Bacalar to Crooked Tree Island, Belize

Garmin Map: Bacalar to Corozal

Garmin Map: Corozal to Orange Walk

Garmin Map: Orange Walk to Crooked Tree Island

The ride from Bacalar to the border with Belize was straight forward. Luckily, the road construction had been completed so I didn't need to worry about more asphalt attracting rocks and gravel on my tires. The border crossing was easy. First I went through the process of exiting Mexico paying the $25 fee. There was no fee for entering Belize and I got a stamp for a month long visa. There were no lines and going from Mexico into Belize probably took 15 minutes total. Welcome to Belize!

Crossing into Belize

Hotel view in Corozal

Corozal statue

Right away, I noticed the road condition had deteriorated and the shoulder I enjoyed coming south through Mexico was now gone. There was also less traffic. I didn't have far to go to get to my stop for the night, Corozal. I got checked into a simple hotel for $50 and decided to stay an extra day so I could get acclimated to this new country. My hotel room had a lovely view of the ocean and the breeze felt great. I needed Belizean money, a new sim card for the my phone and basically to get a lay of the land ahead. Everything I needed was easy to obtain and everyone I dealt with was super nice.  It turned out a huge dramatic thunder storm came through on my rest day and so my timing was excellent.

Corozal from a small boat dock

Corozal library statue

Belize has proven to be a huge surprise. This country is very different from what I expected or had in my mind's imagination. I expected the culture to be similar to Mexico and Guatemala. I've always thought everywhere south of the US border is Latino but Belize is Caribbean. Maybe 2 days before crossing I heard that the official language of Belize is English and that the country had been a British colony. I thought that meant there would to be English people, but no, Belize is mostly Black and everyone speaks with a Jamaican-like accent.  Queen Elizabeth is on the Belizean money and Belize is still part of the British commonwealth.  But, the Belizean dollar is tied to the US dollar. The exchange is always 2:1 and it never fluctuates. Prices are given in US dollars and Belizean dollars. Most establishments will accept both currencies. Then, while I was talking to people who were stopping at the hotel for lunch or dinner, I learned that people often introduce themselves identifying their religion. So people would tell me they were Jehovah Witness or Mormon. I also learned there are very large Jehovah Witness, Mormon and Mennonite communities. The Mennonites were given land in the 1950's and today grow most of the countries produce. While I was walking around I discovered that all the grocery stores are owned by Chinese and clothing stores are owned by Hindi Indians. None of this was part is my imagined idea of what I going to find in Belize.

View from the day's ride

I love gates like this

Sugar Cane

As I was getting dressed the next morning, a zipper on one of my cycling jerseys broke. I've never had a zipper break on a jersey before but I'm sure it will be easy to get fixed. I also asked the owner if she could put ice in my Camelbak 3 liter bladder. No problem. I gave her the bladder with the lid open which is attached to the bladder with a plastic ring. When she gave me the Camelbak back full of ice, the lid was no longer attached. I have no idea why the owner detached the lid but now the bag was leaking water. I couldn't see how the lid was fit into the plastic ring and would need to figure this out later. I got going early after 2 days in Corozal to start my ride to Orange Walk. The ride continued to be flat with a strong side wind. Ever since arriving in Bacalar, the winds have been very strong starting in the late morning. Luckily, it wasn't a head wind and it kept me cooler in the hot sun. Every day, it is also partly cloudy which is lucky because the sun is scorching. Lathering up with sun screen is very important. The road doesn't have a shoulder but the traffic was kind. Weirdly, the traffic is often staggered so it's usually only coming in one direction at a time. Sugar cane is a big crop in Belize and being harvest time there were lots of sugar cane trucks passing me. 

I arrived in Orange Walk at a reasonable hour to learn there was a big high school basketball tournament going on. Lots of kids from one of the islands were competing against the local kids. This meant that most of the hotels were full. I wasn't thrilled about being in a hotel with a bunch of excited teenagers but I also needed a room. I finally found a spot at the only hotel that also has a pool, D'Victoria. The room was comfortable but nothing special. I was surprised that the price was over $60. At first, I was suspicious that I was getting the tourist rate but I watched Belizeans get charged the same posted rate. The manager, and probably the owner, wanted me to lock Myrtle out front where there is a bike rack. The rack was not in a secure area and clearly obvious from the street. There was also a big sign saying the hotel was not responsible in case of theft. There was a ton of room in other parts of the hotel or even around the pool but the manager wouldn't let me park Myrtle anywhere else. This situation was not ideal. 

Getting my cycling jersey a new zipper

I got settled and then asked the manager to recommend someone who could replace my jersey zipper. She sent me 3 blocks to a small shop. The guy dropped what he was doing to fix my zipper. I went to get something to eat, returned 45 minutes later and the zipper was replaced. How easy was that?!? I also figured out how to reattached my Camelbak lid to the plastic ring and now the bag doesn't leak anymore. Yah!

When I got back to the hotel I had another chat with the manager about finding a safer place for Myrtle. I suggested rolling her out by the pool. There was a ton of room in various places in and around the hotel. The pool is fenced with razor wire and there is also a security camera. I told her I could sign a waver to release the hotel from any responsibility if Myrtle was stolen while inside but she just kept saying 'no'. Keeping my trike out front made me so nervous I probably wouldn't sleep well. We talked for probably 20 minutes before she finally relented and opened an unused conference room that was that was next to the front desk. This was such an obvious solution and so easy, I don't know why she couldn't have offered the conference room to begin with. Wow that was a lot of talking but, in the end, Myrtle would now be safe and I was very relieved.

Lamanai Mayan Ruins and boat tour

There are some Mayan ruins close by that are accessed by boat that I wanted to check out. The hotel made me a reservation for a tour and someone came to pick me up at 8:30 the next morning. This was a fabulous day. $55 included transport to the boat launch, 3 hours on a boat exploring the birds, animals and plants on the river, entrance fee to the Lamanai Mayan site and a very nice lunch. We saw monkeys, bats, snakes, crocs, tons of birds, wonderful ruins and I especially enjoyed being on the water. I had read online reviews where the biggest complaint was the tour company sometimes pack too many people into the boats. The boat I was on was only 3/4 full and very comfortable. I met lots of nice people and found the whole experience delightful. 

Tiny bats

New River view

Burial temple of 9 Mayan rulers

While I was on the boat tour, I met a group of young Germans who were on a car tour of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. They were headed to a place called Crooked Tree Island for another boat tour and talked about it being a special place. They weren't staying on the island and didn't know if there were hotels. I looked on the map and Crooked Tree isn't far but I couldn't tell if there was any accommodation.

Sunrise on Crooked Tree Island

The next morning I started out early expecting to ride to a town called Ladyville. This route would be my longest of the tour, so far. Again, it was hot with a strong side wind. The wind is nice for keeping me cooler. I don't remember ever being on a road where traffic is so staggered. Occasionally, I had to ride in the gravel shoulder when traffic met in both direction where I was riding but this only happened a few times through out the day. When I arrived at the turn off for Crooked Tree Island I saw many advertisements for hotels. I randomly picked the Bird's Eye View Lodge to call and they had a vacancy. Spontaneously, I decided to change my plans and check out this island. 

Riding an unpaved road to Crooked Tree Island

Crooked Tree is 3 miles down a unpaved road. There wasn't much traffic but whenever a vehicle passed I was enveloped in a cloud of dust. The suspension on my trike handled the bumpy road well and I was very happy that I had switched out the derailleur system for a Rohloff hub before this tour. Instead of a derailleur hanger which is a 1/2 inch off the ground, I now have a chain tensioner that has 3 inches of ground clearance. This road would have been difficult to ride with a derailleur and the risk to bending the hanger would be great. There were lots of big rocks and it was uneven where truck tires had put groves in the surface during rain storms. 

View from the Bird's Eye View Lodge

The Bird's Eye View Lodge was lovely.  It was right on the gorgeous lagoon.  The people running the hotel couldn't have been nicer. My room was very comfortable with a view of the lagoon for $60. I thought this hotel offered exceptional value. There was a restaurant that served very tasty food, a bar, laundry service, canoes and bikes for rent. There were also lots of bird-watching activities offered. It turns out that this is peak bird watching season in Crooked Tree. Everyone staying at the hotel were birders. They were all walking around with binoculars and cameras. 

Flowering lillies

I signed up for a birding boat tour of the lagoon. The next day everyone staying left so there was no tour. I spent the day walking some of the trails and working on my blog while uploading pictures. The wifi wasn't very good and this was a slow process. The wifi in Belize has been terrible. 10 years ago I could understand bad internet but now, not so much. The internet isn't new and all businesses need to use it. How do businesses manage with such slow speeds? All I can do is make the best of what the hotel offers and I managed to get through everything I needed to do.

Rudy, birding boat tour guide

The next morning I got up very early for the birding boat tour. 5 of us met first for fruit and coffee before boarding the boat at 6 am. This was a fantastic tour. We spent 3 hours on the water and saw a ton of birds. Everyone else had binoculars and the guy next to me kept offering for me to use his. I really like birds but I've never needed to know the names of the birds. Another guy had an app on his phone where he kept track of the birds we were seeing. The tour guide was amazing. He had a bright green lazer pointer that he would use to show us where to look and then he would identify the bird giving details. There was a new Jabiru stork nest and everyone was very excited about seeing this bird. 

When we got back to the hotel and had breakfast, it was getting late enough that I couldn't decide if I should stay or start pedaling. The wind was really picking up too. The hotel staff was tying down all the flags as there was a storm forecast for later. Hhhhmm....this could be a problem if rains arrived and the unpaved road going out to the highway became a muddy mess. Then a couple I met on the boat tour, who are from Portland, offered to give me a ride. They had rented a truck and needed to return it to Belize City. They also told me about a short cut where I could completely avoid going into Belize City. I had seen this shortcut on the map but I wasn't sure if it was paved. There really aren't that many paved roads in Belize but this is one of them. We got everything loaded up and they took me to where the Burrell Boom to Hattieville shortcut meets the Northern Highway. This shortcut not only let me avoid Belize City, which everyone says is to be avoided, but it saved me a whole day. I already had a recommendation to stay at Cheers hotel in La Democracia and made that my new destination. 

Update from the road to La Democracia

In La Democracia, the Belize Zoo has been highly recommended and a friend from Guanajuato recommended stopping at an animal wildlife sanctuary called Monkey Bay. Tomorrow morning will be busy!

Tulum to Bacalar

Garmin map: Tulum to Felipe Carillo Puerto
Garmin map: Felipe Carrillo Puerto to Bacalar

Taxi from Tulum

I really enjoyed the Mayan ruins of Tulum. Even though there were lots of people and it was also very hot, the site is very beautiful with big expanses of lush green grass and wonderful views of the sea. After my spin at the beach seeing how crowded the resort area of Tulum is, I decided to push on. Checking the map, it appeared that the next town with accommodation was over 60 miles. At this point, my fitness level isn’t up to doing that many miles and I went to the front desk to ask about getting transport and they suggested a taxi. There is a town about halfway and, in the morning, I asked the taxi guys parked across the street if they could take me there. From Chumpón, I can ride the 30 miles to the next hotel. Talking to the taxi guys was a very funny interaction. First, they had no idea what a tricycle is but I could see that a hatchback taxi with the back seats down would be big enough for the trike if I folded it. Then, they couldn’t understand why I only wanted to go to Chumpón. They explained there is nothing but a bus stop at this spot on the highway. The actual town is many miles inland with only a few ranches. I was pretty excited to be having this conversation in Spanish but my language skills weren’t up to the task of explaining that I wanted to cycle the final 30 miles to Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Finally, I got a driver to accept the challenge, negotiated a price and loaded up the taxi. This driver was very apprehensive about the whole endeavor and kept trying to get more money from me even after all my gear was loaded up. I had to be firm and say $25 is more than enough money to drive me 30 miles even though I realized he also has to drive back to Tulum.

Filipe Carrillo Puerto

We were about 20 miles into the drive when he suddenly understood why I only wanted to go halfway to Felipe Carrillo Puerto exclaiming loudly ‘Oooohhhhh, you want to ride half way’. Sí, exactamente! He dropped me at the bus stop where a mom and daughter were waiting for transport back to Tulum. I think the driver did just fine for himself.

Simple church

Plaza Mayor

The rest of the ride was uneventful and I arrived in Felipe Carrillo Puerto at a very reasonable hour. This is a good sized typically dusty Mexican town. I passed some very sketchy looking hotels and kept riding hoping to find something more comfortable. I found a nice, clean, simple but tired hotel with a terrific restaurant and got checked in for $27. The hallway was exceptionally wide and I locked Myrtle to a pillar outside my room. Another reason I left Tulum is the internet was very poor at my hotel and I was hoping for better in this bigger town. Unfortunately, the internet speed did not improve. I also had an update and solution for my mangled side seat mount. Robert at Terracycle suggested replacing the whole side seat mount and not just the clamps. DHL could deliver the parts in 2 days to my friend’s house in Bacalar. My friend had recommended using DHL because the Mexican post is completely unreliable and packages don’t always arrive by FedEx either. Shipping DHL is very expensive but you can be confident their estimated delivery times will be accurate and the package will arrive.  I was planning on being at my friend’s house in another 3 days so this would be perfect! Terracycle has always been terrific about supporting me on all my tours. They deal with customers all over the world so sending me parts is not as big a deal as using a regular bike shop. And Robert is always entertaining as well. 

Kids who spontaneously stopped playing to group together for a photo as I walked by

From the taxi, I saw there was another Mayan ruin site of Muyil and realized it was one that had been recommended as worth seeing by a few people. It is actually closer to Tulum but busses go from Felipe Carrillo Puerto to Tulum every hour and I got a ticket for $2.50. While I was at the station, I asked about taking Myrtle on a bus going south. No problem and they don’t even charge for taking any luggage. The only issue is if there isn't enough room in the luggage compartment under the bus. Busses in Mexico are great and I don't know why I didn't think of it for my transport out of Tulum. The driver for the bus ride to Muyil was very funny. Even though I showed him I wanted to stop earlier than Tulum, he forgot. When I saw we were passing the ruin site, I jumped out of my seat to show him my ticket again and ask him to stop. He hadn’t gone far passed my stop and I expected he would just open the door and let me off. But no, he backed up the bus for about a 1/4 mile to let me off at the bonafide bus stop. 

Muyil

Boat dock at Sian Ka'an

Walking path to Sian Ka'an

Sian Ka'an

I spent a delightful 1.5 hours at the site. I have found the Mayan ruin sites to be very interesting and a lovely place for walking. Muyil is on a beautiful lagoon and the Sian Ka'an wildlife refuge. There is a boat launch with tours of the lagoon from here. There were lots of birders waiting to take the next boat. Since Muyil is a smaller site, I thought I might be able to fly my drone there. I think I was only person walking through the site but drones are not permitted. I also asked about flying in the Sian Ka'an lagoon but drones aren’t permitted there either. I totally understand the objection, too. All I can do is ask for permission but there would be no drone flying today.  On my way back to the bus stop I met a couple cycle touring with a young daughter. It was very hot and I could see they were suffering. They had also started in Cancun but had full camping gear. Part of their tour is to go into schools where their young daughter can play with other kids while they tell stories about cycle touring. They were not excited about camping in the heat and humidity. I told them they could put their bikes and gear on a bus to get to Felipe Carrillo Puerto where there are many hotels. They were very grateful for this information. I took the next bus back while they decided to go to a school across the street to see about doing a story presentation. I bet someone at the school will take care of them...

The next morning I called my friend Ginny to explain that, once again, I needed to take transport because the distance was too far and that I would be arriving to her house in Bacalar a day earlier. No problem, she gave me directions to her house and I said I would call again when I got closer in the afternoon. Then, I packed up Myrtle and rode the short distance to the bus station. I had to take the local bus because I wanted to stop at the small town of Limones and ride the 30 miles to Bacalar. This turned out to be very fortunate because the Mayab bus company goes from Bacalar to Felipe Carrillo Puerto and then turns around for the return trip making stops at all the little towns. The under carriage of the bus was completely full when the bus arrived in Felipe Carrillo Puerto but since everyone was getting off, it would be empty for the return trip. I had to remove the seat and lower the standing aid but I didn’t need to fold Myrtle to get her to fit. At the Limones bus stop, I had Myrtle put together in no time and pedaled on to Bacalar.  I think the bus ticket for the trip was less than $3.

I've known Ginny from when I first moved to Portland. We were both one of many Goddesses (bridesmaids) in a mutual friend’s wedding. Ginny has lived in Bacalar for 19 years and I’ve only seen her a few times over those years when she comes to Portland to visit. I have heard a lot about Bacalar, her property and was eager to see her house. My imagination had a picture of a large house next to the lake on a piece of jungle property that she had to machete her way through to build. My mental picture wasn’t too far off, either. 

Salbutes with Ginny

As I approached Bacalar, the highway was being repaved. She said to call when I got to kilometer marker 25. I passed kilometer marker 27 and then didn’t see another marker. I was suspicious that the kilometer marker signs had been removed for the repaving project. The road was quite busy and the shoulder was coned off and being worked on. I still rode in the shoulder because there really wasn't anywhere else to ride. The last mile or so was in the process of having new asphalt laid down and my tires acquired a thick layer of gravel as I rode through the fresh oil. This really slowed me down and was also very noisy as the small rocks spit through the fenders.

My timing to call Ginny was perfect. There was a sign right where the road to her property crossed. I only had to ride another 100 feet before the turn off. This is an unpaved road leading to the gate of her property and I picked up more dirt and gravel on my tires as I arrived. Ginny opened the gate and it was fantastic to see my friend. 

The swimming was lovely

Boat Tour with Ginny

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. My time in Bacalar was essentially dependent on when the DHL package from Terracycle would arrive. The estimated delivery time turned out to be a week. Even though I was staying with a friend, I think it’s a lot to ask to visit for so long. My experience, even with good friends, is 4 days is about the limit and then you start to wear out your welcome. In fact, 3 days is the perfect length for a visit so the idea of staying for a week was difficult for me. Ginny insisted it would be ok but I know how much work it is to have guests. Bacalar is in a fairly remote area of Mexico and considering the time it takes to travel here, I'm sure most visitors do stay a week and Ginny is, in fact, used to longer visits.

Bird Island

Cenote Azul

Ginny has a few lovely casitas on the property that she rents out on Air BnB. She also has a younger couple renting a room in her house while they build a house close by. The couple has already been staying for over 2 years along with 5 dogs and 2 cats. They both help out around the property and the man, Steve, has a very nice boat. He offered to take me and some Air BnB guests out on the lake. 3 of the dogs came along as well. The lake is freshwater with varying colors of blue and green depending on how deep the water is and the changing sun. The water is warm and the swimming is fantastic. I love being out on the water and this was a great day. Ginny also took me to a large Cenote (freshwater sinkhole) to swim, a market in Chetamel and we also went on another wonderful boat tour. Lake Bacalar is absolutely gorgeous and you can feel that the town, although still under the radar, is on the brink of becoming a major tourist destination. I wouldn't be surprised if big resorts start moving in. I love good food and Ginny took me to some fabulous restaurants. A couple that had just recently opened. There have been some big storms recently and Ginny has needed to do lots of cleanup on her property. Every morning she goes to pick up the worker guys in the center of town as well as enough food for breakfast and lunch for everyone. This is one busy place!

Colors of Lake Bacalar

I really had a wonderful visit with Ginny and was very grateful for her hospitality as well as letting me use her address to ship the replacement side seat mount. And, I have to say, I was relieved when the package arrived after staying 3 days. Using the old mount as a reference for placement made installation of the new mount very easy. I remember installing the 1st one was much more difficult to get all the parts to line up just right.

Arco

Once my side seat mount arrived and was installed, there wasn't any reason to stay longer and I was ready to leave. Ginny is so busy with the property, it really felt like the right thing to do. After 4 fabulous days in Bacalar, I said goodbye to my friend and pushed on to the Belize border. A new country!

Puerto Morelos to Tulum

Garmin Map to Cozumel

Garmin Map to San Gervasio Ruins

Garmin Map to Tulum

Wow was I surprised how well I recovered over night. What a relief that was.  I was really hurting when I got to the hotel last night and wondered if it might take a couple of days before I could ride again. In the morning, my legs were fine and I had good night's rest feeling strong. The thing I'm really noticing is my glute muscles are screaming after about 20 miles. I can tell it is going to take some time to get in cycling shape. Considering yesterday's ride was the first since last September, I was impressed how well I bounced back. 

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Sign on the Road

The guesthouse I stayed in Puerto Morelos was cute and hippy funky. My room looked like it was in a treehouse that was connected to a large deck. There was even a make shift kitchen in the deck. The stairs up to the room were semi-spiral with steep steps and difficult to climb with my bags. Especially since I was really hurting too. The walkway into the Kinsol Guesthouse was very narrow and I had to roll the trike out to the street with 1 front wheel in the dirt and sometimes in the air for clearance. I got packed up and on the road before anyone at the guest house was awake locking up behind me and throwing the room keys onto the path through a small hole in the gate. 

On the way into Playa del Carmen
getting Myrtle's brakes adjusted

The ride today was very straight forward totally on the highway until about 4 miles before Playa del Carmen where there is a nice wide cycle path closer to the ocean. Spring break season is well under way and there were tons of kids drinking and lots of tourists. Once you get closer to the town I think the cycle path turns into a zona peatonal and bikes are probably not allowed. I rode very slowly and no one said anything. Outside every shop, cafe and restaurant was someone hawking and vying for customers. This was super annoying. They all had something to say about Myrtle, mostly very obnoxious. There are also lots of clothing stores in this area with all the big names. I wanted to see if I could find a new jersey. I rolled up to the entrance of Helly Hanson and then a very big store that carries all the major sports brands. Both stores let me park Myrtle inside. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything that looked better than what I wearing. I continued on and at the end of the cycle path and down to the water is a pedestrian ferry to Cozumel Island. I rolled up to the information desk for what turned out to be the most expensive of the 2 pedestrian ferries available. This ferry was leaving in 10 minutes and said the trike wouldn't be an issue so I bought a ticket. Sure enough, the ferry guys were great and they had no problem dealing with Myrtle. The ferry ride is about 40 minutes and includes live music.

Veladores

I had no idea where to stay on Cozumel and started riding away from the tourist area hoping for something more basic and less expensive. I found 3 very cheap hotels. Hotel Esmeralda was only 300 pesos but they didn't have wifi. Another without wifi was 400 pesos. I ended up staying at Hotel Pepita which is super clean, very close to the action, and had wifi but only takes cash. They charge 600 pesos ($32). I had a bit of a money scare after arriving at the hotel. I have a Charles Schwab debit card and I transfer money to it from my credit union account. The transfer takes about a week. This was just one more thing I was very relaxed about taking care of before the start of this tour.  I don't know why I waited so long except that I must have been thinking this area is so built up and touristic that I would be using my credit card more than cash. Well, this thinking proved to be wrong as everyone wants cash. Until the transfer went through I only had $150 in my Schwab account since arriving in Mexico plus another $50 in pesos I had left over from studying Spanish in Guanajuato. At this point, I only had enough cash for one night at the hotel and got very lucky when the transfer went through that afternoon. That is cutting it a bit close! Since then, I've transferred more and will keep the debit card topped up more often. Traveling can be challenging but traveling without cash is really hard.

Playa del Carmen

Big storm on Cozumel

I spent 3 nights on Cozumel and loved it. The island is very relaxed and has a nice vibe. In fact, if I had to plan this tour again, I would fly directly into Cozumel instead of Cancun. The next day I rode Myrtle to the other side of the island hoping to fly my drone along the ocean. Cozumel has an international airport and I needed to be outside the 5-mile no-fly-zone. The ride was fantastic. There was a very wide shoulder and the scenery was lovely. Just as I got to the other side a huge storm arrived. There was no rain in the forecast. I pulled into a palapa type restaurant seeking refuge from the lightning, thunder and torrential downpour. This storm lasted a really long time and it was super dramatic. There were lots of tourists out in open jeeps, dune buggies and riding scooters. Everyone was drenched to the bone. One jeep full pulled into the restaurant and started drinking. There was probably 5 people, not super young, and all they talked about was drinking. The tour guide excitedly told them about all the bars they were going to stop at during the day tour of Cozumel. It was 10:30 in the morning. Crazy.

Triking Cozumel on a Very Wet Day

After about 1.5 hours the rains seemed to be subsiding and I decided to head back. Oh boy was I wrong. Another wave of rain come through and caught me within 5 minutes. I had a good tailwind going back but it still took about 40 minutes to cover the 9 miles. Everything was soaked. I was so wet my skin was pruney. I took off what I could outside my hotel room and went straight into the shower to strip off the rest of my wet clothes and rinse off the road grime. I haven't been that wet on a bike ride in a really long time. It rained for the rest of the day and I decided to stay over to do some more exploring. 

San Gervasio Ruins

In the morning my shoes, side seat bag and backpack were still wet. I really wanted to explore a Mayan ruin site called San Gervasio and rode over. The Spanish had renamed it and I don't know what the original Mayan name was. The skies were clear but the wind was super strong and I actually had trouble riding against it. The small site is 6 km off the main road and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Aside from the history, the Mayan ruin sites are a very nice place to go walking. There were 2 entrance fees. One for the site and another for the Cozumel government. The total fee was less than $5. Eloy, the security guard, watched over Myrtle and all the scooters. On the way back to the hotel I also enjoyed a very nice tailwind.

Myrtle being loaded on the ferry

I took the 8 am ferry back to Playa del Carmen and started riding south. By the time I had breakfast and picked up snacks for the road, it was already after 10 and getting hot. This was another day of riding on the highway passing huge resorts. Even though I was very close to the ocean I never saw it. There didn't seem to be much public beach access. Most beach access is reserved for the hotels and resorts. Every inch of coastal land is built up. These resorts look quite fancy and this area is famous for where college kids come for spring break. The resorts seemed to be out of my budget range and I couldn't imagine being able to afford staying at any of these places while in college. Later, someone explained that the resorts offer huge discounts this time of year often including airfare and all you can drink. The kids made sure to get their money's worth in alcohol and are known for being a drunken mess for their entire stay. This information was enough to turn me away from the idea of staying at any of the resorts.  I continued to the small beach town of Akumal which had been recommended by lots of people. From the highway, I went inland to look for a hotel instead of the pricier beach area. I found a very nice hotel with a huge room for $50 which, I think, is a good price for this area and time of year. And, of course, I'm paying more than a local. I did manage to get the price of the room lowered by $12. $50 in Mexico is a lot of money and I'm expecting prices to drop considerably once I get south of Tulum and the Mayan Riviera. Unless you stay at some of the beach hotels, it is difficult to get a feel for the place. The area I stayed was where the Mexicans stay and could have been anywhere in Mexico.

Playa del Carmen from the ferry

Building Art

In the morning I packed up and rode to the beach area of Akumal. On the map there was a sweet looking lagoon at the end of the beach road and I wanted to check it out. I was actually hoping to fly my drone. Unfortunately, the lagoon was gated and locked when I got there.  There is probably an entrance fee and I arrived too early. It was only 7 am. I thought about flying my drone up and over the gate to take a look but I've noticed there is a lot of security on the whole Mayan Riviera and I chickened out. 

It isn't far from Akumal to Tulum. In fact, I got to Tulum so early the hotel rooms weren't cleaned yet. I found a comfortable and basic hotel for $35 that was walking distance from the famous ruins. I thought I was going to need 2 days to explore the area and ruins but since it was so early, I dropped off my bags and headed over to the site. Wow was it crowded. There were busloads and hundreds of people had ridden bikes from the nearby resort area. I parked and locked Myrtle with the rest of the bikes and headed in. The line to buy a ticket was super long. I found a kiosk where I could pay by credit card and by-passed everyone. Maybe it was cheaper to stand in line but I paid less than $4.

Tulum parking

The Tulum ruins are fantastic. The grounds are gorgeous and it probably takes just a bit more than an hour to walk through the whole thing. Some of the ruins overlook the ocean and the views were beautiful. The day was very hot, there was a ton of people and I still thought it was amazing. I took a lots of pictures and video with my new camera. It was so much fun. After leaving the ruins, it was still so early I rode into the small resort town. I know that drones are not permitted in most archeological sites but I was hoping to get a shot of the ruins from out in the ocean. Turns out there is a naval base very close to the ruins and most of Tulum is a no-fly zone.  I rode beyond the no-fly zone but the town of Tulum and beach were so crowded I didn't have the courage to try and fly. There was a nice cycle path out there and I really enjoyed the ride. On the way back to my hotel I was riding on the main road when I noticed that the cycle path continues. There was a curb preventing me from taking the path. Then I saw there was a break in the curb that was just wide enough for the trike. I went through the break in the curb at an angle. The break was wide enough for the trike but not wide enough for my side seat bag and it totally got caught. The clamps that hold the mount onto the back of the seat were badly mangled. Mangled to the point I couldn't use the side seat mount. Oh boy! 

Main temple

View from the ruins

Riding the Cycle Path in Tulum

Mangled clamps

The thing is, this isn't the first time the side seat mount clamps have been damaged. I first bought the side seat for my tour across the US more than 2 years ago. It was a great tour. When I flew home from Florida I decided to leave the mount on the seat and it got caught on something during the flight. Again, the clamps on the back of the seat got mangled. Louis, from RecumbentPDX, my bike shop in Portland, made a temporary fix, actually tapping screws into the clamps to keep them in place. This fix has lasted all this time. I meant to replace the mount before this tour but completely forgot. I'll talk to Pat at Terracycle, the company that makes the mount, and see if he has ideas for how I can fix the clamps or, maybe, he can send me new ones. For now, I'll have to bungy the side seat bag to my rear rack.

I tell you what, it's always something!