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Yucatan Bicycle Tour
Day 4 Oxkutzcab to Merida
The market in Oxkutzcab.
Note the large mural on the building.
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We visited the market in Oxkutzcab this morning.
It was very interesting. We had breakfast there. They were serving chicken tacos made with
fresh tortillas. They were making and frying the tortillas right there. Unfortunately, I put
some sauce on mine that was hot beyond belief. I had a bit of diarrhea last night. That was not
what my tender tummy needed. However, I took a boatload of Imodium and have not been to the
bathroom since.
After breakfast, we tried the bank. Unfortunately, it was closed and there were no
hours posted on the door.
¡Muy picante!
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Chickens
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Produce
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We got on our bikes for an easy flat 10-mile ride to the bus station at Ticul. The
first bus did not have enough room for our bikes. "No hay problema." The next bus
to Merida arrived 15 minutes later with plenty of room for out bikes.
Pink church in Merida.
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We arrived back in Merida. I was out of Mexican currency. I had to borrow 2 pesos
from Paul just to use the bathroom at the bus station. We wandered about the congested
streets of downtown Merida in search of a place to change some traveler's checks. When
I finally found a place, they gave me a lousy exchange rate of 9.50 pesos to the dollar.
The cash rate is 10 pesos to the dollar.
I learned two important lessons while traveling in Mexico.
- ATMs are everywhere. Travelers checks are a major pain in
the ass. I spent an hour this afternoon trying to find a place to cash some. When
I finally found a place, I got a really lousy exchange rate (9.50 pesos to a dollar).
The cash rate is 10 pesos to the dollar and the rate through an ATM is even better.
- Internet cafes are a bargain. They are a much easier and cheaper way to communicate
than the phone system. For about about 10 to pesos ($1) an hour I can send email and
check on the news from home. This beats the hell out of a phone card that costs $1.18
a minute and that I haven't figured out how to use.
Serpent head in the Museum of Anthropology
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We checked into our hotel. We walked to the Museum of Anthropology. They had an interesting
collection of artifacts that had been excavated from various Mayan sites.
More Museum Photos
We had a wonderful dinner at an outdoor restaurant on the main plaza. Merida is a cosmopolitan
city with strong European influences. Two large dinners and four beers (2 each) set us back a
whopping 200 pesos (20 bucks). That's 10 each!
We sat in one of the parks and watched young couples, families and groups of old men
talking. It is very pleasant here in the evenings. This is when people come out
and socialize.
I shopped for some souvenirs. I found an area where artisans selling their wares. They
were not pushy like some of the store clerks. It was a pleasure to do business with them.
Nice seat. Interesting installation.
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We're back at our hotel now sitting in a nice courtyard. For $27 we have no TV, a shower
curtain and hot water. Best of all, we have a toilet seat! Unfortunately it was installed
upside down. Mexico is full of surprises.
Tomorrow, we get an early start out of the city for our ride to Progresso and
the Gulf coast. Hopefully we'll make it all the way to Dzilam de Bravo.
Today's mileage was 13.4.
Continue to Day 5
Yucatan Bike Tour Contents
Untitled
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Introduction
Day 4 Oxkutzcab to Merida
