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!