Epilogue

I got into Oaxaca after midnight and pedaled towards the hotel. I was delighted to find bike lanes and streets closed to motor vehicles. There was quite a bit of activity in the center of town. Along the way I stopped to buy beer and chips. 

First thing at the hotel, I showered and cleaned my crash wounds. I hung up my wet tent and footprint to dry as well as my sleeping bag. I used the shower to clean my dust covered panniers. I hung my equipment all over the room. I stayed up late drinking beer and updating reports. 

The next day was Sunday and I had a slow start. I went to Cafe Los Cuiles for breakfast where I ordered huevos rancheros, cappuccino and an orange juice. Back at the hotel I washed my bike out in the courtyard. I folded up my tent and sleeping bag and set up my air mattress, pillow, and liner to air out. I rode my bicycle all over town. It was sunny and I wore shorts and sandals. Oaxaca was bike friendly and there were numerous other cyclists. This was my third visit to the city. Near the zocalo I noticed radical political banners and tents set up on the street. There was a large police presence, and street markets were everywhere. I admired the beautiful one story colonial architecture. A ginormous mountain range sat to the north. 

I rode over to Consejo Cervecero, a local craft brewery where I ordered a flight of five before settling on one of the lagers. I had a hamburger with my beer. That evening I walked over to the splendid restaurant, Casa Oaxaca, which specialized in Oaxacan cuisine. I enjoyed the tostada de insectos along with ragout de conejo. I ordered several margaritas with mezcal along with a few Dos Equis. 

The next day was Monday. I tried to have breakfast at a popular tourist place on the zocalo, but the service was horrible. I went back to Cafe Los Cuiles and sat in the courtyard next to the fountain. After breakfast I rode over to BiciMundo where I got myself a bike box. I then punched in Google bike directions to Monte Albán. I had first visited the sprawling Mayan site back in 1987. As the name implies, Monte Albán is situated on the top of a mountain and Google bike directions took me up a series of steep trails. It was the most ridiculous hike-a-bike of the trip, and fortunately I wasn’t loaded with gear. I carried my bike up the mountain until I got to a road at the top. I spent several hours enjoying the complex and then had a great ride back down the mountain on paved local roads. 

I went to Cervecería Chapultepec and enjoyed fish tacos and a few Victorias. I sat under an awning as it started to rain. I later rode through the drizzle back towards the hotel. I stopped at a hardware store for a roll of packing tape. That evening I donned my dusty rain jacket and walked over to Don Juanito, where I enjoyed sopa de champiñones, mole negro, margaritas with mezcal, and a few Victorias.  

I got up and out early on Tuesday to go get my Rapid Antigen Test at Pharmaca del Ahorro in the Reforma neighborhood. Fellow cyclist Austin had recommended this place as well as BiciMundo, where I had gotten my bike box. The QR code at Pharmaca del Ahorro didn’t work and I was unable to book an appointment. I waited there for two and a half hours and paid 300 pesos for the test. These were the prices paid for a fantastic Mexican bike tour. I returned to Cafe Los Cuiles for breakfast and then walked around town to find a cardboard box for my equipment. Boxes are ubiquitous on the streets of New York, but in Mexico one needed to walk around and go into tiendas to ask for them. I finally found the right size box at a household store. 

Back at the hotel, I dismantled my bike in the courtyard and packed. The boxes were flimsy cardboard and damaged. I used practically the entire roll of packing tape, which made a loud scratchy noise as I dispensed it. The hotel staff were amused. Afterwards I walked over to Santisima Flor de Lúpulo, which was a great small bar and eatery serving local beers. I ordered a flight with two IPAs and a mead. I continued with one of IPAs along with two hamburgers, two margaritas with mezcal and a Dos Equis. For dinner I returned to Don Juanito, where my server from last night remembered me. I ordered mole negro, margaritas with mezcal, and a few Victorias.  

On Wednesday I woke up before my 7:30am alarm and was in a taxi shortly after 8. As I anticipated, the bike box was an issue. We tried to fit it into the taxi back seat but it didn’t fit. The driver didn’t want to fasten it onto the roof. We settled on the trunk with it hanging out towards the rear and the trunk lid open. The driver was worried about getting a ticket from the police. 

I was at the airport two and a half hours before my flight. Checking the bike and equipment on Aeromexico / Delta only cost $60. The flight went smoothly and my bike and equipment were waiting for me at JFK after I cleared customs.






Location: Oaxaca, Mexico

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