Biciperros having a siesta

Did you miss us?

We haven’t had time for this blog lately as we very intensely did what we came here for. Pedal!

Last time we posted about beautiful mariposas Monarcas from Puebla and since then we cycled almost 2000 kms and crossed Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and are now in Quintana Roo. We knew we had to reach Laguna Bacalar by 15th April. Why? Wait for it a little.

When we entered Mexico last November, we only knew we wanted to start on Baja California and since then everything was opened. Google maps gave us few options how to carry on after ferry crossing to Mazatlan. One of them was Espinazo del Diablo to Durango. In Tuly’s house in La Paz, safe haven for many touring cyclists, we met Christian from Switzerland who was thinking about the same route. So we dropped the classical coastal route and our zig-zaging through Mexico started. Everything was dependent on who we met, who we spoke to, local advice…

That’s how we ended up in the most beautiful city (for us) in Mexico, Zacatecas. That’s how we carried on almost to the other coast, to Huasteca Potosina, because our host Pancho in Zacatecas showed us the pictures.

In the beginning of February we stayed for 2.5 weeks in San Miguel de Allende and took a fantastic Spanish course at Warren Hardy’s School. At that point we started realising that with our style of exploring Mexico it would take us few more months to get to Guatemalan border and we will be about to hit the rainy season. That was the first time when the idea of taking a break in cycling crossed our minds. But how to do this so we won’t have to use the budget for accommodation? That’s when we registered to housesitmexico.com. House and pet sitting is an amazing system of trust and good will. You help the owner by looking after the house, plants and pets while they are away and you have free accommodation in cool locations usually.

Our journey took us through central Mexico – Guanajuato, Michoacan, Estado de Mexico, Morelos… We saw suffering of the street dogs and at some point wanted to leave Mexico immediately. Usually people are not abusive but astonishingly ignorant towards the dogs. The dogs suffering from horrible skin problems, never-ending production of puppies, the dogs being kept on the roofs all day in the sun, dogs running onto a highway from the house, so many dead ones on the roads… We had three days in a row when I was tearful all the time and Tom was close to that. I was yelling at the locals and the police how they can be so blind and horrible. We were feeding the street dogs but there’s only certain amount of extra food you can carry and it won’t solve anything. But cycling all day helps with clearing your mind and an idea came.

That’s how Biciperros were born. We truly believe that the change always comes from the young and fresh minds.

We get really nice response to our dogs on the road, both from young and old. But when it comes to their own dogs or dogs on the streets, they don’t care too much. So I came up with an idea to write up a little booklet with stories of Phoebe and Lolo and how they travel the Americas, get it printed and distribute it to schools all around the country. Through the eyes of Phoebs and Lols and the way how they communicate with local dogs, we can deliver a message that some local practices are not very animal friendly. Hopefully the kids will take it home and that’s how it gets to all family members.

Do you like it? Do you think it’s feasible? We’ll obviously need few people working free of charge on it and also some sponsors for the print and delivery to schools. We’re hoping that Mexican educational institutions will be co-operative and we can even pop in some of the schools for a visit to introduce Phoebe and Lolo personally. If we manage to make it work in Mexico, we’ll continue doing it all the way down to Patagonia.

And then the opportunity for house sitting at Laguna Bacalar came and it all started making sense suddenly. We need time to work on the project and we need time to wait for the rainy season to pass. Then we’ll have a chance to explore Central America more than just simply following the highways. And we’re here to step out and explore, right?

Hope you understand now better why we are pausing “from Canada to Argentina” journey for 6 months and what we are up to. And don’t worry we’ll keep this blog active, there’s plenty of stories waiting to be told and plenty of articles on our minds. Stay with us!