Today will be a short 60 mile day to Guanajuato and the timing is great. Mike has got the beginnings of Montezuma’s Revenge and we are both ready to be off the bikes. When we wake up we walk out on a small 3rd floor patio across from our room and see hot air balloons floating above one of the many churches on an absolutely perfect morning. We eat a leisurely breakfast at the same restaurant as last night and I get my fix of Huevos y Chirizos. A taxi takes us to our bikes. The back seats of these taxis aren’t made for big guys like me and I almost need the jaws of life to get out.

Back on the bikes, we pass two reservoirs on the way out of town. Drinking out of one of the two would kill your children back in the states. I half expect a four eyed fish to come walking across the road. The other reservoir looked potable.

Down Hwy 51 to 45 the road is great as is the temperature. It looks like a local bicycle club is out for a ride/race and have the local police as traffic control. We even pass a motorcycle tour group heading the other way where most of the bikes are Stroms. Tour group! We don’t need no stinkin’ tour group. Adventure Touring doesn’t begin with a fifty-percent deposit.

One of our fears on this trip are the roads in Guanajuato. The town is built in a canyon and the roads follow the meanderings of the earth’s contour. Since the architecture in the town is protected you can’t put in a main highway. Instead, they dug under the town and put in the most bizarre set of tunnels you will ever see. Picture the flow of roads in a regular Mexican village and then bury those same roads. A single tunnel will have several merging roads. Heck with testing the Mars Rover in the desert, bring it here.

A second fear we have is not finding a motel easily. Upon entering town the signs are great and we settle on the Hotel Real de Minas, whose entrance looks like the entrance to a castle. Our room is one of the best of the trip and the hotel has all the amenities. We’ll take a cab into town later.

Our plan changes slightly thanks to the desk clerk and we take a taxi to the statue of El Papila. Papila is one of the many heroes of the Mexican War for Independence. Carrying a flat stone on his back to protect himself from musket fire, he set the door of the granary on fire. Inside the Spanish barricaded themselves along with the riches of the area. The statue sits on a hill overlooking the city at over 6,000 ft. Getting there via a cab was a great choice. Everything is downhill from this point.

We climb the narrow stairway and ladder to the top of the statue. At the top is a small 6x6 foot clear plastic cubicle right behind the head and arm of the statue. Eight of us are crammed into this area whose floor is ½ ladder entrance. OSHA would go absolutely nuts if they saw this arrangement. On the one hand, I feel like a rat trapped in a Plexiglas box and there are even 'air' holes cut into the corners. On the other hand, the view and experience are worth the climb.

At the bottom of the statue we get a better view of the city. This must be one of the top ten views in all of Mexico. From this vantage point the city fills the canyon below from left to right and every color in the palette is used on the buildings. How can we ever leave this view? How can I ever look at another city without it paling in comparison? Certainly it isn’t a modern city but it is a city with culture and history. There lies its charm.

After looking down at the city from above it dawns on us that we are looking at a 3D version of our map. Once we figure out where everything is, we have a snack of fruit from a local vendor and head to the incline railway that takes you down a 42 degree incline into the city. I promptly lose the ticket I just bought and have to pay the conductor a couple of bucks to get in the car. Later that ticket would reappear and become a souvenir. At least that’s what I’m going to call it.

Most of the city is a pedestrian mall and it’s easy to get around. Every corner has a quintessential church, museum, park or view. Since the beauty of the surroundings has overloaded my senses what else can be said. To the right of the big church (above picture) is the Juarez Theater. With the flight of steps out front, this area becomes a mini-outdoor theater.

	Across from the church is a wonderful plaza that is almost completely covered with a tree canopy. The plaza is lined with outdoor cafe and benches upon which babies go from an idea to a reality. Tongue is a popular dish among the young crowd. Wandering around the city we are taken by the architecture and serenity, even with the crowds.

We take in the Don Quixote Museum that has every rendition of the great knight, and then head to the Diego Rivera museum.

After that we sit in an outdoor café on the Plaza de La Paz and have a snack. It is a Saturday and there are a lot of people and vendors. Mike is in heaven and he would still be there today if he didn’t realize his tourist visa would eventually expire.

After a snack we wander down the street to a merchants market which is housed in what appears to be a large hanger. I can't imagine trying to land a plane anywhere near this town. The market is a combination of souvenir stands and a large grocery market. For the most part, the second floor houses the souvenirs while the ground floor has the food. In the future you are going to smell things that are an affront to the senses. It's just a part of life. Take a walk back to the area where the butchers are working and you will have a point of comparison for future smells.

Once we leave the market it's easy to hail a cab for the trip to the motel. It’s going to be hard to beat this day and this city. The motel is quiet and I sleep like a rock.