December 10, 2018
On the Bikes in Campeche
Waking up this morning, we wanted to head off to see Fort San Miguel, about 5 km from our hotel, so we packed a breakfast of peanut butter wraps and stopped at the Oxxo nearby for some juice before making our way to the malacon.
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Heading south, we rode past where we walked yesterday, still looking for that darned Campeche sign (nope, no joy). It was a cloudy and windy morning, but no rain so that was good. The malacon ran out about halfway down so we had to join the busy main road, but other than one truck who came a bit close, the drivers here have maintained the wonderful thoughtfulness we have come to expect. I imagine they must have to constantly be on the watch for odd traffic on the side of the roads here (bikes, scooters, those bike transport things) all of which travel at a much slower pace. It works, as they pretty much universally give you a lot of space, even on a busy road.
We turned off and up to get up to the fort. It was a shock after so much flat or easy hill riding to suddenly be going up a steep hill, but thanks to our hill training in Nanaimo, and the much cooler temps today, we made it up without problem.
Once at the top, we went to see about getting in, only to find that the fort is closed today! Boo! We will have to make a return trip tomorrow - oh well, we can use the exercise I guess! Fortunately, we were able to walk around the closed fort and sit on the grass overlooking the trees for our breakfast - outdoor seating at its best!
Finished, we coasted down the hill and slowly made our way up the malacon. I say slowly for two reasons. First, we were now cycling into a substantial headwind and second because Jim was in front and kept stopping to take pictures! Since we really had no plans for the day other than cycling here, it was all good and he really did manage to get some great shots.
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As we rode back into town, we stopped at the tourist info office to ask about the Campeche sign. Yes, it is down because of the contstruction, no it is nowhere else in town and no it will not be up again before we leave town - boo! I guess we will just have to come back here one day - oh darn! We stopped in at a little cafe to see if perhaps they had decaf coffee. We stopped drinking caffeinated coffee a few years back and now it makes me sick to have real coffee. Thankfully we are very used to starting our day without coffee so its really no big deal, but once in a while, particularly if its a bit chilly out, its nice to have a cup. When we asked about cafe decaf though, we received a blank look. They didn't know what that even was! Oh no! We settled for some very yummy iced chocolate drinks - not a bad substitute! Refreshments finished, we rode back to the hotel and changed into our street clothes. We had though to seek out somewhere to get our clothes washed, but wanted to check it out first. The tricky bit about wearing cycling clothes is you don't want them washed in hot water, nor do you want them dried at a high temp or the fabric is ruined. The laundry places we walked by looked like a service where they wash and dry your clothes and return them to you so we decided to pass for today - back to washing by hand!
As were were near the wall on the other side of Campache at this point, we continued on and paid the small 30 peso fee to get up to the top and walk along the fortress walls. It was pretty cool to be up there overlooking everything! There are many deteriorated cannons up there and you can look out and imagine what it would be like to defend this small city from bloodthirsty pirates - arrrrr!!!
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Sightseeing done, we headed back towards our hotel. Along the way, we saw the young woman and her baby that we had been so entranced with last night. I really wanted to do something for her, so purchased two blouses (for the same cost as the one I bought yesterday!). We gave her more than she asked and for this one time, were happy to do so. People here don't have a lot and the small extra amount that we gave here would buy us a couple of lattes but will hopefully help her to do something for her child.
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Happy, we made our way back, stopping for lunch where we had dinner last night and then coming back to our room for what is now our normal afternoon siesta. As I write this, we are getting set to go somewhere and find dinner. I would love it if there were music in the park again tonight, as the Monday Night Football schedule has my Seattle Seahawks going up against Jim's Minnesota Vikings - uh oh!!! Well, hopefully if we have to watch the game, the entertaining Spanish commentary will make up for whatever actually happens on the field of play. I will more than likely work on getting pictures on this and yesterday's blogs so I can post them - a good way to avoid stress. Who needs football anyways? I'd much rather sort through the many pictures of the last few days to find the perfect ones to share with you, dear readers! Have I convinced you? Not quite? Well, let's just say that yes, I will enjoy looking at the pics and yes, it will keep me from getting too involved in the game, so I am thankful for the distraction you all will be providing - Gracias!
P.S. it worked! Between wifi and computer issues, it took the whole game to get the pics in and we are both greatfull as it has been a boring game anyways. Thank goodness for Spanish announcers - they rock!
Today's ride: 21 km (13 miles)
Total: 169 km (105 miles)
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