To Puebla!

It's not all that clear, but in the screenshot above is a typical freeway intersection on the outskirts of Mexico City.  It looks like spaghetti, or braids, or a new-agey Rorshach Test, one of those old psychoanalysis tools that you try to interpret to bring out your subconscious.  What do you see in the picture above?  I see a bus taking us out of the city.

First we said goodbye to Antonio, our wonderful host who guided us around the city, was patient enough to talk in Spanish even though his English was great, and was overall incredibly accommodating.  Mexico City would have been a whole lot different for us without him in the picture.

Antonio also helped me find new shoelaces

The only question was to where our bus would go; never before have we had so many options!  One possible option was the Paso de Cortes, an 11,000+ foot high pass between the two immense volcanoes just east of the city.  It would be a climb and away from the crowds, something we've both been missing.  Yet that area just out of the city has a horrible record for crime, and while there's a fine line between intelligence and paranoia, sometimes it's just better not to take the chance.  

Another option was a bike path south of the city.  The "Bike Highway" is, I believe, the longest in Mexico, and it also, I'm sure, would have been great.  But that area too has a terrible crime record, so we decided against it.  And then to Puebla to went, to a new state and a city far from the utter craziness of the city.

Upon arriving in Puebla, a nice guy on a bike, Marco, saw us on the street looking up directions and led us to the center of town.

 We enjoyed chatting with him then headed onward to some bike shops and the picturesque main plaza.  On this eve of Valentine's Day, there were high-school aged people walking around giving out free hugs!  Balloons, music, a wedding at the cathedral, it all had a very festive vibe.

We called up a Warmshowers guy kind of last minute, and he was nice enough to let us crash at his studio.