“A” is for adventure. It was still dark when I pulled on my jacket, chaps, helmet, and gloves. As I rode south along the waterfront to catch the 6 a.m. car ferry from Cozumel to the mainland, the sky turned from grey to periwinkle blue, with a pink glow to the east. A cloudless sky and the smell of warm salty air promised a beautiful day for a motorcycle ride. There had been a strong norte (north wind) the day before and the seas were still turbulent, causing the ferry roll from side-to-side as it plowed through the waves eleven miles to the mainland.
The speed limit on freeway from Calica to Tulum is 100 kph (about 60 mph), and I cruised along on my Honda 450 in light traffic at 65 mph. I turned right at Tulum, past the Mayan ruins at Coba, and continued to Valladolid. Eight years ago I drove this road and it had VW Beatle-eating chuck holes, but now it is a good highway. Valladolid is one of my favorite historical colonial cities, with excellent, reasonably priced, beautiful hotels; good Yucatan food; interesting historical sites; and several cenotes. I stopped for brunch at Las Campanas restaurant, on the south west corner of the main plaza. For 80 pesos ($6.50) I had the specialty of the house omelet with potatoes, tortillas, salsa, and a cappuccino.
“C” is for cenotes, the sink holes in lime stone filled with clear fresh water from underground rivers. Just 3 miles west of Valladolid in Dzitnups are two beautiful cenotes, X’Keken and Samula. I snorkeled in X’Keken, which is accessed by steep well-lit stairs.
It is a cave with a hole in the roof through which the sun beams in. The water is crystal clear and refreshing, but not cold. There is a guided tour of a small cave that winds around the cavern to the other side of the cenote. A huge stalactite hanging from the ceiling looks like a frozen waterfall.
It was another two hour ride to Mé rida and my bottom was ready for a rest. I stayed at the home of some friends who own a 100-year-old city house located near the main plaza. They were there to greet me with a cerveza in hand when I got off my motorcycle. My friends had plans for the weekend on the coast, so I had the house to myself. After a siesta and shower, I walked to the plaza and enjoyed an excellent dinner of filet de Veracruz, with jalapenos and onions, at Las Vigas restaurant, upstairs in the El Arco Hotel. The dinner, with two glasses of wine, cost about $12.
The speed limit on freeway from Calica to Tulum is 100 kph (about 60 mph), and I cruised along on my Honda 450 in light traffic at 65 mph. I turned right at Tulum, past the Mayan ruins at Coba, and continued to Valladolid. Eight years ago I drove this road and it had VW Beatle-eating chuck holes, but now it is a good highway. Valladolid is one of my favorite historical colonial cities, with excellent, reasonably priced, beautiful hotels; good Yucatan food; interesting historical sites; and several cenotes. I stopped for brunch at Las Campanas restaurant, on the south west corner of the main plaza. For 80 pesos ($6.50) I had the specialty of the house omelet with potatoes, tortillas, salsa, and a cappuccino.
“C” is for cenotes, the sink holes in lime stone filled with clear fresh water from underground rivers. Just 3 miles west of Valladolid in Dzitnups are two beautiful cenotes, X’Keken and Samula. I snorkeled in X’Keken, which is accessed by steep well-lit stairs.
It is a cave with a hole in the roof through which the sun beams in. The water is crystal clear and refreshing, but not cold. There is a guided tour of a small cave that winds around the cavern to the other side of the cenote. A huge stalactite hanging from the ceiling looks like a frozen waterfall.
It was another two hour ride to Mé rida and my bottom was ready for a rest. I stayed at the home of some friends who own a 100-year-old city house located near the main plaza. They were there to greet me with a cerveza in hand when I got off my motorcycle. My friends had plans for the weekend on the coast, so I had the house to myself. After a siesta and shower, I walked to the plaza and enjoyed an excellent dinner of filet de Veracruz, with jalapenos and onions, at Las Vigas restaurant, upstairs in the El Arco Hotel. The dinner, with two glasses of wine, cost about $12.
what was playing and if any tickets were available. It was a sold-out performance by the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra and Choir of Beethoven’s Fantasy Coral and 9th Symphony. With my usual good luck, I saw a lady standing next to the stairs holding two tickets in the air. I bought a ticket for a seat in the second box, right above the stage. Of course I was underdressed, but a young lady who had a friend in the choir and snuck in to the vacant seat next to me, was also casually dressed. It was a fantastic performance and emotional experience.
The next morning I rode 60 miles south of Mé rida to Uxmal, a World Heritage Site. Uxmal is far superior to Chichen Itza as a cultural experience because Chichen Itza is now heavily commercialized with hundreds of vendors inside the park. I arrived at Uxmal about 9 a.m., before the tour buses, and as I walked through history I saw more iguanas than people. The architecture is awe inspiring and the silence and peacefulness was an ethereal experience.
Uxmal is one of the few Maya Ruins at which you can still climb a pyramid and the view is fantastic. Uxmal has more than 150 structures and the Pyramid of the Magician with its rounded corners is particularly magnificent.
From Uxmal I continued on the Route Puuc, which is perfect for motorcycle touring. It winds though the hills with dips and curves and is a nice ride at 45 mph.
I stopped at the Maya ruins of Kabah, which is not as large as Uxmal, but has more extensive detailed carvings of the Maya god Chaac. Kabah is right next to the road and is very easy (and inexpensive) to access. It does not appear very impressive from the road, but up close the art work is exquisite. Kabah has larger-than-life sized carvings of Chaac.
There are several other Maya ruins on the Puuc Route which I did not visit on this trip. On the ride back to Mé rida, I learned that the most dangerous thing about driving in this area is not drug wars, but unmarked topes (speed bumps). I hit one at about 30 mph and was afraid I would blow the front tire.
Every Saturday night there is folk music and dancing at a plaza in Mé rida. The local families, expatriates, and tourist mingle and enjoy the inexpensive food sold by vendors and the traditional Mexican dancing and singing. Mérida is a very cosmopolitan city there is a ethnic diversity. The locals are warm and friendly towards everyone. I was standing on a corner holding a map in my hand, looking for the plaza with the music when a traffic cop asked if he could help me. That is not typical of the experiences I have had in big cities in the U.S.
On the way back to Cozumel on Sunday I stopped at Cenote Gran, that is a couple of miles west of Tulum on the road to Coba. Cenote Gran is one of the most beautiful and well managed that I have visited. They provide changing rooms, a restaurant, and snorkel equipment for rent.
The cenote is a huge crescent shaped hole, with a wide staircase leading to a large wood platform on an island in the center of the cenote. The water is crystal clear and an underground cavern extends about 100 yards at each end of the cenote. One end is very shallow and leads through a huge tunnel to a second small cenote, with a island in the center covered with palm trees and tropical plants.
The other end of the cenote is very deep and extends into a cavern with stalactites. I paid an entrance fee of 100 pesos, which I think included a gringo surcharge. Most of the developed cenotes have an entrance fee of 50 to 80 pesos, and the fees are posted.
The ride back to the ferry on Sunday afternoon was uneventful, except there was more traffic. I was stopped a couple times on this trip at security check points manned by army personnel. I learned after the first stop to raise my face plate on my helmet. Once they saw I was an old gringo, I was waved through. I saw no sign of drugs, violence, or anyone acting in fear for their safety. I walked the streets of Mérida at midnight and felt perfectly safe. There were families and couples walking and considerable traffic late into the night.
