TyhjennÀ haku
Panamericana adventure
  • Meike Grothe
  • Herbert E
syysk. 2019 – toukok. 2020

Panamericana adventure

A dream comes true!! Starting in Vancouver, our plan is to go South until we reach Tierra del Fuego - World's end. Our chosen way of transport: 2 fantastic travel bikes. Follow us on our adventurous trip with all the expected highs and lows đŸš”â€â™€ïžđŸ˜€ Lue lisÀÀ
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SeuraaYhteenvetoKalenteriJaaJaaToivelista
Uusin ensin
  • Panamericana adventure
    Northern tip of Esperito Santo
    the gucci bag is not water resistent which makes the people mutinyingSea lions2

    Isla Espirito Santo

    22. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today, we wanted to check out the second major attraction at La Paz: The sea lion colony at the tip of the island Espirito Santo. We went on a boat trip and headed North towards the island. The wind was pretty strong and blowing from the North, so the boat ride was quite rough and pretty wet when we hit the waves. The people at the front of the boat had no fun at all. After about 30 minutes, we turned around. Apparently, our small support boat couldn't make it against the waves and the current, so we had to toe it for the rest of the trip.
    As we came closer to the Northern tip of the island, the waves got even higher which didn't make it any smoother. The captain did a really good job and we could already see the arch - the rock formation where the sea lions live - , but when some people got too scared and pretty mad, he decided to turn around. We stopped at one of the beautiful bays of the island to have lunch and later at a reef for snorkelling. We also saw some sea lions on a rock close by. They were just sunbathing though and we couldn't stay to watch them, as the wind and waves made it too dangerous. Luckily, we had the waves in our backs on the way back to La Paz, which made it a lot smoother.
    In the end, it was a long day sitting in a boat today - definitely not enough exercise for us 😉    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Cycling at the malecon to the ferry terminal
    Pelican bayTecolote beachLeaving the harbour

    Leaving Baja California

    23. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today was our last day in Baja California as we had booked on a ferry to Mazatlán on the mainland. The harbour is located about 18km North of La Paz. As there is some nice beaches, we used the day to check them out. So first, we had a beer at Tecolote Beach. Great beach to hang out, just a little windy today. Secondly, we cycled to Balandra Beach, a stunning bay with mangroves, white sand and turquoise water. As there were way too many people, we decided to go back to the ferry terminal early and have a beer at the restaurant/beach club next to it while waiting.
    Boarding the ferry was quite professional. However, they didn't really know what to do with our bikes. They wanted to put them in the baggage container, but realized that this wouldn't work. So they called us back via the radio and we had to push them in the truck area. Let's see how they make the it... We got seats in a dark shady room. They are showing some loud Bruce Willis movie and our seats are right next to the "cafeteria". Don't think this is gonna be a quiet night...    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Arriving in MazatlĂĄn harbour
    Waiting for the drug-sniffing dog to check our baggageMexican Sunday evening festivities

    MazatlĂĄn

    24. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 28 °C

    The ride on the cargo ferry wasn't as bad as expected. There was a small room with some seats, so Meike slept on two seats and me on the floor. They supplied blankets so it wasn't too hard on the floor. We also got dinner and breakfast.
    After arriving in Mazatlán, we explored the old city center with its beautiful colonial buildings.
    For the night Meike had organized a place via couchsurfing at Irene's home. So we cycled to the beach restaurant of Irene's parents where we were spoiled with a couple of yummy fish and seafood dishes. We talked about our trip and listened to different types of music. I tried to advertise German Schlager and apres ski music but I wasn't very successful 😔
    In the evening, we went out for some ice cream and a drink. The atmosphere in the town was very nice as there was live music and dancing people at many places.    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Saying goodbye to Irene
    Toll road - no bikes allowedEl RosarioEscuinapa bicycle monument and churchDinner with the ladies

    Back in pedaling mode

    25. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After about a week of relaxing, tourist activities, organizing stuff and sightseeing, we are back in paddling mode. We said goodbye to Irene and headed South towards Villa Union. There's lots of agriculture in that region. Afterwards, we decided to take the toll road 15D. Although bicycles are usually not permitted on this road, we knew from other cyclists who took it. As it had a nice shoulder and less traffic, we decided to give it a try and indeed, the law doesn't seem to be valid for tourists. No one cared about us, the police officer as well as the people in the toll collect office waved at us in a friendly way. We couldn't talk much, as we had to cycle behind each other, so we had time to look at the landscape which was green and mountaineous. We stopped in El Rosario for lunch before continuing to Escuinapa, our stop for the night. One of Irene's friends had contacted a fellow cyclist, Francisco. He met us in the town centre, introduced us to the local sports club staff and organized a hotel for us. Cycling is part of the culture of Sinaloa, the state we are in right now, so they even have a bicycle monument in Escuinapa.
    For dinner, we went to the central square again. We met 4 nice ladies who had seen us on the road. They were from the region and ordered a local dish for us (which was not on the menu), a local soda and local icecream - very delicious! And I could also practice my Spanish 😊    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Rainy and humid morning - but more cyclists out there 😊
    Central square in Santiago Ixcuintla3Cooking pasta in our hotel room

    Mainland of Mexico

    26. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 29 °C

    Today was quite a tough day, 149 km, to a town called Santiago Ixcuintla. We want to get back to the coast as soon as possible, that's why we need to do a couple of long days on the inland roads. The road today was pretty diverse though, which we enjoyed. We passed a lagune and watched the birds and the fisherman. We also saw more agriculture, mountains and green trees which almost made us feel as if we'd go through a rainforest.
    Cycling on the mainland of Mexico actually feels like being in a different country again. Compared to Baja California, it's way more humid. This means that we are soaked in sweat as soon as we move. We also haven't camped so far as there's not really good spots in the densed trees. Plus, there's way to many people which makes it less safe. The hotels are alright though: they are cheap, we can take our bikes into the room, we have a shower and can wash our cloths - and sometimes even cook like today.    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Fish hatchery
    Chilling out at the beach at San BlasPlaza principal in San BlasSo happy to find fresh fruit and vegetable everywhere!Crocodile next to the roadRiding along the coast

    Pedaling with the crocodiles

    27. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today's ride passed by some small villages and more agricultural land. As we are coming closer to the sea again, we saw huge fish hatcheries as well.
    We had an extended lunch stop in San Blas. Herbert had to fix his tyre (again), but we also went for a swim in the Pacific, had a look around in the centre and did some fresh fruit and banana bread shopping.
    In the afternoon, we continued a little further and passed a lagune. When we stopped to do bird watching, a crocodile was sunbathing right in front of us (luckily, there was a fence). When looking across the lagune, we saw more crocodiles, one even opening his mouth - would have been a great shot if we had taken out the camera in time).
    After a few nights indoors, we decided to camp again, as we saw a nice looking camping ranch. The night didn't turn out to be too good: first, we were eaten up by mosquitoes during dinner. When hiding in the tent, we were immediately soaked in sweat due to the heat and humidity. Plus, the animals on the ranch (mainly the dogs and the rooster) obviously heard of any quiet times during sleeping hours 😏 back to hotels I guess...    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Leaving the ranch
    Scenic viewMain road in Sayulita3

    Too many tourists

    28. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 29 °C

    Some days are not as good as others... We left our campspot pretty tired, as we didn't sleep well. Plus, our tent was totally wet due to the humidity. Anyways, the first 50km of today's ride were very scenic: a bit rolling through green rainforest, beautiful views of the coast and not much traffic on the road.
    However, this changed once we turned on the 200 towards Puerto Vallarta. Heavy traffic, speeding cars and buses cutting us pretty closely and construction work - no fun riding at all!
    We stopped in La Penita for our lunch stop and to dry our tent. We tried to get Internet to research hotels nearby, but neither our local SIM nor the restaurants in town had working wifi. So we continued to San Francisco, a surfer town. We were overwhelmed by the amount of tourists here and couldn't find a decent hotel, so went on to Sayulita. It's actually very popular among surfers and backpackers, so we faced similar issues and ended up in a hostel. We were the only ones cooking dinner while the others made extensive use of the happy hour. Feeling pretty old lieing in bed while they are playing YMCA and Macarena downstairs đŸ˜„    Lue lisÀÀ

  • Panamericana adventure
    Blue footed boobiesUnder the stone bridge - in our sexy life jackets that we even have to wear while snorkelling 😏Blowhole - this was a nice shower!

    Islas Marietas

    29. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    As the music in the hostel didn't stop before 3am, we decided to have a late start and leave after breakfast (which they served from 8:30am). Usually, we try to be on the road at 7am in order to avoid most the midday heat.
    From Sayulita, we took a small road with less traffic to Punta Mita. Irene had recommended to go to Islas Marietas, so we checked out the offers. As we got a good deal and people seemed to be very knowledgable, we went on a boat trip to the islands. Definitely a good decision! The islands were formed by volcanic activity and are under government protection, so there's many species of seabirds as well as abundant marine life. On the way there, we saw a humpback whale and some dolphines. We observed the birds, among them some blue (and yellow) footed boobies, got wet from the water of the blowhole, checked out some caves and the stone bridge, snorkelled to sea the tropical fish and discovered a hidden beach.
    As the tour took longer than expected (Mexican times...), we booked an AirBnB some 30km away to be able to make ot before dark. When we arrived at the address, noone was there. We called the owner and he told us that it's actually not available at the moment because the light is not working and he has been waiting for someone to fix it for some time (Mexican time again...). We were both a little frustrated and hungry, as it was getting dark already and there weren't many options for accommodation. However, Google helped us this time and led us to a cosy hostal with friendly people and a fresh fruit and vegetable store next door 😊    Lue lisÀÀ

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    View from Puerto Vallarta Malecon with the Hilton etc. Resorts in the background
    2Mexicans playing music while abseiling and spinning around heads downCentral Plaza in Puerto Vallarta2Boca de TomatlĂĄnBack in the mountainsFresh bread - yummy!

    Mexican variety

    30. marraskuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    This morning started with eggs and salsa roja for breakfast, so we were ready for another exciting day on the road. We first went to Puerto Vallarta, a pretty big, but quite interesting harbour city. When entering the city, we passed everything that is huge and famous: Walmart, The Home Depot, the cruise ship terminal with a huge cruise ship anchoring, the Hilton and Sheraton, shopping malls... Getting closer to the center, the names of the shops and hotels became less famous, the buildings are colonial style and the beach is public. We were a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people and bars and restaurants, but enjoyed the atmosphere. Because of the boat people or because it was Saturday or just because it's Mexico, there was music and artists everywhere. In the end, it took us quite a while to pass Puerto Vallarta, as we stopped several times for photos and watching people. But also, because there was a lot of traffic and because the roads were bad cobblestone - a nightmare to cycle!
    Leaving Puerto Vallarta, we first cycled through the gay quarter with hotels catering for the LGBT community, before passing more luxury resorts located along the Southern coast.
    We stopped in Boca de Tomatlán for lunch, a cool fishing village with some restaurants on the beach. Touristy, but relatively quiet after the hustle bustle of Puerto Vallarta.
    Afterwards, we left the coast again and climbed up in the mountains. Bad timing in the middle of the day, but luckily it was shady under the trees. On the way up, we stopped for fresh traditional bread, prepared in a firewood oven. Our destination for the night is El Tuito, a sleepy mountain town famous for its cheese. The only ATM was out of service, but we were able to find a shop that provided cash out (for quite some commission fee though...). Anyways, we could at least to pay the hotel and some food 😉    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Share the road with Jaguars12 pm beer

    Long sandy beach

    1. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 31 °C

    We left El Tuito early this morning to get as far as possible before the heat. And as El Tuito is located in the mountains, the temperature was indeed very pleasant when we started. However, the closer we came to sea level again, the hotter it got. So we cycled the 100km pretty fast in order to jump in the ocean. We arrived in Punta Perula just after noon, so had half a day to relax at this chilled out beach town with its 13km sandy beach.Lue lisÀÀ

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    Arrived in La Manzanilla
    Our cabin for the nightBreakfast buffetFirst row sunset viewDinner time in our kitchen

    Crocodile Bar

    2. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    The route for today was relatively short: 68km. However, it was all rolling, plus heat and humidity. So we really had to fight, although we were on the road with the first daylight at 7am. Views were nice though, green hills everywhere, and only few traffic.
    When we arrived at our hotel in La Manzanilla, the breakfast buffet was still on. So when Mateo, who runs the bar/hotel said that we should finish it up, we didn't think twice. He also gave us an upgrade on the room, as he was enthusiastic about our trip. So we had a nice, bright and breezy room with sea view for the night. The rest of the day, we relaxed at the bar, observed the pelicans diving and the fisherman waiting for fish, had the best iced cappuccino ever, went swimming and watched the amazing sunset.
    We really enjoyed La Manzanilla, a cosy little beach town with a great and friendly community of Americans, Canadians and local Mexicans.    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Coconut and banana plantation1Harbor of ManzanilloFountain lit up - music in the background as wellParade with traditional dances and costumes

    300% humidity

    3. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Again, a day with what feels like 300% humidity. Our bags were wet even though it didn't rain. But also another day of green hills and not too much traffic. We passed a huge coconut and banana plantation that was guarded by a small plane flying over it in circles.
    By about lunchtime, we reached the Northern beaches of Manzanillo and stopped for a coconut. From there, it was only another hour to the center. Manzanillo is a harbor town and not particularly beautiful. However, when we got out of our hotel after having cooked dinner, we were quite surprised: so many people on the streets, many of them dressed in traditional clothes. Plus, the Plaza Principal was full of food stalls. We walked around for a bit, watched people playing something like bingo just with pictures and kids posing on horses for Christmas card photos. Then, a parade started and we saw people dancing and playing music. It's actually a festive season here right now: on 12th December, Mexicans celebrate the day of the Virgen de Guadeloupe. And as Mexicans like to celebrate, they already start celebrating on 1st of December and have dances and music every night til the 12th. So let's see what else we can see in the next days.    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Sunrise over the lagune next to the highway
    Coconut breakNo traffic on this road 😊The bday crew

    Escape from the humididy

    4. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 28 °C

    After some days at the coast, we decided to head inland again. Our destination was Colima where Dave and Marcia live. They are friends of our warmshowers hosts in Bend.
    We left before 7 already as we had a long day ahead of us. Dave had send us a gpx track, so navigation was easy this time. First, we followed a cuota again. So bikes are theoretically not allowed, but noone cares. It was relatively flat and had a broad shoulder. The sunrise over the lagune was quite nice as well. We stopped for a coconut after about 50km before turning into a small, quiet sideroad which led to Colima. We had to climb all day, but as it was a constant 2%, it wasn't actually too bad. We even forgot to take a picture of the 7000km on the bike computer, as we were in our constant climbing mode.
    In Colima, we got a warm welcome at Dave's and Marcia's house. For dinner, we could even join Dave's cycling friends at a birthday party. Eduardo, a guy of the cycling group, has been in Germany many times and knows about German culture and the German way of life. He (and hopefully also the other guests), had a lot of fun while listening and singing to Herbert Grönemeyer, Die Toten Hosen and Helene Fischer 😂    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Mexican breakfastChurch in ComalaThe haciendaView over the vegetation with the volcano hidden in cloudsEduardo and us

    Private tour with Eduardo

    5. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 29 °C

    Today, we explored the region around Colima. Eduardo had offered us to take us to some nice places, so - of course - we didn't say no to a private tour led by a local. We started with a typical Mexican breakfast: Chilaquiles rojos, spiced coffee and aqua fresca. The location, food and staff were great, so it was hard to leave. But there were more things to see. Afterwards, we went to Comala, one of the pueblos magicos, famous for its white houses. It's actually a very pretty town with interesting architecture and beautiful patios as part of the houses. Next stop was the Museo Universitario Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo in Nogueras. He was a Mexican artist and his works is displayed in the museum. Next door is his family home, an impressive hacienda which we visited as well. Eduardo then drove along a curvy mountain road which climbed towards the volcano Nevado de Colima. We stopped at a restaurant with stunning views where we had guacamole while observing the eagles. Usually, we would have seen the volcano real close, but unfortunately it was covered in clouds. Still an awesome place!
    Thanks, Eduardo, for showing us around and telling us so much about Mexican history, culture and customs. We are looking forward to seeing you again, maybe on your next visit to Germany 😊    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Colima

    6. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 29 °C

    Today was a route planning day. After breakfast, we spent long hours over analogue maps, on Google street view and different weather and climate statistics in order to plan out our route through the rest of Mexico. In the end, we had a good idea about our route: we are going inland through more mountaineous terrain because the climate is just way better for cycling. The diagram below says everything 😉
    In late afternoon, we visited the city centre of Colima. Nice old buildings, a busy plaza with food and Christmas markets (at least the Mexican version of it...) and - as the Virgen de Guadeloupe holiday is coming soon - another parade with traditional dances in front of the church.    Lue lisÀÀ

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    11

    Back in the mountains

    7. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 26 °C

    We left Colima without a rush as we only had a short day of cycling ahead of us. We said goodbye to Dave, who also went for a ride, and Marcia who took off for her morning run. Most of the day, we had to cycle along Highway 54D. Quite some traffic, but with a shoulder most of the time, as it's a cuota. As we had to climb again, we were going for the continuous climb rather than for a rolling climb today. Views were stunning though. We could see the volcano Nevado de Colima almost all day as well as a couple of impressive canyons. We arrived in Tecalitlan at about 2pm and found a small hotel. As it's a very Mexican town, there are - of course - festivities going on: A parade with colourful dresses, even a carriage protesting against the use of plastic and music. At night, they showed different traditional dances of all the Mexican states on the principal plaza. It was packed with people, happily watching, talking, eating - almost like a fair - just without the alcohol. And we were the only foreigners...Lue lisÀÀ

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    Morning views in the mountains
    Police encounter

    Police encounter

    8. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 30 °C

    5:30am - we are sitting up straight in our bed. Penetrating church bells and fireworks woke us up and didn't stop making noise for the next 45min. I really don't know when the Mexicans sleep. When we went to bed at about 11pm last night, music and party were still on, so it took us forever to get to sleep... What a start in a day of 100km of cycling with an elevation gain of over 1600m đŸ˜„
    Luckily, the route today was a really small road with beautiful mountain views and no traffic at all. It would have finished with a great 1200m descent as well. Unfortunately, the road was in bad condition with uncountable potholes, so the downhill was not smooth at all.
    Just before Tepalcatepec, we had an interesting encounter with the police. They stopped us at a regular check point (usually, we never had to stop). Then they asked some questions about where we came from today, where we were going, what our plan for the next day is and so on. I tried to answer their questions in my broken Spanish. Obviously, none of them was a cyclist. Even today's route sounded to them way too long to make it by bike. Let alone a destination like Argentina. So they asked more and more policemen to come over and look at us weirdos. I asked them if there was a problem, but they only replied that everything was fine, they just want to talk with interesting people - and ended up taking photos of us to remember 😂    Lue lisÀÀ

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    River crossing
    The owner of the fruitshop who gave us avocadoes and peanutsStatue in Nueva ItaliaChristmas markets

    Italia?

    9. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 29 °C

    After a good night's sleep (no party in the village we stayed yesterday), we started fresh into the new day. The route led along a mountain range to the North which we'll have to climb tomorrow. The area we are going through does not see any tourists at all, so people usually look a little puzzled when they see us.
    For lunch, we stopped at a fruit shop for some bananas and a cold drink. The owner was very excited about our trip. When we left, he gave us 7 avocadoes and a big bag of peanuts on our way, so that we get enough calories. So sweet!
    We arrived in Nueva Italia at about 2pm. Our hopes were up high when we had picked this place due to the name. However, the town basically concists of a very busy road, a statue on a busy roundabout, a church and lots of Christmas markets. Not exactly what we expected to see in "new Italy" 😏
    When I googled the town, I got some hits saying it's located on the main drug route in Mexico. Hmm, maybe good we are staying only for a night...    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Lunch stop at the pemexChecking the tyres for broken glasPlaza municipal in Ziracuaretiro

    "Cuota" all day long

    10. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 23 °C

    The idea of climbing all day long made us decide to take the cuota again. It's quite loud with the traffic, but at least it is a constant climb and usually not more than 6%. So we left early again and cycled for about 40km until we needed a first short cookie break. We just stopped on the shoulder as there was no rest area, when a car pulled over. The guy asked if everything was ok and if we needed water. Nice that he cared! About 10km and 1.5 hours later, we had our lunch break at a petrol station. We enjoyed the breeze as we were already at 1000m elevation by then. Back on the highway, we had to cross millions of little pieces of glass as a truck had just lost a load of...? (maybe mirrors...) After some 70km, we've had enough of climbing and got a room in Ziracuaretiro. What a little paradise after last night: surrounded by mountains, great climate, a nice church, old buildings around the Plaza, friendly people and almost no cars - so peaceful and quiet!!Lue lisÀÀ

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    Plaza Municipal
    Huge puppets for the cribRoad in Patzcuaro1International InstitutionThe "N" was broken, so we had to hold itView of Janitzio

    Semi magic

    11. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 20 °C

    Our route today passed two "pueblos magicos" again. After a lot of climbing on the highway in the morning, we arrived at the first one: Patzcuaro. The town is so beautiful! Most of the houses are painted in white and brown as it's supposed to be in a pueblo magico. The main plaza was full of huge puppets, already arranged for Christmas. Plus, there were lots of markets and great food (especially fresh warm bread). The town is also located at a lake. In the middle of the lake, there's an inhabited island, Janitzio, with a Christ statue on top of the hill. We got a pretty nice view in the morning when it was still in clouds. There's boat rides to the island, but we decided to spent an extended lunch break in town to observe people and enjoy the atmosphere.
    In the afternoon, we continued our journey to Tzintzuntzan, the second pueblo magico for today. The ride was pleasant, a little rolling along the lake through some villages and no traffic. The village itself wasn't too impressive except for its local crafts. At least it's quiet and cool, so we should be able to get a good night's sleep 😉    Lue lisÀÀ

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    Morning procession
    Street art in MoreliaRegional craft - the main plaza was beautifully decoratedMen preparing the tree with the fireworks - Mexican way of putting up a "Maibaum"Ladies dressed in traditional clothesFire works launched from the "Maibaum"

    Virgin de Guadeloupe

    12. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 22 °C

    It's the 12th of December, the day of the Virgen de Guadeloupe, a big fiesta in Mexico. We decided to leave early in order to be able to stop at some festivities on the way. And indeed, we passed the first procession just 5km outside of Tzintzuntzan: a school class had to run behind a truck carrying a huge picture of the virgen. Our next stop was in Morelia. We decided to cycle through the city rather than taking the highway around as we were hoping to see some more festivities. There was nothing particularly going on. However, the historic centre of Morelia is Unesco World Heritage and worth a visit with its colonial style buildings, street art and atmosphere in general.
    We then continued to Zinapecuaro, our destination for the day. Here, they celebrated the Virgen with a procession, lots of food and fireworks. People, especially the kids, were all dressed up in traditional clothes. The food was great as well - we tried 3 different regional dished for less than 4€ in total.    Lue lisÀÀ

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    1Nochebuena farmHow to earn money by cycling

    Zitacuaro

    13. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 22 °C

    The last few days, we cycled above 2000m again. It's awesome! Mornings are cold and we have to wear jackets again. But at least we don't sweat from just breathing anymore 😉 We also enjoy the landscape, it could almost be like we are cycling in the lower Alps... Today's route was quite picturesque and not too much traffic on the first 80km. Unfortunately, this changed on the last 28km when we got closer to Zitacuaro. The town itself is quite interesting with lots of markets, good food and friendly people. They also seem to grow the world's supply of nochebuenas here, at least I haven't seen that many anywhere else before...Lue lisÀÀ

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    Mariposas

    14. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 22 °C

    The road out of Zitácuaro was small with few traffic, so a lot nicer than the one into town. There was only some old VW vans that are used for public transport here.
    We headed to the Monarch butterfly sanctuary Cerro Pelon in Macheros to see this species. It's actually quite impressive: every year, the Monarch butterflies travel about 4500km from the US and Canadian forests to Mexico where they stay between November and March. As butterflies don't live very long, it takes 3 generations to travel back and forth.
    It's obligatory to take a guide to enter the sanctuary. Our guide was Mauricio, a local from the village. We could choose between riding a horse or hiking. Of course, we decided to hike to the butterflies, as we were happy to not having to sit for a while. The first place was a meadow where we saw the butterflies flying around. There were millions of them, so we were surrounded by the little orange animals and had to be careful not to step on them while they were resting or drinking. We then hiked further up in the mountains to see the butterflies sleeping in the trees. It first looked like brown autumn leaves, but it's actually millions of butterflies hanging on the branches. Quite spectacular!
    In the end, the hike was longer than expected. When we were back at the entrance after 3.5 hours, we realized we had climbed more than 800m and were above 3200m at the second spot. Our legs were tired, but we still had to cover another 30km including a 500m climb in order to get to our stop for the night. It was quite exhausting, but in the end we made it and found a nice place to sleep for the night.    Lue lisÀÀ

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  • Panamericana adventure
    Cold and foggy start in the morning
    After some discussions and escape attempts we finally had to get of the highway1Ice skating in 28°CHit the pinata

    Another fiesta

    15. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 18 °C

    2°C - when we got up today, it was freezing cold. Probably normal at an elevation of 2300m, but it was still a surprise for us in a way. Only 10 days ago, we were covered in sweat just by breathing... Anyways, we started our day with a long cold stretch through clouds and fog (which felt like autumn in Ingolstadt). When it finally cleared up, we felt a lot warmer and better!
    We then had another surprise. We actually got kicked off the cuota. First time, they enforce the rules here (no bicycles allowed). Luckily, we were not too far away from the next city, so the slower detour on gravel wasn't that long.
    We stopped in Toluca for lunch, a huge city with colourful houses and a very busy centre. Meanwhile, it was 28°C, and what did we see? An ice skating rink. What a surprise again!
    We continued our way to Metepec where we stayed with Memo, Janelle and their 2 kids. When we arrived at their place they invited us to join them to a posada. A posada is a Mexican Christmas party. They start on the 16th and continue every night til Christmas. For some reason, no one cared that it's only the 15th today... So we spent a great afternoon and evening with their friends. There was awesome food and Christmas punch. They also have a tradition to hit a "pinata". The pinatas are filled with candy and you hit them with a stick while the others sing a song. Once it's over, it's the next person's turn until all the candy drops out of the pinata. Then everyone jumps on the candy to get the best ones. They actually had 2 pinatas today, one for the kids and one for the adults. Herbert and me got our turn as well. Good fun for everyone, that's for sure!    Lue lisÀÀ

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  • Panamericana adventure
    Second breakfast
    1

    100 days and a vulcano

    16. joulukuuta 2019, Meksiko ⋅ ☀ 14 °C

    In order to celebrate 100 days of our trip, we wanted to do something special. So when we were told that you can cycle all the way into the crater of Nevado de Toluca, we were hooked. We started our climb after breakfast. Luckily, we could leave our backs at our hosts in Metepec, so the bikes felt really light. We stopped for a second breakfast at some restaurants on the way to the volcano. Good idea, as we had to climb another 1200m from there, 1000m of them on gravel. The crater is at an elevation of 4250m, by far the highest we've ever been on bicycles! However, the effort was totally worth it! Views were incredible, especially as there are 2 lagunes in the crater. We enjoyed the ride, the views, the nature and the silence. Definitely a good practice run for the high altitudes awaiting us in Peru and Bolivia.
    On the way down, we had to hurry as clouds had come in and it was freezing cold. Back in town, we had a hot shower first before going out for pizza. We urgently needed those calories!    Lue lisÀÀ

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