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Around the world by bike
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Mexico (5 356km - 157days) |
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1 - 2 September - Corozal, Belize – Chetumal, Mexico - 27km
We cycled the 13 km to the border;
this time there was a bit of a hiccup. On entering Belize the
nice lady at immigration had given the
There was no doubt that we were now in
Mexico, land of colour, sombreros, big American pick-up trucks,
and Corona beer. We cycled into Chetumal, the first town across
the border. We needed to find a bank and
a bike
shop as Ernest desperately needed some bike spares. We found a
nice cheap room in the centre
of town,
and went looking for a bike shop. Luckily we
found
some reasonable bike spares. I also found a good road map of the
country.
We stayed the following day so Ernest could work on his bike, and gave the working parts on both bikes a bit of a clean. He worked on his bike all day long as the spares we’d found were not exactly the right thing and he had to do some modifications to make things fit. However, we did have time to walk down to the bayside waterfront, and I scoffed two of the delicious batter-fried sausage things that they sell on the street (and still had space to sip a cold Sol to see out the day).
It seems that there are so many interesting things in Mexico that we will take a long time to travel through this country (well, we only have to be out again on 23 February next year).
3 September - Chetumal – Limones - 94km
Mexico was more
organised
and developed than
expected. We found the road smooth, wide and with a good
shoulder as we headed north. The road
led us
past beautiful Laguna Bacalar and although there were plenty
4 September - Limones – Felipe Carrillo Puerto - 63km It was boiling hot again as we set off and followed the road north. It was easy cycling along a flat road. As it was densely wooded, the scenery was rather unchanged except for the occasional small “Loncheria” where we stopped to fill up with water.
We pulled into the small town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto with its rather interesting history. The main church on the plaza is known to be the only church in Mexico to be built by white slaves.
We found a room at Chan Sante Cruze Hotel with rooms around a cool and grassy courtyard. The courtyard was littered with the most adorable little garden ornaments.
5 - 6 September - Felipe Carrillo Puerto – Tulum - 115km
It was blistering hot as we cycled along,
this time we found no villages and hardly anywhere to fill up
with water. Fortunately, we
spotted a well along the way
where
we stopped and filled up. Once we reached Tulum I was surprised
to find such a touristy place. The main road was lined with
curio shops, restaurants and bars. Not much Mexican about this
part
I felt frustrated as we cycled towards the ruins, as it was hot and I felt tired, just to find them already closed. Accommodation was rather expensive so we cycled back to the main village and found a room on the main road. Although the room was fitted with a fan it hardly did anything to cool the air. Well, what did I expect!! This is a tourist town with prices to match! The beach is said to be rather nice but it was quite a distance from the town. It is amazing how some places become popular for no reason at all.
7 - 8 September - Tulum – Playa Del Carmen - 75km
We stayed in Tulum for a day. I left
Ernest at
the hotel the following morning, and on my way out of town I
popped into
the ruins. Tulum was one of the last cities inhabited and built
by the Mayans; it was at its
zenith
between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to survive about
70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Old World
diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have
I cycled along on my own to Playa Del Carmen, which turned out to be a fairly large and very touristy city. I turned down to the beach and found a hostel (very expensive) but I stayed for 2 days as the beach was rather nice.
Little did I know that there are two basic categories of tequila: mixtos and 100% agave. Mixtos is mainly used for mixes such as Margaritas, etc. While the 100% agave tequila, is used for shots. As with other spirits that are aged in casks, it is darker and more mellow.
9 - 10 September - Playa Del Carmen – Cancun - 70km
I cycled along what is known as the
Riviera Maya, and although the road ran next to the ocean, I did
not once see it. The entire coast is lined with resorts, each
one
more fancy than the other. Cancun is a world-renowned tourist
destination. It is a strange
I, (*sad face*) unfortunately had to find myself a room in the city centre as the “Hotel Zone” is slightly out of my price range (in fact they may not even allow me in, ha-ha).
Actually, staying in downtown Cancun was not too bad as it had a distinct local flavour. The central plaza came alive after sunset, with locals gathering for a chat and eating from the many food stalls there.
11 September - Cancun – Chemax - 136km
I left Cancun and headed
west
across the Yucatan Peninsula towards Merida. The road was flat
and quite interesting with many small
I was happy that I could close the door and be out of the public eye. The room was as bare boned as it comes, except for 1000´s of mosquitos and the evidence of the previous visitor still clearly visible. I gave it a good ol´ spray and went in search of a beer and tacos. The most wonderful thing about a room is that one can have a shower!!! There is nothing quite like a shower after a long and hot day on the road. I was happy!!
12 September - Chemax – Piste - 80km
It was an easy ride to Piste past a few
small villages, Tequila factories and agave
13 September - Piste – Izamal - 77km
In the morning I went past Ernest where he
was camping but he was not yet ready so I set off down the back
roads towards Merida. It
A few kilometres down the road, I reached the interesting town of Izamel with its impressive historic architecture. The entire town is in an okra colour - no wonder Izamal is known is "The Yellow City". It was an important city of the Pre-Columbian Mayan civilization with temples to the creator deity, Itzamna, and to the Sun God, Kinich Ahau.
I took a room in Posada Flory, and that night Ernest and I almost lost each other again, as he was sent away twice when he came looking for me (amazingly, none of the staff could remember a tourist woman on a loaded bike). Luckily, the second time I heard his voice and emerged from my room to sort out the confusion!
14 - 19 September - Izamel – Merida - 70km
It was once again a fascinating ride past
small villages steeped in history, fascinating cultures and
interesting architecture. Again we got caught in the rain but
We were smack bang in the middle of the Historic Centre, and that evening we took a walk about town with locals and tourists alike.
Sunday came with a bang! I went outside to see what the commotion was all about and found that it was Independence Day! Happy Independence Day, Mexico!! The parades continued through the day and it was quite interesting to watch all the various groups march past. The centre was a hive of activity with food stalls and souvenirs for sale. I tried to take some pictures but it was impossible to get even a half decent pic of the parades without getting and odd arm, leg or headless person in the shot.
On Monday we set off to the visa office (appointment No.1) and were photographed, finger-printed and had our papers checked. All was seemingly in order and we were sent off with a long list of stuff NOT to take with us to the Embassy the following day, including a lawyer, family members, food, toothpaste, etc. My word, how long did they expect that interview to last!!??
Appointment No. 2 arrived. We arrived at
the consulate with armloads of supporting
documents,
but at least without the attorney, supporting family members and
snacks for the long wait!! We waited in line until we were
called to enter the building. We entered room no. 1
where
we were given a numbered ticket and told to wait until
our
number was called. Our papers were checked and we were told to
take a seat until we were called to enter room No.2. Here again
we waited until our number appeared on the board,
After the visit to the consulate we went looking for a bike shop, which we found down one of the side streets. I bought a whole lot of stuff for my bike and we returned to the room.
While Ernest worked on the bikes I went wondering around town. I stopped outside the Iglesia de Jesus, built in the early 17th century from stones that had once been temples of the ancient Mayan city of T'ho. While wondering around I met an interesting man who told me the history of the church and pointed out some old stones on the outer walls which still had some Mayan writing on it. LOL, in truth his intentions were most likely to sell me a hammock or a Panama hat, two items which Merida is very famous for. Nevertheless, he was very interesting and we chatted a way for quite a while about the city and the history of the Maya.
20 September - Merida – Maxcanu - 67km
It was time to pack up again; we loaded
the bikes and cycled past the DHL office to pick up our visas.
With our passports and American Visa now safely in our pockets
we set off down the road in the direction of Campeche. Again,
the small villages we passed along the way were fascinating. We
also passed a few of the old henequen Haciendas (farms) along
the way. In its heyday,
these farms were very well-
In the village of Maxcanu, we cycled slap bang into the middle of a lively festival (still part of the Independence Day commemorations). We decided to stay, found a room just off the plaza and settled in. The square was packed with food stalls, games, trampolines, and kiddies’ rides. People, old and young, were out enjoying the festivities. The kids played in the square and the older folks sat on plastic chairs along the sidewalk. I took my camera and joined the villagers, but I think more pictures were taken of me than what I took of the festival!!! Fireworks, floats and marches continued until late into the night.
21 - 22 September - Maxcanu- Campeche - 122km
It was an interesting day on the road as
we cycled through many
small villages. These villages are all interesting with typical
Mexican central plazas with a church, a municipal building and
always some statue of sorts in the middle. We cycled past Becal,
famous for the making of Panama Hats;
even the central fountain is made of gigantic concrete hats! We
stopped so many times that it was fairly late by
Campeche came as a pleasant surprise; we cycled straight into the old Historic Centre. Campeche is a beautifully restored town with pastel coloured houses, narrow cobblestone streets and fortified ramparts. Many of the old city walls and fortifications, which protected the city from pirates and buccaneers, still exist. The city is so well preserved that it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We found a room and also stayed the following day to explore the old town.
As usual, I searched out the Municipal market. I love markets - I love the light, the smells, the interesting people, the chaos, and I can wonder around for hours. I wandered around the colourful streets of Campeche, past old plazas with interesting and beautiful churches, down narrow lanes with interesting sculptures.
23 September - Campeche – Champoton - 67km
It was a beautiful ride as the smaller of
the two roads which we were on,
ran
through the hills and at times next to the ocean. It seems that
the easier and more scenic the road,
the longer we take!!
As usual, 3km from Champoton, the heavens opened up and it bucketed down on us!!! We arrived in Champoton amidst thunder, lightning and pouring rain, and pulled into the first place that looked like it had rooms. It turned out to be quite a nice place with hot water and air-con!!! We dripped rainwater all over their shiny floors and the hotel lady seemed to follow with mop in hand - she could not have been too pleased with us. The coast around Champoton is very shallow and it is famous for cheap and plentiful shrimp cocktails. The road was littered with movable food stalls, all selling shrimp cocktails.
24 September - Champoton – Sanbancuy - 71km
25 September - Sabancuy - Cuidad Del Carmen - 87km
We followed the coast and spotted some oil
rigs
far out to sea, indicating that Mexico has indeed its own oil
fields. No wonder the price of petrol is so low. In fact I would
say, lower than market value as so far we have only
We stopped numerous times to admire the view and just watched the pelicans diving for food. Along the road I spotted some blood-red berries, which looked quite good but I was reluctant to try them as I did not know whether death would be instant or a slow, painful, drawn out process. I feared the latter so I only took some pictures and left the berries alone.
26 September - Cuidad Del Carmen – Frontera - 100km
We cycled into the small town of Frontera, another typical Mexican town with a central square, church, food stalls and municipal buildings.
27 - 28 September - Frontera – Paraiso - 81km
We turned off the main road and followed
the smaller coastal road past small pueblos with
colourful
buses. Along the way we stopped for a
cold drink
and I always find the
We continued on to Paraiso, a small town with a large central plaza and home to the colourful San Marcos Church.
We also stayed the following day. I did my laundry and as the town hosts an interesting market I went on a walkabout, strolling through the markets and narrow streets, enjoying the local food, shopping for chili peppers and just enjoying the local culture.
29 - 30 September - Paraiso – Villahermosa - 81km
It was boiling hot by the time we left and
it was one of those days that the heat really got to me. I felt
exhausted and it seemed that I could not keep those wheels
turning. Hardly 20km down the road, we took a look at Comalcalco,
a Chontal Maya archaeological site, not
too
far off our route. As soon as we arrived the mosquitos descended
on us like bats
We continued on to Villahermosa, past Cunduacan, a large University town. Along the way we stopped for a cold drink and I could not believe that I got attacked by fire ants, yet again!!
We arrived in Villahermosa in peak hour
traffic, not something I needed in that oppressing heat! We
found a room across from the local market, where we bought
Villahermosa turned out to be an interesting city with a large and busy old center where the smell of local Mexican food hangs in the air. The pedestrian malls in the city centre make for easy wandering around.
The following day we stayed in Villahermosa to visit Parque La Venta, where there are Olmec artifacts from the La Venta archaeological site. The artifacts were moved here for protection from oil exploration activities at the original site. The park is best known for its ten foot high Olmec basalt carved heads. Little is known of the Olmecs which makes them even more mysterious. There are 28 Olmec carvings in the park and the pieces are well placed in a lush tropical garden. The park is quite large with a zoo and lake, so we spent some time wandering around.
1 - 3 October - Villahermosa – Teapa - 70km
We headed inland along the flat banana
covered plains towards The Sierra Madre de Chiapas en route to
the Pacific coast. It was hot and humid as we cycled onto Teapa
It was bucketing down so we stayed put in Teapa and instead went to visit the nearby caves. The caves were fascinating, with eight chambers and an underground stream. The walls were covered with stalagmites and stalactites and it was beautifully lit up, but the best was that we were the only people there. I took loads of pics but none really captured the beauty of the caves; I wish I had a tri-pod.
4 October - Teapa – Tapilula - 80km
We left Teapa and soon were on our way up
the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. It was an exceptionally scenic
road, past waterfalls, across rivers, under moss-covered cliffs
and past small mountain villages
deep
down in the valleys. We were going at a snail’s pace – higher
and higher up the mountains. When I heard people referring to
the road as the “old mountain highway”, I should have known we
were in for some climbing. It was after 17h00 when we arrived at Tapilula, found a room, and wandered around the village in
search of food and drink.
5 October - Tapilula – Pueblo Nuevo Solistahuacan - 37km We were hoping that we were close to the top, but the road headed straight up the mountain again and we climbed and climbed. Slowly we edged our way up until we reached the cloud level, but still the winding road took us higher and higher. The fog was thick and cool and at times I could hardly see Ernest behind me. The road was narrow and steep and I needed all my energy and concentration just to keep the bike in a straight line and out of the way of the traffic in the low visibility.
Finally we arrived in the mountain village of Pueblo Nuevo with a square, a market, a few shops and the usual roadside stalls selling tacos. Luckily for us, these mountain villages all seem to have some kind of accommodation. We found a nice room with a hot shower, and due to the altitude it was the first time in many a month that I needed a blanket!
6 October - Pueblo Nuevo Solistahuacan – Bochil - 40km
7 - 8 October - Bochil – Chiapa de Corzo - 70km
From Bochil we headed straight up the
mountain for about 12km and then down into the valley for
another 12km. That set the scene for the rest of the day,
as we seemed to climb up mountains and descended into valleys
all day long. Finally we reached the huge descent into Chiapa de
Corzo and flew down the mountain at breakneck speed. We sped
down the switchbacks all the
Chiapa de Corzo turned out to be a rather interesting old colonial city with a long history.
The following day I took the boat up the Canon del Sumidero, a spectacular ride where cliffs soar above the River Grijalva, past equally spectacular waterfalls cascading down the steep cliffs. The boat ride offered stunning views of the gorge. Along the way we spotted crocodiles, monkeys and plenty of bird life. The Sumidero Canyon is a narrow and deep canyon surrounded by a national park. I believe that the canyon’s creation began around the same time as the Grand Canyon in the U.S., formed by a crack in the area’s crust and erosion by the Grijalva River.
9 October - Chiapa de Corzo – Tuxtla - 16km
10 October - Tuxtla – Cintalapa - 83km It was a steady 25km climb before we reached a downhill for another 25km. I never complained about the downhill section and was more than happy when (at the end of the day) we rounded a corner and saw the road, yet again, heading downhill to what seemed like a long flat section. Once down, the road was however not as flat as it looked from the top.
In the small town of Cintalapa we found a room at the Hotel Palatsio; it was not much of a palace but comfortable enough for the night. Ernest cooked up a mean spaghetti bolognaise, which we devoured in record time.
11 October - Cintalapa – San Pedro Tapanatepec - 80km
Soon after we left,
we met
two
cyclists going in the opposite direction. I expect that we will
now start to see more cyclists as we are on
12 October - San Pedro Tapanatepec – Juchitan de Zaragopza - 111km
Every day comes with its own set of
problems, and down on the flats we had to deal with the wind. We
cycled past the town of La Ventosa - which (I think) means "the
windy place" in Spanish. La Ventosa is in the heart of a giant
wind farm along the Isthmus of
13 October - Juchitan de Zaragoza – Morro Mazatan - 73km I was mentally unprepared for the hills, wind and heat. We followed the coastal road, which did not run flash next to the coast but mostly inland over the hills. From time to time we caught glimpses of the coast but then the road turned inland over the hills again. Long slow hills with, I must admit, also long slow downhills. Eventually we passed the tiny peblo of Marro Mazatan with a tiny tienda, a restaurant with three rooms and a few houses. We booked into one of the rooms and Ernest cooked a huge meal which we had no problem polishing off.
14 October - Morro Mazatan – Barra de la Cruz - 94km
15 October - Barra de la Cruz – San Pedro Pochutla - 70km
16 - 17 October - San Pedro Pochutla – Puerto Escondido - 70km The road finally seemed to level out and it was the flattest the road has been in days! We soon arrived in Puerto Escondido and headed straight for Playa Zicatela.
We spent the day at Puerto Escondido where the waves are fast and furious. The beach is also known as The Mexican Pipeline, one of the top ten surfing meccas in the world. We stopped at Playa Zicatela, known for its dangerous surf breaks where the waves are extremely powerful! There is a certain electricity in the air when the big waves roll in, a feel of madness and craziness prevail as these powerful waves provide adrenalin rushing rides.
I am naturally drawn to the pounding of the waves and I´m sure that most people can spend hours gazing at the waves rolling in. Sitting there I could almost feel the power of the waves crashing ashore. I took loads of pictures just sitting there and enjoying the spectacle.
18 October - Puerto Escondido – Roca Blanca - 45km
It was a really interesting cycle past
lakes and farmlands. Soon after we left,
we
We found a rather interesting beach with some great palapa restaurants on the beach. The coast is wonderfully undeveloped and October is such a good time to travel here as it is uncrowded and prices are low. It did not take us long to make up our minds to stay for the night. It was a beautiful beach with hardly anyone around. The room was rather interesting as it was no more than a few planks stuck together. After sunset the bugs descended and there were little else to do but turn off the lights, turn the fans on full, and cover yourself with a sheet!!
19 October - Roca Blanca – San Jose del Progresso - 48km
So far I have only seen one brand of petrol in Mexico - my guess is that gasoline and diesel prices are subsidised, since the Mexican government owns the production. It is possible that the government subsidises gas prices in order to curb inflation and make fuel affordable to the poor. No wonder they all drive huge petrol guzzling monsters!!
20 October - San Jose del Progresso – Santiago Pinotepa Nacional - 60km
It was one of those blistering hot days
that leave a person totally drained. We headed over the hills as
the road headed inland.
It was so
21 October - Santiago Pinotepa Nacional – Cuajiniculapa - 57km Although it was still a rather hot day, I did not find the heat as bad as the day before. After some time of cycling I stopped to wait for Ernest who disappeared into thin air. After waiting for a while I turned back to see what had happened just to find him around the corner replacing a gear cable. We continued on, and as the road flattened out it was not a bad ride after all. In fact, it was rather scenic with wild flowers growing two meters high along the road; beautiful colours of yellow, orange and purple made it a wonderful ride.
22 October - Cuajiniculapa – Marquelia - 66km
At first we were lured into thinking that
it was going to be an easy day as we started off along a
relatively flat road. Soon, however, it was boiling hot as we
headed
We found ourselves a room in Marquelia with air-con - unfortunately the air-con did not work so we asked for another room with a slightly more effective air-con. That evening it never really cooled down and at 22h00 it was still 30°C but felt like 36°!!
23 October - Marquelia – San Marcos - 81km
24 - 26 October - San Marcos – Acapulco - 86km It was another sweltering hot day, and even the beautiful wild flowers along the road seemed a bit faded. The way into Acapulco was far more challenging than expected. The road climbed steeply up the mountain and then descended into the beautiful bay of Acapulco. Once in the city it was easy to find a room as there were so many hotels one could pick and choose. It was still the low season and most places offered good deals.
At least there was still time to go see the famous Cliff divers of Acapulco. Not only do they plummet from an amazing height into a narrow channel, they also have to time the dive with the incoming waves, as the channel is not very deep. Getting to the top of the cliff is another challenge, as first the divers have to swim across the channel and then, like geckos, climb up the steep cliff to the top where they seem to ask for protection at a little shrine, from what can only be the Diving Gods.
27 - 29 October - Acapulco – Mexico City - (by bus)
At 9h30 we boarded a rather comfortable bus for the long ride to Mexico City. The bus ride was approximately five hours and took us from sea level to about 2,400m.
On arriving in Mexico City, it felt like a whole new country. The city is huge and has a population of nearly 20 million people. The city is vibrant and cosmopolitan, full of life, colour and weird and wonderful people. The city is ranked as the eighth richest city in the world and sitting at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres, it is therefore much cooler than Acapulco.
We headed straight for the historic centre known as The Zocalo. The heart of the area is the main square which is the largest square in Latin America and the third largest in the world after Moscow’s Red Square and Beijing's Tiananmen Square. I may also add that I think it is one of the most beautiful, surrounded by beautiful old buildings, the main cathedral and the Palacio Nacional.
Currently the city is preparing for two major festivals; The Festival of Mime and the streets are therefore already full of silent shows with performances by mime artists, and the Day of the Dead / Skulls Festival and just about all the shops are made up and kids are running around in scary costumes.
I kept an eye on the news for the approaching Hurricane Sandy. The news did not seem good as it appeared to grow both in size and strength as it headed for the East Coast of the United States. All flights to and from Washington were cancelled for the 28th and 29th and I feared that my flight the following day would also be cancelled.
30 - 31 October - Mexico City (and Veracruz)
1 November - Veracruz
It was the “Day of the Dead” (Dia de los
Muertos);
a time when people remember and
honour
their deceased loved ones. The idea is that the spirits return
on this one
In the centre of town is a wonderful market where one could find pretty much anything and have just about anything fixed from clothes, bags, wallets, shoes, etc. For a small amount I had a new zipper put in my bag and I then headed to the waterfront for a short boat ride around the harbour with beautiful sunset views. As if that was not enough, I hopped on a bus for a short tour of the city, all loads of fun.
2 November - Veracruz – Mexico City - By Bus
The following day Ernest and I took the underground to another part of town, partly to see if I could locate a United Airlines office, and partly to see another part of town. I also looked for a few gifts but none seemed appropriate for what I wanted, as I was determined only to take hand luggage.
The plane landed in Dakar but unfortunately we were not allowed to disembark. The good thing however was that the people sitting next to me left in Dakar and I had the entire row of seats to myself.
5 - 6 November - Mexico City – Cape Town
The following day Ernest and
I took
the underground to another part of town;
partly to see if I could locate a United Airlines office, and
Finally the 5th arrived and it as “take two” as I took an early morning taxi to the airport. Ernest took the underground to the bus station for his bus back to Acapulco. I booked in and was ready for my LONG and arduous flight to Cape Town. The first leg was a 4-hour flight from Mexico City to Washington. The flight was completely full and after boarding there was no space for my carry-on bag in the overhead compartment and it got booked in with the other luggage. On arrival at Washington Airport my carry-on bag seemed to have disappeared - so much for my determination only to take hand luggage! It did however reappear later and as the airport is huge I had to run like mad to make my connecting flight.
The second leg of the journey took me from
Washington to Dakar. The plane landed in Dakar to refuel but
unfortunately we were not allowed to disembark. The good thing,
however, was that the people sitting next to me left in Dakar
and I had the e
I got picked up from the airport by Amanda and Erika and drove home in luxury. We sat talking until the early hours of the morning, like only sisters can! My internal clock was completely out-of-sync and after about 3 hours sleep I was wide awake again. That set the trend for the next few days.
7-9 November - Cape Town The next few days we ate, drank and chatted nonstop! The kids all seemed to have grown to double their height since I last saw them!! They have gone from kids to young, beautiful adults!! I sat listening to their life journeys and was utterly amazed at their maturity. How time flies!!!
10 - 30 November - Cape Town Erika organised a wonderful weekend away at the nearby West Coast National Park. We did almost nothing except for eating and drinking….. Fantastic! Amanda and I managed a few days away to Stilbaai to visit my mum and to relax in our ancient holiday home.
I was terribly bad as I saw none of my friends I wanted to see. Instead I did absolutely nothing most of the time. I was surprised at the new and funky coffee shops in the centre of town. My cousin Ansie showed me the “new way”!! They even have a bicycle friendly coffee shop… where cyclists get a good deal and they have space to store their bikes. What a great idea!
Soon, however, it was time to get back to my bike and to my horror I discovered that my return flight was going to be even longer!!
30 November - Cape Town, South Africa – Mexico City, Mexico
I finally said my goodbyes and boarded the
plane for my long and arduous flight back to Mexico. The flight
from Cape Town to Johannesburg went smoothly; the only hiccup
was that after landing there
were
no wheel blocks to be found to place in front/behind the
wheels!! Have you ever……... the stairs could therefore not be
attached and there was not much to do but wait until the said
blocks could be traced!! It was already a rather tight
The biggest surprise came once I arrived in Washington. I assumed that again it would be a 4-hour flight to Mexico City. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a 13-hour flight from Washington via Chicago and Houston!!! My word, what a performance!!! That will teach me to check my flight details carefully before booking.
I finally arrived in Mexico City on the evening of 1 December. After changing a bit of money, I took a taxi to the Terminal Sur Bus Station, checked on the bus schedule for the following day, and headed for the nearest hotel. Needless to say I showered and slept like a baby.
2 - 3 December - Mexico City – Acapulco - By bus
The following day I stayed in Acapulco to reorganise my bags and to buy a few things I needed for the road. I, however, spent most of the day on the beach where the fruit sellers peddle their wares, neatly carved onto pieces of art.
4 - 5 December - Acapulco – Mazatlan - By bus
I received an email from Ernest that he
was waiting for me in Mazatlan. I decided to cheat and take the
bus there, as it would take me way too long to cycle. I went to
the bus station,
bought a ticket,
and by 16h00 I was on the bus with
bike and bags. It was an overnight bus
When I arrived in Mazatlan, Ernest was waiting at the bus station and had already found a cheap room in the old part of Mazatlan for us. That was so cool, as I hate looking for a room. The Hotel Lerma had rooms around a large and spacious courtyard/parking area which made for a very comfortable stay and at 200 Pesos for the room it was very reasonable. The weather was wonderful and we ate at a sidewalk café so there was no need for cooking.
6 - 7 December - Mazatlan
The following day Ernest worked on the bikes while I inspected the rest of the historic city centre. With the bikes all fixed up I was ready to get back on the road. I must say that Mazatlan is a really nice place and one can easily hang around here for a while.
8 - 9 December - Mazatlan – La Cruz de Elota - 108km
We left Mazatlan and cycled the 110km to
the small town of La Cruz de Elota on our way
north.
Along the way we crossed the Tropic of
Along the coast, north of Mazatlan, one can find many little shrimping towns. Men head out in the early evening in small boats and return just before dawn with their nets bulging. The tilt-shift maybe fake but the shrimps are real.
I thought I could feel a cold coming and we stayed the following day as well. Ernest spent most of the day fixing his bags and sewing up some cloths that needed mending.
10 December - La Cruz de Elota – Obispo - 58km
We were on a toll road and there were little villages or shops along the way. We turned into a small village to fill our water bottles and the people were so friendly that we decided to stay for the night.
11 December - Obispo – Aguaruto - 85km
+We headed back to the toll road, and
although these big roads are mostly uninteresting,
it was an easy ride as the road had
a wide shoulder which made for comfortable riding
We past a motel and decided to enquire about the price; it was however a “love motel”, renting rooms by the hour. They did however make us a good deal for the night as they most likely never had 2 clients on bicycles arriving at their establishment. It turned out to be a rather good deal as the room was huge and had a relatively fancy bathroom. It came with all the trimmings of mirrors, dimmer lights, a huge bed, etc., etc. We even had a large flat screen TV with ………..ummmmmm, limited channels!! I do not think that anyone has ever cooked themselves a meal in one of these rooms!!
12 December - Aguaruto – road side camp - 75km
The weather was perfect as we set off.
Since crossing the Tropic of Cancer the landscape has become
notably drier and the weather somewhat cooler.
Although
still hot, it was far less humid and just
perfect cycling weather. After 75km we spotted the perfect place
to camp,
next to a petrol station. They had a nice
grassy bit, toilets and showers and
13 December - Road side camp – Guasave - 80km We packed up in our own time and continued down the road. Again the weather was perfect and we still cycled past vast fields of vegetables. The north of Mexico is clearly feeding the country. These all looked like large and very slick farming operations judging by their fancy equipment. Some sections are completely covered with a type of shade cloth and in other fields the individual rows are covered; I guess to keep the birds at bay.
The day went smoothly - the only irritation was the 3 flat tyres Ernest had, and it started drizzling just as we neared the town of Guasave. We pulled into Guasave, found a room, did some shopping and that was us done for the day.
14 - 15 December - Guasave – Los Mochis - 67km
Another fantastic day on the road;
smooth and flat with beautiful
scenery past vast fields of beans and maize. Each plantation
seemed to
The following day we did some laundry and Ernest repaired his pack, which was showing serious signs of aging.
16 December - Los Mochis
We packed up and cycled out of town. 5km
down
the road I discovered that my front rim
was broken so we headed back into town. It
17 - 18 December - Los Mochis We took a walk to the bike shop and bought a new rim, which was quite easy. The difficult part is spoking and trimming the wheel, something at which Ernest has become quite a pro, and after a couple of hours the wheel was as good as new.
I, however, managed to get myself a serious bout of food poisoning and was as sick as a dog all night as well as the following day. The day went past in a blur and I did not do much but stay in bed and as close to the bathroom as possible.
19 December - Los Mochis – Diaz Ordaz - 64km
I dragged myself out of bed, loaded the
bike and set off down the road again. I did not feel 100% but
managed to cycle the whole morning
Ernest took a walk to the supermarket and got some ingredients with which he cooked a good spaghetti bolognaise for supper (I managed to eat my share, although my stomach was not yet perfect).
20 December - Diaz Ordaz – Navojoa - 110km
I felt much stronger so we continued on,
cycling the 110km to Navojoa. The road followed the railway line
(always a good thing) as the country side is slowly becoming
less and less lush each day. We entered the state of Sonora and
therefore also the Sonoran Desert. I understand that the Sonoran
Desert is the only place in the world where the famous
It was another easy day on the road and soon we arrived in Navojoa, a busy city where we found a room for the night.
21 December - Novojoa – Ciudad Obregon - 70km Our Doomsday ride turned out rather uneventful as we pedaled further north towards the city of Obregon. It was a bit of a miserable day as we encountered road works after road works (narrow sections where traffic could not get past us). The traffic had also suddenly increased and we encountered a steady stream heading in the opposite direction. Many of these “Snowbirds” are from the USA, and are flocking south!! USV’s loaded to the hilt with luggage, bicycles and other paraphernalia passed us, heading for a warmer climate. Some vehicles even towed a second loaded car; God forbid that you should be on holiday and not have the whole family mobile!!
Once in Obregon we found a cheap room right in the city centre. What a madhouse the town was, with everyone out to do their last Christmas shopping. We bought some succulent goat-meat rolls to see us over, and then Ernest made a good potato salad for supper - enough to feed an army!
22 December - Ciudad Obregon – Vicam - 53km
It was a short cycle to Vicam;
again I was astonished at the increase in traffic. It was a
non-stop flow of traffic heading south. The
As we cycled into Vicam I had a flat tyre, which Ernest quickly fixed. We also spotted a roadside hotel and decided to stay for the night and continue on to Guaymas in the morning.
23 - 25 December - Vicam – Guaymas - 77km
On Christmas Day I took a walk down to the waterfront which was packed with new shiny toys. The scene was rather universal with kids dressed in their Sunday best, playing with their new toys. Some going ten to the dozen, and others rather careful with their new found freedom.
26 December - Guaymas – Santa Rosalia – By ferry
It was finally time to leave Guaymas and
take the ferry to
Baja. The ferry only sailed at 20h00 so we
had plenty of time to kill. While waiting I spent the afternoon
clicking away, making the local herons the most photographed in
all of Mexico!! Fortunately the ferry was not very
27 December - Santa Rosalia We arrived in Santa Rosalia at 7 in the morning. Santa Rosalia is unlike any other Mexican town. With its brightly painted clapboard houses, inns with large verandas, tiny stores and prefab churches, it resembles a typical one horse town from an old western movie set. I soon found out that it was in fact an old French copper mining town. A walk around revealed quite a few old locomotives and other pieces of mining machinery scattered around town. The most interesting piece of information was the history of the church. The old prefabricated church in the centre of town was built for the Paris 1889 World´s Fair, allegedly designed by no other than the famed Gustave Eiffel. After the fair the church was disassembled and stored in Brussels for shipping to West Africa, but it somehow turned up here!!
28 December - Santa Rosalia – Mulege - 65km
We headed south in the direction of La Paz
and it looked more and more like the Mexico I always imagined,
blue skies and cacti!! We soon arrived in the small village of
Mulege, home of the former Jesuit Mission Santa Rosalia de
Mulege. The village has quite an interesting
We found a cheap room and Ernest cooked fettuccini with a good bolognaise sauce, enough to see us though the next day as well.
29 - 30 December - Mulege –Los Cocos Beach - 31km
Soon after we left Mulege,
we found ourselves along the
beautiful shores of Bahia Concepcion. The beaches were pristine
and the water blue-green. Many of these beaches are makeshift RV
parks where American and Canadian campers
31 December -Los Cocos Beach – Loreto -115km
1 January - Loreto
We spent New Year’s Day in Loreto,
considered to be the oldest human settlement on the Baja
Peninsula (not that I saw any such signs, but it was still an
interesting,
small Mexican town).
2 January - Loreto – Puerto Escondido - 35km We only left Loreto at 11h00 after searching for an ATM that will give us money. Soon after we left, we turned into Puerto Escondido; a rather small settlement with a fancy harbour and even more fancy boats anchored in the bay. We decided to camp and after looking around for a suitable spot we asked at the one and only hotel if we could camp there. They pointed to their lawn and were proud to point out that they had Wi-Fi and a swimming pool. The Wi-Fi came in handy but it was far too cold for a swim.
3 January - Puerto Escondido – Ciudad Insurgentes - 98km
We left the coast and headed over the
mountains. It was in fact not as bad as it looked,
as the road was up and down for the first 50km and then it was
dead-pencil-straight
through
the cacti for the last 45km. In Ciudad Insurgentes we found a
roadside room that did us
quite well for the night.
4 - 5 January - Ciudad Insurgentes – Ciudad Constitucion - 26 km We cycled the very short distance to Ciudad Constitucion. On the outskirts of town we found an RV Park and set up camp. It was a typical Mexican campsite, albeit a bit dusty. It was full of colour, cattle sculls, and cacti. We did a whole host of laundry and were surprised to see 2 more cyclists arriving in camp. Daniel and Simone, a German couple, were reaching the end of their trip as they have to be back in Germany in June. It was nice to chat to other cyclists and as they decided to stay another day, so did we.
6 January - Ciudad Constitucion – El Ciento Veintiocho - 89 km
We waited for the sun to warm us and
slowly packed up camp. It was 11
a.m.
by the time we said our good-byes to Simone and Daniel and
continued on our way South towards La Paz. Again the road ran
dead-pan-straight
7 January - El Ciento Veintiocho – La Paz - 128 km I awoke to the snorting of a pig outside, and as I stuck my head out to see if the animal was feeding on my tent, I was greeted with the most incredible sunrise one can imagine. The entire sky was blood red and the cacti made pretty silhouettes against the sky. Once on the bikes, the flat road soon came to an end and the hills started, more like a roller-coaster; up and down, up and down!! Along the way were only a few small shops/restaurants; in fact there was a whole 60 km stretch with nothing but cacti and hills!!! Fortunately, we had plenty of water to see us through to La Paz.
8 - 9 January - La Paz We stayed in La Paz for 2 days. La Paz is quite modern with large shopping centres and other facilities. At one of these stores Ernest spotted some suitcases, and the story is as follows:
10 January - La Paz – Topolobampo - 28km & Ferry
11 January - Topolobampo – Los Mochis - 28km
The following morning we cycled the short
distance to Los Mochis. Interestingly,
Topolobampo is the second largest natural
deep-water
12 January - Los Mochis – Ahome - 28km The wind was blowing really hard as we set off. We decided to take one of the back roads and after 28km, we arrived in Ahome, a small village in the heart of the vegetable farms. It’s a really small village with a church, plaza, a petrol station and Santa Fe Supermarket (and of cause an ever present OXXO). Instead of battling into the wind, we took a room in a rather interesting place.
13 January - Ahome – Diaz Ordaz - 62km
It was a frustrating day into the wind. I can do mountains….the heat; I can go without water and food…….but this friggin’ head wind is getting to me!! It is cruel and persistent and seems to be doing everything it can to push you back to your starting point.
14 January - Diaz Ordaz – Navojoa - 105km
As if backtracking was not bad enough,
backtracking into the wind was worse. The
desert-like
scenery now looked even more forlorn.
15 - 16 January - Novajoa – Ciudad Obregon - 70km It was by now already bitterly cold, not only in the mornings but in fact all day long. The sky was still clear and a bright blue, but it was icy cold and blustery. Fortunately, it was a short day to Obregon. The road ran past barren, dry and windswept scenery with just an old railway line and some abandoned and forlorn-looking railway buildings. I was thoroughly miserable, so when we arrived in Obregon I opted for a nice room (at quite a price) but at least it was sunny and warm.
17 January - Ciudad Obregon
18 January - Ciudad Obregon – Vicam - 53km We dragged our feet in packing up and cycled the rather short distance to Vicam. The road ran dead-pan-straight through the Sonoran Desert and once in the small village of Vicam, we decided to stay there for the night.
19 - 22 January - Vicam – San Carlos - 100km We arrived in San Carlos just before sunset. It is quite a magical place that lies on the Gulf of California (or Sea of Cortez). In the evening the harsh desert landscape transformed itself into a riot of colours. We easily found a RV park to pitch our tents, as there are many Americans and Canadians that live in San Carlos during the winter. I understand that San Carlos was also the location site of many movies, including: The classic film Catch-22, The Mask of Zorro and Lucky Lady - starring Liza Minnelli.
The northern region of Mexico (where we are
now), is dry and semi-arid, with a typical desert-like climate
and although it is winter, the
It is incredibly beautiful here with the bright blue sky in such stark contrast to the desert-like mountains. It is especially impressive at sunrise; I just need to get myself out of the tent a bit earlier. We cycled to the Mirador Escénico, a scenic lookout, a few kilometres from San Carlos; a stunning spot with a view over the Gulf of California, dramatic Tetakawi (a hill jutting out of the sea) and the secluded coves of Playa Piedras Pintas.
We stayed another day as we were hearing reports that it was unseasonably cold further north. We have by now also made friends with the other people in the park. Joan and Mark, Lynn and Leo, as well as Brenda and Al; all were Canadians and very friendly. We also met Susan and Karla, two women who have the guts to drive one of those big RV’s all by themselves! Nearly every night Al made a good fire for all to sit around. We sat around the fire having a glass of wine and enjoying the snacks that Joan and Brenda kept bringing out!! I think we will stay another day!!
23 January - San Carlos – Desert Camp - 101km
Finally,
we left San Carlos quite late on the morning of the 23rd.
We waved good-bye to the friends we’d made in the park, and
headed off. Again the road ran past vast stretches of desert,
with only cacti and some dry shrubs to be seen. We were taking a
break at an abandoned
trucker’s restaurant, when we
noticed two
very hungry and thirsty
By sunset we had only cycled about 100 km, and were nowhere close to any place. We set up camp away from the road under a bright desert moon. It was dead quiet and I kept hearing things grunting and gnawing. I fell asleep to the sound of jackals laughing and yapping in the distance. In the early hours I was startled by something galloping past in the dark, perhaps a couple of the local wild goat variety.
24 January - Desert camp – Kino - 97km
We woke to a stunning sunrise, had coffee
and a peanut butter sandwich and set off down a dead-pan flat
road. The desert is a rather unforgiving place,
and every now and again one can spot animal skeletons, baked
snow white by the sun. Amazingly enough, if one happens to finds
water, which is the case here, it seems like just about anything
can grow. This area permits for large scale irrigation and
therefore produces large quantities of
“North of the Yaqui Valley, advances in pump technology after World War II allowed other coastal irrigation districts to bulldoze desert plains and convert them into wheat and cotton fields. The largest was the Costa de Hermosillo where, at its height, 887 pump-powered wells regurgitated water onto more than 100,000 hectares. But discharge exceeded recharge by 250 percent. As water tables plummeted and salt water intruded from the Gulf of California, the Mexican government finally stepped in and halved the amount of water that could be pumped. Many fields were abandoned. Other farmers switched from relatively low-value crops like cotton to high-value, high-risk crops like brandy grapes, citrus, garbanzo beans, and vegetables destined for U.S. markets.”
We cycled past vast areas of fruit plantations and even some vineyards, now in their winter slumber. Late afternoon we arrived in Kino. Kino is a small, fishing village with just a few houses and shops. We found ourselves a room, had a decent shower and Ernest made delicious spaghetti bolognaise.
25 - 27 January – Kino - 15km
We packed up at leisure and cycled to the
new part of Kino where we found RV parks and a few shops.
Kino is another popular place for North Americans to over
winter. We found a cheap site,
and although not with all the modern facilities, it was across
the road from
the beach and a nice and friendly spot to hang out. Ernest made
some Burritos (LOL,
or
In the morning the clouds were gone and Ernest did some laundry (I was too lazy to do mine). I took a walk up the hill behind us for a good view of the coast and just sat around doing nothing for the rest of the day. I played with my macro lens, which I find quite frustrating. The depth of field is very shallow and I just don’t seem to get the hang of it. Sigh, I guess I just need to practice a bit, seeing that I´m lugging it around with me.
In the meantime, we found an old table and chair to use and were making ourselves nicely at home. I hauled out the laptop and speakers and we sat listening to stories and, can you believe it, Radio KFM!!
28 January - Kino – Miguel Aleman - 55km
29 - 31 January - Miguel Aleman – Hermosillo - 65km
Never, ever, waste a tailwind!! By the
time we got back on the road our tailwind of the previous day
was gone and we cycled the rest of
Not being very domesticated, I normally keep a keen eye out for someone willing to do my laundry; I wish I could add “at a small fee” but the fee is normally pretty hefty. In any event, I did not find anyone at the Washington Hotel so schlepped my laundry to the laundry trough and gave it a good rinse. I could hardly call what I did “washing”!
The following day we found a bike shop and Ernest bought a new front brake set and fixed his bike.
A walk around town brought me to Catedral
de la Asuncion, where I learned about Hermosillo’s recent
tragedy. On June 5, 2009,
a fire broke out at the ABC child care center,
leaving 49 children dead. Most of the children died of
asphyxiation. There
I wandered around town, had a haircut and did some shopping at the local supermarket, and again bought a whole lot of stuff I did not really need. I did, however, find a small thermal flask which I wanted to test to see how viable it was to take coffee or soup on the road.
1 February - Hermosillo – El Oasis - 77km
We left Hermosillo in the direction of
Nogales. Again the road ran
pencil-straight and
pancake-flat
through the desert. I say desert, because
that is what it is called, but it is more like
a
semi-desert. It was a nice warm day, a real t-shirt and shorts
day. It dawned on me that we were quite lucky to be here in
winter,
as cycling here in summer could be unbearably
In fact it was not that flat after all, as it felt like we were going slightly uphill all day. I guess, besides a headwind, a false flat comes a close second, as it looks like one should be cruising along but you pedal and pedal and never really seem to get onto speed.
We pitched camp behind the petrol station amongst rubbish and chickens. It is not the quietest of places to camp but I did not mind and found the sound of the trucks pulling in and out rather soothing. I like that they appear from nowhere and disappear into the night again. It was more the desert dogs barking all night long, that became a bit irritating. At least I could look up into the night sky and could see some fireflies and even a shooting star or two.
2 February - El Oasis – Santa Ana - 100km
The scenery was unchanged as we biked the
100km to Santa Ana. We encountered some
road works,
which were a bit of a pain, but once we cleared that, the road
was nice and smooth with a wide shoulder (always a
3 February - Santa Ana - Magdalena de Kino - 22km The next day we turned into the small village of Magdalena de Kino, situated in a landscape straight out of a Wild West movie, amongst huge cacti and surrounding hills. It is a charming town of around twenty thousand inhabitants. It would be easy to drive by and miss this village, as we saw no road sign indicating the turn-off. We cycled past, and only once we were up on the hill we noticed the town below, so we decided to turn back and see the place.
4 February - Magdalena de Kino – Nogales - 96km Over the hills we went, past plenty of roadside shrines; some quite colourful in this desolate scenery. Eventually we reached Nogales, our final stop in Mexico, just before sunset. Nogales is a typical border town, half-seedy with dodgy looking money changers and cheesy curios. The town is built right up to the border and the security fence, a massive metal wall more than 6 metres high, and looks something like the Berlin Wall. We found a room close to the border crossing, as we planned to cross into the USA first thing in the morning. |
