You know how when you keep returning to the same spot in the world you discover new and interesting things about it? Nick and I are experiencing this now in San Miguel de Allende. This is our third trip back and our longest stay (5 weeks) and it has really allowed us to settle in, explore new neighbourhoods and get a sense of the community.
Imagine carting your groceries home?!Nicks fave taco stand And his fave art supply store
The city is nestled high in the mountains in Central Mexico, about 3.5 hours north of Mexico City. The closest airports are Leon and Queretero with both about 1.5hrs away in either direction. It sits at 6200 feet above sea level which makes you a little breathless when you first arrive and the air is dry and arid. The climate is mild, it reminds me of summer on the West Coast of Canada. Hot days and cool evenings. It’s a great temperature for me, I don’t have to work around the heat of the day to get out hiking or biking like on the coast.
There is a very high expat population here, estimated to be about 70,000 people in a city of roughly 180,000. That number impacts everything, both good and bad. On the one hand, it’s expensive, housing, food, restaurants, etc. On the other hand, there are amenities here that can be difficult to source or rely on when on the coast. The internet is reliable, the city is very clean, and the influx of expats has created a vibrant arts community. There are also numerous groups that are forever working towards improving the lives of the locals. Scholarship funds, animal welfare, cooperative support, etc. And despite the influx of foreigners, one can easily find spectacular traditional Mexican restaurants. Little holes in the wall serving up comida corrida with the TV blasting novelas in the background.
Our first 2 trips here we explored the main tourist areas known as the Centro. This time we are going further afield. Getting out of the city more into more traditional Mexican neighborhoods and finding little gems of local markets, cheap eats, and beautiful views.
We went out to a local winery a couple weeks ago with our new friends Rick and Franklin for Sunday brunch. It’s called El Pavo Real de Campo and it also has accommodations available for weekend getaway’s. The owner said most guests come from Mexico City or Leon. The winery is fairly new, only a couple years old and while it was lovely, I think in a few years once the gardens mature it will be amazing. The tasting room is also beautiful and they offer salsa lessons and dancing on every second Friday.
Bottomless mimosas!
Then last Wednesday, we went to Sunset Theatre which was so much fun. This couple built an amphitheatre in their backyard and they host bands to come and play. The cover is 600 pesos per person and you bring your own food and drink. The cover is for the band and the staff they hire for clean up, etc. The view is amazing and faces west for the sunset. The sun goes down over the mountains and just lights the sky on fire.
Candelaria is also happening now which is the kick off to spring in SMA as well as a religious festival. It runs for 14 days and there are events everyday in Benito Juarez Park. The park also hosts the biggest plant sale I have ever seen. Every kind of plant you can imagine like succulents, annuals, tropical palms that would cost a million dollars at home, fruit trees, herbs, etc. It is a wonder to your senses to stroll through. I wanted to buy so many plants but of course I just keep repeating the mantra of I can’t fit anything more on my bike!
We are 3 weeks into our house sit with one more to go. It’s been nice to settle in to one place for a while and have an office to work out of. The cats are easy to care for and we have been cooking a lot. The house is located high on the hill about a 20 min walk from the Centro. It’s steep enough that you only do the trek once a day as the trek home is daunting.
We also did a day trip to Guanajuato but I’ll save that for another post!
It is the last day of the year and honestly, I am ready to turn the page and look ahead to a new year. 2023 was hard – both personally and professionally and I am hopeful that 2024 will bring new beginnings and some quiet stability in our lives. I look forward to a year filled with adventures and laughter, good friends and a lot of travel. I wish the same to all of you and I hope that your New Years celebrations are just as you imagined them to be. Nick and I are starting it off right by having a quiet New Year’s Eve with just the two of us. We are celebrating it here in CDMX and the city is in full party mode. I doubt that we will see midnight but I am sure we will hear it.
They closed Avenida Reforma for a big street party
We arrived here on December 17th by catching the bus from SMA to the South Bus Terminal. It was about a 3 hour ride and they took our bikes with no problem. The bus terminal in CDMX is unlike one I have seen anywhere. It is enormous and looks like an airport; restaurants and bars everywhere. Once we maneuvered outside it was chaos; cars, motorcycles and people filling the sidewalks and streets. We managed to get passed the throngs of people only to be hit with more people camping on all the side streets, spilling onto the road and cars honking constantly. We figured out that the campers are migrants making their way to the US border. It was terribly sad to see families, young men, and elderly people in such a dire situation. We had discussed this with a friend in SMA who said the caravans used to come through there and they volunteered to meet the migrants weekly to feed them, give supplies and try to convince them to stay in Mexico as their chances of reaching the US safely decreases as they move north. We pushed on and began our first cycle into the city.
Stopped for a quick photo with the Bomberos
Fun fact – all the street signs in the city are faded so if you don’t have a map downloaded you have no idea where you are going. Another fun fact – no one obeys the rules of the road. People don’t stop at red lights and the streets are filled with every mode of transportation going in a million different directions. Oh, and you have to honk your horn constantly. Our ride from the bus terminal to the Airbnb was only 10km but it took an hour because of traffic. However, we were faster than the cars.
The girls arrived the next day at 1am and I had to work that day so I walked to a local cafe and settled in while Nick went in search of groceries and a pharmacy for me as I needed penicillin and an anti inflammatory. I should mention that 2 days prior to leaving SMA I got bit by a cat. It was partly my fault as the owners warned me that when petting the cat if she gets too into it she can turn on you. I wasn’t paying attention and she got me. 3 good and deep punctures on the top of my hand. So my hand hurt like hell and it was swollen. I tried to ignore it (hard while cycling) and while it was healing I was concerned about sepsis but I kept it to myself for a few days. Then on Sunday night after Nick was sleeping I googled cat bites. Big mistake. I was then convinced that I had sepsis and would most likely be dead by morning. So I did what any rational person would do; I woke up my husband and told him of my impending death and what my last wishes were. He got up, got dressed and called an Uber. Off we went to the hospital at midnight to get it checked out.
Now, let me say that private hospitals in CDMX are amazing. We went to Medica Sur Hospital and it was fancy; like posh cafes, comfy chairs and zero wait time. They asked me what happened and if I had a credit card and ZOOM – I was in! I had a lovely doctor who spoke english and she translated for the nurses. I had my vitals taken, she looked at my hand and then I dropped my drawers and got a tetanus shot in my rear end. Then Nick and I filled out about a million pages of paperwork, tapped my credit card and we were done. I was very much relieved and happily went to sleep when we got back home at about 2:30am. I can also report that my hand is almost healed, the pain is gone, and no sepsis. Phew.
Back to the kids arriving. Since they arrived so late we did nothing on the first day except stroll around the neighbourhood and eat tacos. Each day we would have a destination and then either walk there or take the metro; there is an abundance of things to see and do in CDMX and each area in the city has something wonderful to offer. I feel like we are only scratching the surface and it would take multiple visits to really take it all in. Also, it’s the holiday season so the city is especially busy and after 4-6 hours out and about you really need to go somewhere quiet and recharge. I did have reservations about coming here due to the crime but I have felt totally safe here and while we take precautions for pick pockets, it feels like we could be in any major city.
Street Tacos!!
We managed to take in the historical centro including the National Art Gallery when we went downtown but we couldn’t go into the National Palace as the tours were done for the day. We wandered amongst the incredible buildings and tried to find a used clothes market for the kids to thrift but it was a no go. So we hopped back on the metro to get out of the centro before rush hour started. While we did enjoy the day, the shear amount of people and hawkers was a bit much for all of us and we were happy to get out of there.
The best bakery!
There is a massive park here called Chapultepec Park which is the largest park in the western hemisphere and it holds a castle, a lake, multiple galleries, museums, a zoo, etc. However, finding the entrance is very frustrating and it appears that only 1-2 gates are only ever open and often the park is completely shut. Like on Christmas Day?! We did manage to get into it prior to Christmas Day after I marched us there on the longest route possible and everyone hated me by the time we arrived. Then no one wanted to explore the park as everyone was tired. Sigh. We then walked to the ritzy area Polanco for lunch and then caught the bus home.
Dedicated bike lanes!Travelling on the metro:(
Nick and moved from the Airbnb on the 22nd to a housesit in an old historical apartment just a few blocks away. The girls stayed in the Airbnb for a few more days and then we moved them into a swanky hotel for their last few days for a bit of luxury before flying home. The hotel was Plaza Galleria Reforma and I recommend it to anyone coming to the city.
Our apartment in La Condesa where we are house sitting
We had slow morning with the girls and usually didn’t get out of the house until 11am; we shopped, went to the Museum of Modern Art, ate loads of pastries, and just wandered the streets and people watched. It was so much fun to have them here and have a different Christmas together. The girls flew home on the 29th and Nick and had one full day of rest and then have spent the last 2 days discovering more of the city on our bikes.
Fancy!
We cycled out to where all the super rich live and looked at all the fancy houses and shops. There is a much bigger police presence in that area and most houses have a security guard standing out front. Beautiful area though, very clean, and lots of parks. I will say this city has parks everywhere; I guess because everyone lives in apartments the parks become an extension of their living space.
On Sundays, a major road in the city called Reforma is closed to traffic and it is opened to people to use. It’s amazing. It runs from Chapultepec Park all the way to the Basilica de Guadalupe at the other end. Round trip it is about 20km and it passes many monuments in the city. Such a lovely way to take the sights in. The Basilica dates back to 1666 and the history is that this is the spot in 1541 when the Virgin of Guadalupe (Mary) first appeared and was seen by a peasant named Juan Diego. It is among the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world and is now a National Park. It was something to see and outside the gates every hawker in the area is selling kitschy Virgin Mary trinkets; from statues to baby onesies with her image bejeweled on it.
We are here for another week and then its destination unknown until we head back to SMA to housesit for 5 weeks in a villa. Looking forward to that for sure!
We arrived here on November 30th for our first house sitting gig. It was for 11 days taking care of 2 cats and a dog. It was a great experience and we had such fun with the animals. We managed to find another sit and moved into the historical Centro for another 4 days. This current house is beautiful with lots of light and its fully decked out for the holidays.
Entrance to our first house sitPilli – such a lovely dog. Our view from the current house sit. I may never leave!
We had been in SMA before about 9 years ago with the kids but it was a quick 2 day trip and we just skimmed the sites. It’s wonderful to be back however the weather is unseasonably cold and we are not prepared for it. We had to buy Nick a scarf and a sweater and sneakers for me. Houses here are not built for this cold weather and most have open air windows. Needless to say, on the chilliest days we would head to a coffee shop.
The hat man!The main church in the Centro
We found Nicks favourite panaderia from 9 years ago and also the place where we stayed when a kind man named Jen took us in when couldn’t find a hotel. Unfortunately, we couldn’t track Jen down and it appears he has moved away.
The bakery opened in 1901!
SMA has a large expat community and is renowned for the artists who settle here from Mexico and beyond. The city was founded in the 1500’s and the core is historically protected with cobbled streets and beautiful architecture. Nick has spent much of his time wandering around town, through galleries and finding inspiration at every turn. I had been working from coffeehouses in town as they are warmer than the house and there appears to be a sizeable remote worker base here as well.
The main square
We have been out for a couple rides into the countryside; one out towards Querétaro which we cut short due to rain and the traffic was very heavy and it didn’t feel particularly safe. The other ride was great, we did about 40km on a backroad out to a small town called Atotonilco which is known as a pilgrimage town. There is a sanctuary built in the 1740’s and it is known as the Sistine Chapel of Mexico. It’s is spectacular, every inch of the place is painted in a Mexican baroque style of religious scenes. During Holy Week there are between 15,000 to 20,000 people that arrive to make the pilgrimage from the Sanctuary to the church in SMA.
A market on the highway. We tried an indigenous meat, blue tortilla dish. It was delicious!They essentially blocked the highway and set up a market. Sanctuary in AtotonilcoDelicious lunch in the street; we had a chicken mole that was to die for.
It’s nice to be settled in a city. We walk a lot; before work, on my lunch and then again in the evening usually to the square to people watch and listen to the mariachi’s. We have made a few friends and it is nice to see familiar faces around town. It is a very hilly city though and at every turn you are faced with steep climbs and many stairs. It’s a very clean place though and the upkeep must be enormous. We even saw a city worker hand weeding a cobble road!
This is our last few days here and we head to Mexico City on Sunday to meet up with the kids on Monday. We are both very excited to see them and explore that city together. We do get one more SMA experience in the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe which started last night at 11pm with fireworks that went until 2am. It’s now 8am and the festival is in full swing again. We are located a couple blocks from the square and the bangs sound like cannons going off. I expect a few sleepless nights…
Watch your step!Nick is settling in. In PV- such great street art
It’s been a pretty quiet week around here; I went back to work last Tuesday and both Nick and I caught a stomach bug. Nick went down first starting on Tuesday and was mostly recovered by Friday but he had 2 full days in bed and I can tell you in 20 years of marriage I have never seen him in bed for 2 days. No food, sipping on water and electrolytes and zero energy. I went down on Friday afternoon; I felt great in the morning, I worked out, started work early and felt like I was going to accomplish a lot. Then my ear started to hurt and the chills set in. I knew it was all over. I was in bed and didn’t get out for 36 hours. It’s the worst. It feels like your body is turning against you. I have just started back on solid food and so far so good. I think that ultimately we are getting cocky on our ability to swing back into Mexican street food. We just dive in, no gradual introduction. And then we wonder why we are sweaty and crampy at 3am.
El Fogoncito- really delicious tacos!
The work thing is going well, it certainly feels like it eats up most of my day but doesn’t everyone feel that way? I don’t technically need to start until 11am my time so it is nice to have the morning to get a ride in or walk the beach. I am trying to structure my day similar to at home and get a workout in mid day but it is hot as hell by then and I am quickly realizing morning is better.
Bike path in Nuevo
We did find the bike trail to Nuevo Vallarta and it is lovely. Dead flat and follows the beach from the Royal Decameron Resort in Bucerias to the Marina in Puerto Vallarta. We also found a beach access where the fancy hotels are that has an OUTDOOR SHOWER for public use. Never have I ever seen such a thing in Mexico. It is glorious, you can get sandy/salty and shower off before getting back on the bike to cycle home. Round trip it’s about 20km which a perfect distance in 30 degree heat and 95% humidity.
Lots and lots of dirt roads
We have also found several neighbourhoods that we would live in. Away from the beach and up on the hillside with sweeping views. The roads are paved (mostly) and they are predominately Mexican areas with lovely tiendas, restaurants, and of course, our favorite, taco stands. Now to be clear, we don’t want to live in Bucerias but we do like to fantasize about such things when we travel.
The carnival is in town. Sigh. These are travelling fairs that set up in the Barrios for a week or so and it is very disruptive. They set up on the street (like blocking peoples houses) around the plaza mainly and festivities start at around 7pm and go until 2am. There is live music and the sounds from the rides, kids screaming, dogs barking, etc. It is chaos. Plus the carnies sleep in their vehicles beside the rides and garbage is everywhere. The locals love it though and the kids are having so much fun on the rides. They have a mini roller coaster, merry go round, this spinny thing that goes very fast around a track and finally a pirate ship that swings back and forth like a pendulum. These rides have been banned in the North decades ago I am sure but you better believe that both my kids enjoyed all of these rides in Mexico when they were little.
The whole street is blockedDouble decker trampoline
Nick and I are getting to know the lay of the land better and we now play frogger to cross to the highway just like the locals. It has become abundantly clear that it is safer to cross between intersections than the intersections themselves. Plus we like cross near the private hospital, less distance to travel if something were to go terribly wrong. We know the best roads to take that are paved but not to busy and today we were shown a trail that takes us to a beautiful grocery store. We hadn’t gone before because we thought you had to get on the highway to Puerto Vallarta and we are not willing to do that. It’s like a Mexican Whole Foods. I’ve decided Nick and I will go on a date there.
New trail!
We did do one morning ride last week, just a quick zip out to Valle de Banderas and back We stopped in town at a streetside juice stand and got completely taken for being gringos. We should know better by now. We roll up, order a large orange juice and do not ask the price. Duh. Of course, she charged us 100 pesos and we had to pay it. I guess we could have argued it but seriously? It was our own fault and lesson learned. Plus I won’t stop there again when we ride out there this week.
The rip off juice bar
Other things I learned this week: horses like watermelon rinds, I really don’t like to touch the sea floor when swimming, don’t order beef stew at a streetside restaurant (think ventricles) and finally, most importantly, don’t leave the house when you have a Mexican stomach bug and bathrooms are scarce.
We arrived to Puerto Vallarta at nightfall in the sweltering heat only to wait an hour to collect our bike boxes and get through customs. Once on the other side, we found our driver Humberto waiting patiently for us along with a couple of women whose ride hadn’t shown up. We agreed to share our ride as they too were heading to Bucerias. Turns out we were on the same flight down and they are visiting from Gabriola Island. After some Tetris to fit everything in the van we were off.
Our Airbnb is back in the barrio about a 15 minute walk to the beach. It’s a lovely Mexican neighbourhood with a spectacular taco stand around the corner. The neighbour raises roosters and needless to say we are up early which is just fine as we need to be on the bikes at first light to get a decent ride in before it’s too hot.
Our host Sara lives on the property and already Nick is keeping himself busy tinkering and repairing things. There was a bit of wood that needed repairing and Nick and I set off to the ferrateria (hardware store) to buy wood glue. Neither of us knew the word for glue and so Nick asked for the “juice to repair the wood” and the guy working understood and also had a giggle.
There are 2 dogs that live here as well named Flower and Flash. They are super lovely and keep us company when Sara isn’t home.
FlashFlower
We have been here for four days and have already explored quite a bit. We have walked the beach from one end to the other, explored the back roads on our bikes and completed 2 big rides. This area has changed A LOT in 20+ years since we have been here. It has spread way past the Centro, La Cruz has marina!, and it seems as though PV and Bucerias are connected now. That said, the beach is lovely and we have found good food and a decent mini super nearby.
View from the Barrio
Our first ride out of town was a 44km loop out to Valle de Banderas – San Juan de Abajo – San Jose de Valle. This area of Nayarit is predominantly agricultural land with a strong indigenous community. There are statues everywhere acknowledging their Aztec heritage and the fields are full of agave, bananas, squash, and other fruits and vegetables.
We stopped along the way to have a quick breakfast from a street vendor and chatted with some locals. The ride was beautiful and while some spots were busy with traffic it was for the most part quiet and cool.
Our next ride took us north on Hwy 200 to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and out towards Punta de Mita. The highway is the main artery connecting the north to Puerto Vallarta and beyond and it is loud, fast and dirty. It reminded me of riding into Merida and I hoped that we would both live to see the end of the day.
That said, drivers in Mexico are very courteous of cyclists but it’s the debris on the road that adds the element of fear. It often forces you closer the cars than is comfortable and those big trucks are scary.
We explored the towns and marina and then decided to ride out to Punta de Mita before heading back. This is where Google failed us. We hopped on the hwy 200 again to get us there and before long the road just ended. Like the pavement stopped and a trail appeared.
This is the highway according to google Developers dig up the path to deter people from crossing. Not us!!
We continued down this path for about 6km and we were ALMOST at the first and only exit when security appeared and wouldn’t let us by. Apparently a developer is going to build there and although the government stopped them once they are back again. We begged and pleaded but no go.
So we turned back and tackled that goat track for the second time. I of course, had my eagle eye out for snakes disguised as sticks and tarantulas. Thankfully it was uneventful and once we got back to La Cruz we stopped for a well deserved drink. All in about a 35km ride and we got home very sweaty, dusty and hungry.
Tomorrow we are riding to PV to have lunch with friends from Melaque, wander through some galleries and buy me a new pair of runners. Then back to work on Tuesday!
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.
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
I’m clearly settling in to Mexican time as my blog posts have slowed down and everything can be done “manana.” I am now almost a week behind on our travel updates and I thought it best to get this written before I forget the details.
Storm clouds off the gulf!
We left on a Sunday morning to ride out to the coast. Nick booked us an Airbnb in a tiny coastal town at the end of the road. Our casita was the last one with just lagoons and ocean beyond.
The ride was uneventful; mainly a long stretch of highway until we reached the town of Progreso. I did start calling the ride Dog Day as we saw several dead dogs on the highway and then the ones in town were travelling in packs and we got chased a few times. At Progreso we hung a left and followed the highway along the coastal road through a town named Chelem and finally made it to Churnuba.
Both towns had sports games going as we passed through. We stopped to watch a women’s soccer game on a beautiful artificial turf and then a baseball game. It appears that there is a significant expat community along the coast and that the towns survive primarily on fishing. We had heard that the pandemic shutdown had really hurt the community and they are just getting back on their feet.
Main drag in Chuburna Corner shop
We dropped our panniers off at the casita and met our hosts Mike and Sandra. They are Canadian expats that have only retired down here about a year ago. They have a lovely home and we were happy to just chill out and do nothing for a few days.
Turns out we picked a good spot. There was nothing going on so we explored the lagoons by bike and saw flamingos! So cool. I was hyper aware of crocodiles though so we didn’t go too close to the waters edge. We had been told that there weren’t any flamingos out this way so it was a pleasant surprise.
We cooked ate home primarily, however we did venture out a few times for a fish dinner from a local restaurant called Cristo del Rey; it is octopus season so we tried the ceviche and also had prawn fajitas. So delicious!
The only downside of the area was the bugs, they were relentless in the morning and evening. Nick and I were feasted on and I am still scratching away. After 3 days we were feeling recharged and ready to head out on our next adventure. The plan was to head back to Merida via a different route, have a one night stop over and then grab a bus East. Either towards Holbox or Isla Murjeres. We are watching the weather though as the East coast has a lot of rain in the forecast.
Stopped to eat upon arrival to Chuburna. Hot, sweaty and starving!
The whole reason this trip happened was my interest in visiting Merida. It’s a city of about 1 million people and it’s ranked the 2nd safest city in North America. It piqued my curiosity. Maybe that’s where we will move one day?
Light show at the cathedral
We spent 5 days roaming the city. We had a beautiful boutique hotel in the Centro and we travelled around mostly by foot. There were some really amazing restaurants near us that we sampled and also spent one day on our bikes getting out to some of the barrios. We took our bikes to a bike shop called Bikestop where a lovely young man named Romario gave our bikes some love. We discussed in broken Spanish a few suggested bike routes and how best to avoid the traffic.
The main drag Paseo de Montejo
Merida is a very European city that is quite wealthy. It feels like Europe. No street food or roaming dogs – no chaos except for the drivers. The one exception in the heart of city is the mercado. It’s the central market for the Yucatan and all goods travel through here. It was overwhelming and to be honest in Covid times a little too congested for our comfort. Plus I was told there was an animal trading area in the centre and I just couldn’t bear it.
The first two to three days were great and we were enjoying ourselves and then the next two days I felt melancholy and I just wanted to get out of town. I don’t know what it was; maybe the breakneck speed we were travelling at but we decided to take one full day and sat by the pool. It did feel good to rejuvenate and rest a little before heading back into the busyness of city life.
On our last day we took a bus to Izamal to see the city. It is considered a “Puebla Magica” which is an area of historical significance. Izamal is known in Yucatán as the Yellow City (most of its buildings are painted yellow) and the City of Hills (that actually are the remains of ancient temple pyramids). We hopped on bus to take there and it turned out to be the local route which stopped in every single town. The 45 min drive took over 2 hours. Ugh. By the time we arrived we were hot and cranky. Nevertheless we had a look around, climbed an old pyramid and grabbed some lunch.
Waiting for the bus!
Nick opted for queso rellenos, a local dish that is cooked a creamy, white sauce that is stuffed with tortillas and pork. He said it was tasty however Yucatan food is very heavy and within 45 min Nick was not feeling great. I, on the other hand, had chicken and a salad and felt pretty good. Nick was ready to get out of town and head home and taking that 2 hour bus back was out of the question. We hopped in a collectivo and the driver sped us back to Merida in under an hour. And it cost $2 each. Good grief, when will we learn to stay off the second class buses?
In the end, I don’t think Merida is for us. It’s too big, too busy and lacks the wildness of Mexico that Nick and I love. I’m glad we visited though. It is a culturally rich city with much to see.
The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn to hop on our bikes and cycle to the coast. Next stop Chuburna!
When we decided to cycle to Chichen Itza I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. Almost smug. Like who rides their bike to Chichen Itza?
No shoulder in this stretch.
Not many people is my guess and let me tell you why. It’s a long, treeless highway with a smattering of pueblas along the way and not much else. There is no where discreet to pee along the way (sorry to the old man who passed by at the wrong moment) and it’s very, very hot by 9am. Nevertheless, we pedalled on and while it wasn’t a terribly interesting ride it was nice to be on the bikes. I also take back my comments about how dogs in Mexico seem to be treated better. It’s only true in the city; rural dogs do not have it good. I suggested to Nick that we carry kibbles with us to feed the dogs along the way. You can imagine how that conversation went. Poor Nick, he is trying to make our pannier’s lighter and I’m buying dog food.
When we arrived at Chichen Itza we locked our bikes and all our belongings to a post and hoped that they would still be there upon our return. I had my doubts but a local collectivo driver assured me it would be fine. I had visions of him driving away snickering with our panniers. Off we went to queue up and wander amongst the ruins.
Did you know the Chichen Itza was privately owned for a very long time? It was government managed (poorly, I might add both then and now) and finally the government bought it outright for some ridiculous amount of money. Can you imagine finding great historical ruins on your property? Bananas. It is like winning the lottery.
Pretty quiet compared to the last time I was there. It looks like I’m giving a guided tour. I think I was saying “I’m going to find shade”
Now I had been there before but it was Nick’s first time and he was shocked by the amount of people setting up stalls to sell you tourist kitsch. We marched on past and did a walking audio tour with an app I had downloaded. It worked well as it was informative and no one tried to sell us stuff as we had earphones in. Two hours later, severely dehydrated and most likely suffering from heat exhaustion we stumbled out of the complex and to my surprise found our bikes intact. Next, we had to track down a ride to Merida as it was still another 140km away and we had a hotel booked for that night. Cycling was not an option.
We had to take a second class bus. I know, terrible right? But we had no other option. So I bought the 2 tickets and when the bus showed up we had to dismantle our bikes to get them to fit in the hold while everyone just stood and watched. Then, we get on the bus and the driver tells us it’s another 100 pesos for the bikes. No receipt. Bullshit. It went straight in his pocket and Nick and I fumed the whole way. The whole 3 hour bus ride. The full 140km, stopping in every town. Plus, the driver stopped so he could go pee right outside my window. I felt like I deserved that one though; for my earlier indiscretion. At any rate, I fantasized about arguing with driver once we got to Merida but by then I was so thankful to get off the damn bus I probably would have paid another 100 pesos.
Putting it all back together in Merida. No shade. Hungry and hot.
We arrived in Merida about 3:30pm and then began the adventure of cycling in a very congested city that is all one way, narrow, pot holed streets and drivers who do not give way to cyclists. It was actually quite exhilarating and fun once we realized we had to be aggressive if we wanted to get to our hotel in one piece.
It was like walking into an oasis of calm when we arrived at Hotel Casa Flor de Mayo. It’s a small hotel in a renovated colonial building just two blocks off the Paseo de Montejo which is a beautiful tree lined street filled with cafes and galleries. We settled in and rested up to begin our exploration of Merida!
onesmallboat 