leave the roped-off path leading to the resting spots. This path is actually an endless staircase, what seems to be another 1,000 feet further into the mountains. It takes us almost an hour because we have to stop to catch our breath and rest a couple of times, meanwhile our guide (who we find out is 70 years old!!!!) is barely breathing hard and tells us this is his second time up today! </shame>
The branches are drooping thick with orange Monarch butterflies
As we approach the area where the Monarchs rest, we notice all the trees seem to have grey and orange leaves. Those aren't leaves, they're butterflies! Millions of them! Our guide says that in El Rosario alone, there are over 250 million butterflies. It's not uncommon for the branches to break off the trees because of the weight of the butterflies! SO COOL!
Neda spies some lively butterflies
In the morning and early afternoon, the butterflies are sluggish because of the cold, but when the afternoon sun warms up their wings, most of them take flight and blanket the blue skies with a Monarch cloud.
Neda has become quite the Instagram artiste
Some loners stray out into the sun
This little guy needed some warming up
Mid-afternoon sun brings the Monarchs to life!
When I breathed on the butterfly on my hand, he flew up onto my sweaterand then walked all the way up to my ear! It tickled!
This guy seemed to like Neda's backpack
We made tons of friends that day. Muy hermosas!
Someone told the villagers that Ewan and Charley were in El Rosario. Our ride back down to Angangueo was met with a lot of disappointed faces...
homme de fer
Well-known member
No kidding! I've passed this thread on to about a dozen people at work to check out; it makes people feel good to see good people enjoying the sun while we wait out the cold.
The classic LOL in the quiet office. Not sure reading your blog is what I get paid for so had to quickly minimize the browser as everyone looked over.
This is a great thread, I've been reading it in my downtime at work too. Stay safe
Fallinganvil
Member
"Someone told the villagers that Ewan and Charley were in El Rosario. Our ride back down to Angangueo was met with a lot of disappointed faces..."
Thanks for the laugh!!
Great RR
I look forward to the updates both here and on ADV
Thanks
Thanks for the laugh!!
Great RR
I look forward to the updates both here and on ADV
Thanks
Next day, outside our restaurant, we hear bikes! Local riders doing the twisties in the roads around Angangueo!
I spy with my little eye a Multistrada
Thanks for all the comments guys, also to Iron Man for spreading our blog, that really means a lot to us!
Yep, we've seen a ton of awesome bikes in the last little while, will post up some pics soon!
Yep, we've seen a ton of awesome bikes in the last little while, will post up some pics soon!
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/70.html
We had our doubts about visiting Mexico City. It's the 7th most-populated city in the world at over 20 million residents. We've heard the traffic and the congestion are killer! Not a place you'd want to ride into by motorcycle. So when Garry contacted us over the Internet and invited us into the big city, we naturally jumped at the chance!
Garry and I yakking about bikes
Garry, along with his wife Ivonne, run the the Garry Hostel, whose mission it is to "give accommodations to intrepid Motorcycle Travelers brave enough to come and experience the marvels of Mexico City". It's actually their home that they open up to any biker riding through Mexico, as they are also motorcyclists as well. Garry and Ivonne have hosted over 90 sets of motorcycle travellers over the years! They are taking their own big trip in the near future and I'm sure all this good karma they've built up will revisit them in spades!
Mexico City subway - normally a zoo during rush hour
Garry had to work during the week, so we took the subway downtown to visit the world-famous National Museum of Anthropology and History. Since our hosts were taking us pyramid-hunting this weekend, Ivonne told us it would be a great way to brush up on Mayan and Aztec culture before the visit.
Truthfully, I'm not really a museum person, I just like taking pictures. I also like taking naps in museums... Neda loves museums and talks about all the things she learns about while I am snapping away. This gives me material for the blog to go along with all the pictures. But because I'm only half-listening while taking pictures, most of these third-hand-half-heard "facts" that I write down are wrong, and then everyone e-mails me to correct me, and then I get to tell Neda how popular we are on the Internet. It's a great system...
Gene: kikikiki...
Neda: Are you 5?!
Gene: Come on! I'm sure the artist was also like, "kikikiki" when he made this...!
Aztec Calendar Stone
Speaking of wrong facts, the very famous Aztec Calendar Stone, which is a Mexican cultural symbol, is now believed to be a basin or altar for human sacrifice. Now that's a lot cooler than some lame calendar!
Aztec head, sacrificial basin in the background
Outside the museum, there's a park with lots of vendors selling trinkets
Tweety-bird looks on as Neda gets a gold tooth put in, rapper-style
When we were in Guadalajara, we met a couple from Montreal who had come down to Mexico to get dental work done. The prices down here are much cheaper than in Canada, so Neda takes the opportunity to score some novacaine.
Outta the way! One-Two-Fives in da house!
My battery is not holding a proper charge, so after Garry gets back from work, we go searching for a Yuasa YTX14-BS. Garry's got a couple of smaller 125cc thumpers that are more suited for zipping in and out of Mexico City traffic, so off we go into the city zooming around on these tiny bikes! I got to ride his reverse-shift Honda on the way back, and I was stalling and hopping that rear wheel all the way home! SO MUCH FUN!
We didn't end up getting a battery that day, but we did go to the BMW dealership where they tried to charge me a million pesos for a BMW OEM battery. With the currency conversion, it would have been like a couple of thousand Canadian dollars. Whatevs...
Break dancers in Coyoacan
Mexico City is not in a state, it's inside a Federal District. One evening, our hosts take us to the historic centre of Coyoacan, one of the most popular places to visit in Mexico. With it's cobble-stone streets lined with restaurants, cafes, bookstores and other cultural attractions, the place is packed with a flurry of people and activities. We also discover another of our favorite foods - churros filled with Nutella! Neda is in heaven!
Cruiser parked outside one of the many cafes in Coyoacan
We had our doubts about visiting Mexico City. It's the 7th most-populated city in the world at over 20 million residents. We've heard the traffic and the congestion are killer! Not a place you'd want to ride into by motorcycle. So when Garry contacted us over the Internet and invited us into the big city, we naturally jumped at the chance!
Garry and I yakking about bikes
Garry, along with his wife Ivonne, run the the Garry Hostel, whose mission it is to "give accommodations to intrepid Motorcycle Travelers brave enough to come and experience the marvels of Mexico City". It's actually their home that they open up to any biker riding through Mexico, as they are also motorcyclists as well. Garry and Ivonne have hosted over 90 sets of motorcycle travellers over the years! They are taking their own big trip in the near future and I'm sure all this good karma they've built up will revisit them in spades!
Mexico City subway - normally a zoo during rush hour
Garry had to work during the week, so we took the subway downtown to visit the world-famous National Museum of Anthropology and History. Since our hosts were taking us pyramid-hunting this weekend, Ivonne told us it would be a great way to brush up on Mayan and Aztec culture before the visit.
Truthfully, I'm not really a museum person, I just like taking pictures. I also like taking naps in museums... Neda loves museums and talks about all the things she learns about while I am snapping away. This gives me material for the blog to go along with all the pictures. But because I'm only half-listening while taking pictures, most of these third-hand-half-heard "facts" that I write down are wrong, and then everyone e-mails me to correct me, and then I get to tell Neda how popular we are on the Internet. It's a great system...
Gene: kikikiki...
Neda: Are you 5?!
Gene: Come on! I'm sure the artist was also like, "kikikiki" when he made this...!
Aztec Calendar Stone
Speaking of wrong facts, the very famous Aztec Calendar Stone, which is a Mexican cultural symbol, is now believed to be a basin or altar for human sacrifice. Now that's a lot cooler than some lame calendar!
Aztec head, sacrificial basin in the background
Outside the museum, there's a park with lots of vendors selling trinkets
Tweety-bird looks on as Neda gets a gold tooth put in, rapper-style
When we were in Guadalajara, we met a couple from Montreal who had come down to Mexico to get dental work done. The prices down here are much cheaper than in Canada, so Neda takes the opportunity to score some novacaine.
Outta the way! One-Two-Fives in da house!
My battery is not holding a proper charge, so after Garry gets back from work, we go searching for a Yuasa YTX14-BS. Garry's got a couple of smaller 125cc thumpers that are more suited for zipping in and out of Mexico City traffic, so off we go into the city zooming around on these tiny bikes! I got to ride his reverse-shift Honda on the way back, and I was stalling and hopping that rear wheel all the way home! SO MUCH FUN!
We didn't end up getting a battery that day, but we did go to the BMW dealership where they tried to charge me a million pesos for a BMW OEM battery. With the currency conversion, it would have been like a couple of thousand Canadian dollars. Whatevs...
Break dancers in Coyoacan
Mexico City is not in a state, it's inside a Federal District. One evening, our hosts take us to the historic centre of Coyoacan, one of the most popular places to visit in Mexico. With it's cobble-stone streets lined with restaurants, cafes, bookstores and other cultural attractions, the place is packed with a flurry of people and activities. We also discover another of our favorite foods - churros filled with Nutella! Neda is in heaven!
Cruiser parked outside one of the many cafes in Coyoacan
On the weekend, Ivonne drove all of us to the pyramids in Teotihuacan about 45-minutes north of Mexico City. Garry made up some stories about how northern Mexico City was the dangerous part of town, 'cause that's where they cut people's arms off. But when Ivonne hit the automatic locks when we were driving through the north, it scared us a little...
All throughout our trip in Mexico, we have been picking up bits and pieces of Spanish, but nobody has ever taken the time to teach us all the swear words. Until now. Ivonne's colourful vocabulary sprang to life as she negotiated the congested streets of Mexico City. "Chingo"!, "Ai Cabron!", "Tonto!"... ok, that last one wasn't that bad, but our SpanishDict apps on our iPhones were working overtime as we were shuffled around in the back seat while darting in and out of traffic!
We'd titter like little kids everytime Ivonne threw another Spanish cuss word at an errant driver that got in her way...
Hat and sunglasses commerce at the pyramids in Teotihuacan - tons of vendors everywhere!
We must have climbed over a thousand flights of (very steep) stairs going up and down three different pyramids during the day
Garry takes everyone of his guests here. He's climbed this pyramid over 90 times in his life!
Couple takes a break at the half-way mark
Ivonne fashionably surveying the land. I wish we had brought hats too...
Pyramid of the Sun is the largest pyramid in MesoAmerica. The people at the top look like tiny hairs!
There are three pyramids in Teotihuacan, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. I found it interesting that like the Aztec Stone Calendar, the larger Pyramid of the Sun was misnamed. It's actually dedicated to the god of Water. So it should really be called Pyramid of Water, but it's been called the Pyramid of the Sun for so long that they're not going to bother changing it.
Reminds me of the Skydome back in Toronto. When Rogers Communications bought the rights to rename it to the Rogers Centre, everyone still calls it Skydome... Whole lotta money wasted...
Second pyramid-climb of the day
Pyramid of the Moon
Ivonne meditating in the shade. She's resting since we all fell asleep in the car as she drove us all back
Our bikes resting at the Garry (and Ivonne) Hostel
All throughout our trip in Mexico, we have been picking up bits and pieces of Spanish, but nobody has ever taken the time to teach us all the swear words. Until now. Ivonne's colourful vocabulary sprang to life as she negotiated the congested streets of Mexico City. "Chingo"!, "Ai Cabron!", "Tonto!"... ok, that last one wasn't that bad, but our SpanishDict apps on our iPhones were working overtime as we were shuffled around in the back seat while darting in and out of traffic!
We'd titter like little kids everytime Ivonne threw another Spanish cuss word at an errant driver that got in her way...
Hat and sunglasses commerce at the pyramids in Teotihuacan - tons of vendors everywhere!
We must have climbed over a thousand flights of (very steep) stairs going up and down three different pyramids during the day
Garry takes everyone of his guests here. He's climbed this pyramid over 90 times in his life!
Couple takes a break at the half-way mark
Ivonne fashionably surveying the land. I wish we had brought hats too...
Pyramid of the Sun is the largest pyramid in MesoAmerica. The people at the top look like tiny hairs!
There are three pyramids in Teotihuacan, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. I found it interesting that like the Aztec Stone Calendar, the larger Pyramid of the Sun was misnamed. It's actually dedicated to the god of Water. So it should really be called Pyramid of Water, but it's been called the Pyramid of the Sun for so long that they're not going to bother changing it.
Reminds me of the Skydome back in Toronto. When Rogers Communications bought the rights to rename it to the Rogers Centre, everyone still calls it Skydome... Whole lotta money wasted...
Second pyramid-climb of the day
Pyramid of the Moon
Ivonne meditating in the shade. She's resting since we all fell asleep in the car as she drove us all back
Our bikes resting at the Garry (and Ivonne) Hostel
killerkeith
Well-known member
That's too close to reality to be funny. Kidnappings are quite common. 72 people a day are kidnapped in Mexico
Ducati's are sucking large at Motogp pre season testing.
Ducati still races in MotoGP? I thought they quit after '07...?
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/71.html
I love sportbikes. We sold our sportbikes before we left on our trip, but we both miss them dearly. I used to take a lot of weekdays off with a couple of buddies to ride the twisty roads a couple of hours north of Toronto.
When Garry took us for a weekend ride, about 45 minutes south of Mexico City, we were all of a sudden surrounded with supersports! They were ripping up the curves on the way to Cuernavaca and the town in between, Tres Marias, looked like a scene out of Biker Boyz! Hundreds of motorcycles lined both sides of the main road, and tons of bikers are walking around in full leathers, to see and be seen.
Riding the twisties south of Mexico City
Every weekend, Tres Marias becomes a full-on biker town
On-lookers line the main street watching impromptu stunt shows
Neda asked Garry what happens if the cops show. He replies, "Well, they close down the street to other traffic until the stunt show is over". Now *THAT'S* the way it's done!
Endo in the streets
Helmet convention in one of the restaurants
I decide to give sesos (brains) another chance... this time in Gordita-format... Jury is still out...
Aprilia Pegaso and Harley V-ROD! Some non-sportbikes!
A couple of familiar faces in the crowd...
Newer R12GS and Ducati Panigale S. Such a sweet-looking sportbike!
I love sportbikes. We sold our sportbikes before we left on our trip, but we both miss them dearly. I used to take a lot of weekdays off with a couple of buddies to ride the twisty roads a couple of hours north of Toronto.
When Garry took us for a weekend ride, about 45 minutes south of Mexico City, we were all of a sudden surrounded with supersports! They were ripping up the curves on the way to Cuernavaca and the town in between, Tres Marias, looked like a scene out of Biker Boyz! Hundreds of motorcycles lined both sides of the main road, and tons of bikers are walking around in full leathers, to see and be seen.
Riding the twisties south of Mexico City
Every weekend, Tres Marias becomes a full-on biker town
On-lookers line the main street watching impromptu stunt shows
Neda asked Garry what happens if the cops show. He replies, "Well, they close down the street to other traffic until the stunt show is over". Now *THAT'S* the way it's done!
Endo in the streets
Helmet convention in one of the restaurants
I decide to give sesos (brains) another chance... this time in Gordita-format... Jury is still out...
Aprilia Pegaso and Harley V-ROD! Some non-sportbikes!
A couple of familiar faces in the crowd...
Newer R12GS and Ducati Panigale S. Such a sweet-looking sportbike!
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