Cuernavaca, Morelos to near Izucar de Matamoras, Puebla
After a leisurely departure from Cuernavaca we promptly got lost trying to find our way out of the city. I had been looking at the route between there and Cuatla and thinking that it might be a good time to take a bus since we were right near the station and the route looked busy. Basically it turned out that way. Our recommendation for anyone riding a bike between those two cities is to take the bus. The road had four lanes and often had a shoulder but there was too much traffic. We did pull into a town trying to find a bus but we couldn't figure it out since all of the transport was in the form of little vans. It wasn't particularly dangerous but just loud and stinky with exhaust. Once we cleared Cuatla it rained, so we waited out some of the storm under the overhanging roof of a closed shop. Eventually, afar the toll road to Puebla we had the road to ourselves. We descended and climbed through scrubby rich green emptiness cut with deep canyons with water running at the bottoms. We were aiming for Izucar de Matamoras but knew it was a stretch if we hit more big ups than downs. As we got closer the land got richer with sugar cane and corn. Ancient ruins appeared along the road and, even if we were running late, we explored. Finally, as we were nearing our destination a bright apricot colored hotel appeared along the road. It advertised spacious rooms, hot water and bathrooms. We checked it out and, for two-hundred pesos we have got a great place to stay. I think we may be the only guests. Everything is particularly sparkling clean and the black tiled stairway certainly makes an impression. After showers we walked down the road to a roadside stand with trucks parked alongside (always a good sign) and ate very well for sixty pesos, drinks included. We are tired, stairs are a chore, our stomachs are full, we're happy and it's time for bed!
Ted: Those ruins along the side of the road dad mentioned; they were awesome. The ruins we checked out were of a fortified mission, we think. There were a couple of big structures that were I think the church, and the dining hall, and a number of smaller rooms which I assume were living quarters. I explored much more than dad did, due to a small cut on his ankle, and discovered a good deal. The ruins seemed to be 1600-1700 -ish and were clearly fortified. It was built on top of a hill, and had large walls surrounding it (now just lines of stones piled up). I discovered a room which while intact, was buried and didn't appear too structurally sound; the rear wall had collapsed inwards, and I didn't trust the three remaining walls to hold up their payload of stone and mortar. Needless to say, I didn't venture further in. Inspecting the rest of the ruins yielded pleasing results, such as an enormous auditorium which I believe was the mess hall, filled with banana trees, and a wall with a fichus tree that looked like it had oozed over the edge. There was more to explore and the photos I took only manage to portray a fraction of the once colossal structure. There were also a number of things I couldn't take pictures of, due to time constraints, like a great wall holding back tons of dirt, creating a cliff overlooking fields of corn and sugar cane. Yeah, today was great except for the cities, and the busy highways. The place we're spending the night is a hotel in it's infancy painted a beautiful kumquat shade. We're spending the night here for a steal. The room is spacious, and spotless and the bikes are stowed safe and sound. I need to sleep. Peace.
After a leisurely departure from Cuernavaca we promptly got lost trying to find our way out of the city. I had been looking at the route between there and Cuatla and thinking that it might be a good time to take a bus since we were right near the station and the route looked busy. Basically it turned out that way. Our recommendation for anyone riding a bike between those two cities is to take the bus. The road had four lanes and often had a shoulder but there was too much traffic. We did pull into a town trying to find a bus but we couldn't figure it out since all of the transport was in the form of little vans. It wasn't particularly dangerous but just loud and stinky with exhaust. Once we cleared Cuatla it rained, so we waited out some of the storm under the overhanging roof of a closed shop. Eventually, afar the toll road to Puebla we had the road to ourselves. We descended and climbed through scrubby rich green emptiness cut with deep canyons with water running at the bottoms. We were aiming for Izucar de Matamoras but knew it was a stretch if we hit more big ups than downs. As we got closer the land got richer with sugar cane and corn. Ancient ruins appeared along the road and, even if we were running late, we explored. Finally, as we were nearing our destination a bright apricot colored hotel appeared along the road. It advertised spacious rooms, hot water and bathrooms. We checked it out and, for two-hundred pesos we have got a great place to stay. I think we may be the only guests. Everything is particularly sparkling clean and the black tiled stairway certainly makes an impression. After showers we walked down the road to a roadside stand with trucks parked alongside (always a good sign) and ate very well for sixty pesos, drinks included. We are tired, stairs are a chore, our stomachs are full, we're happy and it's time for bed!
Ted: Those ruins along the side of the road dad mentioned; they were awesome. The ruins we checked out were of a fortified mission, we think. There were a couple of big structures that were I think the church, and the dining hall, and a number of smaller rooms which I assume were living quarters. I explored much more than dad did, due to a small cut on his ankle, and discovered a good deal. The ruins seemed to be 1600-1700 -ish and were clearly fortified. It was built on top of a hill, and had large walls surrounding it (now just lines of stones piled up). I discovered a room which while intact, was buried and didn't appear too structurally sound; the rear wall had collapsed inwards, and I didn't trust the three remaining walls to hold up their payload of stone and mortar. Needless to say, I didn't venture further in. Inspecting the rest of the ruins yielded pleasing results, such as an enormous auditorium which I believe was the mess hall, filled with banana trees, and a wall with a fichus tree that looked like it had oozed over the edge. There was more to explore and the photos I took only manage to portray a fraction of the once colossal structure. There were also a number of things I couldn't take pictures of, due to time constraints, like a great wall holding back tons of dirt, creating a cliff overlooking fields of corn and sugar cane. Yeah, today was great except for the cities, and the busy highways. The place we're spending the night is a hotel in it's infancy painted a beautiful kumquat shade. We're spending the night here for a steal. The room is spacious, and spotless and the bikes are stowed safe and sound. I need to sleep. Peace.
Note: we are heading south towards Oaxaca into an areas without many towns with internet access (only 1). We may be out of touch for a few days... Oh, and the chain is working ok for now. Also, thank you all for your comments. We appreciate hearing from you.
Distance today: 110 km
Riding time: 5 hr 30 min
Total trip distance: 680 km
Distance today: 110 km
Riding time: 5 hr 30 min
Total trip distance: 680 km
1 comment:
On to Oaxaca! Enjoy the cheese and try the mole! And if the ants are in season - yum!
Dan in SCLC
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