November 10
Km’s Pedalled – 116 km’s
Destination – Nuevo Progreso
Some Notes – I set my alarm for 6 am again last night but I am still tired this morning. My foot is almost better. My arm and hand are still numb since Cordoba. I landed hard on my one foot jumping out of a bunk bed in the hostel that I stayed in Mexico City almost a month ago. On my way out of Paraíso I visited Parroquia San Marcos Evangelista. In Jalapita I visited Nuestra Sra De Guadalupe. I made super good time and distance today but there’s lots of traffic and houses. I seen my first juvenile green iguana today.
Parroquia San Marcos Evangelista
Paraíso
Nuestra Sra De Guadalupe
Today I enter the new Mexican state of Tabasco when I reached 101 km’s. Therefore, I biked 15 kilometers into Campeche State this evening.
At 5 pm while biking down the highway I heard my fist howler monkey in the distance. [Unfortunately, this would be my last and only howler monkey I would hear in Mexico].
A black howler monkey – my photo taken in Belize
For 16 km’s I was looking for a place to camp tonight. I had all but given up and as I was about to enter Nuevo Progreso, I discovered a spot. I was able to get my tent set up and in my tent before dark.
Today was busy roads, houses and a new Mexican state but was not exactly the most scenic day. But I had smooth asphalt so I also got 116 km’s further down the road. I am also only 500 km’s from the Belize border.
Strava shut off for 8 km’s
November 11
Km’s Pedalled – 98.5 km’s
Destination – Isla Aguada
Some Notes – Today I saw my first basilisk lizard. In the mornings I enjoy hearing all the birds that I have become used to hearing in Belize. In Atasta I visited Iglesia Católica Virgen de la Concepción. Today my knees are sore. Today was also very hot and sunny with almost no shade and the roads were very busy.
Iglesia Católica Virgen de la Concepción
Breakfast – so good but one of my most expensive meals in Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico
An unexpected gift
My Strava app some how shut off and saved the activity midway through my day.
November 12
Km’s Pedalled – 123.5 km’s
Destination – Escárcega
Some Notes – Another hot and sunny day with not a lot of shade. I came across my first boa constrictor dead on the road. In Sabancuy I photographed Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. During a water break a police officer topped up my bottle of Coke and topped up my water. It was good day overall; I am feeling good. I am spending the night in a hotel again.
A dead boa constrictor
Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
Last views of the Gulf of Mexico
November 13
Km’s Pedalled- 96 km’s
Destination – Chan Laguna
Some Notes – Last night as I lay on my bed, I could see a shadow through my blinds that someone was going to try to break into my room if they thought they could get away with it. There are window panes missing from my window. Someone could easily reach into my room and turn my door knob from inside my room. I yelled from the top of my voice “excuse me!!!” They kept walking. I did not open my door as it would have potentially forced an altercation that might not have ended well and I was pretty sure he wasn’t coming back. I did however put my bike light motion sensor next to the door. If my door was even opened by an inch in the night the alarm would be loud enough to scare anyone off. (A note of context. I was in a hotel complex on the third floor. Not off a street or where someone off the street could walk by my room).
Missing window panes with my door knob within reach. But I have an effective bike motion sensor
Not the flattest roads today. But no serious climbing either. Overall perfect weather with some shade and clouds. It would end up raining today but not on me. I always arrived after the rain had moved on which made for nice temperatures. Today I saw an agouti. In Belize they call agouti’s rabbit as they are pretty quick and kind of hop around like a rabbit. I see them with fair regularity in Belize and on our road.
Agouti – a random photo off the internet
I arrived at a restaurant at 4:30 pm that had cabins and allowed camping for $70 pesos.
I am also staying here because I am at a junction where the Archaeological Zone Balamkú is only 3 km’s down a side road. Archaeological Zone Balamkú are Mayan ruins that I will visit tomorrow morning.
Right when I was about to set up my tent it started to rain. Luckily after an hour I got a break in the weather to get my tent set up before the rain continued. It’s nice hearing all the tree frogs from inside my tent. It sounds like home. It was a good day as usual.
A Mexican masked tree frog between my tent and the tent fly
I have come across close to 100 cardboard boxes (or crates) hanging from trees along the side of the roads. My research found out they are used to trap bees when a hive swarms.
November 14
Km’s Pedalled – 70 km’s
Destination – Xpujil
Some Notes – I got a late start so I could visit the Mayan ruins at Archaeological Zone Balamkú. At the entrance I saw a young mahogany tree with seed pods. It cost $50 pesos entrance fee. I saw a toucan for the briefest of seconds. I have only seen a few in my life and they are one of the most spectacular birds to see. The Mayan ruin site was a small site.
Mayan ruins at Archaeological Zone Balamkú
Toucan – random photo off the internet
Toady I am biking through the Reserva de la Biósfera Calakmul – National Park. The landscape continues to be up and down hilly. I ran into a bunch of guys on motorcycles which lead to a bunch of beers and a location to set up my tent. This would represent my 20th hosting invitation in Mexico and my last host in Mexico.
Random signage along the highway
I thought my campsite was going to be in someones backyard. It turned out to be on a vacant future hotel location
November 15
Km’s Pedalled – 134.5 km’s
Destination – Chetumal
Some Notes – Today would be my last full and proper day of biking through Mexico.
This morning I biked 2.5 km’s back to Xpujil town to visit the local Mayan site but it was closed. Today was cool, overcast and cloudy. 30 km’s into my day I entered my last Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The terrain continued to be hilly. I was hoping for a flatter day. The last half of the day was a lot flatter.
It was a long day and I am exhausted but I got myself to Chetumal
Grey fox
Anyone missing a pig?
No clue?
An injured bird but did not appear to have a broken wing
In the last 12 days of my 162 days in Mexico I biked 1,118 km’s of my 6,020 Mexican kilometers which is almost 20% of my total Mexico route. I usually only look for one souvenir on my travels – a license plate. Biking 6,000 km’s and passing about 50 trillion pieces of garbage along the roadsides I never saw a single license plate in Mexico.
1,118 km’s of my 6,020 Mexican kilometers in the last 11 days
I had a bit of a challenge finding a hostel this evening. Only 2 showed up on Google Maps. I was headed to the closer one but before arriving I checked the reviews. And I didn’t like what I saw. So headed to the further hostel to discover it was no longer in business. I had to turn around and backtrack to the first hostel. I am not sure if they are also no longer in business but from what I saw I was not about to knock on their door. A hotel search picked up a third hostel downtown that did not show up in a hostel search. So, I had to turn around again towards the downtown. I think I have found a pretty good place for future visits to Chetumal at $230 pesos a night.
So close
My route through Mexico is now complete. I have maybe 12-14 km’s biking left in Mexico to reach the Belize border.
