lostCANADIAN in Mexico

The border wasn't as difficult as we first imagined, as I've already been through Laredo before and knew the procedure, however we still were pulled over by a very suspicious looking American customs agent whom had many questions, but mostly out of curiousity as we're very unique by riding across a country from Canada into Mexico on motorcycles.

Passing through into Nuevo Laredo was the most nerve wracking experience to date, as this city has a very big reputation for being one of the more dangerous areas of Mexico (as are most border cities...) There were cars jam packed into tiny streets while intimidating looking mexicans starred at us as we passed. The roads quickly detioriated as the world warmed up and we finally felt the heat we came to expect.

Getting temporary vehicle permits was time consuming and costly, but all said and done we passed through with ease and received one hundred and eighty days in Mexico. Finding a location to put our permits on our bikes became another chore, which Mihai quickly solved by duct taping them onto the sides of our bikes. I was at first afraid my bike would become a prime target as BMW's are known to be owned by the wealthy and I wanted to do my best at making it look less than worthwhile. This was becoming accomplished as one mirror has already been completely taped on with duct tape and I've managed to remove most BMW logos, or decal over them with stickers. However there's still one lurking on my actual engine which will be impossible to cover up.

Hitting the first road block in Mexico, the customs agents were very amazed by my bike, further confirming my suspicions that I'd be a target to theft. The agent jumped onto my bike and asked for the key, I couldn't say no.... so off he sped onto the highway and out of sight, while the other agents laughed on and chatted in Spanish too quickly for me to understand. I became nervous as the minutes pressed on, have I already been robbed? But there he came back around the corner with a huge smile on his face and many 'gracias senior!!!'

We made it! We hit the free highway hoping to pass by Monterrey this afternoon and into the rural villages to find a cheap place to spend the night. The free highway was very slow, filled with potholes and trucks but we were amazed with the scenary and enjoyed every minute of the country. Passing by small villages we were looking upon with suspicion and perhaps longing... We didn't dare stop until we reached gas stations. It quickly became obvious how poor these areas were and how rich we were compared. We were at peace on the road, one with the highway once again, enjoying the warm weather.

I led the way into Monterrey as I've been down this road before, but no further. Stopping for an ATM, I began to feel at peace again, the nerves somewhat settled. I was greeting by a wave and a blown kiss from a beautiful mexican girl on a passing bus as we grabbed up a thousand pesos (approximately a hundred Canadian) that should last us for a few days.

The one thing I can remember most significantly from my last trip to Monterrey was the insane drivers and the insanely designed road system. We got a bit lost at first, and very confused, but managed to find our way through Monterrey and back out into the country where we couldn't stop taking pictures of such a beautiful country. Everything around us was so vibrant and alive!

This night we finally arrived into a small town called Montemorelo, at first it was also intimidating, as we are viewed with suspicion from all of the adults, while viewed with curiousity from the children everywhere we go. Bikes of our size are not available, or rarely seen, and two passing gringo's through a small village is almost an event to these people.

We ended up down some wrong streets where we really realized the differences between a third world country and home. Houses were the size of a small room, cars were very small, banged up, broken windows... but eventually we found a nice little motel, threw off our gear and headed into town for some real Mexican food and life! At the center of the town there is always a church and a park, and this one was full with people in a market which we jumped right into to explore. Some tacos for dinner, but we were very cautious of the other food that was available. I've experienced montezuma's revenge before and it was not very pleasent at all! Salads cannot be eaten because they may have been washed in water... juices cannot be drank for the risk of water dillution... Either way, we are bound to get hit by some bad food and it's just a matter of time, but it won't be today!

We picked up a case of beer and hit the motel, where we changed Mihai's chain and did some other work on the bikes. Afterwards we relaxed with the owners of the motel in the main lounge, sharing our beers and trying our best to communicate with laughs all around! Watching the soccer game between Mexico and Guatamala was a real treat as well, and the game just happened to be in the next town we'd be stopping at - San Luis Potosi.

A beautiful latina woman showed up not long after and joined in asking us many questions we could barely answer, sitting very close to me on the couch, she presented me with a phone number that I could reach her and promises of a good night...