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Self-Propelling Particle

Self-Propelling Particle

Self-Propelling Particle is in Ciudad de México.

Photos from Self-Propelling Particle's post

Ciudad de México

A few more shots of Mexico City's amazing street art collection. Astonishingly, few locals bothered to look at the paintings that were right in front of them. One native of the city even dismissed my comment that street art was my favourite thing I'd seen in the city, especially as it encouraged me to explore parts I wouldn't otherwise have seen: "You just saw the same thing over and over. Graffitti, that's all." 🙄
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#streetart #streetartmexico #streetartmexicocity #mexicocity #streetartchilango #muralismo #romamexico #romanorte #coloniatransito #coloniadoctores #mexicocityart #urbanart #notgraffiti #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #muralismomexicano @ Ciudad de México

Self-Propelling Particle

1 1 View on Facebook

Self-Propelling Particle

Self-Propelling Particle is in Ciudad de México.

Photos from Self-Propelling Particle's post

Ciudad de México

Architectural splendours of Mexico City.
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1-4: Central Post Office (actually a working PO).
5: Palacio de Bellas Artes
6: Metropolitan Cathedral, largest and oldest in the Americas
7: Atrium of the Gran Hotel, Centro
8-10: around Roma Norte
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#mexicocity #ciudaddemexico #mexico #buildingphotography #palaciopostal #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina @ Ciudad de México

Self-Propelling Particle

1 1 1 View on Facebook

Self-Propelling Particle

Self-Propelling Particle is in Ciudad de México.

Photos from Self-Propelling Particle's post

Ciudad de México

Mexico City: Street Art no.3 ... can't promise it'll be the last.
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#streetart #streetartmexico #streetartmexicocity #mexicocity #streetartchilango #muralismo #romamexico #romanorte #coloniatransito #coloniadoctores #mexicocityart #urbanart #notgraffiti #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #muralismomexicano @ Ciudad de México

Self-Propelling Particle

1 View on Facebook

Self-Propelling Particle

Self-Propelling Particle is in Ciudad de México.

Photos from Self-Propelling Particle's post

Ciudad de México

Out and about in Mexico City this last week.
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#mexico #mexicocity #ciudaddemexico #méxico #aztec #aztecdancers #cafetacuba #churros #elmoro #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina

Self-Propelling Particle

View on Facebook

Self-Propelling Particle

Self-Propelling Particle is in Teotihuacán.

Photos from Self-Propelling Particle's post

Teotihuacán

Teotihuacán, once the biggest city in the pre-Colombian Americas, is like wormhole in the space-time continuum. It blows my mind that such enormous and perfectly aligned pyramids were constructed two millennia ago. Clever monkeys, those Earthlings.
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#mexicocity #ciudaddemexico #mexico #teotihuacan #teotihuacán #pyramids #pyramidofthemoon #pyramidofthesun #teotihuacanpyramids #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina

Self-Propelling Particle

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Self-Propelling Particle

Self-Propelling Particle is in Ciudad de México.

Photos from Self-Propelling Particle's post

Ciudad de México

Mexico City: Street Art no.2 ... plenty more where this came from.
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#streetart #streetartmexico #streetartmexicocity #mexicocity #streetartchilango #muralismo #romamexico #romanorte #coloniadoctores #mexicocityart #urbanart #notgraffiti #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #muralismomexicano

Self-Propelling Particle

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selfpropellingparticle

Cycling & writing across 6 continents since Jan 2015 🇬🇧
📍 Mexico City
⬇️⬇️New video - Baja by Accident ⬇️⬇️

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A few more shots of Mexico City's amazing street art collection. Astonishingly, few locals bothered to look at the paintings that were right in front of them. One native of the city even dismissed my comment that street art was my favourite thing I'd seen in the city, especially as it encouraged me to explore parts I wouldn't otherwise have seen: "You just saw the same thing over and over. Graffitti, that's all." 🙄
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#streetart #streetartmexico #streetartmexicocity #mexicocity #streetartchilango #muralismo #romamexico #romanorte #coloniatransito #coloniadoctores #mexicocityart #urbanart #notgraffiti #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #muralismomexicano

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Architectural splendours of Mexico City. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1-4: Central Post Office (actually a working PO). 5: Palacio de Bellas Artes
6: Metropolitan Cathedral, largest and oldest in the Americas
7: Atrium of the Gran Hotel, Centro
8-10: around Roma Norte
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#mexicocity #ciudaddemexico #mexico #buildingphotography #palaciopostal #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina

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Mexico City: Street Art no.3 ... can't promise it'll be the last.
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#streetart #streetartmexico #streetartmexicocity #mexicocity #streetartchilango #muralismo #romamexico #romanorte #coloniatransito #coloniadoctores #mexicocityart #urbanart #notgraffiti #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #muralismomexicano

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Out and about in Mexico City this last week.
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#mexico #mexicocity #ciudaddemexico #méxico #aztec #aztecdancers #cafetacuba #churros #elmoro #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina

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Teotihuacán, once the biggest city in the pre-Colombian Americas, is like wormhole in the space-time continuum. It blows my mind that such enormous and perfectly aligned pyramids were constructed two millennia ago. Clever monkeys, those Earthlings.
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#mexicocity #ciudaddemexico #mexico #teotihuacan #teotihuacán #pyramids #pyramidofthemoon #pyramidofthesun #teotihuacanpyramids #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina

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Mexico City: Street Art no.2 ... plenty more where this came from.
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#streetart #streetartmexico #streetartmexicocity #mexicocity #streetartchilango #muralismo #romamexico #romanorte #coloniadoctores #mexicocityart #urbanart #notgraffiti #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #muralismomexicano

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Return to the mothership. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#mexicocity #ciudaddemexico #monument #closeencounters #returntothemothership #beammeup #onetobeamup #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina

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One of my favourite museums in Mexico City was the combined living quarters and studios of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The casa-estudios are joined by a rooftop bridge - a pretty optimal living arrangement if you ask me :)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#mexicocity #ciudaddemexico #mexico #fridakahlo #diegorivera #fridaydiego #fridaanddiego #mexicoart #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina

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Mexico City: Street Art no.1 ... The capital does not disappoint for art, culture and food. I've taken hundreds of photos in the last few days while roaming the streets, museums, cafés, subways, archaeological sites and all points in between. CDMX has a claim for the street art capital of the world, both in quantity and quality - much of it is as good as anything I've seen in a curated gallery. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#streetart #streetartistry #streetartmexico #streetartmexicocity #mexicocity #streetartchilango #muralismo #coyoacan #romamexico #romanorte #mexicocityart #urbanart #notgraffiti #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #muralismomexicano

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Happy new year! 2019 was an interesting one. I spent most of it in Mexico, for a start. I worked on a boat. I rocked a moustache and a mohican. In July I quit booze for good. I skinnydipped in a phosphorescent sea. I got laughs for bad jokes told in Spanish. And I only fell disastrously in love once (not a bad annual average). Here's to more miles of smiles in 2020! This time next year... Peru? Bolivia? Let's see!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀
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📷 @cmcrummer⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#annualreview #thatwasfun #happynewyear2020 #happynewyear #neverstopexploring #neverstoplearning #keepexploring #newtyres #newtires #stillrolling #sixcontinents #sixcontinentstraveller #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #bikewander

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Christmas this year was spent cycling high into the hills of Michoacan, where I camped in the forest and visited the mariposa reserve. Millions of monarch butterflies overwinter here during their annual northward migration. So glad I decided to make this trip - touristy places often disappoint but this was an absolute gem! Worth the effort to get there and join the awe-struck, hushed crowds. Bellissima!

#mariposa #mariposas #mariposasmonarca #mariposamonarca #michoacan #angangueo #Mexico #monarchbutterfly #monarchbutterflies #alaskatopatagonia #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina

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Baja bloopers! I had so much fun making my most recent cycling vlog, staying with super host Crista and media-whizz Oscar in Querétaro! Check out the fruits of our labours on my YouTube channel, link in bio!

Thanks to @cmcrummer for the video clip 🙂 #newvideo #newvideoalert #Mexico #bajadivide #bajacalifornia #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #queretaro #querétaro

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East of San Miguel lies the rugged Sierra Gorda range, too good to pass by without at least a quick look. I plotted a route that would hunt out a few famous waterfalls and deliver me via Bernal (first photo) to Querétaro. As usual, things took a course of their own. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I made a good start over the first big climb and dropped a vertical mile into the mountain fastness of Xichú (pronounced like a sneeze - photos 2 &3). I picked the wrong place for a late lunch. By the time I found a camp spot lower down the valley, my guts were rolling and my head spinning. I made several emergency runs for the bushes, but a camp on the edge of a Mexican village is no place to rest. Dogs barked outside my tent all night, and sonic booms echoed off the canyon walls as imbeciles let off deafening fire-crackers randomly during the night. I packed up and hauled my exhausted body over another set of switchbacks to find a quieter hideaway (photo 7). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
For two nights and a day I rested and evacuated the foulness I'd ingested. A full moon rose and coyotes sang me to sleep, their howls repeating as harmonic echoes down the valley. It was one of the most beautiful and haunting lullabies I've ever heard. I sought an escape route back to civilisation - but I was caught like a pinball in a trough. In the heart of the sierra, there's no easy option, just several days of switchbacks on rough roads. I took it slow, running on reserves, still scarcely able to face eating, until finally I arrived on pavement and a cruisy ride out via Bernal, where I camped by moonlight next to the world's third largest monolith. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #sierragorda #xichú #bernal #peñadebernal

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More shots from the streets of San Miguel. I should probably create two separate albums: 'People walking past brightly-coloured buildings' and 'Bored mariachis'. Last photo is with my saviours and newly-recruited Warmshowers hosts, Dave and Kat in their San Miguel hideaway.
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #guanajuato #sanmigueldeallende #streetphotos #streetphotography #warmshowers #mariachis #calaca #vocho #mexicanrug

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By the time I reached San Miguel de Allende, I was getting a bit fed up of being a city-based tourist if I'm honest. Durango, Zacatecas, Guanajuato and then SMA came in fairly quick succession. Each attractive in their own way, but I was reaching saturation point. I left Guanajuato with the beginnings of a stinking headcold, and I'd drawn a blank finding a host in San Miguel. On the outskirts of San Miguel I paused at the roadside to weigh my options. I was seriously considering blowing straight through town when a passing cyclist stopped for a chat. David invited me on-spec to stay with him and his wife in their quiet, cosy home in the old town for as long as I wanted, to recover my body and spirits! I enjoyed three peaceful days with Dave and Kat, wandering this pretty UNESCO world heritage town and former artists' colony.
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #guanajuato #sanmigueldeallende #streetphotos #streetphotography #buildingphotography #sombreros #mexicanhats

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More photos from Guanajuato last week - such a colourful, musical city.
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #guanajuato #cityscape #cityscapes #cityphoto #buildingphotography #callejoneada #piñatas #pinata

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Guanajuato was on my must see list from the moment I entered Mexico. Getting a loaded bike across the city to my guesthouse proved to be an exhausting game of snakes and ladders. The city is built on hills, so half the narrow streets have steep steps, the other half are one-way tunnels. Guanajuato reminded me in equal parts of Edinburgh, Dubrovnik and an MC Escher drawing. It's a crazy, mediaeval place, bustling with noise and smells. I loved it, but three days was enough!
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #guanajuato #cityphoto #buildingphotography #callejoneada #pipila #donquixote #snakesandladders

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Wandering the streets of Guanajuato I encountered several callejoneadas, or alley parties, of roaming minstrels. There was a bit of a logjam when three passed through the same street. I followed the one with the best pandero (Mexican tambourine).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #Cicloviaje #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #mexicanfolkloredance #guanajuato #callejoneada #callejoneando #mexicanfolkdance #musicosmexicanos #musicomexicano #pandero #panderoydanza #cielitolindo

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The day before Guanajuato I camped on the edge of the Sierra Los Lobos above the town of San Juan de Otates. As I rejoined the dirt road from my hideaway, I bumped into local trail runner Karina. It was a short but sweet meeting, which reminded me how much I miss hill running, a passion I look forward to resuming after all this pedalling is done.
Repost from @anna_kareninabr
#trailrunning #sierraloslobos #mexico #sanjuandeotates #guanajuato #borntorun #borntoride #fellrunning

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In case there was any doubt why I want a sealable inner tent, here's a couple of recent arachnid encounters from my travels in Mexico. I haven't managed to film any of the several small yellow-brown scorpions I've found under my tent in the mornings, but they're out here with me too!

#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure
#biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #tentrepair #campinghazards #tarantula #tarantulas #arachnid #arachnidsofinstagram #arachnophobia

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Torn between two loves! It's hard to say which of these two beauties has the stronger claim on my heart: my bike or my tent. I usually say that the bike gets me into trouble and the tent gets me out of it. Two nights ago the event I have been dreading for years finally happened: the remaining zipper on the mesh inner tent broke off (the first one went south in Australia two years back), making it impossible to close the door. The last line of defence against my insect and arachnid foes was breached. Shit!!!
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By a huge stroke of luck, this happened the night I camped above Guanajuato city (photo 5). In the morning I descended into town for second breakfast in a café, where the staff directed me to a shoe repair shop a few blocks away. The lads there quickly installed two new zippers while I waited, repaired the mangled zip-track and sewed up an expanding hole in the mesh inner (photo 6). They would not accept payment - they just wanted to help me on my way! What absolute legends!! The inner is almost good as new (or near as dammit for a 12 year old tent). As I am now in the tropics heading toward the equator, you can imagine my relief to have a mosquito-proof tent.
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The other photos are from the mostly dirt route I have been on for the last week between Zacatecas and Guanajuato - based on the new and occasionally great, but rather unfortunately christened, 'Trans-Mexico' bikepacking route (that hashtag is already well and truly taken; maybe I'll use it anyway just to confuse all concerned ).
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure
#biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #guanajuato #tentlove #tentrepair #transmexiconorte #sierraloslobos

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Zacatecas' cantera rosa masonry glows golden at sunset and at night, but the city was built on silver - or rather with the proceeds of what were once the world's most productive silver mines. As cities go, it's a beauty! But, being Mexico of course, it's not a quiet place. Freight trains whistle through at all hours of the night, police sirens compete with marching bands and barking dogs. And that's before the Día de la Revolución military parades on the morning after I arrived!

Photos 2 & 3 taken from the balcony of my #Warmshowers place, a rooftop studio atop the building in photo 4 - what a location!
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #zacatecas #cityscape #cityscapes #cityphoto #buildingphotography #rainbow #cerrolabufa

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'Pueblos Magicos' are towns in Mexico celebrated for their cultural or architectural significance - in theory. I've visited several that were very uninspiring, no better or worse than other middle of nowhere places. So my expectations were kept in check for visiting Sombrerete, a silver mining town and pueblo magico in the sierra south of Durango. Just as well, I thought, when I arrived in pouring rain, the crazy-paved streets a torrent of grey water. While searching for a motel I bumped into Gerardo (first photo), who invited me to stay with him and his family. We talked long over dinner and breakfast, and I heard about his experiences as a maintenance engineer in a local silver mine. Once the clouds dispersed, I appreciated the magic of Sombrerete much better.

In the evening just as I was searching in vain for a place to make camp north of Fresnillo, the tropical storm dumped another ton of rain. I dived for cover into a barn, where brothers Ramiro and Rene (9th photo) were playing handball with other farm workers. They offered me use of their new build house for the night, a treat given the acres of muddy fields that were my next best option.

Last night I arrived in Zacatecas, one of the most beautiful cities I've visited on my trip. Final photo is last night's dinner with Warmshowers hosts Pancho (centre) and Sandra, and friends Ernesto and Raymundo.
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure
#biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #tropicofcancer #warmshowers #sombrerete #zacatecas #pueblomagico

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After Batopilas Canyon, I stayed high on the sierra to Guachochi - never have I been so glad to touch down on well-paved road. From there I headed cross country through countryside occasionally remiscent of the British shires, via Canutillo, where bandit turned revolutionary Pancho Villa ended his days. Random enounters sustained me through this lonely section, such as with Ramón near Santa Maria del Oro, who treated me to a lunch of gorditas.
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I drifted through bombed-out highway towns like Rodeo, before finally arriving in Durango city, the first city of any size in over six weeks since Mexicali. Here I have gorged on nice food (there's a veggie restaurant here, in México!!) and hidden from the rain in coffee shops.
I am about to push off again from Durango, heading towards Zacatecas and Guadalajara. More photos next time I drop anchor somewhere.
In the meantime, have a gander at my NEW BLOG POST about my experiences in NW USA last winter. LINK IN BIO 🙂
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #coppercanyons #barrancasdelcobre #durango #durangomexico #roadangels #newblogpost #newpostalert #cycleblog #cycleblogger #cycleblogging

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From Batopilas, I had the option of a new, silky smooth paved road up out of the canyon. But it cut back north towards Creel, and last time I checked Argentina is south. So I girded my loins for another haul on dirt roads into the canyons towards Baborigame.
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Information was hard to get. This back country is 'rough as guts'; I was well off the beaten tourist trail here. But everyone said I would be okay so long as I travel only during the day. The road quality was, if anything, worse than on the epic haul up and over from Urique a few days before. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When I reached the mining settlement of Polanco, I was making barely 30km a day. The heat was still stifling at 1000m up, and the itching from biting gnats was driving me crazy. And I was running out of food. I decided enough was enough - time to get back to pavement, shops and find somewhere to clean up.
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Only thing was, my escape route entailed another vertical 1000m haul up *the worst* road of my career to date. I bit the bullet, pushed, dragged and grunted. By sunset I was back up above 2100m in the cool of pine forests. High in the sierra the road quality gradually improved, 2 days later becoming paved and gliding me into Gauchochi.
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PHEW!!
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First 2 photos are Satevo, a few km south of Batopilas, with the oldest Jesuit mission church in Mexico. Last photo is with road angels Chavez and his cuate, who gave me cold drinks, fruit and a much-needed morale boost after I'd been so roundly snubbed by the native Tarahumara during my ride through the canyons. 😩
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure
#biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #coppercanyons #barrancasdelcobre #batopilascanyon #batopilas #satevo #roadangels #satevochihuahua

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Panorama of the Barranca de Batopilas, from the hamlet of Jesus Maria, on the road to Polanco & Yoquivo.
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#worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #aventura #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #coppercanyons #barrancasdelcobre #batopilas #batopilascanyon #panorama #panoramas #panorama_photo

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The day after climbing the sierra from Urique Canyon, I descended another vertical mile of rough switchbacks into the stunning Barranca de Batopilas. In Batopilas village I rested a day at a homestay on the main plaza.
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #coppercanyons #barrancasdelcobre #batopilascanyon #batopilas

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What goes down, must go up! I left Urique and slogged up the opposite side of the canyon: more than a vertical mile of rough track. By halfway up (near the hamlet of El Hormiguero), I was exhausted and dehydrated. That was when I realised I had left my water filter in the hotel in Urique. So I had to descend to retrieve it. After a day spent licking my wounds, somehow I mustered the courage to repeat the ascent. But second time up was surprisingly much easier. I'd learned my lessons: I started earlier (at sunrise), didn't mess around filming videos, and a headwind kept the heat down (it is tropical year-round in the canyon bottoms). By sunset I had knocked off all the ascent. I took water from a stream and camped overlooking the Barranca de Batopilas.
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #coppercanyons #barrancasdelcobre #uriquechihuahua #uriquecanyon #urique #borntorun #borntoride

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Panorama leaving Urique heading to Batopilas, Chihuahua
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#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #coppercanyons #barrancasdelcobre #uriquechihuahua #uriquecanyon #urique #borntorun #borntoride

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A few more photos from Urique, Chihuahua
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Another long-held ambition realised! I cycled from Creel to Urique, in the bottom of the deepest of the five Copper Canyons of Chihuahua (deeper and narrower than Arizona's Grand Canyon). There I met the famous Mama Tita, who fed me silly, and Hector Orlando, organiser of the Caballo Blanco Ultramarathon. Of course, in cycle touring, what goes down a vertical mile of switchbacks must go up! TBC... ⁠#adventurecycling #adventurebybike #bikeadventure #biketouring #cycletouring #cyclingaroundtheworld #solotravel #wanderlust #worldbybike #worldtraveler #worldtrip #mexico #CicloviajeMx #Cicloviaje #Cicloviajero #cicloturismo #aventura #cicloturista #worldontwowheels #exploretheworld #roamtheplanet #alaskatoargentina #alaskatopatagonia #coppercanyons #barrancasdelcobre #uriquechihuahua #uriquecanyon #urique #borntorun #borntoride

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Hunting for Mexico's second highest waterfall, the 246m Cascada de Basaseachi

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From the mirador at the top of the falls you don't really get a sense of the enormous drop. When I descended to the lookout point halfway down and leaned out for the view in the first photo, my mouth fell open. I descended to the base and stood arms outstretched in the gale force spray, which soaked me within a millisecond, laughing and whooping like a lunatic. Fantastic.

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