Had to leave Puerto Escondido (although I did NOT want to). GREAT beach community with surfers from all over the world! AGAIN, I had to drag myself away from a great beach, cold beer (with tequila chasers)

and magnificant sunsets

but it was time to make progress south. Left Puerto Escondido and made it to Tuxtla Gutirrez. Cory and Shell had gone to Oaxaca and I was going to meet them in San Cristobal de las Casas after visiting Palenque. The road from SCDLC to Palenque was only about 120 miles but it turned out to be more of an ordeal than the Haul Road in Alaska. It started to rain on me just as I turned onto the road north to the ruins. I wanted to get there and back since the guys were coming that night (I thought) to SCDLC. It was a BAD road made worse with the

obstacles and the topes. After 3.5 hours I was not even half way there so the thought of a nice warm, dry hotel room made me give it up and turn around. Very depressed but ....... Made it back to San Cristobal in a downpour and quite accidentally found a GREAT hotel, The Mansion del Valle. It is an old converted mansion (was that a surprise)

in one of the most charming Colonial Mexican towns in the heart of Chiapas.

Dryed out and went (you knew this was coming huh?) looking for some beer.

The guys called and said they were stuck in (wherever they were) and wouldn`t be there till tomorrow afternoon. What luck, stuck here for two days. What ever would I do (you already know don`t you). More taste testing. The guys got here Saturday afternoon and we have been taste testing the afternoon and evening away. Tomorrow I am almost sure we will leave for Guatemala. That would be the 15th, the very day my Mexican insurance for the motorcycle runs out (coincidence, I think NOT). There are more photos added to the album here!

http://RickMcD.smugmug.com/gallery/1920061/1/102422072

More from Down the Road, I am sure.