Mexico Part I – REDUX

*This is a repost of an article originally posted earlier in 2010

6:15 am. The marimba chime on my phone coaxes me awake.  Despite the surf crashing metres from my door I’ve slept like a dead dog.  There’s no sign of daylight as I stagger out the door into the sea-freshened air.  If this is Mexico why am I up so damn early?

  Alejandro – our local guide – came to fetch me at the airport.  He runs a business – Outdoor Vallarta – that does tours for surfers, mountain bikers, hikers and active gringos in general. He’s the real deal.

Some invitations are impossible to turn down while others make you scratch your head.  Mountain biking, Mexico, and… yoga?  An odd combination for sure but I was intrigued. The fact that Sacred Rides was at the helm was a very good sign. Who’d sign up for a trip like this?  How would the two, yoga and mountain biking, co-mingle? Some hard miles would be a good way to kick off the season – as would a man-sized portion of yoga.  I’m in.

  Welcome to Mexico.

Every day was to begin with a 6:30 yoga class followed by breakfast, a long ride, more yoga at 6:30 pm and then dinner.  It sounded nothing like any ‘vacation’ I’d ever been on but seven others had signed up to burn some hard-earned days in Punta Monterrey, north of Puerto Vallarta.

  Some adventurous riding happened before I arrived.  Shanti had to get sewn up inside and out after a nasty collision with the ground.

Alejandro picked me up at the airport in Puerto Vallarta and pointed us north.  We turned off the main road ten minutes past Sayulita.  Rustic and authentic it was but it didn’t hint at luxury or comfort.  Chickens pecked the dirt and toddlers, wearing shirts but not pants, sat in the dirt beside the road sucking thumbs and chewing on pieces of fruit.  And then we passed El grande porcelino.   This particular porker weighed at least 500 lbs – not including his avocado-sized testicles.  Where are we headed exactly and is that a banjo playing?

  The road in didn’t hint at the secluded oasis by the sea we were headed to.

And then we crested the hill, began our descent and the contrast smacked me in the face.   We emerged into a paradise of palms, thatch-roofed casitas, golden sand and crashing surf; The Martinez family’s mostly-private paradiso where they now invited guests to share their good fortune.

  My front porch at Punta Monterrey did not suck.

I had no idea who would be on this trip and I was eager to meet my accomplices. Would the group consist of hardcore riders who dabble in yoga or seasoned yogis who ride occasionally?   Mack seemed to be the most serious rider in the group.  He completed Trans Rockies with his wife after slipping a disc on the first day – and he and Shanti had registered for the 2010 B.C. Bike Race.  Most of the others – aside from Guillermo, a fit 62-year old five-time Ironman veteran – were relatively new to mountain biking.

  We awoke before dawn every day.  Entirely dissimilar to any previous Mexican experience I’d had.  Fortunately the yoga was fantastic and the setting was wicked.

The whole crew was childless and not one was a serious yogi, but all were keen to learn and give it a go.  I arrived on the third day of the trip and there had already been some action.  Amy had crashed and was sporting a nasty scrape on her stomach – which she took to calling her third boob.  Shanti made a mess out of her forearm and she sat out the first two rides. Everyone else was in one piece and very friendly – but this was a group that hadn’t gelled.

  Johanna from Sacred rides was a patient, knowledgeable and skilled yoga instructor.

Mike Brcic, founder of Sacred Rides, made it clear to me that this wasn’t going to be singletrack nirvana.  The riding turned out to be more like you’d expect in an adventure race – challenging for its length and climbs but not demanding technically. On the first day there was some singletrack and a few challenging sections but the ride will be remembered for other charms.  

  I’m convinced there’s no better way to warm up for a ride. Melanie and Mack do some ab work.

This was ranch land and we followed a creek where the cattle liked to spend some time – and leave deposits.  Part of the challenge became dodging patties at high speed – and following too close proved hazardous as well.   Towards our turnaround point we began to climb – eventually ending at an abandoned villa.  Okay – not a villa – more of a McMansion you’d expect to see in a rapidly expanding Arizona suberb. 

  I was feeling lucky. This could have been much worse.

It turns out the remote hacienda belonged to a notorious and now-jailed druglord; Miguel Angel Caro Quintero.  The terrified dog chained to a tree – perhaps the druglord’s – had to make do with the less-animated company of dead armadillo and the top half of a small bird – but he seemed to like them much better than he liked us.

  Johanna Weintrager showing off another of her many talents on the ‘poo-stained death ride.’

This particular tour became known as ‘The poo-stained death ride’.  Around every corner we’d find a rotting carcass or sun-bleached bones that we hoped hadn’t belonged to a mid-level coke dealer or police informant – but the riding was spirited and fun and everyone was smiling.

  Alejandro Gonzales was our local guide.  Here he’s working some rock on his classic Dean Titanium hardtail.

We had a nice lunch sitting in the grass and then we loaded bikes and bodies for the trip back to Punta Monterrey.  We cleaned up and it was time for our second yoga session of the day.  Johanna, who doubled as our mountain bike guide (along with Alejandro) and yoga instructor was always keen to get us to the mat.  Punta Monterrey had recently built a beautiful, large thatch-roofed building overlooking the bay.  It was the perfect yoga room and it made it very easy to get into the groove.

  This little fellah didn’t have much to say.

I’m terrible at yoga; I’m not flexible and I have as much grace as a young elephant.   I love it despite my limitations and I take my ‘practice’ quite seriously, so I was skeptical about the quality of instruction we’d be receiving.  My fears were immediately put to rest.  Johanna was as skilled leading a yoga class as she was on her bike.  She lead us through interesting and varied classes that left us feeling challenged and limber – but never broken.  I slept even better on my second night.

  His companion was equally mute.

After yoga on my third day we packed up for an overnight.  We’d be driving into the mountains to the historic town of San Sebastian.  Upon arrival we were going out for a quick ride, some yoga and then dinner.  Or at least that was what was supposed to happen.

  This supposedly ‘artisanal’ tequila distillery didn’t add up to me.

I’m a big tequila fan so I was interested to stop at a distillery en route.  There was a bus full of Germans on the way out and we had the place to ourselves.  In Blink Malcolm Gladwell talks about how we sometimes know something before we know why we know it.  We pick up almost imperceptible cues and before even identifying them we come to a conclusion that often turns out to be correct.  Soon after arriving I began to wonder if this place was legit – or just a clever way to fleece tourists.

  I love Mexican food and the cuisine at Punta Monterrey was creative, lovingly prepared and delicious.  This was fish taco night and they were the best I’ve had.

There was a man and a woman there serving samples, each with impeccably clean hands and fingernails – and nobody else.  The place had no electricity or running water but it had a very clean and tidy – and incredibly small – distillery in the back.  Tequila is made from the heart – piña in Spanish – of the Agave plant which is then shredded or in the case of artisanal product, crushed with a stone wheel.  The tasting was fun but the product was only average aside from the high prices – another clue for me.

After a quick lunch we continued to the colonial town of San Sebastian.  Little did we know the wheels were about to come off.

---

The best thing about yoga is that it’s helped me take my riding to the next level.  Mexico has many best things – particularly when you are travelling with Sacred Rides. Your cuppa joe or no?  Tell it here…

Click here for Mexico Part II.