Sorry, dear audience, but we have been slacking on the blog post recently. Internet comes and goes like unsettled stomachs here in Mexico. Who knows what that means?

Since we are very behind on blogging, which we all know is a sin, we will revisit the 20th of April 2010. Me and Merilee had just left our comfortable rooftop in Guanajuato and we being pushed to San Miguel by a nice tail-wind. The countryside was scattered with small ranchitos, cows, and burros. We ate delicious cookies from a panadaria (our favorite) for a snack right as we reached a high ridge looking out to the Presa of San Miguel. From there we flew into San Miguel until we we halted by cobblestone streets. Nothing stops road bikes loaded with panniers faster than cobblestone (perhaps ice cream though?) But we were on our way to stay with Merilee's friend, Jill's boyfriend, Jesse's parents....whew that complicated.

Meet the Ross's; Peter and Marisa. A beautiful couple living in San Miguel who graciously opened their house to two weary travelers. Ok, too dramatic, but we did smell. Anyhow, Marisa and Peter showed me and Merilee around San Miguel. Which is a lovely city, amazing architecture and beautiful plazas of stone and flowers. Narrow cobbled streets that descend rather dangerously steep through old houses. A UN World Heritage site we hear. Anyway, they took us out to dinner for Molcajeta, a steaming pot of salsa verde, nopales, cheese, res, and avocado, which you all must try because we say so. Find it! We got to meet AND pet two lovely German shepards; Pancho and Gino as well as a cat (unnamed?)! This is luxury because most animals we see in Mexico fall into two categories; dead on the side of the road or so viciously alive they are going to eat your hand for lunch. So yay! We had a wonderful time getting to know Marisa and Peter, and they even let us leave our bicycles in their house and take a trip to Mexico City!! Which really was something we wanted to do.

But....Marisa and Peter do have some dark secrets, things that didn't leave the cellar until.....NOW!! (Risa conspirador) For example, we could tell you what Peter's FBI file says, but we'd have to kill you. Or how he tried to bribe his way to get a Mexican passport, but honest Americans don't do things like that, so make your own judgment. And Marisa, well don't tell anyone but...she's perfect. Like a circle or maybe a record. They thought they were off the record, think again! Better find some bikes and catch us!

In the end, Marisa and Peter thankyou so much for giving us a bed and fun place to stay for a week. We enjoyed it much!!

So, after leaving our comfortable place to stay in San Miguel we biked out onto the road again with Oaxaca, about 2 weeks away, as our next major stopping point. Our first day from San Miguel finds ourselves on the main highway into Mexico City. Which, even though was still 200 kilometers away from the city was packed full of buses, semis, cars, trucks, scooters, and two bikers looking for a place to stay. We spotted a restaurant; La Palapa del Norte (dun dun DUUUNNNN).

La Palapa appeared to have what we needed; grass, it was enclosed, and probably bathrooms being as it was a restaurant. We went in to see if they would be so kind as to let us stay the night. We met a man who was part of the family that owned the restaurant (we forgot his name, party foul but it was unusual and he even told us that. HA! not bad people) and he graciously offered us a tent trailer with beds to stay in and a free dinner cooked by his son. It is small things like this that really have been making our trip, we ask for some grass to sleep on and people offer us a bed, shower and meal. Anyhow if was a good night until... the morning.

Since both me and Merilee slept inside the trailer we left our shoes and panniers outside. Bad move fellow travelers through Mexico the land of wandering dogs. As I left the trailer in the morning to urinate, I noticed a dog happily chewing on what appeared to be one of Merilee's sea green tennis shoes. It was of course. I went to look for her other shoe but could not find it. Mine, however, were luckily under the car next to the trailer. We spent the next hour or so searching for her other shoe with some of the local workers until finally, thank goodness, we found it in the trash. The night guard had apparently found it and thrown it away. It only lacked a shoelace, luckily, but gained a lifetimes worth of character.

In other news, Eric has almost finished War and Peace. Thus his bike will weigh 15 pounds less when that rock is rid of.

Photos : Chicharrones, San Miguel, (Marisa, Peter, Gino, and Pancho), Merilee with her new bike we traded her road bike for