Exploring Mexico

 

When we crossed the border from Belize into Mexico I knew I was going to love this country. The people, the roads and oh how the food has been delicious!! Even worth the diet that awaits me on my arrival home… Our first stop is Chetumal, a small quiet and dusty town. We camped by a river and befriended a family of Canadians who lived across the way, they where so generous inviting us over to their house for drinks, dinner and a really great HOT shower!! It was a wonderful welcome into Mexico. We stayed for two nights then left for Tulum saying goodbye to our new friends. The busy tourist streets of Tulum were insane, it was hot and I could feel the sweat run from my brow in my helmet.

 

 

 

 

After spending a few days in Tulum we then ventured on to Cancun, stopping at a cenote for a swim and then pushing on to Playa Del Carmen for some Italian lunch. The cenote was something else, swimming with a bunch of fish felt a little strange at first; if I stopped swimming I could feel the little fish-eating the dead skin off my feet, completely weird! Then we arrived in Cancun. It was loud, expensive and touristy and resembled a smaller version of Hollywood but I loved it. The white sandy beaches had barely any seaweed on them with workers maintaining them daily, the water was a beautiful shade of aqua blue and I don’t think I have seen so many hotels on one strip of road in my lifetime. We did all the things you do whilst traveling through Cancun and then left for Isla Holbox, an island north of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and part of the Yum Balam Nature Reserve. Home to flamingos and pelicans this car-free island, between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico is rich in marine life such as sea turtles and whale sharks. This laid-back Holbox Village full of sandy flooded roads was a challenge for us to ride the bike through. We only stayed one night as the seas were rough, it was hard to get the bike around and it was pretty windy.

 

 

 

 

We visited Valladolid, pasted through Merida and then reached Celestun, a fishing beach town where the flamingos flock in hundreds. We parked the bike up for the next few days and arranged to stay at a campsite in a room with our very own private bathroom. This is the life I thought. I really enjoyed my time in Celestun, it was early December and the Christmas celebrations had already started with parades and fireworks every night followed by bars and restaurants open till late. The fireworks show were something out of a scary movie, with men putting frames in the shape of animals over their bodies decorated in fireworks and then setting themselves alight. The noise was loud and the people loved it. I looked around thinking how unsafe this was but all I could see was sheer excitement. Then out of nowhere fireworks would randomly shoot into the crowd and people would run for cover, hiding behind cars and in restaurant buildings, trying not to get hit by a shooting firework. I was scared and excited at the same time; this was something I had never experienced before. David and I looked at each other shaking our heads and laughing at all the chaos.

 

 

After our time in Celestun we left for Campache, a colonial cobbled stoned city with a population of around 900,000 people. On our way there we saw many people on bicycles carrying status of the Virgin Mary on their backs. We asked about this and where told that they were called Cycling Mexican Pilgrims and the 12th of December was the most important Catholic holiday in Mexico.Thousands of pilgrims from all Mexican states would gather each year to worship the Basilica of the Virgin. By the time they reached their place of pilgrimage, they usually had spent months of cycling accompanied by prayers to the Virgin. We waved and gave them the thumbs up for encouragement as we rode by.

Campache was beautiful, with its brightly coloured buildings and night-lights that made it look so festive for Christmas. We stayed longer than expected and when we finally left it felt sad to say goodbye. But we only had another month left to explore Mexico so off we went to San Cristobal where the days were warm and the nights felt cold. San Cristobal resembled Campache with its cobble stoned pathways and coloured houses. Again I was in a perfect little town full of history and great food!! We opted for hostel and cheap hotel accommodation as we just couldn’t justify the camping costs compared to the prices of a basic room with a private bathroom and toilet #winning…..

 

 

 

As we where missing the Mexican beaches we thought it best to visit a great campsite not to far out of San Augustin called “Don Taco Camping”. This quite small beach town was exactly what we needed. With little places to spend money we stayed here for a full week camping on the beach relaxing, swimming and eating fish; what a perfect week it was and one of the happiest times of my life.

 

 

 

On our way to Oaxaca (said like Wahaka) I couldn’t move past the hot temperatures and how curvy the roads where. We had heard of people getting sick from all the hairpin turns and tight corners and I could see why, it was hard work for this pillion. We arrived in Oaxaca a few days before Christmas; the city was full of Christmas activities. People out and about, children playing in the square and street vendors trying to out do each other. The vibe was fantastic. After Christmas we spent a few days in Vera Cruz, fitting new tyres on the bike and then made it to Mexico City for New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

Guanajuato was the next town we explored with its narrow streets, alleyways and tunnels rated as one of my most favourite Mexican towns. The history, the buildings and of course kissing alley, so named because the balconies are close enough for a couple to reach across and kiss was romance to another level, I loved it!! We camped at an RV Campsite just out-of-town on a slab of concrete, as the whole park was concrete only. It was challenging getting our tent up but with a few heavy rocks to hold the guy ropes in place and with two fabulous brains working it out we made it happen. 😉

 

 

 

I didn’t want to leave Guanajuato but Guadalajara was waiting for us, a beautiful town known for its tequila and mariachi music. After a few days of enjoying the local sites we travelled back along the coast to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and then caught the Baja Ferry over to Baja California – La Paz. The ferry was a long twelve-hour ride and I’m glad we got a cabin to relax in for the night. When we arrived in La Paz we kind of felt like we had entered a new country going through customs again and all the usual motorbike dramas.

As we rode along I couldn’t stop admiring the landscape spanned mountains and the perfect looking beaches, it literally blew my mind. Every corner we turned had an even more picturesque view with all the native plants and different shaped cacti. As we were limited on time we only spent ten days traveling through Baja California camping along the way. Then we hit Tijuana for a night at a “Love Hotel” (we didn’t know it was one at the time…) before crossing one of the busiest borders into the US.