January 30 :: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - FINAL POST

January 30 :: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico :: 125 km / 2809km total

Well, Tim is home safe and sound, so with a clear conscience and a simplified task ahead I pedaled out of Tomatlan onto the last ride of the trip. Not an easy ride, though - a climb from 200 up to 1000 metres above sea level, just touching on some pine forest, then plummeting down to sea level into Puerto Vallarta. I started very tired, the legs were heavy, and the first flattish 40km went by too slowly. Then the climb began. I smacked myself into wakefulness, the task now immediate and in front. Up, up, up. Not like before, not like the big rise out of Cordoba to Mexico's high plateau, or the (even worse) hellishly body-and-soul-destroying ride through the Carretera de la Muerte, but enough to make me grind it out and look forward to the summit. Just after passing El Tinto (into the pine forest) I crested, and laughed out loud, it was all over, pretty much, the hard part was over. All the hills behind now, the countless, aching, sweating climbs, the thousands of kilometres. Now, all would be easy.

I rocketed down, fully enjoying the beautiful, winding, rolling descent from pine to palm and the Pacific. Then, past a series of megaresorts and luxury homes to get to Puerto Vallarta proper. A few phone calls helped with the airline and ticket changes (thanks Tim and Dad!) and now I'm set, flying home tonight, my flight 5 hours away. So this will be the last entry of the trip.

Mexico. Its changed a lot in the past 20 years, and is not the dirt-poor country it used to be, not so long ago. Generally this is good for the bike tourist, and tourist in general - a wide range of accomodation options, food and drink are generally and frequently available. The roads are good, the drivers are decent, the people are friendly, helpful, and safe to be among. Its still a great value for the $$, still... everything is cheaper here than at home, about 50% on average. Its certainly more developed than most countries I've cycled in, notably ahead of the 5 Central American countries to the South of it, and more developed than most of the Asian and African countries I've been to (except Singapore). Not quite First World, but definitely not Third World - maybe on par with Morocco or Turkey, but hard to say. There is very little heart-wrenching poverty, at least on the surface, and we travelled in some of the poorest areas of the country. I certainly would come back!

Sunrise over a misty field in Mexico

January 29 :: Tomatlan, Mexico

January 29 :: Tomatlan, Mexico :: 129 km / 2684km total

Yet another hot, hard, grind of a ride, but I love it! Today started with a 5km climb that had sweat dripping off my face before sunrise. The hills moderated for a bit after that, and I was able to push out some fast k's, aggressively riding down on the aerobars, getting as far as I could before the Sun started to make a real difference. Onwards up the dry Highway 200 that barely sees the coastline... a hot, dusty, sem-arid ride. I was hoping for a hotel at La Cumbre (after 116km), but no luck. I turned inland to the larger, almost-tourist-town of Tomatlan for the night.

Its about 100km from here to Puerto Vallarta!

January 28 :: Melaque, Mexico

January 28 :: Melaque, Mexico :: 112 km / 2555km total

Two flats slowed my morning ride, but the lack of hills made up for the tube changes. By mid-morning I entered the long 16km beach arc which is Manzanillo. Now, where's Tim? After some phone calls and email checking it seemed that his latest known plan was to be home in Toronto... tonight! That would mean an early morning bus ride out of Manzanillo well before I arrived here, in fact, I pictured him at the Air Canada desk in Puerto Vallarta, 300km away, trying to change his flight at the very moment I was struggling through the heat and beach traffic... so I pedalled through, only stopping for a quick lunch. I pushed on through the heat and some very minor hills to get to Melaque. Melaque, a rustic tourist town, happens to be a big Canadian snowbird hangout, and its quite the change to see as many gringos (Canadians no less!) wandering down the street as Mexicans. Lots of French being spoken, as well.

Upon checking email here it turns out that Tim was still in Manzanillo, after all! I had passed him without knowing or suspecting it. He's sick of some form, but in good hands - he's staying at Manzanillo's top, 5-star resort, and BEST of all, he has his mother there to take care of him! Talk about luxury upon luxury (for being sick, that is). There's little I can do for him, I think, that would improve upon his current situation, so I will continue forwards. Its 2 days of heat and hills for me to Puerto Vallarta, or a 4 hour bus ride for him.

Pictures from the past few days

La Carretera de la Muerte (The Road of Death) from the bus - I gave Tim the camera... y'know, banditos...

La Carretera de la Muerte


La Carretera de la Muerte

Zihuatanejo

View from our beach huts, Troncones

Mandatory Sunset over the Pacific picture

Surfer in Nexpa

Chickens in Nexpa

Playa Maruata

Dive-bombing pelicans at Playa Maruata

Towards the end of the coastal hills, on the Pacific

January 27 :: Tecoman, Mexico

January 27 :: Tecoman, Mexico :: 107 km / 2443km total

Refreshed after a big lobster meal last night, I rode out before first light, back into the hills. I was sweating before sunrise, rolling the bike over ridge after ridge. Eventually the hills gave way, as did Michoacan (sp?) State, and I entered Colima State on the flats. Hot, hot, but flat, I pressed along, down on my aerobars to punch a hole through the variable winds. Crossing speed bumps at Cerro de Ortega I had a brief conversation with some RV drivers from Port Hope, Ontario. The km's tick by SO much easier on the flats, and it wasn't too long before Tecoman appeared. Manzanillo is 70km away... an easy short and flat day tomorrow that for once I will beat out the Sun on!

January 26 :: Playa Maruata, Mexico

January 26 :: Playa Maruata, Mexico :: 100 km / 2336km total

Tim has decided to scoot ahead up the coast to meet up with his mom in Manzanillo and avoid the heat and hills in this next section. Not a bad option since she is staying at a 5-star resort... even if he gets a taste of it it'll be nicer than the life we've been living! I waited with him for the bus at Caleta de Campos, then peddled Northwards alone. It'll be just me on the bike for 3 days.

Ankle taped up again, I rode into the hills. Today's entire 100km was a rollercoaster of ups and downs, from high tableland to river valley, following the rocky coastline Northwards. As per usual, the heat began to build and at times I was riding on the wrong side of the road to scavenge some shade. Traffic is incredibly light, and I almost have the road to myself... both sides. Just before things got too unbearable I rolled into Maruata, today's target. Accomodation here is known to be spotty, and I paid a very overpriced $20 for a room... makes me think of some places I've stayed in Africa, India, etc. Ah well. A great shrimp meal put a big smile on my face... now off to stretch, ice down my ankle, and prepare for tomorrow.

(Internet too slow here to upload pictures)

January 25 :: Caleta de Campos, Mexico

January 25 :: Caleta de Campos, Mexico :: 140 km / 2236km total

Out before first light, but it was so warm that Tim was sweating up the first climb - before sunrise. Back onto the main coastal road, I was not feeling my usual self - the "beyond-the-envelope" ride I put in 2 days ago will take beyond this trip to recover from. Legs heavy, ankle sore and taped up, minor pains, it just wasn't happening. 50km in I decided to play my trump card, the one I'd been holding back ever since we started this trip, 2000km ago.

"Tim, take the lead!"

I slipped in behind Tim and drafted closely, tightly, now moving forward so much more easily along the flattish terrain. Not more than a few km along we met up with 4 local cyclists (its Sunday, after all) and the 6 of us rode along for about 30km, packriding. It was great! Eventually we had to part ways, and again I hung onto Tim's rear wheel. He was hammering! I couldn't believe how fast he was pushing us along. But the temperature kept rising, and then we slammed into some coastal hills, 30km from the finish. Heat and hills are not Tim's favourite, especially in tandem with each other, so the Anderson Express Train was derailed. I took the lead back over, urging us on. The temperature on my saddlebag thermometer (shaded side) read 35C. Slowly, we rolled into Caleta de Campos. After the usual post-ride shower we went to a neighbouring beach, had lunch, and are preparing for tomorrow.

January 24 :: Troncones, Mexico

January 24 :: Troncones, Mexico :: 40 km / 2096km total

Happy Birthday, Nan!

A slow start to the day, but we did a little bit of snorkeling in Ziha before heading out slowly on the bikes. I felt good enough to ride a bit, so we rode over to neighbouring Ixtapa for a big lunch. We continued slowly up the coastal road (200) before heading back to the coast at Troncones. By the time we got into town I wasn't feeling well - still feeling yesterday's ride - and wasn't up for a second swim in the ocean. We had fantastic beachside huts for $30 each... the best deal yet of the trip.

January 23 :: Zihuatenejo, Mexico

January 23 :: Zihuatenejo, Mexico :: 201 km / 2056km total

Last night amidst discussions about tomorrow´s route on Road 134 - "La Carretera de la Muerte" the "Road of Death", Tim decided to take the bus. Had I known beforehand what today was like, I would have taken the bus, too.

The route is known as "La Carretera de la Muerte" for 2 reasons. One, it sees a high motorist death rate due to hairpin mountain road bends, and cars not making the turn in time. Two, it sees a high level of bandit activity. To avoid both eventualities, the Golden Rule is to be off the route by sunset, or thereabouts. Linger, and you're asking for trouble.

On a feeble amount of sleep due to anxiety about today's ride, I slipped out of Coyuca de Catalan just before sunrise. The road rolled and headed towards the greyish mountains looming on the horizon. I focussed on eating and drinking, pushing to get as far into the mountains as I could before the heat of the day set in. All things being equal, on a steady grade I would have 1400 metres to ascend before cresting and plunging down the other side, towards the Pacific.

But all things were NOT equal. The road climbed, climbed, climbed, then dropped, dropped. Climb, drop. Hundreds of vertical metres at a time. Up, down, up, down, exhaustingly, and worse, slowing my progress forwards. To add to all this, my map was wrong and the mileage would be more than expected. 70km in I couldn´t feel my legs and had to stop, quivering from head to foot, and recover. But I couldn´t stop for too long - the threat of the Sun, and the background threat of bandits - urged me onwards, legs or no legs. I began to realize that this ride would be one of the hardest I have ever done.

78km in a Godsend - a German guy in a pickup truck stopped, ecstatic to see me - he had ridden this route by bicycle 2 years ago! He had exact mileage figures for the summit (108km from where I started), info about the final 17km climb to the summit, where the little roadside drink places were, and the total route length to the Pacific (183km). With this knowledge I could lay down a gameplan and try to follow through. He wished me luck, and off he went.

At the 91km mark the final, most brutal of all, climbs started. I tried to make it 5km between brief rest stops, but could never last that long. It was so hot. I dumped over myself, and drank, many litres of water. The legs were really starting to protest. I was yelling at myself to keep moving. When the road pitched insanely upwards for brief 50 metre stretches I had to walk, pushing my bike forwards. The kilometre markers ticked by SO SO SLOWLY. Then, 2km from the summit, I hit the Wall. Nausea, light-headedness. I could not eat anymore. I forced the final 2km and virtually collapsed at the summit.

It was 2:30pm. 108 insane mountain kilometres, the hardest 108km touring that I've ever done, in 8 hours. Not a stellar pace, under "normal" circumstances - but YOU try it. I had to stop for 10-15 minutes to prepare mentally for the descent - I could see it was going to be hairy. Can't descend a mountain in a mental fog. I forced down some warm Coke and 3 cookies, and mounted back on the bike.

The descent was real, hardcore, mountain descending. I was, quite literally, scared. Whatever "guardrails" there were, were only 2 feet high at most - just high enough to topple over a cyclist and ensure you descend off the cliff head-first. Looking down at the winding road so far below brought back the nausea - so I had to ignore the views and just stick to the task in front of me. A wrong move, a mis-timed corner, an unseen rock, a broken brake cable - La Carretera de la Muerte.

30km and 30 minutes later the road flattened somewhat, and continued towards the Pacific in the lower valleys. Agonisingly, the road climbed and descended, climbed and descended. I had nothing left in the tank and climbed slowly, slowly. But... be off the road by Sunset... have to keep moving, moving, moving....

Finally, finally, the coastal highway 200 appeared in front. 183 mountain kilometres done. 5:30pm. I ate a small pizza, drank some milk, and forced myself not to throw it up. Now, about 20km to Zihuatenejo, where Tim was. God. How can I make it.

Thankfully the road was flat... or so it seemed. A final 2km climb just before town was just enough to send me into oblivion. As I write this I can't eat, and keep eyeing the banos here at the Internet Cafe. I don't think we're riding tomorrow.

On another note, Tim had a pleasant day here in the resort town of Zihuatenejo. I should have taken the bus.

January 22 :: Coyuca de Catalan, Mexico

January 22 :: Coyuca de Catalan, Mexico :: 125 km / 1855km total

What a different day than yesterday. Still in the mountains, our route dropped 1000 metres in elevation today, and the final 57km was flat. We started in the high mountains, of course, and the views were even better than yesterday... without all the suffering, to boot. There wasn't much climbing (at least, compared to the past 5 days) and we rocketed along. A 25km descent in the middle was particularly sweet. Not quite a rest day, but not far from. The only thing that hurt us was the Sun... by the time we were riding along the flats towards Coyuca de Catalan the temperature was over 30C. Hot! And no coastal breeze to cool us down... but soon enough...

Tomorrow will probably be the penultimate ride of the trip. As far as I can tell, its about 180km from here to the coast, with little to nothing for services along the way (towns, drinks, accomodation, etc). This wouldn't be SO bad if we didn't have to go over the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain chain separating us from the coast. Its 1400 metres up, then 1800 metres down. Spread over 180km. Bring it on!!!

WARNING: for the remainder of the trip contact will be spotty... a 300km stretch along the Pacific is rumoured to have no Internet. So, don't freak out if the blog goes untouched for a day or two!

On the way down. That blur going around the corner is Tim

Tim and his Big Head

January 21 :: Teloloapan, Mexico

January 21 :: Teloloapan, Mexico :: 123 km / 1730km total

"The hardest thing I've ever done" : Tim

Today was tough. All day was spent traversing mountain valleys and the ridges in between, making our way Southwestwards towards the Pacific. The mountain scenery was spectacular - the most scenic day of the trip - but with beauty comes a price (doesn't it always?). Of the 123km logged, only about 20km was flat-ish - that means at least 50km of climbing today - but since we ended up higher in elevation (1400 metres above sea level) than where we started (900m) , the split is probably closer to 60km up, 40km down. The grades are moderate, at least - mostly in the 4% to 8% range - meaning that we can "spin" up the climbs without crazy suffering. Suffering, of course, is all relative - i.e. we suffered less than, say, taking repeated baseball bat hits to the thighs and calves.

The final 3 hours of riding was in the direct, hot overhead Sun, adding its own "challenge" to that which we were already facing. A 20km climb towards the end of the day was its own unique "challenge" that Tim particularly relished and will not forget for a long, long time. Still, we made it, we're not dead, and we're riding tomorrow. Its 240km of mountains from here to the coast.

A long, winding, fun descent ahead to the town below (Iguala). There was a posted speed limit of 50km/h on this descent that was quite laughable. But what goes down...

January 20 :: Puente de Ixtla, Mexico

January 20 :: Puente de Ixtla, Mexico :: 87 km / 1607km total

A short, but not easy day today. We did drop quite a bit in elevation but a few steep climbs in the middle of the ride had me pedalling out of the saddle in my lowest gear. Tim has even lower gears, and he's been using them. The air is still brown-ish, as we are still within a day's ride of Mexico City. As we push towards the coast the temperatures will climb, but the air will get cleaner once again. The Pacific is still a few days away, with several big climbs to get ourselves over.

Mexico is easily one of the safest countries I've been to, in terms of personal safety. Road conditions and driving standards are variable, however, and pose the only sense of danger (at times) on this trip. Mexico is definitely safer than the neighbouring countries to the South. The only moment where I felt a sense of heightened tension was a few days ago at a railroad crossing - a train loaded with Northbound migrants was stopped on a parallel track, and with so many desparate eyes watching us, I put a little extra effort into accelerating out of there.

January 19 :: Cuautla, Mexico

January 19 :: Cuautla, Mexico :: 140 km / 1520km total

Well, another long day in the saddle. It took us forever to cross through Puebla (city of 1.5 million), and the air was noticably brown compared to what we've been used to. Most of today was spent circling around part of the twin megavolcanoes of Popo (active) and Izta (dormant). A long slog, but we are happy to be a bit ahead of schedule and can ease up a bit over the next few days. A big Italian meal here in Cuautla helps to make the little aches and pains go away!

Popocatepetl (left) and Iztaccihuatl (right)

January 18 :: Acatzingo, Mexico

January 18 :: Acatzingo, Mexico :: 127 km / 1380km total

Today was all about a massive climb out of Cordoba to get onto the high plateau on which sits Mexico City, Puebla, etc. 1600 metres of climbing, all in one shot. It was, of course, brutal. Thankfully the road was fairly well graded and never too steep, and for the most part there was somewhat of a paved shoulder. But still, 1600 metres up. It took us a few hours, as you can imagine. We topped out at 2400 metres above sea level (7500 feet), before descending (exhausted) gradually to where we are now, at about 2200 metres. We'll be riding this high plateau for the next few days.

In contrast to the lush, leafy lowlands, we're now in a semi-arid zone and can expect little to no rain until we get to the Pacific. Much of the day was spent within view of Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's highest mountain, 3rd-highest in North America, and one which defeated the climbing attempts of myself and 2 friends a few years back.

After 2 long, hard days we are "expecting" to ease off a bit tomorrow.

Pico de Orizaba from Cordoba

Some of the many switchbacks, low on the climb


On Mexico's central high plateau, with Pica de Orizaba in the background

January 17 :: Cordoba, Mexico

January 17 :: Cordoba, Mexico :: 178 km / 1253km total

Finally a morning without rain! Sure, the roads were wet and the sky was cloudy, but thats the best its been for 4 days, so we took it. We were out before dawn, hammering Westwards towards Cordoba. Quickly the bikes became quite muddy, but what can you do. The road undulated, but we set a blistering pace (for touring!) and by noon had covered the opening 118km to the junction town of La Tinaja. A questionably-safe chicken meal later, we were back on the road, in the grime.

Now a 60km, 800 metre elevation gain to Cordoba. Steadily we knocked it down, and slowly it knocked us down. The rest/drink stops became more and more frequent as we ascended into the mountains. There's nothing easy about a 180km ride under any conditions, much less one with a big net elevation gain. Finally, about 2 hours before dark, we entered Cordoba. Not much time for anything except for the essentials tonight: cleaning, food, internet, and more food. The road continues climbing tomorrow.

Wet Loma Bonita town

My legs after 178km in the mud

January 16 :: Loma Bonita, Mexico

January 16 :: Loma Bonita, Mexico :: 59 km / 1075km total

Rain. Rain for 4 days now. It was coming down hard as we woke up at 5:30, so we went back to sleep. 2 more hours of sleep and 2 movies later the rain started letting up, so we dashed out and started pedalling.... into a wet, strong headwind. Sigh. Its not all Sun and Sand here in Mexico. After 3 hours of pedalling (noon to 3) we called it quits at Loma Bonita, having covered a tough, rolling, teeth-gritted 58km. Tomorrow HAS to be better!

My leg is pretty much healed, and the bruise on the front does not affect my pedalling at all. It doesnt hurt, unless I touch it, and even then, not much. We are in pretty good shape, overall, just biding our time for better weather to log some big miles.

January 15 :: Juan Rodriguez Clara, Mexico

January 15 :: Juan Rodriguez Clara, Mexico :: 62 km / 1016km total

The bus from Villahermosa pulled into Acacyucan around 1pm; now we're back on schedule. Tim and I quickly assembled our bikes and pedalled off... into hills! 60km of nonstop big rolling hills, and headwind. Very tough. Not wanting to push it too late, we stopped in a small town that has the basics. The next few days is probably more of the same. We are considering a more Northern, directish route to the Pacific - the lure of thatched-roof cabanas, snorkeling, and surfable waves is too much! "Direct" is all relative - we still have to cross up and over 6000 feet (at least), the Continental Divide, etc.

January 14 :: Villahermosa, Mexico :: a BAD DAY for Graham

January 14 :: Villahermosa, Mexico :: 3 km / 954km total

Last night Tim and I rain-proofed our bikes and gear, fully ready to ride through whatever stormfront is causing this unseasonal extended rainy period down here. Fully psyched up for a long, hard, determined day through the rain, we said goodbye to Dad at 6 a.m. and rolled out into a light drizzle and heavy morning traffic.......

1km into the ride we turn onto the main road heading out of town. Traffic is insane, but particularly troublesome are the taxis and minibuses darting in and out, scavenging whatever passengers they can find. "No problem", I've ridden through many, many scenes of utter chaos like this all over the world. A quick check back to see where Tim is, a quick look back forward, a stopped taxi appeared in front of me, wayyyy too close to break and stop in time, as if it teleported in at the exact moment I did the shoulder-check back, and stopped. Dodge? No, don't want to get creamed by an oncoming bus. I braked (as much as possible), braced, and SLAM. Later Tim would tell me he heard a CRACK. I ran into the taxi, bounced off to the side, thinking "don't go down, whatever you do, don't go down" and fought to stay upright. Successful at least in that, I pulled over to assess the damage.

The bike seemed ok, and is, as far as I can tell. The impact was taken square and full on by my mid-shin, which now had a shockingly-immediate scary-huge bruise about the size of half a grapefruit - and puffed out just as far. Didn't look good. Did I break something in there? Blood vessel or otherwise? Damn. We rolled over to a convenience store and Tim went in for a bag of ice. For about half an hour I sat there, icing, rolling through possibilities in my head - most of them quite unpleasant. However, there was no pain and no apparent broken anything. The ice seemed to be bringing it down. Still, I didn't feel it would be wise to ride over 100km on an unknown and questionable injury, so we went back to the hotel. Dad got a surprising knock on the door, and I continued icing away. Damn.

Its about 2pm as I write this and the swelling is almost gone - at least compared to how it was. Its a mystery to be how quickly and hugely it swelled up - maybe because I was cycling the blood was already pumping hard and fast through my legs, and accelerated or accentuated the initial swelling. Either way Tim and I have re-adjusted our plan, and we will take a bus tomorrow to make up for the 2 lost riding days (Day 1 at Cancun, and today). The next 200km of road out of here is fairly uninspiring, anyways - more flat drudgery through some big towns/cities. We'll bus just past that, and hopefully put in a full day's ride tomorrow.

The winner of all this was... Dad! Instead of spending a relatively boring day here alone, we all had breakfast together, and just finished playing about 3 hours of cards. Tonight Tim and I will walk him and his stuff to the bus station and pick up our tickets for the next day's bus ride.

January 13 :: Villahermosa, Mexico

January 13 :: Villahermosa, Mexico :: 81 km / 951km total

Dad's last ride! All went ok, although most of the last 40km was through the rain. Villahermosa is a big, booming city with everything. We picked up some boxes to wrap Dad's bike up in, for the ride home. And for the record, he DID pedal every single kilometre from where he started in El Ideal, near Cancun... almost 900km in 11 days. Good job!

Tomorrow Tim and I continue Westwards towards the mountains. The trip changes now... things are going to get very hard, very soon. The lost day at the beginning of the trip must be made up for, adding to the difficulty. We have 20 days to ride 2200km... half of those km´s will be very tough... high up in the mountains.

From Dad:

We started a little late because once again one of my tires is low. My thin racing tires are not quite up to to the pounding they get on rough pavement, potholes and vicious speed bumps. Graham changed the tube and we are off. Our route is from the Gulf coast at an elevation of about 10 meters inland to Villahermosa at about 12 meters. That is to say it is very flat and very low. A lot of the land is swampy and the rest just barely dry. Agriculture is very marginal. The road is always elevated about 1-2 metres above the land so it is really a very long (80 km) causeway. Traffic is heavy but most of the time we can ride on a paved shoulder so no problem. Just before the halfway point we encountered a herd of cattle (about 4 dozen) being herded along the road by 3-4 guys on horseback. They take up 1.5 lanes of a 2 lane road with very little shoulder. It is a testament to the patience of the drivers that we all got by with no incidents - but a very close look at local cattle. Just after this it started to rain lightly and continued all the rest of the way... the first rain on our trip so far. Just inside Villahermosa we spotted a bike store and stopped to get a box for my bike for the plane. They only have small ones, so we get two and then Graham straps them to his back with bungee cords and rides the rest of the way to the hotel through chaotic traffic with these boxes (about 4 feet long). After arriving at our destination (my last on the bike) the rain got a lot heavier. Wet as we are, we count ourselves lucky.

For me this is the end of the cycling trip. Tomorrow I will take a 14 hour bus ride back to Cancun to catch my flight home. Tim and Graham carry on to the Pacific coast. Right now they dont know where the next stop is because there is no accomodation information avaliable. They will just wing it. It will be like that most of the way.

Reflections
Food - much better than I expected. No bad experiences (except Graham's popcorn) - very tasty (better than Taco Bell), varied and cheap. We averaged about $5-7 each for a (very) full meal with drinks.

People - very friendly. Outside of 4 towns that tourists go to they are surprised to see us. We are looking at the the sights and they are looking at us. On the road they honk and wave. Even in Cancun (off the hotel strip) almost no one speaks English - definitely not in the hotels. Some children have picked up a few words (probably from TV) and yell "hello" or "goodbye" at us. They think it is hilarious. Maybe its because these gringos can't afford even a moped.

Dogs - feral and domestic running wild everywhere. Some healthy and some in very bad condition. Every day we see one or two carcasses by the side of the road.

Hotels - very basic but clean (the ones we stayed in) . Ceramic floors and toilet without toilet seat is common. Air conditioning is always about $5 more. I paid between $15 - $48 except in Cancun where I paid $60 with breakfast.

Passing cattle

January 12 :: Frontera, Mexico

January 12 :: Frontera, Mexico :: 89 km / 870km total

Off to a late start this morning due to problems with tubes and flats. Variable winds and narrow roads turned today into not-as-fun of a ride (but I still love it!). The road continues to be dead flat, all the way through. The only hills are where there are bridges, and those are few and far between. Tomorrow is Dad´s last day with us - he heads home from Villahermosa.

Almost there!

January 11 :: Ciudad Del Carmen, Mexico

January 11 :: Ciudad Del Carmen, Mexico :: 83 km / 781km total

Another flat ride along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. A tailwind sped us along, but a few flats slowed us down. We crossed a 3km long bridge, and have another of the same to ride in the morning. Ciudad Del Carmen is quite a large town thats not in my guidebook, and it took us quite a bit of time to find a suitable hotel. Whats a suitable hotel? 1: In a downtown, market/tourist district. 2: Reasonably priced. 3: Clean!

Tonight's job for me will be tube patching, to keep us well-stocked with ridable replacement tubes. But a fun night it already hasn't been, as I've been the first of us to pay the "extra" visits to the bathroom - on my knees and otherwise. Fruit for dinner for me, I'm afraid. Its not a 24-hour debilitating episode, I think (and hope), so I should be ready to ride in the morning. At least the TV in the hotel has a few English language stations, so I'll be somewhat entertained as I patch and rotate tubes around.


From Dad for today:

We started from Sabancuy before 6 / still dark but we want to beat the heat of the afternoon. All day will be water on the left and water on the right. First is the causeway out of Sabancuy / over 1 km. Then the main road headed west with the Gulf on the right and the bay on the left although blocked from view by some higher ground. With a slight tailwind we make excellent time. Our first stop is at the halfway point where we experiment at a roadside eatery and order our first ever panuchos. Like a small and very hot panzerotto. Then we cross a 3 Km bridge to an island. Here Dad gets another flat tire. Graham repairs it but it still has a slow leak. For the next 30 k it is a race to go as far as possible before Graham has to pump it up again. The land is very low all along this stretch of the Gulf . It is dense brush or swamp and a few clearings. There is no agriculture to speak off. We see lots of pelicans along the shore. We could not find our usual $20/30 hotel (Dad paid $15 in Sabancuy) in Ciudad del Carmen and had to take a classier place for $48. Graham was the first to pay the price for buying food from street vendors. Some popcorn he bought stayed a short while in his stomach before being violently rejected.

Gulf of Mexico shoreline with oil platform (or spaceship?) in the distance

January 10 :: Sabancuy, Mexico

January 10 :: Sabancuy, Mexico :: 70 km / 698km total

Another short, uneventful day. A flat, hot, easy 70km.

From Tim:

Up at five thirty
Ninety K to Sabancuy
Flat road lies ahead

Beach front villas abound
White sandy shoreline of Gulf
Coconuts plenty

Map wrong, seventy
Rejoice! Barbecue chicken
Time for siesta

Dad playing with a cat

From a bridge near Sabancuy

January 9 :: Champoton, Mexico

January 9 :: Champoton, Mexico :: 61 km / 628km total

A hilly but uneventful ride along the coast to Champoton. Not much in the way of beaches here, although we ARE riding along the Gulf of Mexico. The water is pretty placid, anyways... maybe we'll have to wait until the Pacific to take a swim.

Dad has written the rest of today's blog:

Before we started today I had a problem with the gear shift which Tim fixed. And, my front tire was flat which Graham fixed. These two guys are really lucky to have me along. I try to help the youngsters any way I can. When we hit a big hill I let them go ahead while I climb it slowly. This gives them a badly needed chance to rest at the top.

Drafting is a skill something like BlackJack. The closer you get to the goal the better you score but going over spells disaster. In BlackJack the goal is 21 - hit it and you win. Go over even a little and you lose. The goal in drafting is to get your front tire 1 inch behind the tire of the guy in front of you (the higher the speed the better). You win by getting the maximum draft - much less wind resistance. Touching the tire in front of you means 2 or 3 riders sprawled all over the pavement - sort of like losing.

January 8 :: Campeche, Mexico

January 8 :: Campeche, Mexico :: 88 km / 567km total

The usual start - very early and very fast. The road gently descended towards the coast, rolling but more down than up. We are riding quite quickly now, as a whole - I know the exact pace to set, Dad finds the right drafting zone, and Tim slips in behind. Passing through the little Mayan towns the group breaks up to roll over the interminable speed bumps, then we regroup on the other side. We are now riding past much more farmland than before - even having to slow down for some fowl and their chicks to cross the road. Well before the heat set in we rolled into Campeche, the local state capital. A crowded, hot ride in through town brought us to the cobblestoned old town/tourist district. After hitting the Scotiabank we walked a bit on the waterfront, then pigged out on a well-deserved all-you-can-eat buffet (Chinese!). Nice to have some variety.

The next 3 days has us following the Gulf of Mexico coastline Southwestwards - hopefully some good beachtime to be had.

Yesterday - entering Campeche state

Action shot


Another

Campeche's waterfront

Dad defending Campeche from those damned British

January 7 :: Hopelchen, Mexico

January 7 :: Hopelchen, Mexico :: 73 km / 479km total

A foggy start today, and the humidity never let up. As the Sun rose things started to get pretty hot - but we were into our destiantion town by 11 a.m. and avoided the worst of it. Today's highlights included drafting behind a tractor for a few kilometres, and the first signs of fields/cows etc. Still, mostly we rode through undulating jungly terrain. We also entered a new state, our third of the trip: Campeche. We will be in the state's namesake town tomorrow night. No pic today due to slow internet :-(

Costs here (in $CDN)
Simple, clean room with air conditioning and private bathroom (single): $20-$30 double: add $5-$10 no aircon: take away $5

500ml cold drink (water, pop): $0.70

Bottle of beer 250ml-300ml: Store $0.70 Restaurant $2.00

Typical Mexican meal (local restaurant; frequented primarily by locals): $2-$5

Whats in this meal: a few tacos, or quesadillas, or taco-filling-in-a-bun, usually with a few small sides like refried beans and a small salad, and a drink (pop)

January 6 :: Santa Elena, Mexico

January 6 :: Santa Elena, Mexico :: 92 km / 406km total

Streetlights in Merida let us leave extra early, and it was sunrise as we emerged back into the jungly countryside. All day was pushing into a headwind, and our paceline echelon'd left and right behind me as we went around various bends in the road. Dad is excellent at drafting (riding close to the rider in front of you so that you don't take as much of the wind), and it really helps to knock off the km's. The road is undulating now as we enter the Puuc hills - nothing quite Tuscany-like, but a couple of switchbacks here and there. A cloudless day had us feeling the brunt of Yucatan heat, and it was with great relief that we pulled into the shady archaeological site of Uxmal around 11:30 a.m. Tim and Dad went in to see the site while I relaxed under a tree with water and popsicle, babysitting the bikes + gear.

Back on the road (and heat) we put in a short, fast 15km to a small town (Santa Elena), our stop for the night. All is well with everyone, and the prospect of a shorter 72km ride tomorrow is a welcome one.

Uxmal (Dad)

Oops - going down is harder than going up

January 5 :: Merida, Mexico

January 5 :: Merida, Mexico :: 114 km / 314km total

A long, hot, flat day in the saddle. This is to be Dad´s longest day on the trip, and we were out pre-dawn to maximize the cool morning temps. We quickly assembled into a paceline, Tim and Dad drafting off of me. All day I laid down as steady a pace as possible, adjusting for hills... and giving a free 10-15% to those nudging my rear wheel. At times we were really flying along! But inevitably the heat (and less inevitably two flat tires) slowed us down, but eventually we slowly rolled in through Merida's outskirts - all of us in one piece! We have a great hotel tonight, complete with fridge, pool table, and jacuzzi - for $35-$40CDN per room.

Merida is an old Spanish town, over 400 years old. It has a cute colonial-era centre and lots of great food. Overall the food has been way better than expected, so far. There's definitely a difference between Mexico and the poorer Central American countries that I cycled through last year... much more choice of food here, much more frequently cold drinks, etc. Possibly I´m speaking too soon, since we are still in a tourist-rich area... we´ll see.

And for those who rode to Volterra from Castelfiorentino (Italy)... Dad says today´s dead flat, drafting 114km was easier than the 45km hillfest ride to Volterra. Now, that being said, Dad looked pretty wiped today, but still...

Changing a flat tire for the second time today - do I look happy?

Inside our hotel in Merida

January 4 :: Chichen Itza / Piste, Mexico

January 4 :: Chichen Itza / Piste, Mexico :: 46 km / 200km total

The shortest ride of our trip to the most famous archaeological site of our trip - the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. Out early from the hotel, as per usual, to take advantage of the cool temperature, low traffic and for today - the morning lack of tourist crowds at Chichen Itza. For 2 hours we sped quickly along the very gently undulating terrain through Yucatan jungle and little Mayan towns. All of us are a little sore from the first day of riding, so lots of shifting in the saddles. But since no hills we've come across are greater than a 10 metre climb, the road goes by fairly quickly.

We had breakfast at a tourist hotel, complete with a begging duck (see pictures below). Then into Chichen Itza. Tim and Dad went first while I watched the bikes - I knew I'd be quick at the site, having been to similar sites before (Tikal in Guatemala and Teotehuacan near Mexico City). By the time it was my turn the parking lot was full of vehicles, and the din of many languages being hollered by the tour guides dampened the experience somewhat. What can you do - we're only a 2 hour bus ride from the coastal resorts. Anyways, Chichen Itza was interesting, but the throngs guaranteed that no one was allowed to climb any of the structures, which makes the experience a further bit less than complete (for me, anyways!). Tim and Dad thoroughly enjoyed it.

We had the best meal of the trip today - and also the cheapest!! 4 big pieces of freshly-barbequed chicken with tortillas, rice, etc, and 3 Cokes - 100 pesos ($10) - split 3 ways. Whenever we come across someone barbequeing at the side of the road it'll be a stop for sure.
Tomorrow will be Dad´s longest ride of the trip - 112km from here to downtown Merida.

Action shot!

"Quack": Food please

Our breakfast spot. The duck was the only one using the pool.


Sun lotioning-it-up for Chichen Itza

A very dark undertone to ancient Mayan culture

Chichen's famous pyramid/calendar

January 3 :: Valladolid, Mexico

January 3 :: Valladolid, Mexico :: 154 km

At 5am we were out and cycling towards Valladolid! The early start was to try to avoid the midday heat. Tim and I were planning to ride the entire 153km to Valladolid; Dad would take a bus halfway, then start riding and wait for us at a designated meetingpoint. Tim and I pedalled consistently and steadily into the unwanted and unseasonable headwind, barely stopping for anything. After 40km we saw Dad go by, waving out the bus window - reassuring to see that the plan was unfolding without problems. As the heat started to rise we let off the pace a bit and sweated it out to Chemax, at 125km, where Dad was waiting for us. Now suffering a bit, we took a short break in town before heading out for the final 30km into Valladolid. Dad led the way, at a quick pace, as the tailwind finally rose. Mercifully we made it into town just past noon (not bad for 154km!) before the Sun got too severe. All of us are hurting a bit from the opening day's ride... it'll take 3-4 days to get into the rhythm, for sure.

Heading out from Cancun

Out the bus window - we're not in Kansas anymore!

Our hotel in Valladolid



A much-deserved lunch

Tim experimenting with the local cuisine - and his traveller's vaccine