Mayan Ruins - Yaxchilan, Bonampak, Palenque - Days 39 and 40

We left San Cristobal on the morning of day 38, for a short 215 km to Palenque. There are numerous archaeological sites containing Mayan ruins along the border between Mexico and Guatemala, and Palenque is one of the largest in the area. Once there, we found a hotel, which would be our base camp for the next 2 days.

On the following day, we decided to check out two smaller sites, Bonampak and Yaxchilan, which are right by the border with Guatemala. Mihai has visited the larger ruins in Palenque on a previous trip, and he wanted to see something new. We agreed to start with the smaller sites, as according to Mihai, I would have been disappointed by these if I saw the large site first. So 160 km and too many topes (speed bumps) later, we were in Bonampak at 10 am. The site is indeed very small. A few pictures:

View of the Largest Building at the Bonampak Site

Ancient Mayan mural, which has undergone restoration.

View from the largest building on the Bonampak site

It took us about 1.5 hours to see Bonampak, and while taking our sweet time. The ruins are quite small, and unless you are a Mayan civilization buff, it is not worth the detour, in my opinion. I did enjoy the visit, but if you've seen Palenque, you will not be impressed (Mihai was right about that one..hehe).

We then jumped back on the bikes and rode another 40 km to the Yaxchilan site. Now this was more interesting. The ruins are only accessible by the Usumacinta river. We hired a boat, and 45 minutes later we were there. The site is indeed larger, and not crowded at all, since the access is a little more complicated (and pricey.. the admission fee is only about 2-3$, but the boat ride set us back 30$, after negotiations). A few pictures:

Boat ride on the Rio Usumacinta

On the left, Mexico. On the right, Guatemala. 

In the Jungle

Big ass trees!

Heading back to our boat after the visit. The return takes an extra 20-30 mins. because the boat is going against a pretty strong current.  

Sometime during the night, Mihai got sick (food poisoning). Therefore, the next day I went to see the Palenque site on my own, since he was laying in bed KO. I was really glad to leave the hotel, for obvious reasons..lol. The ruins are only about 10 km, and although quite crowded, they are impressive and do indeed blow the doors off Bonampak and Yaxchilan. Again, a few photos:

Ongoing restoration in some areas.

San Cristobal de Casas (Chiapas, MX)

(Note: I updated my previous post with some more stuff on Zipolite.)

We left Zipotile on the morning of November 23rd (Day 36), with the intention of covering the distance to San Cristobal de Casas in one day (roughly 600 km). It was one of the more diversified riding days so far. The first third of the day was HOT, then we started running into road blocks, as teachers across the state of Oaxaca were manifesting on that day. We lost quite a bit of time in 3 different towns, looking for a way to bypass them. In the afternoon, we hit an area of violent crosswinds for about 100 km (apparently a normal situation, since there were wind farms all over). As the sun was about to set, we started ascending in the mountains for the last 60 km. The roads were twisty and a blast to ride, but the temperature started plummeting quickly. For the last 20 km or so, we had no more than 10 deg. C and were FREEZING. Our warm riding gear was stored deeply in our luggage (we haven't needed it for a while now), and at that point we didn't want to lose more time unpacking, so we just toughed it out.

We spent the following day walking around the city. San Cristobal itself doesn't have major attractions, but it's charm lays in its architecture and laid back vibe. I really liked the place, however one day was enough for sightseeing. This is another spot on the verge of becoming too touristic. At least the town authorities are doing a good job of preserving the appearance of the buildings, by forbidding any form of aggressive advertisement (big signs, neons, etc..). 

Entering yet another state...

Wrestling always popular in Mexico. Nachooooo...:)

I tried to convince Mihai to get this outfit. Look out, this is the next big thing.

VW Crossfox. Cool little AWD car that would sell well in Canada. 

Another VW that I like, and not available back home. The Amarok TDI.

Puerto Escondido - Zipolite (Oaxaca, MX) - Days 31 to 35

We spent 2.5 days in Puerto Escondido. We found a cool and inexpensive hostel right by the beach. A room cost us something around 15$ per night. The town was very busy, since it was a long weekend in Mexico and there were some festivities going on. We allowed some time to wash our filthy riding gear and clothes, and to do some maintenance on the bikes. The rest of the time, we walked around town, relaxed on the beach, and hung out with other travelers at the hostel. It felt good to get off the bikes for a short while.

Puerto Escondido - View from upper part of town

Streaming UFC 154 - St-Pierre vs. Condit

Haircut. Cost: 35 pesos (2.75$)

Our most common meal in Mexico. Tacos con pastor. Tasty and cheap.

On day 33, we left PE and rode a short 60 km to another beach location called Zipolite. We had planned to rest there for a few more days. Zipolite is a fairly know hippie hang out. The town has a very laid back vibe and has not been spoiled by tourism too much. The beach is beautiful, and people are friendly. On top of that, accommodation, food and drinks are cheap. We lived on no more 30$ a day, even though we splurged on food and drinks. It´s place I definitely recommend, and I´d like to return there sometime.

In Zipolite, we stayed at the Dos Estrellas hostel, which is an interesting place on it's own. It is ran by Lea, a French expat. Lea's idea was that the hotel would also have a secondary role as a cultural center, so there are activities going on during the day for kids and adults. It's a cool idea, as the spot is always busy, and tourists get to mix with the local population. For the time we were there, there were games for kids, salsa lessons, yoga sessions, live music, chess and dominos. We noticed that some guests were helping out in the kitchen during the day (Dos Estrellas includes a restaurant as well), and in return would get to stay for free or at a reduced rate. Other locals were there helping out every day. I am not sure what's the arrangement, but I'm guessing that in return for their help, they probably get meals for free, or something like that. 

On our second day, we met Dwight from New Brunswick, another Canadian rider on his way to Argentina on a Kawasaki KLR 650. Dwight is writing a ride report (sort of a blog) on a well know motorcycle travel internet forum, advrider.com. On that day, I stopped by the internet cafe and was just browsing the website. When I clicked his ride report, I noticed that he posted on that same day that he was in Zipolite. I messaged him through the forum, and two hours later he was over at our hostel and we were having beers. Anyway, what a coincidence... With Dwight, Ken and Mike, we are now 5 Canadians going South, and there's probably a few more. We should meet more riders in Cantral America, as it is a natural bottle neck between the North and the South.

View of the beach in Zipolite

Beach in Mazunte, just a few kilometers away

Another view of the beach in Mazunte.

Chopped up VW Beetle

Dwight from New Brunswick, heading to Argentina as well.

Our hostel in Zipolite. Fun place.

Salsa class at the Dos Estrellas hostel

Dwight playing a game of chess with a local guy (US expat)

Mihai still working on his Salsa game

Dos Estrellas hostel - View from the beach

Yoga class on the beach

Football game on the beach, after sunset

Random thoughts:

After a few weeks on the road, I can say that 6 months is a little short for such a long distance trip. We have already passed on a several places I wished I had more time to hang out in.

However, even in a great place like Zipolite, we get the itch to ride the bikes again after 2-3 days. Seeing beautiful places and meeting people is fun, but riding the motorcycles is the best part of such a trip. This is a great advantage we have over backpackers, who don't have much fun transiting in buses or collectivos (mini-buses), nor the freedom to explore remote areas.

We haven't seen any rain since Moab, Utah, which of course is a good thing when on a motorcycle.

The tire combo we are using (Continental TKC 80 in front, and Bridgestone Trailwing TW42 in the back) has been working out really well so far. However, the front will be done by the time we reach Columbia.

We've been weighed before boarding the ferry in La Paz, and the total for the bike, myself and gear is 340 kg. It's 40 kg less for Mihai, but he's a skinny dude and somehow has slightly lighter luggage than I do.

Toilet seats are starting to become a rarity in some areas. I wonder if it's because they get stolen, or if there is another reason...