José de Jesús Lomelà Contreras, better known as Pepe, is 33 years old and a proud Tototlán native. On January 17, he rode his bicycle with many dreams and the bare minimum and began a journey that took him through the entire Mexican southeast accompanied by Brutus, his faithful dog.
The motivation of these nomadas rodantes started thanks to a: we feel very Mexican and we don't know our own country.
After working and raising money during the pandemic time, he left home with 10,000 pesos, which was enough to cover the trip for almost four months.
Pepe and his puppy Brutus have completed more than 8 months since they began their adventure that has taken them to different states of the mexican republic. The trip began in Jalisco, continued to Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Morelos and the Estado de Mexico; and has also been to Nayarit, Sinaloa, Baja California, Baja California Norte, Nuevo León, San Luis PotosÃ, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Aguscalientes, Zacatecas and Mexico City.
His journey has made him a celebrity, take a look this enterview:
The limit is in us, you gain confidence and accumulate courage and strength to face brutal climbs, all kinds of roads and also many types of weather, that is the challenge, he says.
For those who wonder how Pepe and Brutus stayed during the rest of the trip once their savings ran out, you should know that he took photos of the places he visited, such as museums, archaeological sites, magical towns, the characteristic letters each place. Then he printed them on good quality paper and sold them as postcards to which he placed his particular stamp: there is no fixed price; a coin, a bill, whatever is good to continue and stay on track.
On the bicycle where he travels, Pepe carries everything he needs to live: a tent, a blanket, a mat, tools to repair the bicycle, a tarpaulin for the rain, clothes, batteries with a solar panel for his cell phone, a grill with tanks. of gas, dishes, non-perishable food, bottles of water, hydrating drinks, a medicine cabinet with medicines, a folding chair, a fishing rod protected in a tube that works as a pole for the flag that waves his Mexican pride and, of course, a little house for Brutus.
In addition, he has a small space where he keep the memories of his trips: postcards, museum tickets or representative objects of each city.
RETURN TO TOTOTLAN
It was 3:10 p.m. when Pepe and Brutus arrived at the main square of Tototlán, but on this occasion the reception was different, there was, in addition to friends and family, the municipal president, Juan Carlos Velázquez, who gave recognition to name of the people of Tototlán For his bravery in cycling through a large part of the Mexican Territory, together with his faithful adventure companion Brutus.
What's next for Pepe and Brutus? Well, now that he's back to his starting point, he's looking to rest, recharge his batteries and plan the new route that will start in 2023, after the cold season, to visit some states in the north of the country that are missing, such as Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila. , Durango and Tamaulipas.
Follow the adventures of Nomadas Rodantes in their Facebook page.
Con información de Milenio, El Sol de Tlaxcala y N +