On the Other Side of Warmshowers

Finally, the time has arrived I've been dreaming about while I was pedaling through the Pacific States of the US: I have settled in at home, and updated my profile on Warmshowers.org to host fellow cyclists traveling through Mexico. After being hosted by various lovely people, between Aberdeen, WA and Slab City, CA, I'm excited about being myself on the hosting end, paying forward all thatI've received through this amazing network.

My First Guests

This weekend I got to host my first guests, who filled our place with some wonderful francophone flair: Jean-Pascal from Quebec, and a couple from France, Kalima and Sylvian. Although the two traveling parties hadn't known each other before, they got along splendidly, as cyclists generally tend to. And having this one passion in common, we all shared exciting stories of the road, the people we met, as well as their destinations and the projects they're involved in.

Creative Writing - Being Paid for Adventuring

Jean-Pascal flew in from Canada, assembled his bike at the Mexico City airport, and made his way over to my place. At first I was surprised that he wanted to start his journey here, which is going to end in Ushuaia, Argentina. Why would he skip over the first part? Then he explained to me that the first part he had already completed three years ago. After rolling through Canada, the eastern United States, and northern Mexico, he suffered an accident in Mexico City and had to abandon his trip, or at least take some time off.

This year he was ready to continue in many different aspects. Having recovered his health was one thing, but at the same time he managed to find a way to finance his trip: a masters program in creative writing. His project is to write a fictional novel about a cross-continental bike ride, and the university is ready to cover his expenses along the way, as he is conducting research for his book. The story he's writing won't be his own, but since life tends to come up with stories that are weirder than fiction, he intends to draw heavily from his experiences. His sponsors seem to know this as well, so there is not even a sense of cheating anyone to obtain funding. Jean-Pascal even wants to stay in Santiago for a while to get to know the city, as that is where part of his story will to be set in. I wish him good luck, and great success with this awesome endeavor!

Filming a Documentary on Food Sustainability

Sylvian and Kalima are also traveling with an interesting project they are conducting on the way: They are filming a documentary on Food Sustainability. This covers a multitude of aspects, ranging from vegan gastronomy in California to fair-trade coffee farms in Oaxaca, all filmed and edited by these two professionals. Their project is going to take them around the world, at first down to the southern tip of South America (just like for so many other cyclists), but then they want to hit places like New Zealand, as well as Asia and Africa. I'll be looking forward to their finished work, but I'm just as excited to follow their progress on their website worldfoodorama, which already has a few amazing looking features, including their trip along the North American coast, as well as previous practice stints in Morocco and the Basque country.

Places We've Seen, People We've Met

One of the most enjoyable aspects of hosting fellow cyclists, is finding out all the things we have in common, as far as places and people we've encountered. While Jean-Pascal came in from the East, from Montreal down towards New York, then along the Appalachians into the Deep South, and through Texas into Mexico, this wasn't so much the case for us. The French couple, however, started in Vancouver in the beginning of September, and passed through many of the same places I did on my trip, sometimes with only a week between us.

What's even more interesting than places we've visited, are people we've met. By now it was not a surprise to see that they actually stayed at one of the same warmshower hosts who's also hosted me. (Hi Emma, if you're reading this!) And there were of course some other cyclists we'd both gotten to know. Most notably Beto from Guadalajara, who might be the next cyclist I'll be hosting. I've mentioned him in my post about our Halloween Encounter. His journey started in Alaska, and he's going down to Patagonia as well, though at the moment he's taking a break in his home town, giving presentations on his project. Take a look at his blog for more details.

Second Only to the Riders: The Bicycles

It filled me with this wonderful sensation, seeing the bikes of my guests, packed with their gear, ready to roll across the continent. There is nothing really that made me miss my beautiful Zorra Roja more. Looking at the bright side, it may be a good thing that I left her in Los Angeles, because watching my guests plan their trip, and pack their bikes, I was almost ready to join them on their ride!

Jean-Pascal's mount is a sturdy Rocky Mountain Sherpa, a bike made for long distance touring. The many bolt-holes on its frame are ideal to support the sturdy racks for front and rear panniers, three bottle cages, etc. Though the cantilever brakes and the drop-bars are not my favorite things, all in all I found his bicycle quite impressive.

The rides of Kalima and Sylvian got me even more excited! For them the best option was to go recumbent. Although they may get rained in their faces this way, and pedaling uphill may not be as efficient as on a conventional bike, they don't have to worry about saddle-sores either, and rolling downhill is comparable to a ride in a bob-sleigh. Kalima's bike has the steering device on top in front of her, while Sylvian prefers steering under his seat.

I didn't get to see the bicycles right away, as they arrived on foot, having left their bikes with their previous host. So the day they were leaving I just had to walk the extra mile with them to the Condesa, to get these cool pictures.

Feel Like Touring, or at least Hosting

Having these three cyclists stay with me for a few days filled me with enthusiasm! About going on a bicycle tour again, most certainly, but since I can't at the moment, hosting cyclists and getting a good glimpse at their adventures, is a close second best thing.

I can't wait for my next guests, and I wish these intrepid travelers lots of fun and successful projects!