Mexico to Brazil

An 8 month journey travelling from Mexico City through Central America and South America to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil Read more

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Trip start
January 1, 2024
Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Coyoacan, Mexico City
Jan 1–3, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
So after a long flight and a long day (6 hours longer than normal due to the time zones) we arrived safely in Mexico City. This is a mega city with a population of 22.2 million so we picked the quiet suburb of Coyoacan for our first two days to allow us to settle in.

This area has a bohemian and hipster vibe with plenty of street entertainers, local food and markets and interesting architecture.

The area is most famous for being the home of celebrated Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and her husband the muralist Diego Rivera. We visited her childhood home where she stayed much of her short life. Called Casa Azul (blue house) it had lovely grounds and provided rich insight into her challenging life and the art it fuelled.

We then went to the Leo Trotsky museum, the house where he lived in exile from Stalinist Russia, suffered multiple assassination attempts before he was eventually murdered (with an ice axe).

We spent the rest of the day exploring the streets, market and did some birding in the local park. Because this is a new country for us most of the birds were brand new. Of the 18 species we identified 16 were life ticks. Highlights were the small Ladder-Backed Woodpecker and the brilliant red Summer Tanager.

Tomorrow we are heading to Valle de Bravo for a few days (a 3 hour bus ride) to see the Monarch Butterflies.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Valle de Bravo
Jan 3–6, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
I am writing this from the bus heading back to Mexico City. A quick wrap up about Valle de Bravo.

Valle de Bravo was a lovely town. Very steep roads up and down which we felt being fresh to altitude. But they had carefully protected the original colonial architecture with terracotta roofs and red and white walls. Even the international brands like banks had to make their signs and logos from local wood to fit the architecture.

Yesterday we took a walk in a forest between two waterfalls along a river. It was great to see lots of birds. Frustrating that I couldn’t identify about a third of what we saw but I have now taken my trip list to 43 species (all but four life ticks). Highlights on this walk were seeing and hearing a Blue Mockingbird and identifying our first Hummingbird a Rivoli’s. I have set the fairly ambitious target of seeing 1,000 species on this trip and want to make the most of this northern extremity as there will be birds here that aren’t found further south.

At the second walk I was scrambling around on wet rocks trying to get the perfect photo when I slipped and our only phone went flying and landed in the river. We rely on a phone for a lot these days… so I am happy to say recent iPhones have been made waterproof! After reaching down through 6 inches of mud I found the phone and to our relief it was fine. Phew.

Last night we had a lovely walk through the town in the throws of Epiphany Eve. This is 12 days after Christmas when the Three Kings brought gifts to Jesus. This is celebrated here more than Christmas and the Three Kings more than Santa. Children write to the Tres Reyes saying they have been good. And then they receive gifts from the kings. A traditional food is the Rocas del Reyes which is a bread made into a large complete ring symbolising the never ending love of God. It has images related to Christmas on it and inside is hidden a model baby Jesus. Whoever gets this has to pay to host a meal in February.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Valle de Bravo - Paragliding!
January 3, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
So today we got the bus to Valle de Bravo. Let me start by saying, Mexico buses are good. The bus station is more like an airport with a huge concourse, departure screens and lounges. Super well organised and the bus left and arrived on time. They show movies on the bus (in Spanish) and we had Peter Rabbit 2, so lots of shots from the Lake District!

Valle de Bravo is one of Mexico’s 177 Pueblos Mágicos (magic towns) with lovely viewpoints, a lakeside setting, and old colonial architecture.

We enquired about paragliding in the square and found out we could do it this afternoon so I (Michael) signed up on the spot. Valle de Bravo is world famous for this sport and in fact this weekend it hosts the first round of the 2024 Paragliding World Cup. The best of the best are here and the sky was full of them.

We drove to the top of Mount Alto at 2201m to launch. I signed the legal disclaimer (in Spanish), listened to the safety briefing (in Spanish) and then we were off. The flight was 25 minutes with great views of the pine forest, the lake and the town.

Tomorrow I get the good camera out for Monarch Butterflies!Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Monarch Butterflies
January 4, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Today we took a trip out to see the Monarch Butterflies about 30-40 minute south east of Valle de Bravo. We negotiated for a taxi to drive us there, wait 3 hours and then take us back (600 pesos, about £27) and off we went.

It was about an hours hike to about 3,120m where the Oyamel Fir grows which the monarchs need to hibernate.

We only had about 15 minutes with the butterflies but it was a lovely time.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Sunset at Mirador La Peña
January 4, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
This evening we took a lovely walk up Mirador La Peña about 2km from our accommodation up a large rocky outcrop.

We arrived just before sunset. Hundreds of swifts were flying around and I was able to confidently identify three different species (Vaux’s, White-napped and White-throated) which pleased me greatly. We saw a couple of hundred egrets flying into a roost too.

The sunset was however the highlight and the photos speak for themselves. Our first sunset experience of the trip.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Mexico City Highlights
Jan 6–10, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
So we are about to catch a (gulp) 21 hour bus ride to Merida which also means we are leaving Mexico City so we will wrap up on a few of the highlights beyond what we have already shared.

We have had a couple of early morning bird watching (now at 112 species for trip - will post a blog about this soon) and some afternoons and a whole day today sightseeing.

Mexico is a very culturally rich city. The contrasts are high too - between rich and poor, expensive and very good value. You see the rich helicoptering to work and the masses paying 5 pesos (25p) to travel any distance by bus, train or cablecar (and any combination thereof).

To save money we have been using the metro and buses (25p for any length journey) and this has been an interesting experience. At times even more packed than London in rush hour. At others very pleasant and peaceful. Like any big city there are beggars, pickpockets and the like and there is a heavy police presence but overall people have been friendly.

Well the photos show some of the highlights of our visit. So enjoy them. Next up Merida on the Yucatan peninsular.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Teotihuacan, Hot Air Ballooning
January 7, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
An early start this morning for our 5.20am pickup and 40 minute drive to Teotihuacan. But worth it as we had booked hot air ballooning over this UNESCO world heritage site.

The Teotihuacan site was staggering. Two large pyramids, the pyramid of the moon and the sun. A large avenue originally 9km long. The ingenuity of how the calendar was built into the site along with both true and magnetic north being signposted. And all this started 150 BC.

Our Hot Air Balloon ride was stunning and the pictures and video will show this better than I can. There were at least 35 other hot air balloons in the air at the same time as us. And we flew directly over the Sun Pyramid which was an amazing moment.

After the hot air balloon ride we took about 3 hours to explore the site on the ground with a guide. Amazing to know that in its original form they could flood the entire avenue a few inches deep with the water coming out of the pyramid of the moon, This along with the original mica surface would have created a stunning mirror effect. The whole site had a 3 degree slope away from the moon pyramid to keep the water moving.

This was very much a peak experience for us. Not something we can do everyday but something we will always remember.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Overnight Bus
Jan 10–11, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Well a 21 hour bus ride does have its moments. We are actually quite comfortable and have slept well as we have lots of room and the chairs recline well, kind of like business class on a plane.

Seen a few new birds that were identifiable - magnificent frigate bird, royal tern, osprey, brown pelican to name a few - and many more that I couldn’t identify safely from a moving bus.

Anyway, we just hit the sea and with it had our first view of the Caribbean so thought we would share that.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Merida, other highlights
Jan 11–15, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
So that is us moving on from Merida having had a great but busy stay. We were up between 4.40 and 5am each day for bird watching but saw some great birds and in the evening explored the city. The pictures show some of the highlights.

We are now taking an amazing bus (so good) to Cancun from where we will immediately get a ferry to Isla Mujeres. Over the next four days we will be doing some scuba diving. Hope you are all well and sending our love.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Yucatan Cooking Course
January 12, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Today we did a market tour and cooking course in Merida. Starting in the market we tasted some local fruit, snacks, honey, pastes, drinks and sweets whilst collecting our ingredients to cook lunch. Some of these I had never heard of including a fruit called mamey which was very sweet and delicious. We then visited the home of a local lady where we prepared lunch. Empanadas stuffed with cheese, a variety of salsas and guacamole, the chicken dish for main (served with tortillas made at the stall shown in the photos) and a set coconut dessert, which I think was my favourite dish. It was fun to sample some new foods and learn a little about Yucatan cuisine.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Celestún
January 12, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We did take a lovely day trip out to Celestun, this was mainly for the bird watching and I will put that on my blog. The area is famous for flamingos and a great beach where we had lunch. We saw dolphins (bottlenose) whilst we had our lunch.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Uxmal and Labná
January 14, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Today we went bird watching which I will blog about separately but we also visited the wonderful UNESCO World Heritage site of Uxmal. Impressive ruins of a city of about 20,000 which was abandoned before the Spanish Conquest. Sites such as this leave you with the strong awareness that the natives were not primitive when the Spanish arrived but sophisticated societies whose two great weaknesses were that they hadn’t discovered gunpowder (well more accurately borrowed it from the Chinese) nor were they immune to common European illnesses.

The quieter site of Labná was also an enjoyable and quieter site. Tomorrow we leave Merida for Isla Mujeres and diving.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Scuba Diving Isla Mujeres
Jan 15–20, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
We are now on Isla Mujeres and we have been diving.

So far we have done six dives, two to the MUSA underwater museum where 500 sculptures have been sunk to create interest for divers and take pressure off the reef.

The rest of the dives have been on various reefs with stingrays, turtles, lion fish, lobsters and so many shoals of other fish to look at.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Gunboat C-55 and Spotted Eagle Rays
January 19, 2024, Caribbean Sea ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Today we did a more adventurous dive than the reef dives we had been doing to 9m (27ft). This time we dived to about 22m (65ft) to visit an old military boat that was sunk in 2000 to provide a dive site.

It has since become an assembly point for the endangered (red list) Spotted Eagle Rays. These magnificent creatures are up to 3m across and 5m long to tip of sting. They gather at this site at this time of year.

We saw at least 9 on the dive and it was a lovely experience.

Tomorrow we leave Isla Mujeres to explore some more of the Yucatan peninsular.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Rio Largartos
Jan 20–21, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ 🌬 25 °C
After leaving Isla Mujeres we picked up a hire car and drove most of the day to reach Rio Lagartos where we spent last night and did some great birding yesterday and today As I have commented on a blog post the people and the wildlife have proven very friendly. I share some pictures here but if the wildlife is of interest check the blog.

Trip list now up to 217 bird species.

We are now in Valladolid and tomorrow is an early start to visit one of the 7 wonders of the world (as voted in 2007) - Chichen Itza. We are going very early to avoid the crowds.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Chichen Itza (from Valladolid)
Jan 21–23, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
So today we visited Chichen Itza, we left at first light to beat the crowds and were there for just after opening at 8am.

This was an impressive sight with lots to see and take in. Hopefully the photos do it justice.

Chichen Itza was a center of pilgrimage for the ancient Maya for over 1,000 years. The Mayas inhabited the city from 500 AD to 900 AD, when the Maya civilization declined. Around 987 AD, the ruler of the Toltec people of central Mexico came to Chichen Itza, and with his Maya allies made the site the most powerful city in the Yucatan.

Maya were still going on pilgrimage to the ruins of Chichen Itza when the Spanish arrived.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Coba and Cenote
January 22, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
This afternoon we visited a Cenote (swimming place), it was very peaceful and relaxing and the water a refreshing 24 degrees. Afterwards we did some birding and saw spider monkeys.

We then visited another archeological site called Coba. We hired bikes to cycle around the spread out site and were pleased to find the fairly localised Oscillated Turkey. It is only found in the Yucatan and parts of Belize and Guatemala.

We are enjoying having a hire car and being able to visit smaller sights. Next up we head south to Bacalar near BelizeRead more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Bacalar - lovely Street Art
Jan 23–26, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
We are staying thee nights in Bacalar and one thing that is remarkable about this laid back Pueblos Mágicos (magical towns) is the quantity and quality of the street art. Every block has a painting which really brightens up the neighbourhood. We took a walk about this afternoon taking all the pictures in this post, there really are some talented artists here.

We also visited the Fuerte de San Felipe de Bacalar built to protect the town from pirates who wrecked destruction on the town before this 34 gun fort was established (yes there were real Pirates of the Caribbean).Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Los Rapidos
January 24, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
We are now in Bacalar near Belize by the largest freshwater body of water in Mexico - Bacalar Lagoon.

Today we visited Los Rápidos a natural lazy river. It was a lovely place we swam around, did some snorkelling and lazed around in the hammocks.

This afternoon we are going sailing for the first time since school!Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Bacalar Lagoon
January 25, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
We took two boat trips into the lagoon. The first was a sailing trip south of Bacalar and the second was a motorboat around Bacalar itself.

The lagoon is called the Lagoon of Seven Colours in Spanish and it ranges from 90m and black to very shallow with sandy bottom and bright blue turquoise. We had lots of opportunities to swim and cool downRead more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Tulum - including Ruins
Jan 26–29, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We started today with an early 8am (beat the crowds) visit to Tulum Ruins. Whilst the ruins themselves are not as impressive as others we have been to, the views of the coast and the Caribbean Sea were lovely.

Oh and we also added Plain Chachalaca which (to quote Birds of Central America) moves through the forest in flocks with all the grace and serenity of a large bull dozer. This was exactly our experience!Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Cenote Azul
January 27, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
We visited this natural spring (Cenote) for a cool down swim, some snorkelling (saw an Anhinga take a fish underwater which was cool) and a walk around the forest. Lots of Iguanas and noisy Yucatan Jays for company.

Video’d a short message for you all too.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Punta Laguna Monkey Reserve
January 27, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Last thing we did today is visit a forest which is protected for monkeys. We had already briefly seen Spider Monkeys but this time
I had the good camera and hoped to get some shots.

We couldn’t really afford the cost of a guide so relied on good old fashioned fieldcraft (a lot of stopping and listening) and patience to find them. First the harder to see Howler Monkeys and then a group of Spider Monkeys. Great fun and quite an adventure to spend about 90 minutes in the forest on our own searching for monkeys. Can’t do that at home.

Very challenging photographic situation but happy with some of these.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Cooking in Playa del Carmen
January 29, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Today I spent a fun morning doing a cooking class. We shopped in the local area, including the tortilla factory. Tortillas (and corn) are a staple in Mexico and the price of both are regulated. All over there are these small stores that make, cook and sell tortillas. The host was great at explaining the history/origin of the food we made (including guacamole, salsa and mole) as well as making the food adaptable to make at home. I left with lots of recipes so if you visit when we get home you may get to try some.Read more
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Mexico to Brazil Michael and Helen Cook
Diving with Bull Sharks
January 29, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Some animals have a really bad press and sharks are top of that list. Humans kill 100 million sharks a year (to eat their fins) and they attack about 75 people a year of which 5 (on average) are fatalities.

Sharks attack people mostly in poor visibility when they confuse us for food, they don’t have hands so they test with their mouths. Unlucky if you are one of the 75 of course. But more people die from falling off a chair or bee stings so we really shouldn’t demonise them. But they do need our respect. Which is why for this dive I chose a 5 star shark aware PADI school.

Anyway lecture over. I just had the most amazing dive of my life. Just me this time as Helen opted out (see cooking course post). It was an advanced dive (experienced qualified divers only) descending rapidly to 25m (80 feet) and then remaining static on the floor whilst the sharks were fed and swam all around us. The sharks swam around us as we descended but always very peacefully and not aggressive at all. Still seeing the first sight of these 4m top predators was very awesome and humbling. I never felt unsafe through the dive and loved every minute. Twice a shark swam into me by accident which was quite surprising for both of us I think!

Best dive of my life for sure. Altogether 16 adult bull sharks with us. Will be hard to top this for an amazing wildlife encounter. (I am in some of the pics look for blue watch)Read more
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