Bicyclers Flying With the Winds of Destiny

Cedric enjoying the fresh air and briny breeze of the Mexican Caribbean.

Cedric from Belgium along with his friend Joel arrived in Mexico City via KLM.  They mounted their bicycles and started a journey that would take them where the wind would blow them when the spirit moves them.
Destiny brought them to Santa Fe on Tulum's Caribbean beach.  Cedric has a blog that chonicles their travels and thoughts.   Check it out at the following link: http://www.voleauxvents.com/
Select De nous from the menu to select your language. It is is Spanish, English and French.

 This is the beautiful beach at Sante Fe that Cedric is looking at while in his hammock dreaming of his next day's adventure to Punta Allen and beyond.

Tizimín: A Hub for Exploring Eastern Yucatán

Two hour express bus service to Mérida and less then half an hour to Valladolid make the out of the tourist loop town of Tizimín an ideal staging place for several seldom visited delightful side trips, which include:

Panabá, San Felipe, Rio Lagartos, Las Coloradas and return.

Colonia Yucatán, El Cuyo, return or on to Las Coloradas via the beach road.

Ek Balam to Valladolid and a lovely seldom traveled back road to Panabá, Santa Rosa, Yalsihón, Yashilón and on to Dzilám de Bravo, the old pirate strong hold.

Nearly all the above side trips can be made by bus/bike and/or car. 

A look at Tizimín

Tizimín’s location is extraordinary with excellent eating options and diverse choices in accommodations.

We are no strangers to this one-of-a-kind getaway town. It is linked to Gulf Coast fishing villages, cenotes, plus ecological and biosphere reserves and situated in Yucatán’s only true cowboy country.

Tizimín with a population of 73,128 (2010 census) is the fourth largest municipality in Yucatán. Tizimín, whose Mayan name means place of the tapir, is a quiet easy going and friendly town central to the many dairy farms and cattle ranches in the area.

In the center of the city is the 16th century Parroquia Los Santos Reyes de Tizimín (Church of the Three Kings) and its former Franciscan monastery. They are worth a visit. 

 The church is outwardly spartan, but inwardly mammoth and ornately adorned with interesting gilded statuary, the most impressive being the glass case containing the three kings or Los Santos Reyes de Tizimín.   Three Kings Day is celebrated on January 6 of every year in Mexico.  In Tizimín the celebration is a fair and festival that last over a week and starts the end of December.

The clean and well maintained municipal market on Calle 47 has a large food court featuring a wholesome variety of local specialty foods.  Nights the parks have a wonderful selection of street venders selling Mexican traditional foods that include a wide variety of exquisite tamales.

The area is prosperous and growing rapidly. Bus and taxi service is excellent to Valladolid, Mérida and area towns.

Biking north and east of Tizimín is best in early mornings with the offshore sea breeze. Easterly mid morning onshore winds build through the afternoon. Take advantage of these winds and put the sun on your back with a tail wind.

History at a glance: Looking Back

In the book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan published 1842, the author, John Stephens, listed the following as export items from Tizimín:

Tortoise shell, skins, timber, logwood, India-rubber, incense, tobacco, achiote (a substitute for saffron and a very rich dye), starch from the yuca, cotton, wax, honey, molasses, sugar, rum, castor oil, salt, amber, vanilla, hogs, and cochineal.

According to British Admiralty charts from that time the northern coastal area of Yucatán was densely forested with 70 feet tall mahogany and zapote trees harvested for rubber. That solid forest survived over three hundred years of Spanish occupation but would not survive another century. The tropical timber completely vanished into a lumber mill at nearby Colonia Yucatán. Today the timber has been replaced by dairy farming and cattle ranching. 

This photo was taken alongside the Tizimín bus terminal and reflects a pace from the past century. First and second class buses are here in the city center. There are two terminals, Autobuses del Noreste located on the corner of Calle 47 with Calle 46 and ADO located next door on Calle 46 between Calle 47 and 45.

Off street parking, bicycle friendly and less than two blocks from the bus terminal and main market make Posada Pastora located on Calle 51 between Calle 52 and 54 a quiet and pleasant lodging. With a ground floor room you can wheel your bicycle right in from off the street. 

Side Trips from Tizimín

Tizimín north to the Gulf of Mexico with a layover in Rio Lagartos

A layover of two or three days on this quiet loop trip to the Gulf of Mexico makes it better.

This trip can be made by bike or bus.  If you wish to bike and  have time constraints or prefer a more leisurely trip, take the bus from Tizimín to Panabá and then bike the 30 kilometers to San Felipe.  Spend a night in a San Felipe hotel or take a swim and then bike on another 12 km to Rio Lagartos. Another consideration is to get an early start on your bike before the onshore sea breeze that begins near ten a.m. This wind can be used to your advantage when returning from Rio Lagartos where you will want to spend at least one night.  To return to Tizimín you can take the bus or bike the 56 kilometers. 

Rio Lagartos

Rio Lagartos is a coastal tourist fishing village 56 km north of Tizimín, 95 km north of Valladolid and 230 km from Mérida. The name implies river of alligators but there are no rivers in Yucatán only alligators. Situated within the nearly 150,000 acre Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, the topography is low coastal scrub, mangrove marshes, lagoons, sand spit barrier islands and sandy beaches. Guided boat tours include lagoon trips, flamingo watching, seasonal migrating birds and sea turtle observations. Guides speak Spanish, English and Italian. A variety of hotels can be found in Rio Lagartos ranging from the lovely bay front Villa de Pescadores to basic accommodations.

Mayan regional foods can be found in the early morning in the central public market. Several seafood restaurants are open from midday and mom and pop pizza and taco stands open evenings.

From Rio Lagartos there is taxi and bus service to San Felipe, Tizimín and Valladolid. To the west of Rio Lagartos is the fishing village of San Felipe and to the east is the village of Las Coloradas where salt has been harvested by the Maya for thousands of years and continues to the present day. 

The lovely bay front street in Rio Lagartos traverses from the lighthouse on the west end of town to the east end of town where there is an ojo de agua or artesian spring that is surrounded by a public bathing beach and park.   

This coastal area is a bird watchers paradise. The photo was taken in front of our little waterfront cabin downtown.   

Tropical flowers, fishing boats and the light house make the waterfront of Rio Lagartos a place for photo-ops. 

A tour to see the flamingos is well worth the time it takes. There is no shortage of tourist guides and all newcomers are soon approached. A tip; if you can get a group of four or five the price of these boat tours can be split for a substantial savings.

Tizimín to Ek Balam and on to Valladolid

If you have time constraints and want to beat the crowds to Ek Balam consider taking the bus from Tizimín to Ek Balam.  After visiting the ruins bike to Santa Rita and on to Temozón for lunch before finishing at Valladolid.    For more information see: Valladolid, Uayma and Ek Balam.

Tizimín to Colonia Yucatán and El Cuyo:

Take the bus from Tizimín to Colonia Yucatán and then El Cuyo or bike the last 38 kilometer stretch to El Cuyo from Colonia Yucatán.  It is one of the loveliest areas for a bicycle trip…this rural Yucatán road is best done early morning. If you feel adventurous, after you spend at least a night in El Cuyo, bicycle the dirt 50 kilometer beach road west to Rio Lagartos passing Las Coloradas. Be warned: There are no facilities along the beach front dirt road.

This rip-rap causeway was constructed across the lagoon leading into El Cuyo from materials salvaged from an ancient Mayan temple.

El Cuyo

John biking down the main street of El Cuyo.

El Cuyo is a small isolated fishing village of 1,750 inhabitants with a seasonal tourist trade.  It is located 220 kilometers ENE of Mérida on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a beautiful bird watching area abundant in flamingos and over 250 species of other marine birds. An imposing light house is perched atop the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Five other Mayan ruins were salvaged to build a causeway and the town. Bus service south to Colonia Yucatán is available with links on to Tizimín, Valladolid and Mérida.  For more information see:  Colonia Yucatan and El Cuyo.

Las Coloradas

Las Coloradas with a population of about 1,000 is a coastal fishing village in north central Yucatán within the Biosphere Reserve of Ria Lagartos. The topography consists of a unique coastal ecosystem of mangroves, dunes and lagoons that is semi-arid making it ideal for solar dehydrating sea salt. Sea salt production has been done here since ancient Mayan times when huge trading canoes transported this heavy product to ports as distant as Central America, Florida and Veracruz. Today that production continues and the product is loaded into trucks, ships and railway cars.  Las Coloradas can be reached by bus from Tizimín and Rio Lagartos.  There are accommodations at nearby Rio Lagartos. Bicycling is good with limited but quiet roads.

Tizimín to Dzilam de Bravo

Biking the 107 kilometer seldom traveled rural back road takes you to Panabá, Santa Rosa, Yalsihón, Yashilón and on to Dzilám de Bravo, the old pirate strong hold. Be warned; Dzilám de Bravo does not have decent overnight accommodations but is an interesting fishing village proud of its link to the pirate Lafitte. There is a bay front monument to the pirate.

The nearby town of Dzilam Gonzalez has bus service to Tizimin.  There are several buses a day from Dzilam de Bravo to Mérida.

For more information see Yucatan’s Pirates.

Getting to Tizimín from Mérida

Autobuses del Noreste Terminal

Calle 67 betweens Calle 50 and 52

Noreste has several first class direct buses a day to Tizimín plus many second class buses.  If you want to see the sights, take the second class bus.  It meanders through many villages before arriving many hours later in Tizimín.

If you want a fast comfortable trip, take the Noreste direct bus that makes frequent trips daily to Tizimín.  The trip takes two hours.  The first class buses have toilets; the second class buses do not.

Leaving Tizimín 

Tizimín Bus Terminals

Autobuses del Noreste Terminal

Calle 47 on the corner with Calle 46

First class and second bus service to Mérida and points in between. There is also service to Cancun and Tulum.

This is where you get the second class bus to San Felipe and Rio Lagartos.

ADO Terminal

Calle 46 between Calle 45 and 47

First and second class bus service to Mérida, Cancun and Valladolid.

Rio Lagartos Buses

Hotel in Rio Lagartos

Villa de Pescadores

Malecón and Calle 14

www.hotelvilladepescadores.com

Budget accommodation in Rio Lagartos

Cabañas Las Escondidas

Next door to the restaurant Isla Contoy on the waterfront

Copyright 2012 John M. Grimsrud

Yucatán has thousands of magical places to discover and explore.  For an insight into the places that tourists miss most in Yucatán, a new book is available. Finally the book for traveling adventurers who want to see more than just trinket shops and crowded tourist traps has arrived: Our book—built one stone at a time like the Mayan pyramids.
Yucatán's Magic–Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab
Over a quarter of a century of inspired exploration and recording of our travels has led my wife and me to
compile an impressive collection of outings that are the foundation for this book, built one story at a time.
This isn’t a guide book but an idea book. It is something of another element not made to compete
with guidebooks—it is made to complement them.

Available from Amazon in paperback or Kindle editions.  Also available for Nook, EPUB and in the iBookstore for iPod and iPad.

Buses and Colectivo Taxis

You haven’t seen the real Yucatán until you bike and bus it!
This is a chapter from Yucatán's Magic - Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab, by John M. Grimsrud.
Buses and Bus Terminals of Mérida, Yucatán
  The intention of this chapter is to assist those adventurers and bicyclers who wish to incorporate bus/taxi transport into their travel adventures in and out of Mérida.
  First class and luxury buses will definitely get you there fast and efficiently, but for fun, excitement, and adventure, second class will take you to the places that tourists miss most. They travel to the out of the way villages where you will meet the people that live there.  Second class buses stop on demand, and take longer than first class buses, and they are perfect for eccentric penny pinchers.
  The following information does not give a complete list of all the destinations that the numerous Mérida bus companies service. However, that current information can be found by visiting the websites or calling the phone numbers below.
  Not all buses have space for full-sized bicycles. Folding bicycles that are folded are best because they will go on or in all buses and colectivo taxis (vans), and even if there is no storage space below or luggage rack on top, many will accommodate your bicycle inside. You might have to buy an extra seat for the displaced space.
  Full-sized bikes usually can be stowed below in the baggage compartment on first class buses and on the second class bus lines of Mayab and Orienté.  There is sometimes a charge for a bicycle.  On second class buses, the driver decides if you pay and on first class buses, the baggage handler will decide if there is an additional fee for a bicycle in the luggage compartment.
 
CAME bus terminal - Centro de autobuses Mérida
Calle 70 between Calle 69 and 71
Downtown Mérida
Tel. 999-924-8391, 923-4440, 923-4443
Lines: ADO, ADO-GL and Platino
www.ado.com.mx

CAME bus terminal - Centro de autobuses Mérida.

  The Platino buses are fabulous; they have extra wide fully reclining luxury seats, his and hers rest rooms, and a wet bar with coffee, tea, bottled water, and soft drinks included. A kit containing ear plugs, ear phones, eye covers, plus a pillow and blanket are standard equipment. Many people ride these buses though the night and save the price of a hotel room.
  Destinations: Cancún, Campeche, Ciudad Del Carmen, Cordoba, Playa del Carmen, Chetumal, Tulum, Veracruz, Minatitlán, E. Zapata, Palenque, Puebla, México City, Valladolid, Ocosingo, Tuxtla-Gtz, Chichén Itzá, San Cristobal de las Casas. New: Corozal, Orangewalk Town and Belize City, Belize.
   ADO operates most of the first class buses, which include Platino and GL.  They have the best quality and set the standard for all Mexican buses. You will always see these buses professionally driven, and in good condition.

Mérida Fiesta Americana
Across Calle 60 from the Hotel Fiesta Americana in Plaza Bonita
Calle 60 and Av. Colón
Tel. 999-925-0910
Lines: ADO-GL, Platino plus Cancún Airport van
Destinations: Cancún, Cancún Airport, and Villahermosa.

Mérida Alta Brisas
Alta Brisas Mall
Avenida Racho Correa
Near Star Medica
Lines: ADO-GL, Platino plus Cancún Airport van
Destinations: Cancún, Cancún Airport.

TAME – Terminal de Autobuses Mérida
Calle 69 between Calles 68 and 70
Downtown

TAME bus terminal - Terminal de Autobuses Mérida.

  This is where you will find what is called the economical buses, plus the first class bus to Chetumal, Clase Europea. It leaves from this terminal at 10 a.m., 4 p.m, 10:30 p.m., and midnight. The trip takes 5 ½ hours.    The Clase Europea bus has toilets, but most of the buses leaving from this terminal do not.
  TAME is also where you will find; OCC, Mayab, ATS, Oriente, and TRT bus lines.  This is where you find the Mayab buses that go to Ticul, Oxkutzcab and Tekax.
  Buses from here run to the Caribbean coast, all over Yucatán, Campeche and Tabasco. Here you find the buses to Uxmal and Holbox.  Also, you can buy tickets here for all the ADO buses, although they leave from the CAME terminal, which is around the corner on Calle 70.

Terminal Autobuses del Noreste, Oriente and Lus
Calle 67 between Calle 50 and 52
Near the corner with Calle 50
Tel. 999 924 6355 and 923 0548

Terminal Autobuses del Noreste, Oriente and Lus.

  These buses are all second class, meaning that they have no on-board toilet facilities, and stop anywhere on demand. 
  This is the best terminal to use for day trips that will take you off the main roads to quaint villages and old haciendas.  Buses from this station run to the beautiful Mayan ruins of Mayapán. If you buy a ticket to Mayapán, make sure you specify the ruins of Mayapán (ruinas de Mayapán or zona archeologica de Mayapán) or you may end up in the village of Mayapán many kilometers from the archeological site of the same name.
  Folding bicycles are no charge, but, they have a tight fit in the small luggage compartments under these buses. 
  The Autobuses del Noreste ticket counter also sells ADO tickets to all destinations in Mexico.
  Three bus lines are here, Noreste, Oriente and Lus.
Destinations from Mérida on Noreste line and Oriente are Motul, Izamal, Espita, Dzidzantún, Dzilám Gonzales, Dzilám de Bravo, Buctzotz, Tizimín, Rio Lagartos, San Felipe, Kantunikin, Valladolid, and Cancún, and more.
  From Mérida on the Lus line; Acanceh, Teabo, Tecoh, Chumayel, Tekit, Mamá, Maní, Oxkutzcab, Peto, Cuzamá, Homún and Huhí, and more.

Terminal del Centro - Centro Autobuses
Calle 65 between 46 and 48
Next to Casa del Pueblo in downtown Mérida.
Tel. 923 9962, 923 9941 extension 15

Terminal del Centro - Centro Autobuses.

  Destinations from Mérida on Centro Autobuses:  These buses head towards Valladolid and Cancun with many stops along the way, including Tixkokob, and Izamal.  Centro also has buses to Motul.
  These second class buses have no on-board toilet facilities, and make frequent stops. The equipment is well maintained, and their departures are frequent.
 
Autoprogreso - Progreso Bus Terminal
Calle 62 No. 524 between Calle 65 and 67
Downtown Mérida      Tel. 999-928-3965

Autoprogreso - Progreso Bus Terminal.

  Autoprogreso has comfortable, air-conditioned buses that depart about every 20 minutes between 5 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. from their terminal in Mérida on Calle 62 located between Calle 65 and 67. Buses out of this station also serve the beach towns of Chuburná Puerto and Chelém.
Vans - Colectivo taxis or Combis
  These fast moving multi-passenger vans park on the street or have terminals at numerous designated spots in downtown Mérida, near and around the main municipal market and also in the Parque San Juan located between Calle 62 and Calle 64 and Calle 69a in downtown Mérida. 
  There are colectivo taxis to almost all villages in Yucatán. 
  Most colectivo taxis take departure when they have sufficient passengers.
  The nice thing about these colectivo taxis is that you can flag them down anywhere, and they are numerous throughout Yucatán. So, returning to Mérida is quick and easy. We often times bus out to our biking area, and then we return by colectivo taxi, which will get you back to Mérida fast.

Taxi terminal for Tekax located on Calle 62 near Calle 69a, Parque San Juan in downtown Mérida.

    Above are numerous colectivo taxis parked near the main market on Calle 67 near the corner of Calle 54. The first one is from Mérida to Acanceh and Tecoh.
  The vans will stop anywhere, but full sized bicycles could be a problem unless you find a taxi with a roof-top rack, and in that case the sky is the limit. Expect to pay an extra fare for your bike if it is loaded top-side. Almost all of these taxis have room for a couple of folding bicycles inside behind the rear seats. They rarely charge extra for the folding bikes.
  The possibility of end destinations with these colectivo taxis is extensive.
  You haven’t seen the real Yucatán until you bike and bus it.
  After more than a quarter century of doing these excursions, we still have a long list of end-destinations to explore.
  What are you waiting for? Come on and have the adventure of a lifetime.
 
 
  It is curious that with the advent of the automobile and the airplane, the bicycle is still with us.  Perhaps people like the world they can see from a bike, or the air they breathe when they're out on a bike…  Or because they like the feeling of being able to hurtle through air one minute, and saunter through a park the next, without leaving behind clouds of choking exhaust, without leaving behind so much as a footstep. ~Gurdon S. Leete 
  Excerpted from The Quotable Cyclist: Great Moments of Bicycling Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor by Bill Strickland.

Yucatán's Magic - Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab is available in paperback, Kindle,  in the IBookstore and for Barnes & Nobles Nook.

Yucatán's Magic - Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab

Finally the book for traveling adventurers who want to see more than just trinket shops and crowded tourist traps has arrived:

Just launched — our new book, Yucatán’s Magic – Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab

Built one stone at a time like the Mayan pyramids.

Over a quarter of a century of inspired exploration and recording of our travels in captioned photo stories has led my wife and me to compile an impressive collection of outings that are the foundation for this book, built one story at a time.

We present the best of the best after over twenty-five years; places, excursions and outings. Each place we have visited we like for different reasons; tranquility, history, view of village life, and connect with the Maya past and present, change of scenery and a look at a uniquely distinctive region. 

Available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com.

For EPUB edition, click here
From Barnes & Nobles for Nook, click here.