Mexico holds a very special place in my heart. I fell in love with the place the moment I reached there. The people were genuinely sociable, warm and they were more than happy to go out of their way to help me. They were a very cheerful bunch of people who knew the right time to enjoy and knew when it was time to get serious and passionate about what they need to get done. They did not make me feel like a foreign person in a foreign land; I felt one with them.

My journey through Mexico began at Chiapas where I arrived on the 27th November 2010 and stayed for more than a month with a couple of Nepalese; Binod Mudvari and Bhusan Shrestha. I try not to travel during the festive seasons, as it is difficult to meander through the streets with thick holiday shoppers’ crowd in merry mood. Also during this time, people are more desperate for some cash and cases of thievery are higher so it is a safer bet to relax and be in the spirit of giving along with everyone else. As soon as the holiday period was over, I headed to Mexico City, the capital city of Mexico where I spent a total of 13 memorable days, cycling through the city, discovering new places with different cyclist groups Bici Cerdos and Mujeres em Bici each day but the highlight of my time there was meeting Mayor Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Environment Minister Martha Delgado and Sports Minister Hugh on the 24th of January. I am absolutely indebted to my Mexican friends; Laura Dzibs, José Allan Zepeda, Tonatiu of Alebijes, Nancy Salcedo Cabrera and Bernando Bustamante who arranged this high profile meeting. The occasion had a huge media turnout as well, the largest I ever had in my entire tour so far. I need all the media coverage as possible so I can get my message across to as many people as I can get to. They also arranged several meetings for me to get interviewed by the country’s newspapers. Following that, on the fifth of February, I cycled 1000KM towards Morelos where I was welcomed in by more media personnel. I stayed with a good friend of mine Bertha Towers and her boyfriend the four days I was there. I also had the opportunity to cycle around with their bicycle group – Povela Tera. I also got a lot of assistances from Luis Huicho Gomez and Rodolfo Corona Ramirez while I was there. Everyone was very receptive to me. I am touched by their perpetuity of kindness and thoughtfulness. Watching them make it all possible, it made me feel more confident of my purpose. I am encouraged further by their hard work. I am cycling the world for my daughters and the people of the world. I am jovial in knowing I have all the support I need.

On the contrary to all the nice people I met, before my trip down to Mexico, I had been warned to be extra vigilant and caution about travelling in certain parts of the city as general public think of it unsafe, especially for the travellers. Though Monterrey is said to have quite the reputation, I did not encounter any unfortunate circumstances. I experienced it on my way to Mexico City when three gangsters with black masks covering their faces and gloves securing their fingerprints came towards me wielding their guns in the 11am bright sunlight I knew I could be in trouble. It was just a mere second of “flight or fight” consideration. They may have weapons which could easily kill me on the spot but I had an idea. Any intelligent men out there would agree with me when I say an idea can be far more dangerous than any deadly weapons. This is not my first encounter with muggers and most likely not my last. I had 170 peso (about USid=”mce_marker”4) in my wallet among other currencies. I was exhausted and famished from the cycling I had done the entire morning. They asked me where I was from, I said from Nepal.I told them I was on my way to La Ciudad de México and I told them I did not have money on me. They were quick to think and asked me how I would eat if I did not have money. What they did not know was I had a plan readied. I told them I depended on people like them to provide me with the money to survive. They probably realised that if they continued with the robbery, it would be them getting robbed instead of me and they walked off leaving me without a scratch. Without a bone of fear in me, I was not the inferior one there and they knew they could not scare me off and have me surrender all my valuables. So be a risk taker. Fear does no men well; it just puts you at more danger than the situation really is. But, of course, with all my bizarre experiences, this is just natural survival instinct coming into action. In my own opinion, Mexico is a safe place unless you are flashy with what you have just like every other place and their share of muggers.

All in all, Mexico has truly been an extraordinary experience, all thanks to the many dedicated friends I made there.