A Surprise Hotel! Feb. 4th

We try to sleep in a bit, but it's difficult because people keep ringing the giant bell on the church. It appears that anyone can ring it whenever they like. Mexico is just a noisy place. Even though we're on the road late (around 9:00), the weather is still cool. One of the perks of being up higher in elevation. We bike by lakes, small farms, and large cacti, a rather strange assortment of plant life. Upon reaching our first town, San Miguel el Alto, we stop for lunch in the plaza. I am continually impressed by the architecture of the central plazas in all of these small towns. This one is framed by stone archways and planted with lovely shade trees. 

The gazebo in the plaza

For lunch we enjoy avocado and cheese with fresh tortillas. Just moments before, we watched the guys at the tortilleria make the dough by hand- that's how you know the tortillas are incredibly good.
In the afternoon we bike past a lot of cows and up a giant hill. We're on a smaller road now but it has been improved so there's a great shoulder for us to ride on. As we bike into the town of San Julian, a guy in a truck pulls up alongside me and asks where we are coming from. When I shout back "Alaska!" he asks if he can take our picture in the plaza. 

The church in San Julian

Not only does Felipe take our picture, he also buys us a room at a fancy hotel for the night! Felipe works for the government organizing all sporting activities in the area: soccer, volleyball, cycling, etc. We offer to take him out for dinner or breakfast, but he is busy with sporting events. Instead, we give our thanks and have a quiet night in.

The grand master of sports

Felipe, we can't thank you enough for your tremendous generosity!

- Tamara