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Yucatan Bicycle Tour
Day 5 Merida to Motul
The long pier at Progresso
is due to the shallow waters in the area.
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Today was tough. We never made it to Dzilam
de Bravo.
The day started off OK. We left the hotel in Merida at 6:30 a.m. Today being Sunday, traffic
was very light all the way to Progresso. Along the way we saw several groups of cyclists riding
light road bikes and wearing American and European style bike clothes.
"Where are you going P.A.N. and Vincente?"
Political sign in Progresso.
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This nightclub near Progresso was severly damages by
Hurricane Isadore.
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After another breakfast of chicken tacos (without the hot sauce this time), we headed
toward Dzilam de Bravo on the coastal road.
Flamingos
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We stopped at a viewpoint to see some flamingos.
We ran into a lot of road construction. We also began to see a lot of damage from
Hurricane Isadore. Here in the Yucatan telephone poles are made out of reinforced
concrete. These poles were snapped in two.
About this time Paul started having problems with the heat. There wasn't any shade
to be found anywhere.
Finally, I stopped next to a piece of construction just to get in the shade. A man got
out of a truck. I handed him my map and asked him in Spanish to show us where we were.
I told him we were going to Dzilam de Bravo. He told us that the coastal highway ahead
of us had been obliterated by the Hurricane. Paul caught up to me. We saw a large hotel
in the distance and decided to get a coke while we decided what to do.
This hotel was wrecked by Hurricane Isadore.
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We got to the hotel and found two security guards at the front entrance. The hotel
was heavily damaged. A large pile of broken furniture and debris was piled up against
the front doors. The storm surge had totally flooded the inside of the hotel. Debris
were everywhere, windows had been shattered big palm trees snapped in two like toothpicks.
We turned around and took the first road heading inland.
By this time it was mid-afternoon and Paul was in bad shape. He slowed down to a
crawl and had thrown up at least once.
At this point, I took over an started making him stop and rest at regular intervals. I'd
make him ride for 10 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes. I couldn't let him get heat stroke.
But I couldn't let him rest too long. We were in the middle of nowhere and we needed to
find a town with a hotel before dark.
Finally, we reached the town of Dzemul. This town was a depressed run-down dump even
by Mexican standards. We found a store with Gatorade. Paul drank two bottles and took
a good long rest.
Paul has a very
difficult time dealing with the heat
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We continued on to Motul arriving around 5 p.m. We found a hotel, but the manager, a man
in his late 50's or early 60's wouldn't allow bikes at the hotel. This is the first time
this has happened to me anywhere. This guy was very indifferent and didn't even look up
from the comic book he was reading. This was a stark contrast to all of the other Mexicans
we have met. I said "adios" and left in search of another hotel.
Unfortunately, there are no other hotels in Motul. We were in a Hell of a jam. It was
getting dark and the only busses leaving town were headed to Merida.
I went back to the hotel in a desperate attempt to negotiate a solution. I politely
explained our situation using my limited Spanish. I asked if perhaps he might have
another place were we could leave our bikes. He offered us a space under a stairwell
near the lobby.
For 280 pesos ($28), we've got a room with air conditioning and a TV. Of course, we
have no hot water, shower curtain or toilet seat.
Motul is one of those towns where they roll up the sidewalks at 5 p.m.
I'm really worried about Paul. He's not eating. He says food makes him nauseous. I've
been trying to get him to eat. I did get him drink some more Gatorade. The A/C is a
big help. But, If he doesn't eat, he's not going to be able to ride.
Tomorrow, we have a short ride to Izamal. I'll do my best to get us on the road early.
Today's milage was 74.6.
Continue to Day 6
Yucatan Bike Tour Contents
Untitled
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Introduction
Day 5 Merida to Motul
