The other day someone asked me about my happy place, and my mind immediately went to riding through Mexico on the back of Shane’s motorcycle. Before I get too far into romanticizing the whole idea and start convincing people to go out and buy their own bikes, let me warn you, think carefully about the seat. Shane has made friends with a local motorcycle rental shop, and they have been very generous with us with the bikes they have lent us. The first couple of times, it was a bike that was not particularly powerful, but comfortable. The last two times, it was the exact opposite.
When I say the opposite, I mean that this was a dirt bike, which had decent power, but which was built in such a way that it somehow crushed Shane’s genitals while also forcing me to sit on hard plastic, causing my butt to fall asleep while also being in extreme pain. This was most drastically felt when Shane and I, on a solo trip to Puerto Escondido last November, decided to ride to Cascadas Magicas, the beautiful waterfalls which we have visited before and really enjoyed. (Note, on previous visits we got there by car).
At first, we enjoyed a nice smooth hour long ride on the highway to Pochutla, where we stopped for lunch at our favourite spot, Esmeralda’s. This was the point at which Shane said “hey, do you want to ride to the waterfalls?” We consulted Google Maps, which informed us that it would be another two hours until we get there. Shane was confident that he could get us there in under an hour, and I reluctantly agreed. This was a mistake.
What followed was a big more highway riding, until we exited, and found ourselves on a more and more deteriorated first road, with potholes, and unregulated speed bumps around every corner. You can imagine how much fun it was bouncing around on what was supposed to be a seat, but what was in fact just hard plastic. And the whole time, all I can think about is “oh my god we have to do this all again on the way back.”
And do it all again we did. We somehow made it back onto the highway, and then rode until one of us simply had to take a break and walk around for a minute because our bodies were screaming in protest to this cruel and unusual treatment. There were times on that ride when I wasn’t sure we would ever get home. When it was finally over, Shane vowed to trust google maps, and find us a bike with a comfy seat in the future.
Anyway, stories of butt pain aside, the flora in Puerto Escondido is incredible. There is a big lagoon in the area, and you can see how this place quickly goes from jungle to desert and back. There is no doubt that there are snakes, alligators, tarantulas, and other scary things all around us. But hey, it’s worth it for these views!
