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Ruta Maya
  • John Archibald
  • CATHARINE ARCHIBALD
nov. – dec. 2023

Ruta Maya

En 46-dags äventyr från John & CATHARINE Läs mer
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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 22 - Sacapulas to Santa Cruz Verapaz

    2 december 2023, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    At the riders meeting we are warned that this is the toughest day of the tour, particularly given the tough day we had the day before. We are going to climb over 9,000 feet and it’s going to be hot and at altitude. I didn’t sleep well at all due to the road noise and breakfast wasn’t the best so it’s not great preparation for a tough day.
    The first climb starts immediately, is 6 miles long and about 3,000 feet of climbing. There are some great views as we climb and there is a beautiful sweeping descent where you have to keep remembering to look at the road surface as the views are quite spectacular. However the next climb starts and my legs die. I crawl into lunch but it’s so hot I don’t feel like eating - just take a bottle of cold water and try and rest. Andrew comes in and is suffering from a terrible bout of gastrointestinal something or other and has had to dive into the bushes a few times. I offer to ride slowly with him if he wants to continue and John goes on.
    Lunch is by a (very basic and precarious looking) viewing platform with amazing views across the rainforest covered mountains.
    Andrew and I set off in the searing heat, sometimes getting off to walk up the steeper sections of the 13 mile, 3,600 feet climb 🥵 . After a while the sweep rider catches us up so I leave Andrew with them and continue to crawl along. It takes all my will to keep going as I have zero energy. However the scenery is beautiful as we pass through little villages along the edge of the hillside. At one point there is the most amazing live music coming from a wooden building high up - lots of people are walking up to it. I look across the end of the hillside at the top of the valley and wonder whether there has been a landslide as there is a scar on the side that appears to be smoking. I realise it is a large rubbish tip that is smouldering. Just as I reach the point where the paved road becomes dusty gravel, Malcolm the tour leader pulls up in the Mafiosa and asks if I want a lift across the 2km gravel section - avoiding the burning rubbish dump - I leap at the chance! John has long since ridden this and passed the people washing themselves / their cars in the water pouring off the hillside above the gravel road.
    I get dropped off at the end of the gravel section and crawl the last 6 miles or so - I don’t know how I managed to make it to the hotel - one of the hardest rides I have done. 9,000 feet of climbing and 8 hours in the saddle    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Rest day - Santa Cruz Verapaz

    3 december 2023, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We are staying at an odd gated resort just on the outskirts of a pretty uninspiring town. There are quite large grounds - pictures taken by somebody else as John and me take the rest day literally and do nothing much at all other than eat and drink! We can be using as much as 4,000 calories a day and it’s just not possible to get enough food onboard to replenish what we are using - particularly as we are somewhat bored of the scrambled eggs, tortillas and black beans that are served at breakfast! We have a good coffee for once and then I have a pizza at lunch - first time I have felt like eating much in the last couple of days - no idea why. It takes an hour to arrive and I have to ask for it 3 times ! Everyone else has finished by the time I get mine. I clean my bike and don’t do an awful lot. I hadn’t slept well the night before as someone had been beeping their horn for about an hour from 1-2am - initially beep beep beep and then moving to a continual beep as they sat on their horn. I am assuming they were locked out of the complex and were trying to get someone to open up !Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 23 - Santa Cruz Verapaz to Chisec

    4 december 2023, Guatemala ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    A relatively short day on the bike and the first wet day. We were soaked within about 30 minutes ! It was a shame we had to concentrate so hard on the roads because the scenery would have been amazing. It dried up as we arrived at lunch - early. The afternoon was through village after village - houses built into the hillside or alongside the road. Very basic - most of them just wooden structures with a few rooms and concrete floors. Coffee plantations on the sides of the hills and lots of rainforest. There were a few areas of cleared rainforest but not on a massive scale. John and I stopped for an ice cream at a tiny store - there were about 4 kids there watching so we offered them an ice cream too - they were incredibly shy at first but then one by one accepted - I had to tell them to get on and eat them as they were just holding them in their wrappers and would have melted. We then felt guilty and offered all the ladies there one as well - they were all part of an extended family. The toddler grimaced when he first tasted his and then decided he quite liked it!
    We arrived at the hotel about 1 - big bed that pretty much fills the room - pretty basic with 2 large Alsatians outside ! It started chucking it down about 3pm and has not stopped so the washing we have done will probably not dry ! It’s humid but pleasant sitting outside the room in the covered hallway listening to the rain !    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 24 - Chisec to Sayaxche

    5 december 2023, Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    It rains heavily all night and is still torrential when we get up. Given the dangers of hidden potholes and slippy roads I decide to take the van to lunch and ride from there if it dries up. Given that John has ridden every mile so far, he decides to brave the weather. As it turns out the weather is better than forecast and I ask if we can get out of the van before the lunch stop so we all do. There are open fields and rainforest with mist as we cycle along through more tiny villages - these are the Guatemalan lowlands so pretty flat today compared with where we have been! Then the rainforest either side of the road becomes much thicker and is like something out of Tarzan! And then the landscape reverts to trees and fields and looks almost English countryside - and then back to rainforest and little villages. There are so many stray dogs - many clearly have puppies. Best thing a dog charity could do would be a sterilisation programme. We see a dead dog many days that has been hit by a car and so many of the live ones are painfully thin. Kate on our tour collects any leftover meat every night for feeding the strays the next day !
    It is noticeable again how many churches there are - these are concrete and fancy but many look like they have been abandoned. There are also numerous petrol stations that look like they have never been finished. It makes me wonder whether missionaries were here for a while and then left. Most houses are just wooden - many with some type of thatched roof.
    Everyone is friendly and waves / shouts gringo as we pass.
    The lunch van gets stopped by the fruit police and gets all the fruit confiscated- not sure why - must be some sort of disease that they are trying to eradicate.
    It’s a very straight road today and pretty quiet so it is a baptism of noise as we enter the town where we are staying tonight. Bustling, noisy and chaotic. We arrive relatively early so time to have a coffee at a little place that was very hard to find and looked nothing from the outside. I order an americano with milk on the sauce and I get a black coffee and a large cup of sweetened hot milk !
    There is a little puppy that we all pet (see picture)
    Dinner is at a local restaurant and is surprisingly good - plenty of leftover meat for the strays tomorrow !    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 25 - Sayaxche to Tikal

    6 december 2023, Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    We start the day with a boat crossing - it’s a wooden boat that’s very flat and low in the water and takes all the cyclists plus riders. We see other similar boats carrying a van or a lorry, which doesn’t seem possible given how basic they look. It’s about 10 minutes across the water and then we are riding through the lowlands - there is marshland on one side that looks very Harry Potter-esque and thick jungle on the other. There are noises coming from the jungle that sound like dinosaurs ! Apparently there are jaguars and lots of snakes.
    Five of us form a peloton and cover 50km in under 2 hours before stopping for coffee - the coffee was mediocre but the service was good and everyone friendly.
    Today there are fewer houses along the side of the road although there seem to be more villages with sandy roads going off the main road that we are on - presumably leading to houses.
    Amazingly we have a dry day in spite of the forecast. It is a really nice temperature to be riding as the sun is out but there is a reasonably strong wind that keeps us cool and also it’s less humid than it has been - the wind is hard work for John though who does the most time at the front (I don’t volunteer !)
    At the lunch stop we buy fresh lemonade with soda - it has crushed ice through it and is quite tangy - delicious when you are thirsty and a bit off your food! The man who serves it says he never goes to Belize without his gun ….. that’s where we are headed next.
    The road heads up through the national park to the eco lodge where we are staying - again thick jungle all around and signs warning of snakes, jaguar and ant- eaters. We see a very large dead snake at the edge of the road!
    The eco lodge is lovely and the food and homemade iced papaya / melon juice delicious. We only have electricity between certain hours    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Rest Day - Tikal

    7 december 2023, Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Tikal is the largest and oldest Mayan city which was inhabited between 600BC and 900AD - at its peak there were over 100,000 citizens. The temples - which resemble pyramids - were built to calculate the equinox and solstice, and they used the 360 plus 5 day calendar as well as a 260 day ceremonial calendar. Archaeologists have uncovered over 3,000 structure but have identified a further 6,000 uncovered.

    Catharine opts for the sunrise tour of the Tikal ruins. The porter comes and checks I am awake at 3.30am. We trek off into the jungle with our guide. It is pitch black and quite slippy underfoot but the heavy rain per the forecast doesn’t arrive. The sky is a bit cloudy but the moon is clear and there are loads of visible stars in the sky.
    We climb to the top of the largest of the temples about 45 minutes before sunrise and sit in silence waiting for the sun to rise. Once everyone has stopped fidgeting it is amazing listening to the jungle slowly come alive as the sun rises. The Howler monkeys make a tremendous racket which echoes round the jungle canopy below and sounds like the roar of a dinosaur. Slowly the peaks of other temples take shape as the sky turns orange and the moon disappears. Weird to think that people would have sat in the same place more than 1,300 years ago…..
    We then toured round the plaza before it got busy - we are staying in the national park hotel so there are very few people in the park for the sunrise tour. 3 of us girls did handstands in front of another of the temples !
    We saw some spider monkeys and a skunk like animal (see picture).
    Was starving by the time we got to have breakfast about 9am and had a late morning nap after doing the laundry (make shift laundry line hung in room!).
    Relaxing lunch and sitting by the pool - fully covered (and in the shade) to prevent any mosquito bites    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 26 - Crossing the border into Belize

    8 december 2023, Belize ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    John didn’t have dinner last night as started feeling unwell after lunch. He was violently sick multiple times in the evening and overnight so decided not to ride today which means only one person is left that has completed all the riding to date. They do say it’s their toughest tour ……
    Catharine rides with Sjoerd and Hubert.
    The first 30km are through the national park. It’s a quiet perfectly tarmac-ed road with jungle either side - apparently a large Tarantula crossed the road in front of the TDA lunch van on the way into the park yesterday. However we didn’t see any wildlife today (though we were woken by the Howler monkeys at 4.45am!!)
    It was a fast 70km to lunch but I didn’t feel much like eating. The border crossing into Belize was at 99km. I gave my remaining Guatemalan money to a slightly surprised young man who was weeding the petrol station forecourt, explaining I was about to leave the country.
    There was a military blockade about 2km from the border with a large machine gun on the back of a stationary truck - the gun was pointed at the road we started to descend (the TDA guide apparently thought this might mean the president was coming past).
    The border was pretty straightforward and reasonably efficient - stamped out of Guatemala in one building and then a form and stamped into Belize in another building about 200m further along. The usual money changers were on hand - surprising as the rate they offered was exactly the same as the official rate so I don’t know how they make a cut. (The Belize dollar is pegged to the US dollar at 1 USD to 2 Belize dollars).
    There is an immediate change on entering Belize - the tarmac is the type you see a lot in the UK with the little stones through it - but the road surface is way worse than what we had just travelled in the last couple of days in Guatemala. There are huge potholes all down the outer side of the road that we need to navigate around. The signs are all in English (Belize was a british colony until 1981) and there are overhead electricity cables outside the towns for the first time I can remember since we started the trip - which makes me realise that the majority of the rural homes on the hundreds of miles we have travelled probably had no power.
    The houses look American in style with lawns and gardens so much more wealthy.
    There is a kicker at the end - a 500m really steep hill to the hotel.
    The hotel is very good compared with recent ones - it feels cleaner, the shower has functioning hot and cold controls and doesn’t leak out and there is an on site coffee shop which sells proper coffee and cake (though a double shot americano is nearly £4!)
    The hotel has a great view over the surrounding area and we had a nice evening meal. Hopeful for a better nights sleep - part of my tooth fell off as I got ready for bed ☹️    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 27 - San Ignacio to San Pedro

    9 december 2023, 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…..    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya
    2

    Rest Day - San Pedro island

    10 december 2023, 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.    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 28 - San Pedro to Carmelita

    11 december 2023, 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.    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 29 - Carmelita to Bacalar

    12 december 2023, 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.    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Rest Day - Bacalar

    13 december 2023, 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.    Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 30 - unscheduled rest day

    14 december 2023, 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.Läs mer

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  • Ruta Maya

    Day 31 - Felipe Carillo Puerto to Punto

    15 december 2023, 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 !    Läs mer

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    Day 32 - The final riding day 😢

    16 december 2023, 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 !    Läs mer

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    Unscheduled extra day in Mexico

    17 december 2023, 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.    Läs mer

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    The long journey home via Istanbul

    18 december 2023, Turkiet ⋅ 🌙 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    Läs mer

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    18 december 2023
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