Jan. 3 – Puerto Escondido to Sola de Vega
I got up early and started putting Levi’s bike back together. It runs better. he road off on my bike, again, looking for fuel filters and air filter oil. He found a moto store and got fuel filters, but no air filter oil.
Giant hamburgers for breakfast; we are getting a really late start. No hot water for showers, but a quick dip in the pool is refreshing.
Less than 20 k. out of town, already in the wild mountains, Levi’s bike suddenly stops. The new fuel filter had broken in half! Mine was leaking and ready to break as well. I sat on the side of the road and waited, while Levi hitch-hiked back to PTO. Escondido for repair parts. within an hour, he was back, with some fuel line and different fuel filters. These new filters seem to be working fine; at least so far. So now it was 2:30 in the afternoon, and 100° F. We stared east again on this crazy mountain road, curvy and narrow and now, just for extra excitement, cratered with giant potholes and loose sand areas. The potholes were big enough to do real damage. The scenery, however was spectacular; Oaxaca is truly a beautiful area. Driving this road was like playing a video driving game – race around blind curves and dodge the potholes and oncoming trucks and buses, without falling down 2000 foot unguarded drop-offs. At one point we were up (I am guessing) around 8000 feet. It got cold enough for us to need our jackets and liners, and we were ‘in the clouds’, with the fog swirling around us and pouring down the mountainside around us. Just a sprinkle of rain; not enough to make the road slippery, thank goodness. From 100º to 60º in less than an hour!
After 2 hours and a total of 60 miles (!), we stopped for refreshment in San Pedro de Jauchatengo. I had my usual OJ, and Levi find a coco drink with alcohol that lit him up!. This was a super-friendly town, with mostly all women and girls working the shops and markets.
Off again, now rushing the setting sun. More curves, more potholes. More high mountain passes and fantastic vistas. Pink and purple and red and gold mountainsides. Just at dark, we come down into another tine town, Sola de Vega. Found a nice hotel (actually has hot water!), and a great dinner (shrimp diabla). A group of Mexican men at the bar bought us beers with our dinners; after dinner we bought rounds of mescal and had a great time. I got propositioned by a pair of homosexual boys, presumable prostitutes. Levi says I must look gay with my short hair and no beard. It was muy creepy, I thought. I suspect that they assumed that Levi was my boy companion, and not my son. Weird.