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John ArchibaldJohn Archibald
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  • Ruta Maya
    Day 46

    The long journey home via Istanbul

    December 18, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    We are awake at 3.45am ready for our 4.30am transfer back to Cancún airport for round 2 of getting home. First problem is that the driver has clearly not been told about the bike boxes and is in no mood to be helpful. I manage to persuade him to rearrange the limited boot in the minibus to fit the bikes in but there is not enough room for 2 large suitcases - the other passenger helpfully says they can go inside the minibus with him but the driver is not happy. There are supposedly another 4 people to arrive which would mean there wasn’t enough room. They don’t show and 20 minutes late we set off.
    On arrival at Cancún airport there are no trolleys so it’s challenging getting to check in as John cannot carry anything heavy. It also means we are last in the business class queue though we have about two and a quarter hours before our 7.30am flight.
    While standing waiting we have our first run in with Turkish airlines staff who say we need to pay $400 to take the bikes. John explains that he called and was told we could take them as part of our 2 x 32kg each baggage allowance. The argument gets pretty heated but we get nowhere.
    Then when we get to the desk we discover they haven’t re-arranged our connecting flight from Istanbul to Valencia. They tell us we need to go to another desk some 100m away with the luggage - still no trolleys - at which point we both flip. Thr outcome was that the luggage did not go with us to the other desk !
    At the other desk time ticks on as they are back and forth trying to sort getting us onto a connecting flight to Valencia, with nobody seeming to know what to do and me running back and forth when the lady at the new desk needs her supervisor at the check in desk. It is a farce. They tell us that the 9.05am flight is full - both economy and business - even though I am standing there showing them I can book business class tickets on the Turkish airlines site for that very flight! By this time it is 6.25am and check-in for our flight to Istanbul is due to close in 5 minutes. We tell them just to get us booked on the 2.50pm flight to Valencia so we can get on the flight to Istanbul. Somehow this seems to be a problem and it is 6.50am by the time we have the luggage checked in. A member of Turkish airlines staff tells us he will get us to the gate before it closes and we run behind him through the airport, taking a fast track through security with him. It feels a hell of a long way and I end up taking off my sandals so I can keep up. We make it….
    Once on board the service is great and the beds really comfortable. I manage to sleep for about 3 hours, John less. Top tip learned - you have to specifically ask for booze …. Once we have realised this, I have 2 glasses of champagne, John that plus red wine plus a malt whisky !
    We arrive in Istanbul at about 3am and surprise, surprise the 9.05am has plenty of free seats - 10 in business class alone ! They insist we have to pay $150 each to change the flight even though we explain it is their cock up. Another thing to add to the request for compensation that will be going to Turkish airlines on arrival home…
    Then into the lounge at Istanbul - the best we have been in ! They make loads of different foods to order and there is freshly made bread and pastries and a huge salad counter with different cheeses and olives etc - and there is also amazing coffee ! We sleep a little, have a shower and eat on and off to kill the 4 or so hours until we head for our flight to Valencia just after 8am.
    We arrive in Valencia at 11am on Tuesday 19th having originally left for Cancún airport at 10am on Sunday 17th. Taking out the time zone differences it has been a total of    Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    Day 45

    Unscheduled extra day in Mexico

    December 17, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    We have breakfast with some of the TDA group and then share a taxi to airport with Ted. We are standing in the queue at about 11am for check-in for our 2.30pm flight when we get a text message to say our flight is delayed for 17 hours !!!! We quickly look at other options but we are assured we are being sent to a very nice hotel with all meals included. We expect some faceless hotel with a mediocre buffet so are surprised when we are taken to an all inclusive Hyatt resort about 20 minutes drive from the airport. The resort is onto the sea with plenty of pools etc but we just make use of the various restaurants starting with a Mohito and tacos in one and then ceviche, wine and pudding in another and finally 2 very good cortados (each) and some cake at the coffee shop - all included. That was lunch ……
    Our room had a strange set up with the spa bath (and bathroom) being visible from the bed unless you slid a partition across!
    We read etc in the afternoon - nice temperature and sunny - and then tried the Mexican restaurant for dinner. An early night but we didn’t sleep well as the room / bed felt strangely damp. It was like the air conditioner was on a cold humid setting.
    Afterwards we found out that there may have been a muck up with our room number so maybe we never should have been in that room because it did feel like the aircon was faulty.    Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    1
    Day 44

    Day 32 - The final riding day 😢

    December 16, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    It’s the final riding day of what has been an amazing tour of Central America and it lives up to expectations. We are continuing along the gravel / sandy track through the rainforest for approximately 45km before we pop out in a little town and then we have permission to ride into the Maya ruins protected zone where we will have lunch and get a final picture by the Tulum ruins.
    The track is night and day compared with yesterday. For a start there is no ice like slippy limestone and the puddles, though massive, can predominantly be navigated around so long as you choose your upcoming line focusing about 15 metres ahead. We are told we may see crocodiles as one side will be the sea and the other jungle bordered by a lagoon. We don’t …..
    The jungle is beautiful with palm trees hanging over the deserted path other than us cyclists for about 30km. The sea is green blue when we finally see and ride alongside it and the sun comes out for our final days ride.
    We arrive at an amazing beach location for lunch and John and I have a Mojito - and are shocked to find it costs USD 30 for 2 !!!! These are gringo prices now as we hit Mexico’s tourist hotspots.
    After lunch we walk 20 minutes to the Tulum ruins for the group photo - it’s hot, we have to wear our tour jerseys and none of us can be bothered as we just want to get to hotel now the riding has ended. The ruins are so busy - virtually everywhere else we have been we have been the only tourists …..
    We get told off for holding the tour banner and having a photo at the ruins but the TDA guides avoid getting the photo confiscated !
    Once at the hotel (photo shoot over) it’s time to clean and dismantle and pack the bikes before showering and heading out to try and get dollars for tips for the guides.
    Then we have a slideshow presentation by the content creator of some of the best photos and a meal and open bar paid for by the tour company.

    In total we have cycled 31 days across 6 countries covering approx 3,000 km and climbed approx 145,000 feet.

    We started with 17 people. 3 left along the way (2 who were injured during the ride and one for personal reasons). 2 joined part way through Guatemala. 3 further people had stitches from the tour medic, one person had COVID and had to miss 5 days and 2 others had to go to hospital for suspected fracture and a possible parasite infection. At least half of us fell at some point. John and I were lucky to come away relatively unscathed !

    Lots of emotional farewells at the end of the evening - we have made some great friends on the tour - hopefully we will see some on future tours or when they come to UK or we go elsewhere……. Hasta luego !    Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    Day 43

    Day 31 - Felipe Carillo Puerto to Punto

    December 15, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Today we have 3 local lads that will ride with us as they helped TDA obtain permissions for us to ride through the Reserva de la Biosfera Sian Ka’an which is basically protected rainforest in Mexico. They have started building a road through it but for now it is a track - wider at the start but narrowing so vehicles cannot get through so we will be unsupported for the second part of the day.
    We set off and initially it is a good sandy surface. Then it becomes very muddy and swampy and we are soaked and filthy as we go through puddle after puddle - sometimes the whole track is just like cycling through a river.
    We stop earlier than expected when we see the new smaller vehicle (La mafiosa gringa) which was brought in to replace the lunchvan (the kidnapper) as the lunchvan as too big for this road. The Mafiosa Gringa could only get to this point on the road as a vehicle building the new road has been stuck for several days up ahead - they are making 1km progress a day to get it out !
    Once we have lunched (whilst getting eaten alive by the mosquitos) we head off and have to navigate around said stuck vehicle.
    We get to a fork in the path and I see Ted up ahead on his back and not getting up. I get to him and he is groaning in pain and not looking great. I tell him not to move until we know he hasn’t done anything serious. Thankfully Sjoerd and Hubert and one of the local guides arrive shortly. Between us I manage to get my hands sanitised and others find dressings. I then squirt water onto the wounds to get them clean, feeling awful as Ted is clearly in pain from me doing it - but the medic had told us it was the most important thing to do immediately - get the wound clean. Ted has a chunk out of his elbow that is bleeding a lot and will obviously need stitches and has gashes on his hip - but nothing seems broken. He is clearly in shock but can get up.
    The path is now limestone a d because of the tree cover it has algae on it that makes it like black ice. We decide to walk. Other riders that were behind catch up as we walk - some also come off - some multiple times.
    We probably walk for an hour until the track improves and we get back on. Just as an FYI this is the day there is no signal at all and because the vans couldn’t get through we have no back up option! In fact we don’t see anyone else from the lunch spot until we get to the sea about 40km later where we are picked up by the waiting boat.
    John was at the front ahead of Ted’s accident - he somehow managed to stay upright all the way to the sea so ended up having a very long wait for everyone else.
    The boat fitted 7 bikes plus riders at a time (no life jackets viable for us or bikes !).
    We arrived at a lovely beachside resort - and the food was pretty good. Mexican food definitely the best of the 6 countries !
    Ted does indeed need stitches from Helen the medic and one of the other riders has a suspected thumb fracture so will be unable to ride tomorrow while he gets it checked out. Helen has a busy evening checking out all the other minor injuries that people picked up today as well !    Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    Day 42

    Day 30 - unscheduled rest day

    December 14, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We were meant to ride 115km today along the hard shoulder of a straight main road. There is going to be rain on and off and a headwind with no notable scenery. It sounds dull so we decide not to do it and take the van direct to the hotel. We expected that loads of others would do the same but actually only one other skipped the whole thing and a few only rode part of it. Those that road confirmed it was a pretty rubbish ride so we were glad of the decision. It also gave us time to change our road tyres back to gravel for the remaining 2 days that will be virtually all off road.Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    Day 41

    Rest Day - Bacalar

    December 13, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Catharine has a sore tummy overnight and expels entire system first thing but then feels fine. A couple of the other guys on the tour have exactly the same thing ….
    It has rained overnight and it’s still very wet underfoot this morning when we head out to find some breakfast. John and I have used google reviews and find that there are various others on the trip who have headed to the same place. Coffee is quite good and they do gluten free bread - a first in 6 weeks !!
    John and I wander to the lakeside after breakfast- you can tell the water would be stunning in the sun but it is still overcast.
    Back to the hotel to clean bikes and then out for coffee and then a bit of a lazy day as it rains heavily.    Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    Day 40

    Day 29 - Carmelita to Bacalar

    December 12, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Today is border crossing day into our sixth and final country - Mexico ! 🇲🇽
    The day starts on a paved road but after about 30km we head off onto a compacted sand road - it’s not ideal being on slick tyres in the wet bits but it’s a lovely road and so nice to be in quiet countryside again - the first time in our time in Belize.
    We find a little coffee shop once we enter a town, which is most unexpected as coffee shops have been rare. The coffee takes ages to come and is not the best but the cakes are good and the owner is incredibly friendly and wants a picture with us which he asks if he can put on their Facebook page.
    We have our lunch stop just before the border with a police checkpoint close by.
    First we have to pay to leave Belize - a bit odd ! And then we have a short walk and enter the building for Mexico. We queue up once, get given a form which we fill out, queue up again and then get told we have missed part of the form so have to fill that out and rejoin the queue. However the guys behind the desk are uber-efficient (if rather unfriendly) so it doesn’t take too long. As we approach the head of the queue for the second time one of the officers puts his window down and heads outside. After I have my form and passport stamped I go outside and the border officer is questioning our Canadian tour leader Malcolm who is waiting for us outside. I listen in to the Spanish and make out that he is not happy and he takes Malcolm off for questioning. We later hear that Malcolm is stuck at the border for a further 2 hours while they await a local guide coming to the border - apparently our tour leader needed a tourist guide licence from point of entering the country not just from point of him taking us into the national park which happens in 2 days time …..
    We head off into a lengthy free zone and think we must have somehow missed the border crossing but eventually we get to it. John gets his phone out to take a photo as we enter Mexico but a military person rushes forward (they are armed) to make it clear that is not permitted. As it turns out Ted got a photo of us entering anyway ! (See below!)
    Once into Mexico we are back to Spanish everything and unfortunately we are on a major highway - it’s not too busy but it’s fast and there is construction on part of it and mud pretty much the length of the hard shoulder. We are on it for about 20km and it starts to rain. We are in a peloton of 5 for speed / safety in numbers but it means we are sprayed with the wet mud from the tyre in front. We arrive at the hotel covered in mud looking like we have done a muddy cyclo-cross race!!
    John and I go out for the most amazing meal - best in a very long time. I have chocolate crusted salmon and John has blackened tuna with pineapple - the mixture works really well! Pudding is a pure chocolate bar with seeds and fruit - it is truly delicious! They also serve complimentary home made tacos with sauces and a chaser alcoholic drink - all absolutely lovely and the actual restaurant is really characterful.    Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    Day 39

    Day 28 - San Pedro to Carmelita

    December 11, 2023 in Belize ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Catharine didn’t sleep well and feels generally fatigued and the stage looks uninspiring - a straight main road into the wind - so decides to take the van direct to the hotel. A few others are doing likewise. John rides the stage and confirms it was pretty uninspiring.
    We get to the hotel about lunchtime - there are thatched apartments looking into a lake type body of water.
    Catharine and 4 others (not John) have opted for a boat trip along the river to see some Mayan ruins. Didn’t really know what to expect but was surprised when it turned out that it was a speed boat and it was just over an hours ride each way. I switched on my garmin watch as I was interested to see the route and I could see the network of small rivers as we sped along - sometimes it got really narrow, sometimes it widened out - there was thick rainforest either side all the way after the first 10 minutes with no break apart from one settlement about halfway (a Mennonite religious settlement). We saw one boat and other than that nobody. It was great zooming along with the wind in your hair feeling like you were a real explorer as even when we got to the ruins - which were immense - we saw nobody. The oldest of the temples was built 100 BC and there were lots of temples - with loads more to be excavated. The Howler monkeys were making an absolute racket (see video) - they sounded like angry dinosaurs- and the ruins seemed to be everywhere amongst the roots of the jungle trees. A truly enchanting and amazing place. The signs and maps were hand written so it had the feel of a place just being discovered even though that was not the case.
    The archaeologists were apparently in the middle of excavating a temple and our guide said they were accepting volunteers- I thought that it would be interesting- and then re thought about it and decided it would probably get pretty boring ! And there would be nothing to do at the end of a day - other than get eaten by insects !
    We returned to the boat and started the trip back and dusk fell while we were still some 30 minutes from our hotel. Goodness knows how the guy could see - we had no lights in the boat and where the river narrowed and there were trees draping over, it was so dark as we sped along at about 25-30mph (I could see speed from my Garmin watch that was still recording journey!).
    Eventually the lights of the hotel came into view and he moored the boat at the jetty in the dark.    Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    2
    Day 38

    Rest Day - San Pedro island

    December 10, 2023 in Belize ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    A much needed rest day on the island of San Pedro. It has the second largest coral reef in the world just offshore and we book a trip for the morning. First we have a great breakfast (American style ! No beans or plantain or tortillas !!)
    The water is aqua blue and we speed along to the first spot where we enter the water to snorkel. Unfortunately the group I am with has some weaker swimmers and the current is strong so we don’t make it into the main channel where the coral goes down some 10 metres. John’s group make this. We see loads of beautiful colourful fish - big and small - as well as beautiful coral. It’s very therapeutic floating around looking at where sea world - the water is crystal clear! We are in the water for about an hour and then back into the boat to go to the place where we will see lots of sharks. Candy man and Ryan (our crew) chuck food over kne side of the boat and we all get in the water the other side and quickly swim round to the side where the sharks are having a feeding frenzy. It’s incredible to watch but instinct gets me out the water after a while ! Too many sharks swimming too close to me underneath ! John probably stays in one of the longest !!
    Finally a great coffee once we are back to shore at the Farmhouse cafe and then a bit of shopping for essentials (sunscreen and chocolate) and then a lazy afternoon - the temperature is lovely in the shade.    Read more

  • Ruta Maya
    Day 37

    Day 27 - San Ignacio to San Pedro

    December 9, 2023 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Muggy start to the day and we have 115km along a pretty straight road into the wind to catch a boat to the island of San Pedro that is 90 minutes from the outskirts of Belize city.
    Belize still very much has a colonial feel in terms of the architecture and appears more affluent than Guatemala. There is not a continual stream of plastic bottles etc in the gutter - in fact it is litter free a lot of the time.
    There are a number of buildings on stilts and lots of buildings with the colonial style balconies. There is a sense that things have peaked and some TLC is needed to rejuvenate but it is much cleaner than the countries we have been through - and no stray dogs !
    We saw somebody smoking at the hotel this morning and realised we hadn’t seen anyone smoking at all on our travels - apparently Nicaragua was one of the first countries to ban smoking in public places (in 1996 - that’s 10 years ahead of UK!)
    After a long ride into a hot headwind we arrive at the ferry terminal to catch the 1.30pm shuttle across to the island. The sea is incredibly blue and we can see the white beaches but we are too tired to take pictures as we doze on the boat in our sweaty gear ! The Dutch party in front of us make faces and turn round to see what the smell is ….

    Kate had a very bad experience on the road today. A car overtook her near a bend and an oncoming car clipped that car and went sideways across road skidding straight towards Kate who had to take evasive action and swerve across the road to the other side. Doesn’t know how she missed oncoming traffic and traffic behind her that was trying to avoid the skidding car. She made it unscathed, stopped and burst into tears and threw up. She was extraordinarily lucky. The sliding car ended up in the ditch and the driver managed to walk out of it…..    Read more

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