A Travel Story by Daniel Shell & Jaquie Brazier
From Valencia we hopped over to San Miguel de AllendFrom Valencia we hopped over to San Miguel de Allende, another beautiful colonial town in the same format of Churches, Plazas, Bandstands, which was beginning to become a bit to familiar.
GUANJUATO had been bigged up by some many people were had very high expectations, not always a good thing.
This time, however, we werent disappointedGUANJUATO had been bigged up by some many people were had very high expectations, not always a good thing.
The next morning we headed out East, off to the jungle properI had made contact with a fellow biker on Horizons Unlimited, the website we had been using while planning the trip, and he had invited us to go stay with him. We rocked up at his house and were shown around his house, which had been built around his garage where he kept his collection of Harleys.
Our arrival in Guadalajara was a difficult one in many ways. Our timing was terrible. It was 7pm, the setting sun was still blisteringly hot, especially combined with the heat from the city and the immobile post work trafficOur arrival in Guadalajara was a difficult one in many ways. Our timing was terrible. It was 7pm, the setting sun was still blisteringly hot, especially combined with the heat from the city and the immobile post work traffic.
We set off in the glorious sunshine and left Oaxaca state, into Chiapas. The brown and dry landscape gave way to lush, tropical vegetation, the roads became bumpier and more pot-holed, and after lunch, which was the first time we tried Iguana-and the last, hopefully- the weather started to change too. We set off in the glorious sunshine and left Oaxaca state, into Chiapas.
The ride to the Falls at Tamul started off on beautiful fresh new black tarmac, and got steadily worse, until the 3 hogs were hobbling along the rutted dirt/sand road at a meagre 10mph.The road started off promising, then got better as we reached a beautiful swathe of fresh new blacktop. This ran out after about 3 miles and we switched to gravel, then dirt, then a lunar landscape. The 3 Harleys trundled along slowly along these roads for a good hour at a meagre 10 mph until we reached Tamul, less than a mile from the waterfalls.
Our next destination was Queretaro, another of Mexico s fine colonial towns, and one of our favourites, as it turned out.Our next destination was Queretaro, another of Mexico s fine colonial towns, and one of our favourites, as it turned out.
On the road to Queretero, a stop fro strawberries
We made a beeline to Oaxaca city where we visited the ruin of Monte Alban, and from there headed out via the Valles Centrales to Chiapas and San Cristobal de Los Casas. We made a beeline to Oaxaca city where we visited the ruin of Monte Alban, and from there headed out via the Valles Centrales to Chiapas and San Cristobal de Los Casas.
We really were very,very unprepared, we couldnt get a fix on the address on our GPS, no one we spoke to knew where we should go, so we decided to just head to the freeway and follow the signs til we got closer, then we would ask for directions again. A simple plan-destined for failure!We really were very,very unprepared, we couldnt get a fix on the address on our GPS, no one we spoke to knew where we should go, so we decided to just head to the freeway and follow the signs til we got closer, then we would ask for directions again. A simple plan-destined for failure!
A few more days of Escondido and it was time to move on down the coast, we stopped at another little fishing village on the coast that had been overrun by hippies in the 70s and was still thriving on backpackers and budget travellers
The gang back together again!
We had to go back to San Luis Potosi (the City) to have a service on the bike, our 20,000 miles was here already, and our friends recommended us a mechanic who used to work on Harleys, and as there were no dealerships around unless we headed straight to Mexico city, it was the best option......We had to go back to San Luis Potosi (the City) to have a service on the bike, our 20,000 miles was here already, and our friends recommended us a mechanic who used to work on Harleys, and as there were no dealerships around unless we headed straight to Mexico city, it was the best option.
After the hustle and bustle of Mexico City (before the swine flu closed everything down) and our 2-day ride along the road of death, we were ready to kick back and relax on the beach. We found a lovely little guest house ran by an eccentric Cuban, and spent a few days just chilling on the beach and wandering round the town before following the coast road down to Acapulco.After the hustle and bustle of Mexico City (before the swine flu closed everything down) and our 2-day ride along the road of death, we were ready to kick back and relax on the beach.
The ride started as normal, and we found our way out of Mexico city without too much trouble, the problems started later on. The road was glorious. We rode up, down and round mountains, through the forest, twisting and winding our way along in the sunshinThe ride started as normal, and we found our way out of Mexico city without too much trouble, the problems started later on. The road was glorious. We rode up, down and round mountains, through the forest, twisting and winding our way along in the sunshine, and after a few hours, we were ready for a stop.
Xilithla was the site of Edward James Castillo. An expressionist set of buildings in the jungle, originally built as a monkey sanctuary. Edward James was an Orchid collector and enthusiast, and he was so upset that many of the flowers on his site died that he decided to make statues of them in concrete so they would never die.Valles was an extremely uninspiring town, and I couldnt wait to leave, so we spent the one night before heading deeper into the jungle to explore Xilithla and Aquisimon.
From Campeche we had a hard ride on a dirt road 21miles down to Celestun to see the pink flamingos. The short cut added about an hour to our journey, and caused a not insignificant amount of tension between Jacquie and I, but that was all washed away on the boat trip to see the Flamingos the next day.
It felt good to be riding unaccompanied, even though we missed the company of the Frenchies It felt good to be riding unaccompanied, even though we missed the company of the Frenchies, we could speed up where we wanted, slow down where we wanted, and stop where we wanted. The weather was as gorgeous as the scenery as we rode north up the Yucatan Peninsula and towards the Gulf of Mexico. We had never seen this side of the country and when we finally came to the beach road, the turquoise blue waters of the Gulf welcomed us in an unforgettable way.
By this stage, 7 months into our trip, Jacquie was feeling really homesick, and had decided to fly back to England from Cancun. The air had mostly escaped from my balloon, and part of me was trying to delay getting to Cancun as much as possible, while the other part of me just wanted to get it over and done with. We rode for one more day before we arrived in the dreaded Cancun.
Jacquie booked her flight and we were left with one week together.
Its really hard to explain how I was feeling as I headed due south, past Playa Del Carmen, past Tulum, and onwards into the unknownIts really hard to explain how I was feeling as I headed due south, past Playa Del Carmen, past Tulum, and onwards into the unknown. It was strange riding the bike solo, I had no luggage outside of the bikes boxes, and the bike rode like a different machine. I took off my jacket and stowed it in the back box, turned the music on the stereo up, and rode along in the beautiful sunshine. I could accelerate faster, brake harder, and turn tighter.
. My heart sank as I hit the road to Flores. Once again, I had to crawl along another twenty odd miles of gravel before I reached hard blacktop and the chance to pull back the throttle and put some miles down.. My heart sank as I hit the road to Flores. Once again, I had to crawl along another twenty odd miles of gravel before I reached hard blacktop and the chance to pull back the throttle and put some miles down.
The next morning, I rose after a poor nights sleep, went back into town for a quick breakfast in the market, followed by a fleeting visit to the Internet café-no messages, before setting off for my fist solo border crossing and Belize.The next morning, I rose after a poor nights sleep, went back into town for a quick breakfast in the market, followed by a fleeting visit to the Internet café-no messages, before setting off for my fist solo border crossing and Belize.