Moving day

January 4, 2019

A short short day

We knew this would be a very short day and had arranged to meet our Airbnb host at the place we had rented in Akumal at 11:00, so there was no hurry to get out and away this morning. We packed up the bags, loaded the bikes and headed into town for some breakfast. There was a bakery we were keen to try, but they didn't open until 9:00 and we needed to be on the road by then, so we dropped in at another place. Jim had eggs and I had some yogurt and fresh fruit. The fruit here is so amazing, I just can't get enough, and this was again, wonderful. It was also huge, so I had to get a to-go box for it and strap it on the back of my bike.

Breakfast accomplished, we made our way out of town, cycling past the Tulum ruins where tourists were already packing in. Man, what a business! Oh well, we were headed to a hopefully quieter town in Akumal. The ride up was not too exciting as it was just along the highway and as straight as you can get. Traffic was pretty heavy but the shoulder was plenty wide, so we just plugged in our headsets and listened to some tunes as we pedalled along. We did stop here and there to marvel at the extravagant places we saw along the way. Or should I say, the gates to the extravagant places - we couldn't see in, but goodness! The gates!

The guard was not too happy with us taking pictures of the gate!

There were also a number of watch towers along the highway and when we stopped to check the map, we realized that they were guarding the property of a large amusement park and then another development. I guess they really don't want people sneaking into their properties from the roadway! We waved as we rode along - hey, at least we gave them something different to look at!

Eventually we reached the cutoff for Akumal, which took us off the highway and then up and over it to the little town. Our Airbnb host, Hector was very kindly waiting on the Main Street to guide us to the house as there are no street signs in this tiny little place. It is, I think, where many workers live, full of little shops and the kinds of buildings we have become more familiar and comfortable with here in the Yucatan. Our little home for 3 nights is on the top floor and it has a kitchen, so we might even do some cooking!

After we showered and changed, we decided to check out the other part of Akumal, across the highway. We walked down and over the overpass to find ourselves back in la la tourist land. Oh boy! I didn't realize it, but this is a very big place to come and see turtles. We found out that there is actually no free beach acess and were dissapointed until we spoke with a fellow who explained that the influx of tourists to this area has become so intense that the turtles' feeding ground was being destroyed. The government instituted a fee (100 pesos) for people to come into the beach area, use the bathroom facilities and the beach. They are very strict about people not going into the water with sunscreen on and have set aside areas where people can snorkel safely. I hope that the care they have put into this will payoff in a healthier turtle population. It is hard for these areas to still welcome tourists from which they make a lot of money and not totally allow this delicate ecosystem to be destroyed. We decided to come back tomorrow and have some beach time and then possibly the next day pay to go snorkelling.

Decision made, we stopped briefly for some ice cream before heading back to the other side of the tracks. We enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant and had a quiet evening in, working on the blog with the thankfully much faster wifi and playing a bit of cards before heading to bed. Tomorrow we will head to the beach!

Today's ride: 28 km (17 miles)
Total: 821 km (510 miles)

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