From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

Road Trip 2: Mayan Ruins

We spent a day on the beach at Tulum. The colours of the Caribbean waters – blue, turquoise, green – all blended together and contrasted with the clear white of the sand. The next day we went to the Mayan sites Chichen Izta and Uxmal. Both are are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and because of that, Yucatan state adds a cultural and tourist tax on the price of admission, which makes it double compared with the other pre-Colombian sites in Mexico.

The sites were both wonderful, and very different in their architecture, and in the contemporary populations: Chichen Itza is one of the seven wonders of the world , so naturally full of tourists, but there were also many vendors. We could barely walk without tripping over someone selling reproduction pyramids. Vendors were not allowed in the ruins at Uxmal, but they were right there waiting at exit. Although Chichen Itza probably wasn’t our favourite, we really enjoyed both the sites.

On our way back, we stopped at Agua Azul – meaning turquoise waterfall. Our first impression wasn’t the greatest: we were stopped by a roadblock manned by locals asking for 50 pesos… for road cleanup. Confused, we looked around us. The road was littered with all sorts of garbage, and we wondered what exactly our toll was supposed to be contributing to…. likely only their pockets! Then we came to the official roadblock, another fee to get in. As soon as we stepped out of the car we were accosted by vendors selling trinkets and food. But we were able to climb up to the top of the waterfall and swim in a natural pool which we had almost to ourselves. It was lovely.

PS All the pictures of the trip are posted.

This trip is separate from our work within the Association Planète Durable et Solidaire. But we will continue to post updates on the website in order to share all our adventures with you.

Back to Reality

Heather went back this morning, and the vacation is over. We are back within our work for the Association Planète Durable et Solidaire. Sébastien went to bring the bikes from Tuxtla Gutierrez back to San Cristobal de Las Casas. While he was coming back from the airport, where he dropped off the rental car, I took care of my broken spoke. The owner of a little shop fixed it for me for the very modest sum of 5 pesos (remember that 1 euro = 18 pesos!).

I also found a bus company willing to take us and our bikes to Quezaltenango , the second largest city in Guatemala. That will mean that we can go quickly through that area that we have been warned against – by several French and European governments and by people who know Guatemala well.

Right now we are just enjoying our last night in Mexico!

Sara