Macaroni Hill to Placencia

Feb 06.
Even though we had headwinds, today's 87k ride from Macaroni Hill to Placencia was not as difficult as yesterday's.  The road appeared to be better, less truck traffic and very little incline. As we ride early in the morning we see children waving at us as they are heading off to school.
We rode by more orange groves, banana plantations, grapefruit and coconuts.
Placencia is on a narrow peninsula with water on either side as we ride.  We are at the most southern part of Belize and will spend two days here.
Some will find their way back to San Pedro to spend some extra time there.  Kerry, Isabel and Greg by boat, and Richard and Tanya by air. Roger, Rick, Peter, Barry and Tim have chartered a van that will take them directly to Playa del Carmen. Roger and Rick will spend a few more days in Puerto Adventura while Barry, Peter and Tim will fly home.
It has been a great adventure!  Hard to believe it's almost over.  No major issues or breakdowns and fabulous weather.
Hmmm, wonder where the next bike trip will be?

San Ignacio to Macaroni Hill

Feb 05.
As this was going to be a 110k ride through a mountain pass, we left at 7:00am in order to take advantage of the first few hours of foggy, cool weather.  This was the most scenic ride of the trip thus far. We also encountered the steepest hills which proved challenging, especially when the sun came out. Lots of farm land, the smell of fresh oranges, coconuts and tropical vegetation made the ride enjoyable.  The road was a bit rough, with broken pavement and large trucks that used this highway which, ironically, was called the "Hummingbird Highway".
After 6 hours in the saddle we arrived at Macaroni Hill. Not much here but the hotel which is 100% Bilezean family owned and operated and has a good view of the Maya mountains.
We were all feeling the ride today but were buoyed by a great feeling of accomplishment. What some people will do for fun!

Belmopan to San Ignacio

Feb 03-Feb 04. We road 42k along winding, rolling hills, passing orange orchards and small farms to San Ignacio. We arrived early, had lunch, then spent the afternoon exploring this tiny typical Belizean Village. 

 

As we planned a rest day here and are close to the Guatemalan border, we decided to visit and climb the ruins of the Mayan UNESCO World Heritage site of Tikal. It may have been a rest day but no rest was had and it was well worth the trip.
We chartered a bus which took us to a very rustic border crossing. Walked across the border, then it was a 2 hr bus ride to the ruins. It was interesting country side. The ruins are one of the major sites of Mayan civilization in the heart of the jungle, surrounded by lush vegetation. We walked up many steep stairs thru out the ruins which were incredible.  It was a full day adventure.

Belize City to Belmopan

Feb 02 After a hearty breakfast, the 10 of us began the 85 Kilometre ride to the small village of Belmopan. We only got 4 kilometres out of town before we heard a loud bang. Kerry's front tire blew and we had our first roadside repair. It was a hot and humid day and did not have the luxury of a bike lane however, the roads were good and traffic light.
Cycling is popular in Belize and we saw many road cyclists practicing for an upcoming race.
We arrived at our small hotel where they provided us with a nice dinner.  A few of us gathered in one of the small rooms and cheered the Seahawks on to victory on a small 18 inch TV.

San Pedro to Belize City

Feb 1st - We began the day with a ferry ride to Belize City. It took 2 hours and no bathroom.  Four riders took the 7:30 and our bikes were wrapped and stowed on the upper bridge of the small ferry. The other five got on the 8:30 ferry.  It was a windy, rough ride and rained a bit but was hot and humid once the sun came out. Isabel's husband Greg will join us today, bringing our numbers to ten. 

Xcalak to San Pedro, Belize

Jan 31st. We met at 07:00am at the pier to board our boats to San Pedro, Belize.  after a few tries we finally filled out the departure forms correctly.  One boat had an engine issue so we all loaded onto the working dive boat and towed the other one loaded with all of our bikes and gear behind.  The trip took a little over 2 hours in cloudy skies, but the sun welcomed us upon arrival.  Once we cleared customs we checked into the Spindrift Inn. Some enjoyed the local beverages while others did a bit of exploring around town. It is a very neat place. Very little cars here, but thousands of golf carts.

Majahual to Xcalak

Jan 30th the tribe split into 2 groups; Kerry, Roger, Rick and Isabel took the shorter distance but much rougher ride to Xcalakt. They had to hire a boat to take them across a River as the bridge was no longer there. Peter, Richard, Tanya, Barry and Tim took the longer 70k ride along the paved road.
As we could not get the same accommodations we stayed in two different hotels.  One was 2 kilometres further than the other along a dirt road with very bad potholes full of water. There is not much here as this is our last stop in Mexico before chartering two Dive Boats to take us and our bikes to San Pedro, Belize.

Majahaul Jan 28th

After a few relaxing days on the beach on Survivor Mayan, the tribes merged as Kerry, Barry, Richard, Peter, Isabel and Tanya arrived in Majahual. We were pleased that they found the ride as enduring as us.  The quaint little village of Majahual turned into a tourista place as 2 cruise ships docked at a Port near by. Thankfully our bungalows are located down the boardwalk from the vendors that magically appeared when the cruise ships arrived. 

FCP to Majahaul

Jan 26th was our most gruelling ride from FCP to Majahual. The 128k ride was tedious as there was very little to see. The sun was shining, with headwinds and again very little amenities along the route. We stopped off at a roadside family restaurant where they served us BBQ chicken, rice, spaghetti, and tortillas made from scratch while the children watched cartoons on TV. The miles slowly ticked away. It was well worth the ride when we arrived at a small seaside town of Majahual and checked into our quaint bungalows located on the beach. Here we will relax for the next 4 days and wait for the remaining 6 cyclists to join us

Tulum To Felipe Carrillo Puerto

Jan 24th the 3 Gringos rode 100k to Felipe Carrillo Puerto along a very good road that still had a bike lane. The sun was shining and the traffic was  a little less hectic since leaving Tulum. There were very little amenities along  the way. We stopped by the only roadside restaurant, "quaint" for sure and quenched our thirst with Fanta orange pop for energy and stocked up on water. After a slight "challenge" with a roundabout upon arrival, we made it to Dominos pizza for dinner and found cheap, comfortable and clean accomodation for three, with free wifi.

Playa de Carmen to Tulum

The first 3 of 10 cyclists (Roger, Rick and Tim) met at the Cancun airport on Jan 23rd. and took the local ADO bus to Playa del Carmen where we stayed at the Alux Hotel, assembled our bikes and explored the town. Tanya did arrive later in the evening, unfortunately without her bike. Hopefully it will arrive before the next 5 cyclists arrive on Jan 25th.
Roger, Rick and myself left the following morning to Tulum. Roger ingeniously rigged a set of wheels to tow his bike box along with Ricks cardboard bike box 20k to a storage place in Puerto Venturous as that is where they plan to leave from. Life was good until he hit a speed bump and bent the axel. After a road side repair we were off again. It was a cloudy but perfect day for our first ride to Tulum.
Tim