Mulege -> Bay of Concepcion -> Lorreto

Again, not quite sure where to start. It doesn't seem like I'd forget the smaller details of this tour, seeing as how my days aren't bogged down with work or anything too busy. However, the less I do and the more I ride, the less I remember and the more I forget. Anyway, I woke up on Christmas with no plans other than to share some breakfast with Rich and Melodi, two motorcycle tourists. They made some French toast, eggs and fruit salad. It was quite delicious and felt like something I'd have to eat back home. Rich and Melodi are great people! If you'd like to know about their journey, visit 2 Wheels 2 Live on Facebook. They're still in Mulege and let me tell you, they know how to relax.

After eating I packed up my rig, said farewell to Rich and Melodi and hit the road toward Coyote Beach, in the Bay of Concepcion. Short ride, just under 30km, but I knew that Bobby and Alix were staying there so I figured it'd be fun to share Christmas night with them. My stomach was still acting up, so the short ride felt much longer. After an hour and a half of riding I found the exit to the beach and soon after, Bobby and Alix's site. They were off having dinner with folks they befriended, so I just hung out and napped on the beach.

Later that night we were reunited once again. I met Cameron, Michelle and Deadra, Bobby and Alix's friends from Oakland, who drove down to say hi and to bring Bobby a replacement front wheel. We all hung out next to a fire with another couple, Brandy and Trevor until it was time for bed. Good times. I love falling asleep with the sound of waves crashing just yards from my tent. My stomach pain still was not settled and again woke me up several times throughout the night.

The next day was as lazy as it could be. I napped, ate a little bit and napped some more. Later in the afternoon, three more bicycle tourists showed up. We all ate some shrimp tacos together. Cameron, bought a bag of shrimp from a guy on the beach and like an assembly line, we de-shelled and de-pooped them. First time I've done that... Sushi chef is definitely cut from the list of occupations I'd enjoy having. The tacos were very tasty, though. Again, my stomach made me uncomfortable all day and I just couldn't sleep well at all.

The next morning led to a day I'll never forget. My stomach pain grew worse. I decided to make a break for Lorreto, the next town, 107km away. After riding for 30 minutes, I threw up the meal I ate for breakfast and with it all of the water I drank. I kept riding... I just wanted to get to Lorreto and to a clinic to help me diagnose the stomach issue. After throwing up my breakfast, I knew I wouldn't make it without nutrition and energy in my body. I stopped riding and prepared some lunch for myself. After eating and before getting back on my bike again, I threw up every bit of my lunch and once more, the water I drank. At this point I was in the middle of nowhere. My options were to set up camp without much water or to attempt making it into Lorreto. I realized it would be very, very stupid for me to camp without a good amount water, especially if I would just throw it all up. I decided to use what little energy I had to keep pushing. In between lunch and getting into Lorreto, I was startled by a car horn and the feeling of the wind as it zoomed passed me. I was in the middle of the road when it passed and I realized that the car horn had woke me up and that while on my bike, my eyes had closed and I was falling asleep. I was seriously dehydrated and exhausted. The sun was blistering with no clouds in the sky. My body was shutting down, however it soon surprised me. I was hungry and dehydrated, but the last 20km just flew by. My legs kicked into another gear and I was zooming. I felt brain dead and like I was on a small dose of acid, but my legs felt like an engine. I was telling my dad on the phone that I think it was my body going into survival mode, putting all of its energy into the muscles that were being used to get me to a safe place. Really bizarre feeling. After 6 hours on the saddle, I coasted into Lorreto and called my folks. I didn't have service until this point. It was a struggle putting sentences together. I was completely shot.

Unfortunately, this day just couldn't end on a good note. I went to an ATM to withdraw cash for a hotel, so I could use the cash I had to pay for a visit to a clinic. "Your card cannot be read." Worst feeling in the world. The magnetic strip on my card was scratched and couldn't be swiped. I can't withdraw cash. Awesome, right? No, not awesome at all. Sadly, the cheap hotels in Mexico only take cash, which I needed for the clinic. I found a ritzy hotel that was able to manually enter my card number, so fortunately I did get a room. This whole thing would've been easier to deal with if I hadn't been on the verge of collapsing due to dehydration and complete exhaustion.

The next day I went to the clinic. Before I go further... IN MEXICO YOU CAN PAY $50 AND GET MEDICAL ATTENTION IN MINUTES. ON TOP OF THAT YOU'LL GET RESULTS IN JUST HOURS. !! IN MEXICO !! WHAT THE HELL AMERICA!!!! GET YOU SHIT TOGETHER! PUT YOUR POLITICAL RIVALRIES AND BULLSHT ASIDE AND HELP THE PEOPLE THAT NEED YOU F****** HELP!!!

Okay, continuing, I got my results and because of eColi, I was suffering from Travelers Diarrhea aka Montezumas Revenge aka the Aztec Two Step aka A PAIN IN MY F****** ASS! Sorry, long week. Anyway, the doctor advised against antibiotics and told me to rest and drink drink drink. Electrolytes. Electrolytes are key!

Now, back to the money issue. My folks have a back-up card of mine, but it's going to take awhile to receive it down here. They wired me some cash via Western Union. I was going through town hitting up the banks that offered WU services. Closed. Closed. Closed. It was Saturday. I asked some military dudes where I could go and within seconds they were helping me load my bike into their truck. We zoomed off, me sitting in the back of the bed, total Mexican style, with four military dudes holding automatic rifles, wearing camo and full face masks. Classic. I was just going with the flow and despite the language barrier I knew they were helping me. Five minutes later we pulled into a small parking lot and there it was, an open Western Union that was closing in ten minutes. Immediately I knew the military guys knew it was closing and got me there in time. It is closed today, so if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been able to get money until tomorrow, which would have left me without money for the weekend. Thank you, Mexican Military, you saved my day!

Now for today, I woke up and am feeling a bit better. Well, much better. I slept all night, uninterrupted. Another good night tonight and I might be ready to hit the road again. Less than 400km to La Paz and a ferry which will take me to mainland Mexico. Crazy. Almost done with the Baja.

All for now. Peeeeeace!