Day 18: Buctzotz to Tizimin

January 21, 2018

The fun is back!

The noise turned off at 3 a.m. and our alarm was set for 5. So Dodie got two hours of good sleep. She says I slept soundly all night, using the skill to sleep through anything that I first developed (she says!) when our kids were young.

5 is a good time to wake up, so as to be on the road by 6 or before. Dawn comes quickly after 6 and riding with lights and flashers for a short time is no problem. In this time zone and at this time of year, the daylight hours are basically 6:20 a.m. to 6:20 p.m. - that is, a 12 hour even split.

The road today was a straight shot to Tizimin, with what turned out to be just one gas station in between. It was a broad highway with a broad shoulder, and light traffic. Because of the straight and wide road the vehicles that were there tended to rocket along. But it was still as safe as can be.

For almost all of its length, the road passed through ranch country. Periodically, on either side, there would be entrances with the names of Ranchos. We did see cattle occasionally, but mainly it was just low brush or pasture, enclosed by stone walls.

One mystery for which we rather quickly guess the explanation was the large number of trucks going down the road, with horses in the back. Many were wearing their saddles, as if going to a party. We guessed a rodeo in Tizimin.

We had this confirmed when a fellow zipped up from behind us, on the oldest, rustiest bike imaginable. It had no brakes and only the spindles of what had been pedals. We were able to understand that he worked on a ranch, and lived in nearby Sucila. Yes, he agreed, it was a rodeo and it would be today. This we understood though we speak almost no Spanish. Sometimes we just able to do that, while at other times we have no clue at all.

As we cycled along the ranch hand waxed eloquent about the delights we were about to find at the upcoming OXXO. When we arrived, he wished us a nice journey and was on his way. OXXO must not have held the same attraction for him. I hope we gave him an entertaining few minutes. He certainly did that for us.

This turned out to be very serious cattle country

These walls are fencing in the cattle and run for long distances

One of many trucks on the move with horses

If you look closely you can see the no brakes and no pedals on this bike. The man was also carrying a great big old tire pump!

A little closer to Tizimin we encountered a bit of agriculture, more along the lines we are used to. There was a large orchard of lime trees, and then an orderly plantation of presumably Eucalyptus. Finally we found corn, and cactus in neat rows. The final engtertainment put on the road was a line of perhaps 50 motorcyclists. No Hell's Angels, they were motoring sedately along.

One of several types of orderly crops we came across over the span of a few kms

These cacti look way more edible than the ones in our roadside photo yesterday

The first "sign" that we were going to like Tizimin was put up by the municipal police. But we also quickly saw that as towns go in this region, Tizimin was tidy. And after Buctzotz the fact that we kept passing restaurants was a big plus.

We passed through the large and attractive main square, casually noting the church, but seriously noting the giant Super Aki grocery store. Our hotel, the Pastora, was just off the square. It is a budget hotel, at 400 pesos, but it does have an attractive back garden. Our room is large enough, and yes, a plentiful supply of hot water!

A view at our hotel. It makes the place look a touch nicer than it really is.

We were just getting settled in our room, when Dodie called me to the window. The rodeo had come to us! What is was was similar to what we had seen in the Camargue in France. The cowboys proudly riding en masse through the streets of town. Only that time, they were also herding dozens of unmounted horses through.

But here we had an equally proud display by the cowboys. And they sure looked authentic (duh!). We unknowingly, as usual, had put ourselves into the middle of a well known phenomenon, and though we of course had become aware of what type of region we were in (starting with the cattle trucks in the streets of Buctzotz, here it was in all its glory. Have a look:

Cowboys are great but I was particularly interested in the chicken BBQ restaurant across the street. Unfortunately when we went over it seemed they had no chicken. As far as we could make out, they actually had nothing. The staff tried to explain, but it was one of those times where we understood not a thing.

Oh well, we just toddled off to the Super Aki. This particular one was really big, and generally the equivalent of a supermarket back home. The difference of course, was that most things were different and exciting to look at. We had an entertaining time just cruising the aisles. The photos that follow show just a few things that caught our attention.

Tomorrow will be a big day for us, as we ride North to Rio Lagartos. That is Flamingo central. Once we arrive we will try to get onto a tour -maybe they are part bus and part boat. We will stay in Lagartos overnight. Internet might not work up there, so any report could be delayed. Look for it, though!

And oh, haven't we seen enough Flamingos? Not by a long shot!

Of course, the pastry section comes first

Look, they have "cat food" here too. It is a good emergency option.

I had Joni mail me a really small packet of this one time.

You have to be serious about corn to buy this

But that whole bag for 18 dollars could be a good deal!

Look Joni in Belize, this could be a good upgrade for the one on your balcony. But 237 dollars is not that cheap and it won't fit in a backpack!

Amazingly for out here, there is some real Dutch cheese available and on offer.

The square in Tizimin as evening falls. The trees fill with noisy birds. Tonight a little noise is ok with us.

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 844 km (524 miles)

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