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Merida Con’t

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We ended up staying in Merida for another 4 nights as the weather on the east coast was forecasting rain. We liked our new hotel and the location couldn’t be beat so we decided to have one day of lounging poolside with evening explorations before making any further plans.

The return to Merida brought a new perspective; we explored different areas of the city and even managed to find the original Mayan settlement called T’Ho that eventually became the city. It is very near the centro and main bus terminal. It still has a few traditional Mayan homes standing and the streets are very narrow. The trick to cycling in Merida is own the road but watch out for buses; they will not hesitate to squeeze you out.

Traditional Mayan house

We took one full day to drive out to a Puebla called Homun to visit some cenotes. It is about 45km from Merida and while we could have cycled, it would have made for a very long day. Plus I was concerned about leaving our bikes unattended while we were swimming. Anyways, Homun. It’s population is roughly 10,000 and it’s claim to fame is that it has about 300 cenotes. It’s a nice enough place but we could see the effects of the pandemic; most restaurants were closed and it felt a little depressed.

Let me back up a little. Nick and I had planned to take a collectivo to Homun and after marching around the city for an hour trying to find the depot we were ready to give up. We were sweaty and getting grumpy. We asked for directions (again) and finally found the right place. In Merida the collectivo’s all leave from different depots which are little holes in the wall that have their destination painted somewhere on the building. But that’s only the main destination, not the other little places where they stop along the way. Alas, Homun is one of the little stops. We happily approached our van and saw that is was full. They offered to squeeze us in but hello? COVID? and decided to hire a taxi instead.

We flagged down a taxi, haggled on the price and off we went. Our driver, Roberto had to google it as he didn’t know where to go! It’s 45km away?! He said he had never been. Seems crazy to me. He whizzed us out there taking a strange route and at one point I thought we were either lost or going to be robbed. Turns out he wanted to pick up his cousin. Good grief. We finally got to Homun where we then had to haggle with a Tuk Tuk driver to take us to two cenotes. His name was Miguel and we also had to swing by his house to pick up stuff and then go get gas. The gas was at another guys house who filled up the tank with gas in a pop bottle. Only in Mexico, right?

It was worth it though. The cenotes were amazing; the stalactites were huge and the water was super cold. Of course I was freaked out by the big fish swimming around us but I did my best to disassociate and enjoy the dip! We drove around with Miguel for a few hours and then it was time to meet Roberto to bring us back to the city. It was a great day out and I loved the door to door service coming home!

All in all, we enjoyed our second time in the city more. We found news areas to explore on our bikes and instead of trekking through the city in the heat of day we explored in the early morning and evenings. We left the afternoons to swim and read books. All the while we were watching the weather; we had decided earlier to bus directly to Cancun because to cycle meant we would have to find accommodation in small pueblas and we just couldn’t get confirmation of any availability. Plus we had cycled much of the interior already and didn’t think we would be missing much.

We saw a break in the forecast for Isla Mujeres and booked a direct bus for the next day at 5am. It’s a 5.5 hour trip straight back to Cancun and the central bus terminal is not too far from the ferry terminal to get to the island. We were excited to get back on the road and see a new place.

4:45am at the Central bus terminal. I burnt my hand trying to carry all my gear and a hot coffee. It was worth it.

Merida (again) – 75km

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We decided that we wanted to start making our way back East and had loose plans to get to Holbox and Isla Mujeres before flying home. Plus, we have to get back to Puerto Morelos by the 17th as we have a Covid test booked and our bike boxes are there. Merida is the central hub for the bus stations, so off we went back to Merida via a new route.

We left early on a Sunday morning and our route bactracked as far as Progreso and instead of turning South we continued East along the spit to a place called Chixculub. It’s just another beach town, pretty unremarkable but it was fun to pedal through and see it all. We got a little lost trying to find the highway but after asking directions we were off. This route took us through another lagoon area where we saw more flamingos and a dead crocodile. I have been on HIGH ALERT for crocodiles because there are signs everywhere to watch out for them. This was disconcerting; I had to ride close to the edge so not to get hit by a car but it also puts me a little to close to the crocodile area. I was happy to get past the lagoon and onto a regular highway.

Dead crocodile and see where the white line is – no shoulder!

Now this was a very long, straight road. And it was very hot with a head wind. It felt like we were going to pedal forever and get nowhere. There were no pueblas along the route until almost Merida so we were on our own. Nick had a puncture and we found a shady spot to change the tube. The moment we stopped riding the heat just slammed into us and we were slick with sweat. It was going to be a long ride.

Long, shadeless road. And Nick is the king of punctures.

At last we reached Conkal, a town about 15km outside of Merida where we rehydrated and sat on the side of the road and shared a bbq chicken with a little shaggy dog. I was definitely feeling the heat and was a little nauseous but I kept up with the water and we pressed on.

The downtown core of Conkal

We approached the city from the north east; this is the fastest growing area and there are fancy buildings going up everywhere. We weaved through the chaotic traffic and made our way to the Centro to check in to our new hotel called Luz en Yucatan. It’s an old convent attached to a church; think big cavernous rooms and high ceilings. Except mod cons like a great pool and toilets!

The arch is the entrance to the original city. Yay Merida!
Luz en Yucatan
Really awesome pool

Mexico at Night

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It’s 3 am and we are in Queretaro staying with friends we met in Canada just a few weeks ago. Their place is high above the city in a lovely residential neighbourhood that we couldn’t have experienced otherwise. Here’s the kicker; there is a LIVE Mariachi band playing outside across the street. No neighbours are complaining, the police haven’t been called, it is just part of the fabric of Mexican culture. For us, it’s a mixed blessing, we love the music and the pursuit of a good time in this country but we are also used to quiet nights so no one can sleep through it. I wonder when they will finish? I have plans at 9 am and I’d like to workout beforehand.

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Can you see the Mariachi player under the light? They have 3 trumpets.

The road since Tlaquepaque has been an interesting one. The weather has gotten cooler as we have climbed into the mountains and we are in shorts from noon until 5ish but then the warm clothes come on again. We left Tlaquepaque around midday and set the GPS to Guanajuato. I was driving so I gave Samantha another chance as I felt really stressed trying to navigate city traffic and Spanish. She redeemed herself somewhat. Although, we did end up going through a very small town, where according to her directions the road disappeared and we were on a dirt path through an abandoned lot. BUT, it did spit us out back near a ring road and provided a bit of adventure. No one died! Yay Samantha!!

All the guide books recommend that you DO NOT drive in Guanajuato, it is a city of tunnels that intersect underground and the parking in the centro is a nightmare. So we stayed at a very overpriced hotel on the edge of town and they shuttled us in. The shuttle and comfy bed were the only good things I can say about this place. By the time we left I was weary with the incompetence of every person in there. Sadly my Spanish isn’t good enough to complain effectively, I only get blank stares.

I love, love, love Guanajuato. It is a city steeped in history, the fight for Mexican Independance was based in this area and the architecture is pretty awesome. It is also a city of stairs, narrow passages, breathtaking views and friendly people. We walked up to the top of El Pipila to the viewpoint at the top ( about 500 steps, I swear) and then carried on to Diego Rivera’s childhood home that is now a museum. That’s where I realized I left my water bottle at the top of El Pipila and had to turn around and run back up. Everyone declined to come with me. Lazy so and so’s.

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I would like to return to Guanajuato, spend a week or two in the area; I think we just scratched the surface. There are hot springs, numerous galleries and museums plus some pretty great shopping.

We moved on from there to San Miguel de Allede but I’ll write about it tomorrow. The Mariachi band has finished, it’s 4am and the people across the street have moved on to house music. It’s quieter, relatively speaking, and I am going to try to sleep.

Tlaquepaque and Navigation

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Ok, we fired Samantha, the USA GPS voice because she was butchering all the Spanish pronunciations of the streets and highways we are travelling. I felt bad for her for a minute but she was really really irritating. So now it is Ana from Latin America but that means we have to follow directions in Spanish as well. A crash course whilst navigating the Autopista in Guadalajara. Interesting to say the least.

We took the toll road through Colima to get here, very boring except for 2 guys carrying tree trunks down the highway and what appeared to be a dead horse. Oh, and the volcano was smoking so that was pretty neat as well. We went through 3 tolls costing 125p each. Now these tolls are for the upkeep of the road, divided highway and all that. But, one special stretch of road is single lane, going uphill and every massive Mexican truck loaded with sugarcane flying everywhere is directly in front of you. And you know what’s at the top of the hill? A double lane, divided highway, that’s what. Seriously?! Well, Nick swore a blue streak. The kids are now much more educated in English swear words.

Once we pulled into town and went for a wander around the square, we had a bite to eat, booked a hotel and then had to find the hotel in the dark. That was a mistake. This is Mexican, large city, 5 lane, aggressive driving. We trusted Ana to take us there and she did okay except for not mentioning that we had to pull across 5 lanes choked with buses spewing black smoke, taxis weaving in and out, and people cycling. Seriously cycling, in the dark on a major freeway. Needless to say we missed our entrance to the hotel. Nick pulled over across the street and we all just stared at it forlornly. Our only option was to go around the ring road again and have another crack at it. This time Nick wasn’t taking any shit and he drove just like the Mexicans and we made it! I think I sprouted a few new grey hairs.

So here we are. At the El Tapatio Hotel, a gated bizarre collection of private residences and resort. It has a winding cobblestone road that goes up, up, up and the hotel is at the top. It has a 360 degree view of the city and the biggest swimming pool I have ever seen. There is a nightclub, 3 restaurants, a game room, store, etc. The most interesting thing is that it is crawling with the federales. There are at least a hundred of them. They are patrolling, and one is sitting out by our car now. Everyone is acting nonchalant but when we asked at reception he was vague and wouldn’t say. I don’t know if I feel more safe or less. The bellman said there is an “event” happening so perhaps someone important is here for a wedding or meeting. It reminds us of another well maintained but perpetually empty resort called Las Hadas, reportedly run by a cartel. I’m curious to see what it looks by daylight.

Our food on the road hasn’t been great. I had fruit and nuts in the car today but we ended up skipping lunch and had an early dinner around 4. Georgia was ready to kill by then and honestly, we were all cranky. That was 5 hours in the car. Of course everyone was hungry again at 9 so we ordered pizza. If we could’ve navigated off this damn mountaintop in the dark we might have been able to find something better.

Tomorrow, we will spend the morning in the beautiful galleries of Tlaquepaque and then head towards Queratero.

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