Day 11: Chichen Itza to Izamal

December 5, 2021

We made it to Isamal, after 80 very hot kilometers, and requiring 4 litres of water each.

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At least here we have a bit of internet, so let's pick up with some of the photos missed yesterday.

The biggest thrill was the Ik Kil cenote, which is very deep and is what spawned the subtitle "Grampies Go in the Hole".

In all these shots, the depth of the hole is quite a bit more than it looks.

Dodie liked it a lot. The l;ife jackets are mandatory.

This was the only type of fish we spotted in the water.

Back to Poc Chuc and Pollo Pibil research for a second. Basically every Poc Chuc we tried had all the essential elements: the marinated grilled meat, salad, salsa, avocado, refried beans, tortillas, toasted tortillas, pickled onions. The differences come in the quantities, flavour, and presentation. We are definitely in Poc Chuc and pibil (long roasted) territory here, so we'll carry on the research!

Note that in this idealized painting, the beans and salsa are in separate dishes. We don't favour that! The beans should be thick enough to be on the plate, and the salsa should be chunky, not ketchup! Also, I don't see any avocado in here! Tough customer! (But the free toilets could be something. Check the graphics for that!)

So here were last night's specimens:

Switching to today - We set off in the pitch dark, at about 5:45, with lights and flashers. The idea was to ride as much in the cool as possible. As happens in the tropics, dawn came at 6:00 and by 6:15 it was fully light. We stopped at OXXO in Piste, and Dodie found some microwave breakfast burritos. Like in Crocodile Dundee, they were poor quality but enough to keep us going. Dodie also found a bunch of other stuff for snacks. In Mexico, the Ministry of Health helps out the cyclist by indicating which snacks have the most get up and go value.

These peanuts are good for cycling, says the Ministry, because they have excess calories, fat, and sodium. Vamenos!

Out through town, things were calm, with no traffic worries. Part way, Dodie's handlebar bag did go flying. We had to adjust the brake and shifter levers to make sure it was sitting securely in its mount. That cost us some of our early morning coolness time.

Soon we crossed the toll road to Merida. Not only are we not going on this, but Dodie found an extra quiet back way to Isamal.

The extra quiet road looked like this, and I started saying maybe this is the best ever cycle in Yucatan. Dodie judiciously labelled it "one of the best".

A big feature was the shade afforded the narrow road by the jungle. Unfortunately, by 11 the jungle was replaced by ranch land, and the sun rose high in the sky.

While it was still quite early morning, we had luck spotting some birds, and also some flora:

Ok,ok, thios guy was at our table last night!

There were very many of these nests now, all along the way

Vultures again practicing their special poses

This tree with the big seed pods differs from the one with similar but small pods.

We thought these could be Pomellos? Mangos?

When I first saw the tree with these fluffy pods, I was looking at immatures ones, that were green and pear shaped. Dodie pegged that as flowers that would open, but this is what it seems to be.

I figured this would make a good Santa Claus beard. Dodie was not so amused, as she had to spend time picking the fluff off me to prevent it contaminating the camera lens.

Here is a shot of a small version of that tree with the big pods.

About now, as the heat ramped up, we were really starting to tire. Our response was to lay on more speed, so that the ordeal would be over sooner. There could be a flaw in that reasoning somewhere?

Well we did roll into Isamal, sighting the twin towers of the huge Convento of San Antonio de Padua, which stands by the central square and around the corner from our hotel, the San Miguel Arcangel. Our room was beautifully decorated, with a colonial feel, and tons of room for the bikes.

After a quick shower we went out for a look at the town. It is definitely dominated by the Convento, which boasts an atrium area second in size only to St. Peters in Rome.

I instantly fell in love with this sloe eyed beauty. (The one in the foreground, eh!)

In the square, the population was out to have a good time, with music and lots of snacks. This was our chance to try a Marquesita, which is a sort of crispy crepe, filled with Edam-like cheese and Nutella. It was a real treat!

Happy customer. At 25 pesos each, we both got one.

But this kid was not so happy about his pony ride

We returned to the Mass, and they did have a fair number of devotees.

Here is our walk around town.

Tomorrow, Merida!

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Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 466 km (289 miles)

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Douglas LotenOur other favourite activities in Izamal after a tour of the convent are a climb up the pyramid, a carriage ride around the town and lunch at Kinich!
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2 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesWe missed Kinich! It has that huge open dining area - looks good.
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2 years ago