Mexico
Mexico is a country between the U.S. and Central America that’s known for its Pacific and Gulf of Mexico beaches and its diverse landscape of mountains, deserts and jungles. Ancient ruins such as Teotihuacán and the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá are scattered throughout the country, as are Spanish colonial-era towns. In capital Mexico City, upscale shops, renowned museums and gourmet restaurants cater to modern life.
After a few days rest and relaxation I was on my way to San Ignacio and a new country in Belize. Unfortunately for me, the weather forecast was for rain for the next 3-4 days and there was really only a few things I wanted to do with my time in Belize. One was to do some diving in Ambergris Caye on an island off Belize City.
As I left for Chetumal from Ciudad del Carmen it was with some sadness, knowing that this would be my last long riding day in Mexico. I had fallen in love with just about everything related to this country, the people, communities, food and spirit of Mexico. Yes, I had seen all the news articles, been mocked by friends saying that my head would be separated from my body and all that stuff.
After one night in the pretty town of Veracruz, it was time to go the 409 miles to Ciudad del Carmen in what would be my second last city stop in Mexico. I was already getting a little melancholy about leaving Mexico, it had been everything I had hoped for – great mountain roads, amazing street food, sensational beaches and simply beautiful people.
My trip to Veracruz, Mexico was just going to be over 4 hours and 249 miles (400 kilometers), but again I took my time and had a number of stops along the way. The ride took me up to 3,500 metres (just shy of 10,000 feet) and at one stage I was riding through so much deep fog in the highlands.
Ride Day 20 saw me take a short morning trip from Mexico City to the Teotihuacan Ruins. Brilliantly I did not take my helmet camera (The Drift Ghost S) so I was resigned to my GoPro and Phone Camera. I got off to a very early start and arrived just as the sun was rising.
After one night only in Guadalajara, I set my day to ride the 340 miles (547 Kilometres) to Mexico City on Ruta 60 for most of the way. This journey included a lot of toll roads and on my way from the Pacific on the West Coast of Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico on the east coast.
After a few nights in Puerto Vallarta, it was time to move on and make my way across from the east to the west coast with my first stop on this journey in Guadalajara, Mexico. Puerto Vallarta gave me a few nights to take in some tourist sights and relax a little bit before this long trip over quite a few days to Belize.
I have included my trip across the Gulf of California from La Paz to Mazatlan onboard the Baja Ferry Service to Puerto Vallarta. As this is kind of like a border crossing, I will give as much information as I can. If you have no done some research, there are quite a few horror stories relating to the Baja Ferries service. I, however, had a pretty fantastic experience.
While staying in La Paz, I decided to make a few trips to different areas of southern Baja California Sur. One such trip was a morning ride and swim at Balandra Beach or Playa Balandra. I also wanted to check out the ferry situation which was nearby.
After relaxing a few days in La Paz at Leo’s Baja Oasis, Leo (the owner), decided I needed to go to see Cabo San Lucas and do a little duty-free shopping. This town is also a little mecca for some questionable pharmaceutical goods. It is very much a resort town.