Hi again, I’m way behind in my reports (see Simon...it’s not ONLY with Xerox)

Now I am in beautiful San Cristobal de las Casas. Previously since Taxco, it was Pie de la Questa, Acapulco, Peurto Escondido, Zipolite, Tuxcla Gutierrez, and now here!

Leaving Taxco and heading SW to PdlQ was not such a great ride...lousy, uninteresting roads and more than anything else, I lost the sun around 1500h, and by the time I arrived in Acapulco, it was on and off rain...the first for me in weeks. Also just on the edge of Acapulco I did what I was warned not to do, and that is to make eye contact with a police when he shouts/whistles/motions to pull over. I then had no choice but to stop. He and his buddies were very friendly, mind you, even calling me “Norman” after checking my papers. They proceeded to inform me I broke the law by not wearing a helmet and that a ticket was $450MX, ($48CAD), BUT that he would return my set of many sets of photocopies of my documents, and ignore the infraction if I gave him $100MX. I also noticed he had his name badge convientely hidden by his pocket flap, as did his buddies. He assured me it was a good deal…and it was raining, so I paid, got my copies back, and it was off to Pie de la Questa. (PQ)

PdlQ, is a potentially interesting place, since it’s much less touristic and expensive than Acapulco (A), and you have the ocean beaches on the left side of the road and on the right for almost 1 kilometer you have a fresh water lake. And PQ is only 10 kms. North of A.

But, maybe it was the grey skies and rain, but I found it to be dirty, and access to the lake side was blocked by many closed and shabby establishments. So the next morning it was off to A 10 kms. south.

The weather cleared in the early afternoon an it was off to the beach.
A is a busy, and crowded city. The main road around the bay was constantly jammed with traffic, and the beaches were packed shoulder to with tourists. If you like Miami Beach, Cancun, etc. then you would like A, but not me.

After watching the cliff divers that evening diving from a cliff 400 meters high, into the foaming, surging surf below (try THAT Joanne), I packed up and it was off to the surfers paradise of Puerto Escondido – a 200 km ride SE of A.

(BTW, Donna, Las Brisas is still there, but there was no sigh of Condessa del Mar).

Hasta luego....