So much has happened in the last week and it is all good!

For over 7 months I have been hearing horror stories of Mexico
literally every day. I was almost contemplating just skipping the
country and continuing on from Guatemala... I gave that thought about
2 seconds but it kept coming back over the months. I want to do this
world run properly as mentioned many times. I could have backtracked to
Florida and island hopped thru the Caribbean but that would not be a proper

solution for me.
All the stories were about the gangs and the drug warlords. But it
seems it is between themselves, bad guys killing bad guys. In Ireland
we have a similar problem with drug gangs killing each other. Also a lot of

 media hype. Just about everyone says it would be bad publicity to

´interfere ´with me. My research made me realise that the

Baja ( pronounced Bah Ha ) Peninsula was the safest route as it is important to

Mexican tourism and there is assistance available to tourists. I have been advised

that almost all of the trouble is in the border areas and cities and areas way off

 my route.

 Tecate was my choice as it is a quiet town of perhaps a hundred thousand. From San
Diego the logical crossing would have been Tijuana a couple of hours run down the

coast but that is a city of 3, million right on the US border and a hell hole.

 So I ran the extra 2 days to Tecate last month. I am now well clear of the border

area.

Last Tuesday morning Roger my friend from El Cajon, California dropped

 me to the point where I finished my first leg last month right at the

USA/ Tecate border. He and his wife Cindy had been good enough to let me stay

at their house before and after my timeout and also mind Nirvana while I was

in Ireland.

 Roger had a meeting that morning so he dropped me off around 8am.

 My rendezvous with the Los Angeles Vertes or the Green Angels was at 10am.

I had been advised to stay in the USA till that time.

The Green Angels are an unarmed sort of tourist police.
I sat in the scorching sun in a mini market plaza about 100 meters
from the border wondering if I was making a mistake. Was I selfish,I wondered
In my mind I replayed the interview I had given to a film maker last week..

I posted this a couple of posts earlier. I kept
coming back to my mothers words ¨ Tony is very sensible, I know he
wont take any chances... ¨
Tears rolled down my cheeks, yes mam this is not very sensible and I am
taking a big chance here that I never told you about... I am so
sorry..... But I gotta do what I gotta do ¨
Across the road a US border patrol officer observes me from his pickup
for over an hour.

I sit down in a quiet corner and cheer myself up by playing some of my

 favourite running songs.
Born To Run, Keep On Running, Run Like Hell! And of course my anthem
Run For Home.

At 9.30 I decided to make my way through the border. No US exit check.
Straight to the Mexican immigration. Mexico issues a standard 6 month
visa for about $25. I have never come across a standard visa for 6 months,
very generous. My passport was stamped but I would have to bring a
form down the road to the Commerce Bank to pay my 25 bucks and return
to the officer.
I was 10 minutes early so just waited in the area till I was spotted
by a guy called Juan Carlos who I took to be a representative of the
Mexican Tourism Ministry. Juan Carlos immediately recognised me,
welcomed me to Mexico, shook my hand and presented me with a letter of
introduction, a sort of Mexican Magic Letter.
There were two officers from the Green Angels with a pickup truck.

THE GREEN ANGELS

Their flashers were flashing. I did an instant interview saying how I
was so happy to be bringing my world run to Mexico. The officers took
some pictures of their own while Juan Carlos recorded my interview on
a camcorder.
I told the officers I had to go down the road to the bank to pay for
my visa. I was surprised to be left ramble off on my own. A block
down the road a juice vendor asked.. ¨Hey Tony How you doing today? ¨
I wondered how he knew my name till I realised it was printed on my singlet!
At the Atm machine I made a major booby. I withdrew only 300 pesos by
mistake thinking of 300 dollars! A big mistake as my bank in Ireland
charges over 11 euro for a foreign withdrawal.. I had googled the rate
of exchange last night. It´s a little over 11 pesos to the dollar. So
I had to bite the bullet again and give a certain ¨The Slow Bank ¨back
in Ireland another 11 euro!
I paid for my visa in the bank and went out a different door I had
come in. I got lost and had a bit of trouble finding my way back due
to a misleading sign. What would the boss of the Angels say to this!

Only in the country a few minutes and vanished!
Eventually I found my way back and started running at 10.45am. I ran
in front of the Angels vehicle with its flashing lights and siren to
warn other drivers we were coming through red lights. I had Run For
Home on repeat. I was actually enjoying the experience especially as the
Angels had Nirvana in their pickup!

It was hot, very hot. It took less than half an hour to run out of
Tecate, about 4km.
I ran on for 16km feeling a bit shattered as I hadn´t run much in the
last 4 weeks during my timeout.

 At that stage they said they had to go
do another job! Fine I said and ran on with Nirvana. I had kept
calling these two officers Pascal and Ronaldo. They had similar names
but I just couldn't remember them. I was a bit relieved to be able to
set my own pace and ran on through the arid Mexican countryside. In this
area there is a nice 2 meter hard shoulder even if the roads are two lanes

and narrow.
I stopped at a roadside shack for a soda... It´s great to be back on the road!
Later another Angel Patrol vehicle stopped and gave me an escort for
the rest of the day. Most of it up a huge hill. He had told me there
was a good camping spot at km 40.The spot was not very secure. I had
about 2 litres of water and was a bit hungry. It had been a very tough
first day back on the road. I was so despondent when he told me the
next town was 9km away. It was the last thing in the world I wanted to
do but I just ran on, thankfully mostly down the steep hill I had just

struggled up.

We arrived just as it was getting dark in the town of Testerazo.

 As luck would have it I arrived at at a police station.

 An officer was outside sweeping up so I presented him with my
Mexican Magic Letter from the minister stating the usual, what I was
doing and the minister would appreciate any hospitality granted etc.

Just then I sat down at a bus shelter and puked! The offered to call an

ambulance.

The shame of it and on day one!
The cops were great. A friendly bunch. They said I could either sleep
in a closet with some mops and buckets but I didn't fancy the whiff from
a couple of petrol cans or I could sleep in an ambulance parked outside.

 I chose the latter and went down the road for something to eat.
When I returned I was told that someone across the road wanted to meet
me and to bring Nirvana as they would more than likely give me a place
to sleep.
It turned out to be a pastor and after a while he showed me his church
which was just a small simple room built with concrete blocks and a galvanised
roof. A dirty carpet was in the altar area.
Just as I was settling down to sleep a different pastor came in to
investigate me. I told him pastor number one and the police know I am
here. I don't think he liked me.
So at 4.57am there was a hard rap on the door. Number two tells me I
have to leave as he is going to give a service at 5am!
I ask how long will it take am told ten minutes, so instead of pulling
all my gear out, packing up and taking advantage of an early start, I
sit outside at a picnic bench and wait and wait till nearly six.

He was wailing, crying for ¨ Mercy Jesus, I love you. ¨
Eventually number two comes out, his congregation is just one woman.

THE SMALL CHURCH I SLEPT IN TILL 4.57AM

I go back over to the Policia Municipal. I cook oatmeal and coffee in
the officers microwave.
One of them offers me pancakes and hot dog slices and also a plate of
spaghetti. I just take the pancakes and meat and did I really
refuse the spaghetti! Just as I was thinking I could have stuck it in
my tupperware dish for the road an officer coming on duty snaps it up
and sticks it into the fridge.
Out on the road I am late starting, all this wasted time, its around
8am. I stop at a construction site by the road where a guard is
minding some heavy equipment.
I ask him for some water. His name is Husein, he also offers me a
delicious bowl of chili
soup. When he offers me more as he has made a huge pot. Once again I have had

my fill.. MHowever, my 1.2 liter thermos comes out in a flash!
¨ Thanks I will have it for dinner tonight. ¨
I am learning fast.
Later I was stopped by Victor a construction engineer.

 He asks me am I going to Ensende that night.

I tell him its just a little too far I am going to San Antonio de las Minas.

He says he has a friend in both towns, they are father and son both called Beta.

The father lives in San Antoine de las Minas, my destination that evening.

Victor phones and arranges for me to stay tonight.

Later on I see a Green Angel truck helping a broken down motorist.

I whip out the letter from the minister and embarrass him into escorting me.

After about 8km he tells me he has to go off on another job. Just then his boss
phones. The phone is passed to me. Antonio is the bosses name. I ask
him would he allow the Angel to deliver Nirvana to Beta snr´s house.
That's soon arranged. I run on for about another 16km expecting a small
village. What I get is a largish town with solar panel powered lights
in the 3km road separation! One never know what to expect from a town or village.

SOLAR POWERED STREET LIGHTS

I was told Beta Jr will hunt me down on the highway. I call it a day

 with some 45km that second day at the towns stop lights.

 I make my way down the lane following the excellent directions Victor gave me.

 The two Beta´s pick me up on the road.

 I am whisked back to Rancho Taurus where I have a nice pleasant evening with

the lads and Betas wife Imelda. The ranch is mainly a cucumber ranch.

 I sleep in a caravan after a lovely shower.

TONY AND THE TWO BETAS

Got going around 7.30 next morning.

Beta who seems to be very much into my run offered to deliver Nirvana to me out on

 the road at around 2pm. He is a university lecturer in Ensenada, he is on vacation

 at the moment. The offer came when I realised it was 18km there and I would be

running through his city. He is an adventure racer himself.

 Nothing seemed to bother him, nothing was too much trouble. He and his father both

 speak good English. I took full advantage of this opportunity and ran 40km past

Ensenada despite a 2 hour stop there for breakfast and getting a Mexican sim card.

 The sim is 150 pesos and you get 50 credit. It was a bit of an effort getting

this sorted. I had to present my passport to be photocopied, my phone registered

and a lot more besides. A couple of days later it was still not sorted.

 Beta eventually did this. I didn´t think I will get a sim in every country,

only the big ones. On the way I remembered stopping on top of a hillock in Manero

 just as a big cool breeze hit! Heaven. I stood there a few minutes soaking up the

 pleasure. As I stood there I suddenly realised that there were mountains to the

west. But I thought I was supposed to be following the sea.

 I checked my bearings. Pointed the hour hand of my watch at the sun,

 halfway between the hour and the 12 position is south.

 Yes I am going the right way..

 Just made better progress than I expected. Beta is late, I just run on and on.

 He says he will find me with my SPOT tracker on this site. He pulls up at around

 4.30 with some water. He says he is in no hurry and will meet me in a restaurant

 about 4km up the road. A glorious 58.3km run today.

 When I get there I tell him how much I enjoyed running without pushing.

 Immediately he tells me that either he or a friend will be heading south

in two or three days time and can deliver Nirvana.

 ¨ Sure! ¨ So I hastily prepare a day bag and my Camelback 3 liter backpack water

 carrier. He heads back the 40km to Ensenada. Immediately I realise I have packed

 just a little too much. He has arranged for me to stay behind the restaurant.

 It´s a nice night, so I will just use my bivy bag. Inside the Acambaro Restaurant is

 closed but the owner called Juan cooks my can of stew in his microwave.

 He brings me inside, gives me bread, cheese, and salsa chips. His friend asks me

 if I know Juan and I say yes U2 wrote a song about him, 3,2,Juan! or ONE.

THREE, TWO, JUAN, HIS FRIEND AND BETA

We all have a huge laugh. After another late breakfast I blast off into a hot sun

running with my small backpack and camelback. I also got a small two bottle bag

around my waist. Water is so heavy but I plod on. I stop at another construction

 site, this time there are two guards. One of the guards an older man is

refurbishing old Bic cigarette lighters, he is refilling them with gas and putting

stickers on them.I didn't know this could be done. I wonder if this is why

cigarette lighter selling is so popular in the developing world.

He is also a bit of a techno whizz as he has an old style military radio he built.

 The younger lad prefers his Latino music on his phone.

 On I run. Its really hot and I am struggling without Nirvana, the day is a slog.

 For the second day this week, after my first day back Tuesday, I nominate today as

 the hardest day of the trip. Still I clicked up 45.5km falling just 5 short of

 San Vicinte. I arrived at a small hamlet and ran up to Daisies La La mini Mart

just as it was closing. Ordered a soft drink just to get an excuse to talk.

 I was eyeing up the backyard of the property where a nice car cover area would be

 nice and handy to kip in. Daisy had no problem. A couple of kids came out as I

 was eating Cindy´s left over cake which is 4 days old now. She had packed that

with motherly love that Tuesday morning as I set out for the Mexican border.

 One of the kids spoke decent English but I got a bit pissed off as he seemed

 to have some kind of an attention problem as he kept asking the same questions

over and over again. When I am on the road, no matter how hard it was of a day,

I am usually ok after a few minutes but sometimes something like this or a pack

 of Labradors in someones home licking the balls off me is just a bit too much.

In the end I told him I was very tired, which I was as I went to bed around nine.

 The darn roosters woke me up at 5am! I ditched some stuff and was shuffling nice

 and free down the highway. The weight difference made a difference. I felt strong

all day. I stopped to take a picture of a snake on the road. It was about a meter

long about 3 fingers wide. Not sure if it was dead but a motorist that say what I

 was doing ran over it.

About 20k before Colonel I stopped for a juice and snacks. The store
was closed but the nice owner, Raphael opened it. He also gave me 2
cups of chili chicken soup and coke.
Beta finally tracked me down in an internet cafe in Conolel. I
actually expected him tomorrow.
He opened the back of his jeep. His mother had taken all my clothes
and wet bags out and washed them. As they were not dry he propped 2
portable drying lines in the back of his jeep so as the socks could
dry on the way!

He brought me over to the police station. I presented my letter from
the Minister and was given a sheltered area to the side of the station
where I spent an evening discarding unnecessary baggage, much of it I
gave to Beta.

Sunday was pretty much a lazy day, just under 30km. The problem I now
have is lack of internet service. Though many small towns do have
´Ciber Cafe´s´ often they don´t open till around 11am, so obviously I
cant wait. I need several hours at a time, so if I go in early I miss
out on running... It´s early days yet, so I hope I can get regular
updates, but as usual, pictures are the first casualty as the download
time can be huge in these places.

I feel so comfortable running through Mexico now... even if my guardian

 Angels have disappeared.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 27th, 2011 at 2:50 am and is filed under jogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.