Hey everyone, Alexander here—still cruising through Mexico, and yes, I'm still in North America. A month on the road and I swear this continent is never ending.
Let’s rewind to Christmas Eve. After the ferry landed, I was wiped. Luckily, I had the sense to book a room at a little boutique hotel nearby; Sea Lion Dive Shop—a quick five-minute ride from the dock. Best decision I’ve made in a while. I was out cold before the Christmas fireworks even had a chance to keep me awake.
By morning, I woke up to fog and that heavy Gulf humidity I haven’t felt in some time, having just spent the last week in the desert. From there, it was a short ride through endless flat farmland to Culiacán. Now, here’s something to note—if you're spending Christmas Day in a Catholic country, nothing is open. No restaurants, no gas stations, not even a corner store. I had to cook up a parking lot dinner on my Jetboil stove. It was gourmet stuff.
The next day, I rolled into Tepic just in time for Boxing Day—and a massive Christmas festival. The party stretched on for blocks, packed with lights, music, food, and a lot of cheerful people. It was a welcome contrast to the ghost town vibes of Culiacán.
Next stop was Guadalajara, I visited Taco at Motoservicio BMW Brico. At this point, I was long overdue for some maintenance (like two oil changes overdue). Taco absolutely roasted me for neglecting the bike. He was right, but hey—he hadn’t seen the roads I’d chewed through
Taco also gave me some solid life advice, like maybe don’t walk into a Mexican bank with a knife on your hip. Thanks, Taco for looking after me and my bike.
From there, it was blue agave fields as far as the eye could see all the way to my next stop, La Barca. It was once a poor farming town, but it's booming now thanks to the world’s obsession with boutique tequila produced by Hollywood actors. I rode eight hours through nothing but cactus fields.
Then came Puebla which is a wonderful little town. The Three Garcias served me tortillas so good I forgot to take pictures. I did manage to snap one of the sunset over the volcano, though—right after chatting with some Federales who scored some swag from me.
Oaxaca was next. I decided to hunker down for New Year’s Eve. Three nights in the cool mountain air, wandering the streets, and hanging with locals—it was exactly what I needed. I stayed at Casa Gecko, a hostel I’d highly recommend.
Now here’s where I had a nice surprise. As the doors opened to the parking lot, I spotted a CB500 adventure bike with Ontario plates parked there. What are the odds? I ended up meeting Manvir—a fellow rider from Toronto’s west end. He’d been riding for three months…the same amount of time he’s had his license! Ice roads, brand new bike, no fear. I respect it. Once we’re both back in Toronto, I’ll be introducing him to the our moto friends.
To top it off, Katy connected me with some friends of ours who happened to be in Oaxaca too. It was an amazing treat and reenergizing to share a dinner with familiar faces—New Year’s felt like home.
Now I’m in Salina Cruz by the Pacific, parked next to the Mexican Navy. I got in late, skipped the nighttime ride, and will push toward the Guatemala border in the morning. That Oaxaca to Salina drive? It was epic. Endless curves, hairpin turns, switchbacks, and mountain views that photos can’t capture. I posted a video, but trust me—multiply the beauty by 100 and you’re still not there.
Tomorrow’s forecast is hot. We’re back to 33°C flatlands, and it’s going to be a scorcher. Fingers crossed I’ll be in Guatemala in two days.
Thanks for sticking with me. This has been one hell of a Christmas, and Oaxaca is right up there with Baja as a place I’ll return to some day.
Cheers and Happy New Year.
MotoAgent out.
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