04/06 Lost 10 more pounds today. That was just in sweat. The heat was bad but holy cow was it ever humid. For the first time maybe on this entire trip I had to stop and take a break just to avoid getting heat stroke. The climbs didn’t help either but talk about some amazing scenery along the top of the hills. Of course I ended up getting a flat tire which was made much worse by the lack of shade nearby.

Had some interesting people encounters today. While stopped just past a store to take a picture of a valley about half a dozen little kids came running over to ask for money. Once I said no most of them just stood there watching me while a couple of the alpha kids played with the things strapped to the rear bike bags. I packed my camera back up and started to ride away. I turned to wave and saw one of the boys looking like he was going to throw something at me. Sure enough the little brat threw a small rock and hit me in the back. It’s not like I could go back and beat his little ass so I just yelled “Hey!” and made like I was going to turn around. They just stood there like Children of the Corn so I left. I’m not entirely convinced that he wasn’t just playing but it’s hard to say.

Next up was an 8 year old highway robber. At one of the rare flat spots I saw a girl standing beside the road holding the end of a vine that stretched across the highway. As I got closer she pulled the vine so it was 3 feet off the road. I could have barreled right through I suppose but I had no idea who was sitting in the trees watching. I didn’t understand anything she said except 5 pesos so I gave it to her. She lowered the vine and off I went.

One encounter I didn’t have was along the access road to the cascades. The 2 mile road is a bit notorious for robberies and several bicyclists I know advoided coming down here because of it. I kept an eye out but it’s downhill the entire way and there was no way I was stopping for anyone. Made it here without seeing a single person and boy was it worth it.

The series of waterfalls and pools that make up the Cascades del la Agua Azul are beautiful. The first thing I did when I got here, after posing for some pictures, was get a cabana, change into my swimming shorts and jump in. The water was perfect and a lot colder than I thought it would be. I wish they had a set of waterfalls every 20 miles along the road.

This place is packed with Mexican families camping and enjoying the park. Lots of tents and people BBQ’ing. There might have been a couple hippies camping but I avoid them. I would have liked to have camped but I’m by myself and there are too many people around to leave my stuff unattended. Had a great dinner at one of the many restraunts before taking a nice walk up along the river.

Still a little sick. This cough won’t go away and I still have the sniffles. Maybe in the next town I’ll grab some medicine.

GPX Track

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends! This was my first Christmas on the road and it wasn’t too bad. Got a few calls into my family so it was almost like I was there (albeit via Skype).

The 24th or “Holy Night” is the end of a nine day celebration of the Nativity so it was a little louder around here than it normally is. Fireworks were going off (nothing extravagant) and toward the end of the night the kids staying here were outside beating a Piñata with a stick. It was actually pretty fun to listen to the kids yelling and the adults singing. Here’s a good site that describes how the holiday is celebrated in Mexico. A lot of places are closed but not everything and thankfully not the restaurants. PB&J on Christmas would be bad.

I noticed something on the trip map that I posted yesterday that kind of has me intrigued a little. OK, more than a little. Cuba is very close. I did a little checking and there are daily flights from Cancun to Havana. There are some considerations to making a trip like this; especially to a country that is considered an “enemy” of the United States. Legally I can fly there but I can’t spend any money. My status as a dual citizen (Canada/United States) doesn’t help me out here either. Could I get away with not breaking this law by bringing my own food and camping? For the sake of this publicly posted web site… you bet!

Lot’s more research is needed before I pull the trigger on this one. For one thing I’d need to figure out how to pack my bike/gear up for the plane ride over. I’ve read nothing but good things from the other touring riders that have been over there. Columbus even described Cuba as, “the most beautiful land human eyes have ever seen.” How could I not go there?

Weather in Mazatlan when posted:

Temperature: 25 °C, Humidity: 50%, Wind Speed: 4km/hr, Cloud Cover: few clouds

One of the things I needed to do while I was lounging around here for a week was to figure out where I’m going next. After digging through web sites, my travel guide (Knopf Guides – Mexico) and checking to see if my road selections were feasible I think I have a plan. Here’s what I came up with:

There’s a fair bit of looping around to get to places but there are only so many (paved) roads. I wasn’t planning on heading over to the Yucatan but how could I not visit Chichen Itza? There are a so many amazing looking sites that I’m dying to get back on the road again.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell the dentist story. So I show up for my appointment and am told to head upstairs. The dentist lady is there and tells me to go ahead and lay down in the chair. I plop down and am momentarily distracted when she turns on some soft music. A second later a candle has filled the room with the scent of fresh roses. Was something lost in translation? Was I about to get a massage instead of a teeth cleaning? She walked over and sat down next to me and, much to my dismay, told me to open up. No soothing backrub for me. She ended up telling me I didn’t need a cleaning so I left. That seemed weird too. It makes me wonder if the dentist I’d been using back in the States was just going through the motions so they could bill my insurance. Who knows.

Weather in Mazatlan when posted:

Temperature: 24 °C, Humidity: 50%, Wind Speed: 15km/hr, Cloud Cover: few clouds