February 25, 2019
Post Script
It has been several days since we arrived here in Cancun and to be honest, we are doing our very best impression of vegetables, rarely leaving the lovely deck outside our little place and only then to walk short distances. The bikes have become part of the room decor,
My birthday has come and gone
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As we enjoy these last few days of sunshine (and not try to think about the weather awaiting us up north)
We wanted to spend a little time reflecting back on this journey and what we have learned along the way.
1) You always bring more than you need - always!
We ended up leaving stuff in Vancouver before even getting on the plane, then sending things to Cancun and finally leaving more things in Cancun as we headed to Cuba. In the end we were down to what was most essential and I hope that before our next trip I look back and see what I actually needed as opposed to what I thought I might need. Of course, we filled the empty places in our panniers with stuff we bought along the way and were really worried we wouldn't be able to get it all back in the bags, but with a little creative packing (using clothes as "padding" to protect the airplane from our bikes in the boxes) we seem to be able to get it all in our original bags. Let's hope the airline agrees!
2) Google and Garmin are nice, but don't replace actual maps.
There have been several (make that many) times during our trip when we could not use either our phone or the Garmin to help us figure out the best route to take. While they are useful tools, they are reliant on either having wifi or, as in the case of our Garmin in Cuba, having actual maps to load onto the device. We ended up purchasing a very detailed road map in Cuba which we hope will help us plan our next trip a little better. Most of this involves city cycling though as once you are out on the road between cities there arent a lot of options (at least in Cuba).
3) Time is good when you can take it
On this trip we really took our time and are both so happy with the result. We felt like we got to explore the places we stayed and never felt tired of cycling. When we listened to our bodies, we knew when it was time to stop and keep other places for another trip. As newbies, I think this has been a lesson we needed to work through - to know that our own pace is not what someone else's is and that is ok. Also in this vein, early and short days worked very well for cycling in the heat of both Mexico and Cuba.
4) Money, money money!
We thought we had prepared, but of course, we had not prepared enough! We had problems with using our debit cards in Mexico and Cuba. I am quite sure the bank will blame someone else for this problem, so in the future, we will not rely on them but make sure we have good back up plans. We will check with our credit card companies to see if we have a credit balance we can withdraw cash without a fee - that way we can just load them up before leaving. In Cuba you can also go into the bank with your passport and debit card to withdraw cash (although they charge a fee for this based on the amount). We have found here in Cancun (as oppposed to everywhere else in Mexico!!!!) that most ATMs only give out US cash, which for us Canadians is just double trouble as we are paying to exchange money into two currencies!!!!! We had to look to find one that would dispense Pesos. Argh!!!
5) Flying with bikes
We just really like bringing our own bikes with us and so will continue to do so, but it does limit which airlines we will use as I always check their baggage prices for bikes before booking. For example, while we paid $40.00 per bike on Interjet, we would have been looking at $100.00 per bike on American Airlines! For now, we have given up on the idea of using bike bags and just get boxes. It has saved the hassle of trying to convince the reluctant airline people that our bikes won't hurt their plane (and also given us some extra places for clothing!).
My Final Thoughts
We loved this journey and are sad that it is coming to a close! Both the Yucatan and Cuba offer some amazing experiences. In the Yucatan, it was most definitely more about the places we got to than the actual cycling, which can be quite boring. The many Mayan ruins we visited were just fantastic and the cities lovely. We loved the places away from the very touristy coast most of all, although we did enjoy learning to snorkel!
Cuba, on the other hand, offers some beautiful cycling once you are out of the big city of Havana. The trip up to Vinales was spectacular and we highly recommend it! If you like beaches, then for sure you should check out Veradero, but we would recommend either flying in there and cycling back or taking the Viazul bus out and cycling back. The wind is really intense and doesn't change much from what we can see. Matanzas is worth staying in for a few days as it is much quieter than Havana, but Havana is such an interesting city to stay in (but not much good for cycling!). Our next trip to Cuba will be to check out Central Cuba.
In both places, the people just made the trip wonderful. They are welcoming and kind and will help you out! We found neither place to be scary or dangerous in the least. The language barrier can be overcome with a little effort and it is so rewarding to be out of the tourist centers and meeting real people in both places. If you are in Cuba, stay at Casa Particulars! We ended up learning a lot more Spanish than we realized and are now wanting to learn more so that next time we can have a conversation about more than just the basics.
There is, of course, so much more that can be said, but eventually I have to stop. If there is a question that you have regarding either place, and I haven't answered it, please do write and ask. Thanks so much for coming along on our journey!!!
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