Thursday, July 31, 2008

July 28, 2008 - AIDS RIDE 2008, Now in Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico. WE HAVE REACHED OUR DESTINATION!!!

17th July 2008, Wednesday, Bike fixing, Wadwani, DR. Surya Prakash, further to Immigration Mexico reached Metamoros, slept at Pemix

18th July 2008, Friday, reached San Fernando covering 86 miles, I met Lopez Garza, my bike wheel was too much damaged so as I reached the place I happened to look for a bike shop who can fix it proper and it took 10pm that night when I met Lopez Garza, who has been charged for killing someone else and jail return. This man owns a bike shop now and narrates his story to me. And also he talks about sex, women and prostitution. He says, a man can find a healthy woman for sex if she has Medical certificate in her pocket. He also told me that she will charge 10$ to 50$ Mexican Pesos!

When I observed him he was heavy drinker and was bit difficult for him to do the job. His brother did the task.

19th July 2008, Saturday, Total distance traveled 40km: We did tube fixing in the morning and got a cell phone card, started our biking from12 pm San Fernando to Zemenz,

20th July 2008, Sunday, Zemenz To CD Victoria, gas station Pemex slept.
Total distance covered: 90 Km

21st July 2008, Monday, CD Victoria to CD Mante on route 101, Total distance covered: 128 km

From 101 CD Victoria the enrooted to 85 heading to Ileara of 45 km, Limon of 67 Km and 16 km to CD Mante

22nd July 2008, Tuesday, CD Mante to 25 Km to Antiguo Morelas and 65 km to CD Valles. Total distance covered: 90 km

23rd Wednesday July 2008, CD Valles to Thaman
Total distance covered: 126 km
Problems: High altitude, hypoxia, headache etc

Started from CD Valles, 20 Km to Alvaro Obregor and then to Thamazunchale of about 90 km and 15 km to Thaman. Slept at Thaman.

24th Thursday July 2008, Thaman to Veije ville
Total distance covered: 40 km
Problems: Lots of fog, hills of great altitude, headache etc.

Met Husay and his family, amazing, made us eat food from his home and gave us shelter

25th July 2008, Friday Veije to Zimapan
Met Sushi, Nurse, Antonio of 17 years a college dropout due to college assisted deportation through Immigration services to Mexico. This guy doesn't know what is AIDS/ SIDA. I saw him at the peak hills near Jacala boozing with his friends. I wondered how he missed his lessons from his high school in USA

26th July 2008, Saturday Zimapan- Actopan- Pachuca
Route number: 85
Distance covered: 50+58+30= 138 Km

Problems faced: Mountain biking, rain, minor accident due to dissolved shoulder, Night biking.

We started our biking from the out cuts of Zimapan, at a Pemex gas station. Started by 8.30 am. Started biking towards the same 85-route number to reach Ixmiquilpan. The route was too curvy and comparatively easy while climbing down for about 10 km. The time consuming part is always biking up hill. Reached Ixmiquilpan by noon 1pm and had been to cyber café to respond my emails and then took our Lunch at a restaurant. We were overwhelmed by the emails of Canadian embassy and the IAS to receive us and welcome us!!! It was a nice place though. The waitresses were so impressed with our biking efforts for AIDS Ride 2008. They loved taking pictures and it was so touching that they themselves donated 450 pesos. The time was 15.55 pm by the time we finished our lunch. It was so challenging that we got to hit couple of more hills ahead. We passed 10 km and just then raining. We had to stand under a local sandwich shop until the rain poured completely.

We then started hitting further and Giri was so happy to bike on a flat route after couple of days of hill biking. But we had to again hit the first hill, then it was flat for few kms and then we hit another hill near Actopan. It was day dawn and we kept biking all the way because our target for the day needs to closer, therefore we did hit the road until 3am covering 138 km. We still decided to go further but Giri fell down and we were disappointed and plan to halt at a Pemex gas station/ Oxxo until the Sun rises. I am typing at the same place now. Here I met Quauhtlan, a 18 yr old guy who works inside Oxxo. He is drop out from High school. He knows AIDS is a disease but don't know how it is spread etcetera.

27th Tueday, July 2008
Total distance covered is: 72 Km, Pachuca to Mexico City
Problems: Puncture, extreme cold

It was night; by the time we reached Gurudwara, Sikh Center of Mexico City. The Guruji helped us but only for that night. We took food and slept in the 2 floor of his home

28th July 2008, Wednesday
Prepared to come out of Sikh Center by 8 am and Guruji wanted to hide the address of the Sikh Temple or Gurudwara. The actual problem is all internal politics that pin his mouth tight. However, he has a little humanity. The other place we went was ISKON, hare ram hare Krishna temple. It was so awesome to see many Mexicans with Indian culture. It was so blissful to watch a Mexican lady with Indian traditions of Saree and Bindi make her so blissful to watch!!! I spoke to the Principia prabhu. He took permission from his higher officials and then accepted our request. We got media coverage in enreda2tv and then headed to IAS and local hosting of AIDS 2008 body, got coverage in Fleishman Hillard Public Relations Agency, in charge of relation to IAS the media. He denied our request for 2 weeks and asked us to vacate by 2 days, It was shocking though because t is due to the Coke!!! I was silent and accepted his interests. We were searching for accommodation, further inquiring many places. We did hair cut costing 60$ pesos for both of us. The person was looking like a hermaphrodite or transgender. Her name Mischell. We came back to our place and took prasad food and I started working on Internet while Giri slept.

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