Day 16 The other Washington

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Distance driven today: 358 miles / 576 km

Cumulative distance driven: 4,811 miles / 7,743 km

Today’s trip: Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico to Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico

Driving for one hour in cataclysmic rain: yes

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Today I drove through the rural regions of the Chihuahua and the Duragno federal districts. Choosing to drive on less trafficked roads has certain advantages. The pace is slower, and you get to enjoy the cultural and geographic scenery, in a way that is difficult when taking bigger roads or actual highways. Due to the significant heat, I had to stop at least once each hour and have something to drink, in order to hydrate myself! Every time I stopped at a smaller town or village along the road, to go into the general store to buy some water or soft drink, I would get several people hovering around my motorcycle.



I have seen few, if any large motorcycles on the roads outside towns, and then it is typically only small scooters. In rural areas, it appears that people have barely ever seen such a large motorcycle. But it is the types of questions that I got when I stopped at the smaller villages, that gave me a healthy sense of perspective. And perspective is exactly what travelling in other countries and meeting other people is all about.

The typical conversation, each time I would stop at a local general store in a small town, went something like this:

Mexican man or woman: your lincense plate says Washington. So you are from the capital of the United States?

Christer: No, I am from the other Washington. It is a state, in the north western corner of the US. I am from Seattle.

Mexican man or woman: Seattle? Never heard of that. You mean the capital of the US, right?

Christer in somewhat inaccurate Spanish: Washington D.C. the capital and that state of Washington are two different.

Mexican man or woman: What? So where are you headed to with that big motobike?

Christer: Argentina.

Mexican man or woman: That is a really small village in southern Durango province. Very few people travel there, but it is mucho beautiful.

Christer: No, I am headed to Argentina the country in South America. I am going to Tierra Del Fuego.

Mexican man or woman: what? That is very, very far away. Are you really driving this motorcycle all the way to Argentina?

At this stage, the Mexican man or woman, would call his or her friends in the store, or parked truck outside the store, to have them come see the motorcycle and tell them the incredible story of the gringo who is driving to South America!

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