Pedaling For Peace

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The quality of the road was also terrible preventing walked fast. After 40 km of the border , I took a rain cloud that fell right on top of me and I was like without shelter me , wrapped in plastic and the recorder had to continue until find an abandoned sentry box where police also had a man waiting for the rain to pass. The gentleman who was with me offered me his handkerchief for me to dry my recorder because all he had was wet. Meanwhile that lasted over half an hour until the rain pass, you told me that the rains are more frequent because of the winter is going up in October . The time we lost was cruel to reach 100 km , but the foot pedal because I could not waste time . In KM 60 entered a village for lunch and returned to the road. I saw another 15 km more rain coming , it was the end of hope to complete my goal before nightfall .. The funny thing is my right and left sides were black with rain clouds, but in my front and back were clear and could see the clouds from both sides to close and form the rain that lasted over 40 minutes . This time I stopped at a diner in the corner before the rain starts where there were some people waiting for buses. I felt at that moment because of the cold wind I did and was still a little wet my clothes. It was a Thursday and during the rain I confess that I thought to take a bus too, because it would be fatal if I arrive in Guatemala on Friday at the end of the day, what would be the weekend in the city to be able to go at the Embassy of Mexico to get the visa, but I better not. Night was coming and decided to continue anyway . I put the lighthouse but soon the battery was pro beleléu and the only thing left for me light my way was God and the white stripe in the middle of the road, and my luck is that it had almost no vehicular traffic . What made me angry was not running out of light walking in the middle of the road risking their lives when a car came with that exit onto the shoulder , which infuriated me was to walk over 20 km down the mountain without being able to go 15 km / h because I could not see anything because the night was very dark. At the end of the mountain , came in urbanization around 20 : 00 pm where I met a man with a lantern which I took to find information about where the next town. Therein came a police car wondering what was going on and you explained to them about my case . The police advised me that I could at travel at night in that area that I would be an easy target for a robbery. Before I ask if they could sleep at police headquarters , you suggested I spend the night at a friend's house nearby, but asked that the police accompany us as well. Arriving at the house , a lady answered by saying that we could not help me, but I told her I had a tent and you could pitch in their backyard for safety , then got the " have to talk to My son, the child has to talk to the elder brother, the older brother got to talk with his uncle until the dog who participated in the discussion and so on . " I spent more than 10 minutes trying to convince the family to me help in the end appeared to grandfather and grandmother to allow sleep there. The officer was no longer supporting this crap and went back saying that would only be a gesture of humanity, then he showed my schedule with the stamps in my passport which I spent with and finally that family so distrustful of me , let sleeping inside his house on the floor of the porch by placing a mat for me to lie down. I thank God for going that night could have been worse, a family home resting for calm in face Friday , the 74 km sobindo nearly everything that remained to reach the capital of that country, because Guatemala was more than 1200 meters of altitude.

Except that I was forced after 25 km away, take a ride to the capital Guatemala arriving there just before lunch and went straight to the Mexican Embassy to get the visa.

 

Now yes , I'm all visas in the passport and decided to take a walk in the city.

 

The city is very interesting to know , preserves its grand palaces and churches that are part of its history as well as the National Palace where is the President.
For the first time I was denied lodging at the Red Cross, so I try next to Police Headquarters and around the Government Palace where I attack with great honor for all officers . The Barracks is huge built over 73 years. Here I was housed in a room with officers and the lieutenant ordered the sergeant to buy my dinner.

Soon after eating, the lieutenant called a radio station and asked if I could seder a telephone interview unrolled and Spanish.

The police said that Guatemala City was built from a valley, which is called Valle de la Ermita , after the massive earthquake that destroyed the city of Antigua Guatemala in 1775.

Until now cycled 9960.7 m in almost 700 hours on bike , I spent close to $ 2,430.00 U.S. dollars and took 401 liters of water. The currency here is the Quetzal, gained its name in 1925 because of the quetzal bird . I was in the mail to pass a fax to Brazil and would cost me over $ 5.00 U.S. dollars per sheet , so I decided to send by air.

 

DE MEXICO TO GUATEMALA : was just over 40 km from the city of Antigua Guatemala , which is about 53 m in altitude and also more resolved to find indications forwill the police 's own headquarters.

Missing 25 km to arrive, met a cyclist who was called Guatemalan Rorgério . He was following me in the climbs and soon made friends. It was near lunchtime and Rorgério invited me to lunch at his parents' house after he and promoter take me to the Antigua Guatemala to show me a little of the history of the city.

I thought he wanted to be gracious and accepted the invitation. In your home, your entire family received me with great pride and also invited me to spend the night at his home. I would not accept, but when he said he was going to Chimaltenango , they I was told that this road was very dangerous because of crime and showed me a lot to be followed by another road to the east of Guatemala towards the border with Mexico that it was safer. How have to take this road from Guatemala City , I accepted the invitation to sleep at his home.

       

 

    

Well after lunch dexei my bags at the home of Roger and he accompanied me to the Antigua Guatemala cycling. Unfortunately, the weather was bad and began dropping heavy rain that lasted all afternoon. But there we were aware of the Antingua Guatemala ruins of the destroyed terromoto what happened in 1708.

I recommend to visit this city is an unforgettable adventure back over three centuries in time to see the great palaces, pyramids and learn history . The city was founded in 1543 and it still preserves almost 500 years of history. Its buildings have great historical value and in 1979 was declared World Heritage Unesco .

Back home the next day I said goodbye to the nice family and taking the road east from the city of Guatemala , I continued my journey. I was pretty tired, but luckily just got a drop of 16 km and it was a relief for my legs. It was already 3 o'clock in the afternoon when I stopped for lunch in the city of Palin, 40 km from the capital when a powerful rainstorm that forced me to stay there for the night along the housing of fire department volunteers.

On May 20 , I had to speed up the cycling and after 113 km , I arrived in the city of San Antonio where he also was very well received by volunteer firefighters . Dali from the city of Pajapita, My last night in Guatemala.

That Tuesday night, beast, had to wait for the head of the Fire Department had gone to church with his family, and thus able to authorize spending the night there.

Wednesday May 22 arrived, and after 15 km of Pajapita , was crossing the border into Mexico. It was here that I came across a very common type of transport , the cycle- taxi.It's a bike adapitada to serve the needy community in small town races and go for fair to the bank, to take the kids to school and other minor routes.

 

There is even a sidicato tricycles , taxi drivers who support the rights of these dozens of workers.

A bridge divides the two countries already in Mexican territory and changed the rest of my quetzales by weights . Now here we are in spring, and for the first time the government acceded to daylight saving time running from April 27 until mid-October. When talking with the Mexicans they did not approve of this attitude and many said that the president was trying to be God.

That same day I cycled a total of 80 km when I reached the roundabout access to the city of Huehuetan and there he stopped at a diner for dinner and then a heavy rain fell .

The aunt of the cafeteria was out of bread and the way was to call a cycle -taxi to take me to buy my lunch elsewhere.I left my bike with my aunt and I went. The race was 1.6 km which lasted about thirty minutes and I paid three pesos for the service ( $ 0.50 ). For the first time I had to sleep on the street because her aunt 's diner I did not want pitched my tent in your backyard and had to extend my sleeping bag in a covered portion next to the cafeteria. That night of May 22 was the worst night of the trip, besides not having washed, I could not get in sleep because of noise from cars and also the lights in my face.        

Well, the nightmare past , rose in the morning and continued the journey towards the Pacific coast city of Acapulco. The 16 km distance, the speedometer stopped fuciona in clover for Huixtla and had to enter the city to try to fix it but in vain and losing more than 4 hours . But once they reached the road, the speedometer decided to work on their own , imagine what I wanted to do ...

  

That day I cycled 93 km to reach the city of Escuintla where I was kindly services assisting the police officers who gave me accommodation. Leaving the city , I came across a inspenção immigration to verify documents and had to show my passport and my luggage . In southern Mexico, each has a 50 km inspenção immigration possible to stop downtown and South American illegal in the country in order to reach the border of the United ETAD . I got a stamp valid for thirty days to legally stay in Mexico , but ended up staying an extra day .

 

The 28 km of Pijijiapan , fell right on top of me , that traditional rain late afternoon and the speedometer stopped working again. The terrain of Mexico is very similar to that of Brazil, mountainous, thus preventing pedaling faster and around 20:30 hrs, 108 km cycling , I arrived at the battalion of military police Pijijiapan, Which also was generously received.

Woke up to the May 25 and the speedometer does not want to work and had to continue anyway . I even tried to buy another , but it would cost me $ 50 dollars and decided not to buy. That day I took a lot of downhill and took the time to accelerate. The weather was overcast but the desepenho was good and stopped after 80 km in the city of Tonala for lunch.

Two good things happened after lunch the sun came out again and the speedometer to function normally. According to the project I would sleep in Tonala but decided to ride another 28 km to reach the city of Arriaga.

Here, also managed accommodation with the police and night out to buy my lunch and found a diner that sold our famous called the Greek BBQ and ate two. From the border with Guatemala, rode the highway Mex 200 is doubled but from Arriaga entered the highway Mex 190 which is single track .

 

It quietly rode the 101 km to reach the police headquarters in the city of Niltepec where I spent the night. The next day , the path was quite flat , and a beautiful view of the coastline of the Pacific Ocean when I arrived in the city of Salina Cruz the state of Oxaca . Due to bad weather the day May 28 , cycled only 68 km from the city of Santiago and I set up my tent for the 24th time in a house under construction. The rain continued and resumed my journey just after 1 o'clock .

I had lunch there and pedal 61 km before being stopped again by rain in the city of Tangolunda. Here I met a nice family name Rusbe who invited me to spend the night at his home. This time I sleep in a comfortable bed because until now in spite of getting accommodation in the police, and had no bed to sleep in the bag . On Thursday May 30 , cycled 53 km and stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the roundabout access to Pachutla.

Equant writing my travel journal , raining hard outside and lasted the rest of the day. I made friends with the owner of the restaurant that allowed me to sleep where there is the bicycle. Its nice and beautiful daughter and the waitress talked to me about the customs of their region when one of them took a flying insect of sound near the light, took off his butt and ate.

I found this very strange custom, and even stranger when she calls out to Erika 16 years old, offered me to eat. The name of the insect is called Xicatana and is edible for them. Well , the next day it continued to rain all day and had to stay there until 15.00 hrs and then continued traveling.

Dali was 78 km to reach the famous resort of Puerto EscondidoMuch frequented by surfers. Here I could host on Tourist Police , but no dorms the policeman who attended me , offered me to sleep in the women's bathroom and there stretched out my sleeping bag.

The officers sleep on the floor and seats waiting without the slightest comfort. At around 3 am came a policeman who opened the bathroom door and woke up saying hola. After 15 minutes , he came with two armed police and had to explain my situation because the police officer who attended me was asleep. Okay, the day dawned and follow road.

On June 1st I would spend the night in the city of Jamiltepec , but at 15 miles before I stopped at a diner for dinner and spent the night there even a network after making friends with the nice family that establishment. Here mug showered in a bathroom outside the house which is normal among low-income families .

In the morning we had coffee together, much thanked for their hospitality and foot pedal . The mountains was present and after 101 km I stopped at Polic Preventive Municipal CuajinicuilapaIn the State of the Warrior , to spend the night. That night something funny happened to me , I gave an outlet to buy a gatorade and had been taking the path a beggar when he stopped in front of me , grabbed the bottle of Gatorade in my hand , took Beside that had returned the bottle and left without saying anything. What kind ?

Nothing like a day after another , and on June 3 cycled 104 km to the city of Cruz Grande but I was denied housing by the police because there are many weapons and so on. But God always helps us and there even appeared a couple of teachers a school and invited me to dinner and spend the night at his home where he slept in a hammock.

They were on strike demanding a 100% increase in wages . We had a good friendship, hit a picture and continued my journey to Acapulco, but due to the strong mountain relief , I had to stop 20 km before the region of Three Palos and spend the night at police headquarters where I was offered a dinner. In the morning I washed my clothes, thanked for their hospitality and headed for Acapulco.

The city is surrounded by mountains and recorded a beautiful picture in my camera. Once in town , I took the av.Costera Miguel Alemán until you reach the beach where monument struck me right there and took a shower the first time in my life a beach Pacific Ocean and to be more exciting on the beach of Acapulco overlooking the hill which is near the beach.

I tried to have lunch over there and spend the rest of the day at the beach, drinking coconut water. After all I deserve is not it folks ? 

 

         The end of the day came and again and add a comfortable look , the way she sought out a police headquarters to accommodate me . emcontrei When I was very well received by soldiers and a lieutenant, but when I was introduced to the captain to allow me to stay there, he did not even looked at my face and denied housing.

But the God of Abraham , Isaac and Jacob does not sleep and as soon as I was leaving to go away , I was called by Commander General Beijamin Várquez who gave me accommodation in a room with air conditioning.
I still had time to see the captain and some officers including captain I denied housing, desputada play a basketball game .

 

As night fell, I tried to go to sleep because I knew I would ride up the hill to arrive in Mexico City to over 2235 m altitude.

   

In the morning I thanked the police catching the stamp on my calendar quarter , took a deep breath and foot pedal . After 84 km I arrived in the city of 120,000 inhabitants called Ocotito where I was generously assisted by the police caution which is a square . Here was watching a group of young girls playing volleyball when the ball came towards me and I entered the wheel well. They were very nice asking me about my trip and one that was called Rocio, asked me if I had dining ( cenado ), And I said no, so she asked me where I was eating and said jokingly that it would be in your home.

The friendly Mexican Rocio took seriously the joke and took me to dinner at his humble home. Then there was to discover that I was a jerk and he could also make collect call to Brazil in 2009 through the code operator. I thanked her and much to his family and turned to walk alone to the police headquarters .

Friday June 7 was beginning, and the nightmare of the climbs too. That day was pretty tired and just arrived in the city of Zumpango after cycling 64 km from Ocotito . Here could also support the police and gave an outlet to call for Brazil but could not track operator, that because not all cities offer this service.

From Zumpango were cycled 96 km in 6 hours and 45 minutes to reach the city of Iguala which could only accommodation next to the Red Cross.

From here I decided to take the freeway quota where the climbs are less steep and a better road. The downside is that road that have little support as well as cafeterias and shod .

But there I went uphill cycling 110 km in 9 hours and 20 minutes to reach the city of Cuernavaca where I also lodge in the Red Cross. It kept track of the auto quota and after 2 km climb, thinking that I would achieve a flatter road ahead , I saw a huge mountain ahead that made me shake my legs.

After 35 km cycled stopped at a restaurant bought my lunch. I went up another 15 miles and then went 30 km up and down until you arrive in Mexico City where he could support a hospital of the Red Cross to spend the night .

Mexico City is a pretty old town , very interesting and as the Engineer Piccoli my dear , it is forbidden to die without first knowing this capital. It was founded in 1325 by the Aztecs and their official language is Spanish , and also several other dialects idígenas . 

It has an extensive underground network of over 250 km long and many more other curiosities that you will find in my book.

 

Leaving the hospital, follow the path Avenue November 20 and arrived in the square from the cathedral and national palace in the heart of the city.

Unfortunately, my camera was broken with the movie and the pictures I took were bad.

 

MEXICO FOR ATLANTA : Continuing on the pedal , I decided to go a bit off and go visit PirâMides Teotihuacan. cycled only 64 km from the hospital and still get accommodation near the city of Mexico in a police station.

Soon start the day and was very curious about the pyramids closely. After 30 km I arrived at the archaeological zone, pagei 16 Mexican Pesos ( $ 2.10 ) by the entrance , I left my bike in a safe place and took my camera.

 

There was a guide giving information on the pyramids Engles speaking to a group of tourists and I also filmed some of the lecture. A little further on was the huge pyramid of the sun with its 230 steps and beside the pyramid of the moon. I had the opportunity to climb to the top of the pyramid of the sun and was a sensation enexplicável .

 

 

As no avail for a long time, I could not go visit the museum , but already gave you feel like it should be. After hitting a few more pictures of the pyramids , I took my bike and walked away. I arrived in the city of Cuautitlán Izcalli for the night and was greeted by the Red Cross .

Henceforth I began to face a drier climate and topography is flatter. The day June 13 was quiet and stopped after cycling 105 km in the city of Polotitlan where I was welcomed by local police who gave me accommodation in a cell.

The town was celebrating his birthday and by around 3 o'clock in the morning , the police arrived with a half dozen drunk ( babes ) who took my sleep. I watched that scene never left my mind, the two policemen trying for a drunk inside the cell and holding it at the door wanting to come and not officers telling him : Pass for ya ... more than half an hour properly counted. I was so angry with this scene that almost got up to my cell and gave a kick- drunk and say that the last pass for ya. The night was not the best but the police were so friendly that I was offered a breakfast of milk and cereals. I was very grateful and I tried to give the foot.

I was pedaling toward the city of Queretaro when I saw a road accident on the other side and stopped to find out the causes. A truck was entering the highway and came to another small truck and hit back, the driver must have been asleep at the wheel but unfortunately this time he slept forever.

It was the second and final fatality accident that I saw on the trip. Seizing the opportunity I got a little message for you driver : first begins, a person is considered "Dumb" when she does not learn from their mistakes or , already one "IntelligentLearns from his mistakes , but a person considered "Wise " learn from the mistakes of others. Drinking and driving are two paths: the hospital and cemetery. Porting my friend, be wise, given your life to Jesus Christ , stop drinking and go to church.

Arriving in QueretaroI managed accommodation at the Red Cross and gave an outlet to buy my lunch. In the morning , I met a cyclist who accompanied me to the exit of the city and took the highway Mex 57 for my next stop for rest in the city of San Luis de La Paz which is 7 km of the road. I arrived there at 21:00 hrs and sleep at the Red Cross .

              It was Sunday June 16 , same being already out of programming for my travel project , due to rainfall and mountains, I was in exactly 30 days on a bicycle to get on the Olympic Games 1996.

Around 11:00 hrs , I found walking down the road, a nice couple who stopped me to talk. He was a member of Club Shake and was thrilled with my cycling trip . I told him I would stay in San Luis Potosi and there he was expecting me to knock a picture. We cycled 128 km in 8 hours and 51 minutes from San Luis de La Paz San Luis Potosi is a beautiful city of over 1 million inhabitants and is located 1,860 m above sea level. Here I was well received by the board of the Red Cross.

On Monday I started to descend in altitude but a little on-track single -phase replication . Pedaling the highway Mex 57, 95 km from San Luis Potosi, stopped to rest a bit and see an accident with two ladies who overturned his car and God just left with minor injuries. There were some policemen in the city of Huizache, My next stop to rest, covering the event. The police were very friendly to me and even hit a souvenir picture of that moment. Well there was a nearby Red Cross station and asked the officers if he could spend the night there, but they told me that unfortunately there were only two first-aid volunteers and they ended up dying in an accident when they were attending a separate accident on the road. But police offered me to stay in Federal de Caminos police station where I worked them , 14 km away in Huizache .

    It reached a reporting team of Pulse Journal(Click here) to do a story about the accident and ended up giving more attention to me and did a nice story about my trip with a cloak of newspaper. Once I reached the city of Huizache , found the police station Federal de Caminos and the police who were on duty , were already waiting for me to give me accommodation without ceremony. In the morning of Tuesday , police had agentileza to go early for me to buy the newspaper for me to take pulse of remembrance.

 

Continuing towards the city of Matehuala for the night , I had the opportunity to cross the line of the Tropic of Cancer at an altitude of 1520 meters . The board further down the photo also shows the longitude and latitude of that place .

 

In MatehualaI found a restaurant where he was jantanto , a man named Thomas Ferrándiz Calvet, Mexico, in 1977 was the only acrobat on bike in the world . Famous for his prowess on two wheels, he insisted on paying my dinner and invited me to go to sleep at his home but asked me to take my eyes of her daughter 15. Mr. Thomas was very honored to have with hóspide me and congratulated me for my courage. woke up early and had breakfast with him and his family.

 

Following my route , I cycled 130 km in just over 9 hours to arrive in the city of San Roberto where to get help from the Police Federal de Caminos .

It was another 138 km to Saltillo, A city of half a million people and located at 1,600 meters altitude. managed accommodation here at the Red Cross and was 300 km from the border with the United States . Leaving Saltillo , the destination of the day was to arrive in Monterrey , located about one thousand meters in altitude less for Saltillo . I started down the mountain for us cyclists is a great emotion but when we're up ... The scenery was not very common to see huge hills without trees and low vegetation.

Due to the long delay to repair a tire puncture , cycled a little and I set up my tent for the 25th time under a truck at the entrance of the city that bears the name of my state , Santa Catarina , 11 km to arrive in Monterrey.

This city and more than one million inhabitants but here just took my breakfast and follow the journey towards Nuevo Laredo , the border with the United States. It was thirty days traveling through Mexico and on my penultimate day cycled 133 km the highway Mex 85 until you reach the town of Sabinas Hidalgo. Here I was attended by the Red Cross where I spent the night.

 

On my last day and last night in Mexico, pressed the pace again and cycled 132 km in 8 hours and 50 minutes to arrive in Laredo at about 22:30 hrs. So far we have cycled 13,324 km in 919 hours by bike.

  

That day , right near the border , I met a Brazilian couple who were on a bike going around the world. They are in Sao Paulo and came to the United States , bought the bike and luggage in Miami and here we are. We beat a photo and parted wishing us a good trip. In Nuevo Laredo, got accommodation at the Red Cross and sleep on top of a table in the operating room and the window I saw the city lights lit.

 

 

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Adilson cyclist Joe