Our time in the Baja comes to an end - for real this time.

Current location: Mazatlan, Mexico
Distance cycled to date: 5865km
Days since we last shaved: 89
Number of times we have eaten pig's feet soup for breakfast: 1

We are now over 3 months into our journey to Argentina, and Keenan has finally moved over and given me (Jeff that is) a chance to fill you in.

Having enjoyed the Baja so much, we decided why not spend more time on the peninsula and ride all the way to the southern tip - to the city of Cabo San Lucas. Having seen so many Canadians flocking south to Cabo for the winter we thought we would see for ourselves what the place was all about. After an unforeseen day of cycling up and down steep hill after steep hill, we arrived in the sprawling city late in the afternoon. We were immediately drawn into the large supermarket for some supper. (We simply can't resist these massive stores filled with food.) After gorging on fresh buns filled with salami and cheese, yogurt drinks and churros for desert, we now rushed towards the city in hopes of finding somewhere to sleep. With sunset an hour away we began our search for a bargain hotel. We went up and down the streets, back against traffic on one way streets and yet couldn't find a reasonable place. So with no real options, we headed to the beach, because you can always camp on a beach...

We followed the signs to the beach only to find hotel after hotel lining the ocean front with people milling around on the sand and in and out of restaurants. We quickly contemplated our options and thought, why not? We headed a little further down the beach, finding a somewhat quieter spot and then pushing our bikes onto the sand settled into our spot for the night. Not wanting to create a scene of any sort we waited as long as we could and then around 8:00pm with our eyes half closed already, proceeded to pull our bright orange sleeping mats and bags onto the sand. I'm sure we were quite the sight for all the people out for walks that evening but we didn't let that bother us as we had a great nights sleep.

We spent the following day in Cabo San Lucas and were generally disappointed with the city and the sights. So we got back on our bikes and headed back out of the city up and down steep hill after steep hill. We timed our cycling days so we could spend a day at the beach, near El Pescadero on the way back to La Paz. We stopped in to say hi to a couple whom we had met on the way south, and we were again greeted with generosity. They invited us along to a neighbourhood pot-luck, and of course we thought why not? They didn't need to convince us and after feeding us some tacos, we headed to the pot-luck. Everyone we met there was very enthusiastic and although we clearly didn't belong, they didn't seem to mind.

We ate and ate, with a seemingly endless supply of free food, until we realized looking around we were the only guests left. The lady who hosted the pot-luck then proceeded to bag as much food as she could for us to take along on our bikes. She insisted that instead of setting up our tent we should spend the night indoors in her house, and have a hot shower, with no good reason not to we thought why not? We had a great night talking with her and her good friend who also was spending the night.

After one of the best sleeps of the trip we were treated to another hot shower and even managed to fit in a load of laundry in the morning. Later on two ladies from the night before stopped in and couldn't resist giving us all the food they could as well. So with space the only limiting factor we loaded our bikes down with all the food we were given. Having decided the night before the latest we could leave was noon we somehow managed to leave by 1:00pm. We then rode for about half-an-hour before stopping yet again at one of the guests house for yet another meal. We were amazed at the generosity of so many individuals and had a great time around El Pescadero, making the trip to Cabo San Lucas very worthwhile.

We remained on schedule and arrived back in La Paz on Tuesday to catch the ferry across to Mazatlan. Our timing was great and we waited only a short while before loading our bikes next to all of the semi-trucks lining the ship. We boarded not knowing how long the voyage would be or really where to sleep, but quickly found the small cabin with blankets and pillows spread over the chairs. We quickly found some seats, and staked our territory as well.

We received tickets for two meals with our fare, however being the smart cyclists we are still brought our bag full of food, because at this point we eat a lot. However supper was a delicious plate of some sort of meat, beans and rice. The following morning imagining a plate of eggs or pancakes, we were surprised by this bowl of soup placed before us. With the Mexican truck drivers looking our way, and no option but to try we thought why not? Still not sure of what was before us, with a carefully selected scoop, (avoiding the fleshy, white spongy stuff) we gave it a try. Not so bad. We continued to slowly eat, while continuing to eat as many tortilla chips on the side as possible. Halfway through the bowl I managed to ask the man beside me what it was, and with his actions and the look of it, we now realized we were eating pig's foot soup. Keenan being more adventurous than I ate the whole bowl, pig's foot and all. I didn't.

Despite being the odd ones out on the ferry it went fairly smoothly and we arrived shortly after 8:00am in Mazatlan. We made it to mainland Mexico! It's hard to believe at times we have been on the road so long, but it has been a lot of fun. We are both looking forward to getting back on our bikes and on route, as we make our way towards Puerta Vallarta for Christmas.

We finally put up our Baja South photo album as well. We were a bit disappointed with our Baja North, but both feel this may be our best yet. So check it out, let us know what you think.