Another moving day

January 7, 2019

Ok, this will not be the most interesting blog entry, just so you know. But its important to get it out just in case you are also monitoring the news. We found out there was a shooting last night in Playa del Carmen and we were nowhere near when it happened, so just in case, don't worry!

We got ourselves up early again and out on the road by 7:30. It was a nice fresh morning and we wore our light jackets for the first half. Not a lot to say, really. Once we were on the highway, it was more of the high fences, guard shacks and ridiculously over the top gates of the many resorts along what is known as the Mayan Riviera. We, however, were down on the ground, cycling along the busy highway and noticing the odd thing or two to entertain ourselves on this otherwise pretty boring ride.

Now here's a fun job - look out at traffic all day! And wave at the odd cyclist going by, of course

About halfway to Playa del Carmen, we stopped at a gas station thinking to grab some juice and muffins for breakfast, but were stopped by the aromas coming from a little cafe right near the gas station. We decided to stop there instead and used our still not so great Spanish to order some eggs. The server was very kind, coming over to show us a plate of what she thought we wanted and we said an enthusiastic "si" to her suggestion. Hurray! We had yummy eggs Mexicana, with rice, beans and tortillas. This is the best breakfast and we quickly gobbled it up, Jim cleaning his plate, me at least finishing the eggs.

Breakfast done, we got back onto the highway and at the outskirts of Playa, I noticed a bike lane. I wasn't sure if it would follow all the way in, but then remembered Steve Miller mentioning a bike lane in the Grampies Road to Ruins journal - ha! The bike lane! So we hopped on and had a most pleasant ride all the way into Playa del Carmen.

These guys were working on this display at the start of the path and had it blocked off, but when I asked if it was a path for bicicletas, they very kindly moved their cones so we could use it

What a nice way to enter or exit a city!

Now, at the beginning I mentioned a shooting that happened here the night before, but honestly, by the look of things, you would think everything was just fine - no sign of extra police or concern on the part of the people around us. We didn't even know until one of our kids messaged us to make sure we were ok. We stopped at Walmart because we wanted to load up on a few items before heading to Cuba - a special toothpaste we both use and, of course, peanut butter. We haven't been able to find it anywhere since Merida, so I bought 2. Jim watched the bikes while I did the shopping this time and soon enough we were on our way to the waterfront to catch a ferry to Cozumel. We bought our tickets from a vendor and made our way down to the dock where the ferry was getting ready to load.

Interestingly, we had to walk the bikes up and over the gangway, which was a bit tricky, but accomplished with a little help from the crew. The bikes had their own little spot up on the front of the boat and Jim and I joined the other passengers for the 1/2 hour ride to the island. It was a fairly calm day, so the boat didn't rock too much, but I was a little worried that my bike, which I hadn't really tied down well as Jim had, would fall over when the boat rolled over some waves. However, when we arrived, we found them both safe and sound.

They had a great view from their spot at the bow!

Jim helped me get my bike back down the gangplank when we arrived and we stopped for a celebratory pic on the waterfront before heading to our Airbnb rental about 4 kms from the downtown. I booked this online and having never been to Cozumel, had no idea of what the neighbourhoods look like. When we arrived at our digs, I must admit to thinking the building looked just a bit like a prison, with lots of bars (I'm hoping they are decorative) all over.

We found our room, small but hopefully serviceable and had a quick shower, thinking we would cycle back to the town center to explore a bit. However, when we were just a few minutes into our ride, we looked up to notice the very black clouds slowly advancing - oops! We know what that means! Lucky for us there was an Oxxo right there. We stopped for the few items we needed for tonight and headed back to our room to sit out the rain by reading and taking a nap.

Later, we went for a walk to check out the area. It is weird. We have stayed in areas that have been much more run down than this one while in Mexico, but the feeling here is not the same at all. We will see how tonight goes, but if it is loud and uncomfortable, we may bail and get something closer to town. Let's hope that the morning brings sunshine and a better feeling so we can, instead, head out to find a beach!

Today's ride: 43 km (27 miles)
Total: 864 km (537 miles)

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Steve Miller/GrampiesI had thought of writing you about increased violence in Cancun and now even Playa, but there is no point since there is nothing you can do to increase your own safety of that of others. But our daughter Joni from Belize, who is now here, mentioned the bizarre sight of tourists going about their suntanning, with a dead body out on the beach at Playa. It's sad to think this Mexican drug war thing has now also reached Yucatan.

Of course, there was also the bomb on the Cozumel ferry. Hmmm.
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5 years ago

Sue PriceTo Steve Miller/GrampiesYes, it is sad and so much more that people are becoming immune to the horrors. We try to remember that each place we are at (including at home in BC) has its wonderful things and some bad elements that you just try to avoid with the best of your common sense. It certainly doesn't always work, but it's all we can do for now. Looking forward to Cuba where we will feel very safe, I'm sure! Only 6 days till we leave!
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5 years ago