Day 1: San Miguel to Puebla
Our first day’s goal was to reach Puebla, clicking off a lot of kilometers.
Not far into the trip, we had just gone through a toll booth when Bob made a mad dash to the side of the road, something dangling on the lower left-hand side of the bike. It was his shift lever that had lost a c-clip, and the lever was dangling pathetically. Bob and Neil set to work on a roadside fix. A piece of tire belt wire was found in the ditch, and it was such a small diameter that it could fit into the C-clip groove. That repair, a testament to Neil and Bob's resourcefulness, was to last the entire trip.
We were back in business shortly, riding down notorious 57D, a dangerously overcrowded four-lane toll road (cuota) that exceeds 12,000 trucks a day. We were on one of the sections where the median was wide and covered with trees. We could not see the opposing traffic as it was above and behind the median. We were minding our own business when, all of a sudden, there was an unidentified flying mass. It was a truck axle connected to a set of wheels. It was high in the air when we first saw it, and it was coming in our general direction, bouncing each time the tires hit the road. It made a dozen bounces before coming to rest in the ditch, miraculously not hitting a single vehicle.
While it was far enough ahead and fortunately bounced out of our lane, it was still breathtakingly wild. It felt as though we had cheated death. If we had been down the right a half second later, who knows what blood and guts would have been involved?
The rest of the ride to our lunch stop was uneventful, and our heart rates resumed to normal. Neil found a great seafood restaurant, not a standard pick, being hundreds of kilometers from any ocean. Marisqueria Deja Vu was a find. Owner Marie was a gracious host, and we just had to have some group photos before she wished us a good ride.
Now, on the highway called Arco Norte, dodging rain all the way to Puebla. At dinner, the stormy weather caught up with us, and we were treated to a downpour. After dinner, I insisted we go Mezcal tasting at the fabulous El Sitio Mezcaleria. Pueblan Mezcal is the real deal, and I think the Poblanos are a little pissy about Oaxaca getting all of the attention.
Central Puebla is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 2,600 historic buildings and a total of 266 parishes, not counting the chapels, shrines, and oratories. A fabulous town in which to walk and wander. t’s famous as the birthplace of mole poblano, widely considered Mexico’s national dish. And then there’s the chiles en nogada and the cemita sandwich. Some fine eating in Puebla. Quiz: Do you know the name of someone from Puebla? A Poblano, of course.
On May 5, 1862, a small Mexican force kicked the French Army’s ass. Puebla is nearly alone in Mexico in celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
The next morning, we did some exploring around Centro, grabbing a few quick photos. And then we were off, cause we had another big KM day ahead.
