Danny Beer - From the city of angels to the land of fire. Danny Beer, gringo on tour

Sunday August 5, 2007, 136 km (85 miles) – Total so far: 517 km (321 miles)

It sure is great to sleep in a bed again. Not to mention having a shower after going the best part of a week without. The used condom in the trashcan is a cause for worry though. You follow the freeway east until a sign proves the illegality of this. You get onto the highway.

You spend a lot of time heading uphill. And then, oh yes, downhill. 7 km straight downhill with spectacular scenery of rock covered mountains all around. Police had sectioned off a lane where a truck had overturned on a sharp corner. Nearby and further down the road are empty microwave boxes were people had pilfered the truck’s cargo.

You get to the bottom and it’s straight on through to Mexicali. But by now the wind picks up and it isn’t the tail kind. It is after dusk by the time you make it into town. You find a motel. It seems that motels here are for five hours only. You pay for the entire night but will you get woken in the middle of the night?

You pick up some supplies from the supermarket. On the way back a dog jumps up from behind its fence barking. Its owner is nearby. He laughs. You laugh too in a this-is-not-at-all-funny kind of way. You both continue in this fashion. The man laughing at your fright and you fake laughing at the cunt.

Mexicali sure aint tiny. There must be stuff to do here. But after today all you need to do is rest.

No one comes banging on the door in the middle of the night, at least not loud enough to wake you. There are a couple staffs on duty but they don’t seem to notice you leaving. So you just go. It is late by the time you really get going. The temperature is already forty degrees out. The road is flat and the shoulder is wide. You don’t really leave Mexicali until twenty km later and in no time after that you are entering San Louis Rio Colorado.

It is only four o’clock and still very hot out. The town is similar to the previous couple you stayed in, hot and dusty, but nice all the same. You find a place to stay and go for a wander about town. There are some mariachis in town, wandering up and down the streets. You follow for a little while but nothing much is happening.

Tomorrow will see you crossing what is dubbed Mexico’s mini sahara. Two hundred km to the next town of any size. Flat and hot. So the plan is to leave early evening when the weather cools down and ride all night. You will need to take a lot of food and water. It’s going to be a long ride. Oh, and watch out for banditos.

You leave just after six with a belly full of Chinese and most of the day’s heat behind. Thirty km later it gets dark. Really dark. Hey, don’t coyotes live in the desert? Traffic is bad. A b-double semi truck runs you off the road. It is do or die time as the gap between the trailer and the edge of the road narrows. It is too soon to die. You land in the sand. You get a flat but when you change it it just goes flat again. You stop to make some sandwiches. Back on the highway a cop pulls you over. Your rear light is hidden. Hmmm possibly dangerous.

Under their suggestion you put the bike in the boot of the car, scratching the paint job, and are driven three km to the nearest road-stop. You’ve been advised to stay here until dawn. Sounds like good advice. It is now one. Dawn is in four hours. May as well stay up all night then.

You do nod off for a while though. Come dawn you leave again for Sonoyta. It is good to see the scenery. Lots of cacti. And signs pointing out the various fauna around. Coyotes, road runners and some kind of large looking feline. You never entirely fix the tire. You try a few times and even find the cause of the trouble. But it still isn’t fixed.

A truck runs you off the road. You decide to get further on the road to prevent further drivers from nudging you off at their convenience. Later a car comes up from behind as a large truck comes from the other direction. You are towards the centre of your lane. The car driver cannot wait. He goes around and then tries to ram you off the road from the side. It is of no concern to him what happens to you.

You continue on. It gets hot. Above forty degrees hot. You continue on. You drink the last of the water. The kilometers tick down. Eventually you make it into Sonoyta, hot, dusty and thirsty as all hell. There are three hotels in town. All are expensive. But over the border back in America is a campsite. Might be worth going to.

There is a motel just on the other side of town so you go there. It is cheap and basic. There isn’t much to do in Sonoyta except avoid people asking you for money. This town has no character at all.

Plans of an early departure are thwarted when you sleep in. It is just after eight when you go and the sun is already beating down hot. You don’t get far before the tire goes flat. The same tire which has hindered your travels these last two days. The same tire you spent last night repairing.

You change the tube and continue on. And then.. it goes flat. And again. You spend a lot of time hiding under a little shade trying in vain to fix it. Flies and other insects bother about as they only know how. But it’s not going to happen. You can still ride the bike. Kinda. So you head out, wobbling along the highway. It is still way over a hundred km to the next town so you decide to do the only thing for it. Cheat.

You try hitching on a couple of buses but they won’t have it. There is a small town just up ahead though with some kind of immigration office. That’s probably your best bet. You make it there and an immigration officer helps you find a bus heading your way. Some guy tries to buy your sunglasses for five bucks. Yeah, right. They may be crap but it beats squinting all day. And away you go.

You decide on hermosillo. It is a lot further south but you are sure to find what you need there, not to mention skipping a lot of desert. You’re in rattle snake country you know.

You find a bike shop but by the time you get there it’s closed. A tomorrow job. You find a hotel close to the town centre and very close to a local prostitute corner. You go for a look. Mingers.

You find the bike shop and get what you need. You don’t leave until almost twelve. It is hot but clouds sometime help to block out the sun. Leaving town some guy tries to hit the back of the bike. Why? For fun?

Zoom, zoom, zoom, down the freeway. It sure is hot though. With stops and everything else you make it to Guaymas on dark. The traffic lights are about to turn red. You speed through. But a deep pot hole is suddenly in your path. And ‘clunk’ as you hit it. Both tires go flat.

Oh well, not far now and you start walking into town. Except it is far. You ask at hotels but they are all booked out, not to mention a bit on the expensive side. You walk down a street when someone says hello. A local resident is curious. He says you can stay there the night. So why not?

You go to the store and buy some beer for your host and yourself. He says that his bed is big so if you like you can sleep there. Or on his fold out chair. That is the only room in the house with air-conditioning. “How about the bed in the other room?” You ask. “But no air-conditioning.” He says. Hmmm.. this is awkward. But you get your way and have a great night’s sleep spread out on your own.