Bicyclers Flying With the Winds of Destiny

Cedric enjoying the fresh air and briny breeze of the Mexican Caribbean.

Cedric from Belgium along with his friend Joel arrived in Mexico City via KLM.  They mounted their bicycles and started a journey that would take them where the wind would blow them when the spirit moves them.
Destiny brought them to Santa Fe on Tulum's Caribbean beach.  Cedric has a blog that chonicles their travels and thoughts.   Check it out at the following link: http://www.voleauxvents.com/
Select De nous from the menu to select your language. It is is Spanish, English and French.

 This is the beautiful beach at Sante Fe that Cedric is looking at while in his hammock dreaming of his next day's adventure to Punta Allen and beyond.

Tizimín: A Hub for Exploring Eastern Yucatán

Two hour express bus service to Mérida and less then half an hour to Valladolid make the out of the tourist loop town of Tizimín an ideal staging place for several seldom visited delightful side trips, which include:

Panabá, San Felipe, Rio Lagartos, Las Coloradas and return.

Colonia Yucatán, El Cuyo, return or on to Las Coloradas via the beach road.

Ek Balam to Valladolid and a lovely seldom traveled back road to Panabá, Santa Rosa, Yalsihón, Yashilón and on to Dzilám de Bravo, the old pirate strong hold.

Nearly all the above side trips can be made by bus/bike and/or car. 

A look at Tizimín

Tizimín’s location is extraordinary with excellent eating options and diverse choices in accommodations.

We are no strangers to this one-of-a-kind getaway town. It is linked to Gulf Coast fishing villages, cenotes, plus ecological and biosphere reserves and situated in Yucatán’s only true cowboy country.

Tizimín with a population of 46,971 (2010 census) is the second largest city in eastern Yucatán. Tizimín, whose Mayan name means place of the tapir, is a quiet easy going and friendly town central to the many dairy farms and cattle ranches in the area.

In the center of the city is the 16th century Parroquia Los Santos Reyes de Tizimín (Church of the Three Kings) and its former Franciscan monastery. They are worth a visit. 

The church is outwardly spartan, but inwardly mammoth and ornately adorned with interesting gilded statuary, the most impressive being the glass case containing the three kings or Los Santos Reyes de Tizimín.   Three Kings Day is celebrated on January 6 of every year in Mexico.  In Tizimín the celebration is a fair and festival that last over a week and starts the end of December.

The clean and well maintained municipal market on Calle 47 has a large food court featuring a wholesome variety of local specialty foods.  Nights the parks have a wonderful selection of street venders selling Mexican traditional foods that include a wide variety of exquisite tamales.

The area is prosperous and growing rapidly. Bus and taxi service is excellent to Valladolid, Mérida and area towns.

Biking north and east of Tizimín is best in early mornings with the offshore sea breeze. Easterly mid morning onshore winds build through the afternoon. Take advantage of these winds and put the sun on your back with a tail wind.

History at a glance: Looking Back

In the book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan published 1842, the author, John Stephens, listed the following as export items from Tizimín:

Tortoise shell, skins, timber, logwood, India-rubber, incense, tobacco, achiote (a substitute for saffron and a very rich dye), starch from the yuca, cotton, wax, honey, molasses, sugar, rum, castor oil, salt, amber, vanilla, hogs, and cochineal.

According to British Admiralty charts from that time the northern coastal area of Yucatán was densely forested with 70 feet tall mahogany and zapote trees harvested for rubber. That solid forest survived over three hundred years of Spanish occupation but would not survive another century. The tropical timber completely vanished into a lumber mill at nearby Colonia Yucatán. Today the timber has been replaced by dairy farming and cattle ranching. 

This photo was taken alongside the Tizimín bus terminal and reflects a pace from the past century. First and second class buses are here in the city center. There are two terminals, Autobuses del Noreste located on the corner of Calle 47 with Calle 46 and ADO located next door on Calle 46 between Calle 47 and 45.

Off street parking, bicycle friendly and less than two blocks from the bus terminal and main market make Posada Pastora located on Calle 51 between Calle 52 and 54 a quiet and pleasant lodging. With a ground floor room you can wheel your bicycle right in from off the street. 

Side Trips from Tizimín

Tizimín north to the Gulf of Mexico with a layover in Rio Lagartos

A layover of two or three days on this quiet loop trip to the Gulf of Mexico makes it better.

This trip can be made by bike or bus.  If you wish to bike and  have time constraints or prefer a more leisurely trip, take the bus from Tizimín to Panabá and then bike the 30 kilometers to San Felipe.  Spend a night in a San Felipe hotel or take a swim and then bike on another 12 km to Rio Lagartos. Another consideration is to get an early start on your bike before the onshore sea breeze that begins near ten a.m. This wind can be used to your advantage when returning from Rio Lagartos where you will want to spend at least one night.  To return to Tizimín you can take the bus or bike the 56 kilometers. 

Rio Lagartos

Rio Lagartos is a coastal tourist fishing village 56 km north of Tizimín, 95 km north of Valladolid and 230 km from Mérida. The name implies river of alligators but there are no rivers in Yucatán only alligators. Situated within the nearly 150,000 acre Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, the topography is low coastal scrub, mangrove marshes, lagoons, sand spit barrier islands and sandy beaches. Guided boat tours include lagoon trips, flamingo watching, seasonal migrating birds and sea turtle observations. Guides speak Spanish, English and Italian. A variety of hotels can be found in Rio Lagartos ranging from the lovely bay front Villa de Pescadores to basic accommodations.

Mayan regional foods can be found in the early morning in the central public market. Several seafood restaurants are open from midday and mom and pop pizza and taco stands open evenings.

From Rio Lagartos there is taxi and bus service to San Felipe, Tizimín and Valladolid. To the west of Rio Lagartos is the fishing village of San Felipe and to the east is the village of Las Coloradas where salt has been harvested by the Maya for thousands of years and continues to the present day. 

The lovely bay front street in Rio Lagartos traverses from the lighthouse on the west end of town to the east end of town where there is an ojo de agua or artesian spring that is surrounded by a public bathing beach and park.   

This coastal area is a bird watchers paradise. The photo was taken in front of our little waterfront cabin downtown.   

Tropical flowers, fishing boats and the light house make the waterfront of Rio Lagartos a place for photo-ops. 

A tour to see the flamingos is well worth the time it takes. There is no shortage of tourist guides and all newcomers are soon approached. A tip; if you can get a group of four or five the price of these boat tours can be split for a substantial savings.  

Tizimín to Ek Balam and on to Valladolid

If you have time constraints and want to beat the crowds to Ek Balam consider taking the bus from Tizimín to Ek Balam.  After visiting the ruins bike to Santa Rita and on to Temozón for lunch before finishing at Valladolid.    For more information see: Valladolid, Uayma and Ek Balam.

Tizimín to Colonia Yucatán and El Cuyo:

Take the bus from Tizimín to Colonia Yucatán and then El Cuyo or bike the last 38 kilometer stretch to El Cuyo from Colonia Yucatán.  It is one of the loveliest areas for a bicycle trip…this rural Yucatán road is best done early morning. If you feel adventurous, after you spend at least a night in El Cuyo, bicycle the dirt 50 kilometer beach road west to Rio Lagartos passing Las Coloradas. Be warned: There are no facilities along the beach front dirt road.

This rip-rap causeway was constructed across the lagoon leading into El Cuyo from materials salvaged from an ancient Mayan temple.

El Cuyo

John biking down the main street of El Cuyo.

El Cuyo is a small isolated fishing village of 1,750 inhabitants with a seasonal tourist trade.  It is located 220 kilometers ENE of Mérida on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a beautiful bird watching area abundant in flamingos and over 250 species of other marine birds. An imposing light house is perched atop the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Five other Mayan ruins were salvaged to build a causeway and the town. Bus service south to Colonia Yucatán is available with links on to Tizimín, Valladolid and Mérida.  For more information see:  Colonia Yucatan and El Cuyo.

Las Coloradas

Las Coloradas with a population of about 1,000 is a coastal fishing village in north central Yucatán within the Biosphere Reserve of Ria Lagartos. The topography consists of a unique coastal ecosystem of mangroves, dunes and lagoons that is semi-arid making it ideal for solar dehydrating sea salt. Sea salt production has been done here since ancient Mayan times when huge trading canoes transported this heavy product to ports as distant as Central America, Florida and Veracruz. Today that production continues and the product is loaded into trucks, ships and railway cars.  Las Coloradas can be reached by bus from Tizimín and Rio Lagartos.  There are accommodations at nearby Rio Lagartos. Bicycling is good with limited but quiet roads.

Tizimín to Dzilam de Bravo

Biking the 107 kilometer seldom traveled rural back road takes you to Panabá, Santa Rosa, Yalsihón, Yashilón and on to Dzilám de Bravo, the old pirate strong hold. Be warned; Dzilám de Bravo does not have decent overnight accommodations but is an interesting fishing village proud of its link to the pirate Lafitte. There is a bay front monument to the pirate.

The nearby town of Dzilam Gonzalez has bus service to Tizimin.  There are several buses a day from Dzilam de Bravo to Mérida.

For more information see Yucatan’s Pirates.

Getting to Tizimín from Mérida

Autobuses del Noreste Terminal

Calle 67 betweens Calle 50 and 52

Noreste has several first class direct buses a day to Tizimín plus many second class buses.  If you want to see the sights, take the second class bus.  It meanders through many villages before arriving many hours later in Tizimín.

If you want a fast comfortable trip, take the Noreste direct bus that makes frequent trips daily to Tizimín.  The trip takes two hours.  The first class buses have toilets; the second class buses do not.

Leaving Tizimín 

Tizimín Bus Terminals

Autobuses del Noreste Terminal

Calle 47 on the corner with Calle 46

First class and second bus service to Mérida and points in between. There is also service to Cancun and Tulum.

This is where you get the second class bus to San Felipe and Rio Lagartos.

ADO Terminal

Calle 46 between Calle 45 and 47

First and second class bus service to Mérida, Cancun and Valladolid.

Rio Lagartos Buses

Hotel in Rio Lagartos

Villa de Pescadores

Malecón and Calle 14

www.hotelvilladepescadores.com

Budget accommodation in Rio Lagartos

Cabañas Las Escondidas

Next door to the restaurant Isla Contoy on the waterfront

Links to places to visit near Tizimín:
Rio Lagartos, Yucatan 

 Rio Lagartos is a picturesque coastal fishing village on Yucatan’s Gulf Coast 95 kilometers north of Valladolid, 46 km from Tizimín, and 230 km from Mérida, Yucatan.  The name, Rio Lagartos, implies river of alligators, but there are no rivers in Yucatan. This is a bay or ciénaga protected by a barrier island. There are, however, lots of alligators and crocodiles. Read more: Rio Lagartos

Sendero Peten Tucha

On the infrequently traveled road from Rio Lagartos to Las Coloradas between kilometer 8 and 9 there is a culvert and nearby a small, difficult to see sign denoting 50 meters to the entrance. If you are looking for the perfect unspoiled jungle getaway with no tour buses or trinket shops this is for you.

Read more: Sendero Peten Tucha

San Felipe, Yucatan

In spite of the modern road you see here that links Rio Lagartos to San Felipe the traffic is nearly nonexistent. It makes a particularly nice bicycle ride especially in early mornings with the sun and wind at your back. Read more; San Felipe

Copyright 2012 John M. Grimsrud

Yucatán has thousands of magical places to discover and explore.  For an insight into the places that tourists miss most in Yucatán, a new book is available. Finally the book for traveling adventurers who want to see more than just trinket shops and crowded tourist traps has arrived: Our book—built one stone at a time like the Mayan pyramids.
Yucatán's Magic–Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab
Over a quarter of a century of inspired exploration and recording of our travels has led my wife and me to
compile an impressive collection of outings that are the foundation for this book, built one story at a time.
This isn’t a guide book but an idea book. It is something of another element not made to compete
with guidebooks—it is made to complement them.

Available from Amazon in paperback or Kindle editions.  Also available for Nook, EPUB and in the iBookstore for iPod and iPad.

Buses and Colectivo Taxis

You haven’t seen the real Yucatán until you bike and bus it!
This is a chapter from Yucatán's Magic - Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab, by John M. Grimsrud.
Buses and Bus Terminals of Mérida, Yucatán
  The intention of this chapter is to assist those adventurers and bicyclers who wish to incorporate bus/taxi transport into their travel adventures in and out of Mérida.
  First class and luxury buses will definitely get you there fast and efficiently, but for fun, excitement, and adventure, second class will take you to the places that tourists miss most. They travel to the out of the way villages where you will meet the people that live there.  Second class buses stop on demand, and take longer than first class buses, and they are perfect for eccentric penny pinchers.
  The following information does not give a complete list of all the destinations that the numerous Mérida bus companies service. However, that current information can be found by visiting the websites or calling the phone numbers below.
  Not all buses have space for full-sized bicycles. Folding bicycles that are folded are best because they will go on or in all buses and colectivo taxis (vans), and even if there is no storage space below or luggage rack on top, many will accommodate your bicycle inside. You might have to buy an extra seat for the displaced space.
  Full-sized bikes usually can be stowed below in the baggage compartment on first class buses and on the second class bus lines of Mayab and Orienté.  There is sometimes a charge for a bicycle.  On second class buses, the driver decides if you pay and on first class buses, the baggage handler will decide if there is an additional fee for a bicycle in the luggage compartment.
 
CAME bus terminal - Centro de autobuses Mérida
Calle 70 between Calle 69 and 71
Downtown Mérida
Tel. 999-924-8391, 923-4440, 923-4443
Lines: ADO, ADO-GL and Platino
www.ado.com.mx

CAME bus terminal - Centro de autobuses Mérida.

  The Platino buses are fabulous; they have extra wide fully reclining luxury seats, his and hers rest rooms, and a wet bar with coffee, tea, bottled water, and soft drinks included. A kit containing ear plugs, ear phones, eye covers, plus a pillow and blanket are standard equipment. Many people ride these buses though the night and save the price of a hotel room.
  Destinations: Cancún, Campeche, Ciudad Del Carmen, Cordoba, Playa del Carmen, Chetumal, Tulum, Veracruz, Minatitlán, E. Zapata, Palenque, Puebla, México City, Valladolid, Ocosingo, Tuxtla-Gtz, Chichén Itzá, San Cristobal de las Casas. New: Corozal, Orangewalk Town and Belize City, Belize.
   ADO operates most of the first class buses, which include Platino and GL.  They have the best quality and set the standard for all Mexican buses. You will always see these buses professionally driven, and in good condition.

Mérida Fiesta Americana
Across Calle 60 from the Hotel Fiesta Americana in Plaza Bonita
Calle 60 and Av. Colón
Tel. 999-925-0910
Lines: ADO-GL, Platino plus Cancún Airport van
Destinations: Cancún, Cancún Airport, and Villahermosa.

Mérida Alta Brisas
Alta Brisas Mall
Avenida Racho Correa
Near Star Medica
Lines: ADO-GL, Platino plus Cancún Airport van
Destinations: Cancún, Cancún Airport.

TAME – Terminal de Autobuses Mérida
Calle 69 between Calles 68 and 70
Downtown

TAME bus terminal - Terminal de Autobuses Mérida.

  This is where you will find what is called the economical buses, plus the first class bus to Chetumal, Clase Europea. It leaves from this terminal at 10 a.m., 4 p.m, 10:30 p.m., and midnight. The trip takes 5 ½ hours.    The Clase Europea bus has toilets, but most of the buses leaving from this terminal do not.
  TAME is also where you will find; OCC, Mayab, ATS, Oriente, and TRT bus lines.  This is where you find the Mayab buses that go to Ticul, Oxkutzcab and Tekax.
  Buses from here run to the Caribbean coast, all over Yucatán, Campeche and Tabasco. Here you find the buses to Uxmal and Holbox.  Also, you can buy tickets here for all the ADO buses, although they leave from the CAME terminal, which is around the corner on Calle 70.

Terminal Autobuses del Noreste, Oriente and Lus
Calle 67 between Calle 50 and 52
Near the corner with Calle 50
Tel. 999 924 6355 and 923 0548

Terminal Autobuses del Noreste, Oriente and Lus.

  These buses are all second class, meaning that they have no on-board toilet facilities, and stop anywhere on demand. 
  This is the best terminal to use for day trips that will take you off the main roads to quaint villages and old haciendas.  Buses from this station run to the beautiful Mayan ruins of Mayapán. If you buy a ticket to Mayapán, make sure you specify the ruins of Mayapán (ruinas de Mayapán or zona archeologica de Mayapán) or you may end up in the village of Mayapán many kilometers from the archeological site of the same name.
  Folding bicycles are no charge, but, they have a tight fit in the small luggage compartments under these buses. 
  The Autobuses del Noreste ticket counter also sells ADO tickets to all destinations in Mexico.
  Three bus lines are here, Noreste, Oriente and Lus.
Destinations from Mérida on Noreste line and Oriente are Motul, Izamal, Espita, Dzidzantún, Dzilám Gonzales, Dzilám de Bravo, Buctzotz, Tizimín, Rio Lagartos, San Felipe, Kantunikin, Valladolid, and Cancún, and more.
  From Mérida on the Lus line; Acanceh, Teabo, Tecoh, Chumayel, Tekit, Mamá, Maní, Oxkutzcab, Peto, Cuzamá, Homún and Huhí, and more.

Terminal del Centro - Centro Autobuses
Calle 65 between 46 and 48
Next to Casa del Pueblo in downtown Mérida.
Tel. 923 9962, 923 9941 extension 15

Terminal del Centro - Centro Autobuses.

  Destinations from Mérida on Centro Autobuses:  These buses head towards Valladolid and Cancun with many stops along the way, including Tixkokob, and Izamal.  Centro also has buses to Motul.
  These second class buses have no on-board toilet facilities, and make frequent stops. The equipment is well maintained, and their departures are frequent.
 
Autoprogreso - Progreso Bus Terminal
Calle 62 No. 524 between Calle 65 and 67
Downtown Mérida      Tel. 999-928-3965

Autoprogreso - Progreso Bus Terminal.

  Autoprogreso has comfortable, air-conditioned buses that depart about every 20 minutes between 5 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. from their terminal in Mérida on Calle 62 located between Calle 65 and 67. Buses out of this station also serve the beach towns of Chuburná Puerto and Chelém.
Vans - Colectivo taxis or Combis
  These fast moving multi-passenger vans park on the street or have terminals at numerous designated spots in downtown Mérida, near and around the main municipal market and also in the Parque San Juan located between Calle 62 and Calle 64 and Calle 69a in downtown Mérida. 
  There are colectivo taxis to almost all villages in Yucatán. 
  Most colectivo taxis take departure when they have sufficient passengers.
  The nice thing about these colectivo taxis is that you can flag them down anywhere, and they are numerous throughout Yucatán. So, returning to Mérida is quick and easy. We often times bus out to our biking area, and then we return by colectivo taxi, which will get you back to Mérida fast.

Taxi terminal for Tekax located on Calle 62 near Calle 69a, Parque San Juan in downtown Mérida.

    Above are numerous colectivo taxis parked near the main market on Calle 67 near the corner of Calle 54. The first one is from Mérida to Acanceh and Tecoh.
  The vans will stop anywhere, but full sized bicycles could be a problem unless you find a taxi with a roof-top rack, and in that case the sky is the limit. Expect to pay an extra fare for your bike if it is loaded top-side. Almost all of these taxis have room for a couple of folding bicycles inside behind the rear seats. They rarely charge extra for the folding bikes.
  The possibility of end destinations with these colectivo taxis is extensive.
  You haven’t seen the real Yucatán until you bike and bus it.
  After more than a quarter century of doing these excursions, we still have a long list of end-destinations to explore.
  What are you waiting for? Come on and have the adventure of a lifetime.
 
 
  It is curious that with the advent of the automobile and the airplane, the bicycle is still with us.  Perhaps people like the world they can see from a bike, or the air they breathe when they're out on a bike…  Or because they like the feeling of being able to hurtle through air one minute, and saunter through a park the next, without leaving behind clouds of choking exhaust, without leaving behind so much as a footstep. ~Gurdon S. Leete 
  Excerpted from The Quotable Cyclist: Great Moments of Bicycling Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor by Bill Strickland.

Yucatán's Magic - Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab is available in paperback, Kindle,  in the IBookstore and for Barnes & Nobles Nook.

Yucatán's Magic - Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab

Finally the book for traveling adventurers who want to see more than just trinket shops and crowded tourist traps has arrived:

Just launched — our new book, Yucatán’s Magic – Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab

Built one stone at a time like the Mayan pyramids.

Over a quarter of a century of inspired exploration and recording of our travels in captioned photo stories has led my wife and me to compile an impressive collection of outings that are the foundation for this book, built one story at a time.

We present the best of the best after over twenty-five years; places, excursions and outings. Each place we have visited we like for different reasons; tranquility, history, view of village life, and connect with the Maya past and present, change of scenery and a look at a uniquely distinctive region. 

Available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com.

For EPUB edition, click here
From Barnes & Nobles for Nook, click here.

TULUM 2011 – 4th Annual Green Expo and Art Fair

Green Ideas – to save Tulum and our planet.
Three action packed days of conferences, featuring twenty timely lectures of one hour each plus representatives of cutting edge technological innovations for a sustainable balance of nature. Sensible recycling with art and everyday living in a harmonious balance coexisting with nature is the theme of the numerous artists participating.

 Functional and beautiful, totally recycled materials are creatively finished into dazzling art forms by local artist Flor Norma Grisel Mena Mena.  To view more of Flor's work, click here.

 Ruben Darro has fifteen years experience in Tulum’s evolving world of natural native art.  He  also creates works in silver plus painted fabrics.

Mexican materials coupled with artistic ingenuity make Tulum a natural oasis for creativity.

 Solar powered applications find their place in today’s ecologically oriented green group.

Natural materials from the Sian Ka’an ecological biosphere reserve are crafted into gems of art.
FIDE, the ecological arm of CFE, the federal electric company, is seriously planning for future sustainable demand. www.fide.org.mx

The registration office and promotional T-shirt sales center. The director of Green Expo Mexico is Gilda Sigie. Email: gilda_yumana@hotmail.com   She will have information on next year’s expo.

Jovial Xavier Fux is director general of Permacultulum®™ – green solutions and sells bio- digesters, solar panels, solar hot water heaters, eco cleaning supplies and even electric bicycles.

Four hours on a charge doing 30 kilometers is clean, quiet and quick. Check for details;
xavier@ permacultulum.com or visit his web site: www.permacultulum.com
Note; these silent eco-friendly bikes were not designed to replace bicycles…they were brought out to get people out of Hummers and other gas-hogs. So, park those hydrocarbon combusting monsters and do the planet and yourself a healthy favor, ride with the happy green people.

Smiling Xavier Fux, after his speech on sustainable tourism receiving an award.

The Green Expo is an annual event in Tulum with an ever expanding collection of talented and dedicated contributors all helping to make this planet a better place to live.



Little Tulum, the jewel of the Riviera Maya has become more than just another Caribbean Sea coastal town, it is a one of a kind heaven for life loving people seeking a slice or paradise.
Like my wife Jane says about Tulum, "Tulum is a hard place to leave."

Link to some of the other Green Expo exhibitors.
SOLARPLAST®™, has cutting edge technology for solar powered water purification, heating and believe it or not air conditioning. This equipment is designed in a number of sizes that will handle requirements from homes to hotels. Contact the director general and ingenious engineer, Rogelio Velasco who also was one of the speakers at this expo: rogelio@solarplast.com.mx or visit the web site: www.solarplast.com.mx

Imagenia®™ Has found an innovative solution for all those discarded plastic products that have been plaguing our planet; They manufacture plastic planks, poles and sheeting from recycled plastics for the fabrication of rust free outdoor furniture and even building structures. Click this link to learn more; www.imagenia.com.mx or their sales address: ventas@imagenia.com.mx

Guided ecologically friendly tours by AHAL Tours - Email: ahaldespertar@gmail.com
Jade Heart of the Future includes:
Muyil-Sian Ka'an and lagoons
Interpretation of Muyil ceremonial center and the "end of the long cycle".
Interpretative guide bioshere trail
Boat trip floating though ancient Mayan channels.

The End and the Beginning includes:
Coba-monkeys-Mayan communities.
Interpretation of the biggest ceremonial center, Coba, and "the end of the long cycle".
Observation of spider and howler monkeys in their habitat.
In-depth jungle trek and meeting the Mayan families.
Purification Mayan ceremony.
Swim and canoe in Punta Laguna.
Mayan Museum.

FOR MORE ABOUT TULUM, VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.bicycleyucatan.com/tulum

Muyil, Mayan Ruins and Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve – a side trip from Tulum

Twenty-two kilometers south of Tulum is a remarkable link to Mayan ingenuity.
Muyil, located in a dense jungle setting, is an inland seaport connected to the Caribbean Sea by two man-made canals. Muyil is also known as Chunyaxché and still exists as a noteworthy testimonial to the engineering achievements of this remarkable Mayan civilization.
Muyil is a wonderful place to take a nature hike, mingle with tropical nature and witness some unusual examples of the Mayan advanced infrastructure that still exist within this archeological zone.
This is a big place so plan to do a lot of walking. To enjoy Muyil to its fullest, a half day of leisurely poking along will enhance your pleasurable experience immensely.

After a short ride from the bus station in Tulum, the Mayab bus will let you off near the entrance. It is only a short walk to visit El Castillo, one of the tallest Mayan ruins on the east coast of the Caribbean.

After a short ride from the bus station in Tulum, the Mayab bus will let you off near the entrance. It is only a short walk to visit El Castillo, one of the tallest Mayan ruins on the east coast of the Caribbean.
In the late 1950’s when this area was a territorial part of Mexico with literally no infrastructure and only accessible by a five day jungle horseback ride past the end of the railroad line from Mérida or by coastal sailing vessel from the Caribbean island of Cozumel.
Pablo Bush Romero led one of the first expeditions to this “Lost City of the Maya.”  In his book, Under the Waters of Mexico, he wrote about his remarkable adventure:

After about thirty minutes of navigating through the channel, we entered the impressive lake of Chunyaxché, a marvel of archaeologists specializing in Mayan civilization. Precisely at the mouth of the channel, on the left side, we discovered a temple of Xlabpak…
Let us go to Chunyaxché. After crossing the lake, with its exquisitely blue water, we went through another canal. After several hours of navigating on the canal, we arrived at Lake Muyil, which was wide and not very deep. After landing on the dilapidated pier, we started our exploration by walking along a trail through the jungle, which ended in a clearing where there were two small huts inhabited by natives…”

                                                            El Castillo
On your jungle walk you will see the seventeen meter or nearly sixty foot tall partially restored Mayan temple that has the significance of being an observation platform and signaling station. On the pinnacle of El Castillo is a platform that allows a view of the distant Caribbean Sea and all waterways linking it to Muyil. There is evidence that signal fires were built on its peak that may have been used to guide in the Mayan seafaring merchant vessels. Muyil began to populate by 300 B.C. This was centuries before such ancient Maya cities as Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Tulum.
Explorer Pablo Bush Romero describes in his book Under the Waters of Mexico what he and his colleagues encountered at Muyil’s El Castillo, a pyramind with steep steps and an oratory on top:

“Under one of these steps we found a tunnel which led to another temple situated in the heart of the pyramid. According to Segovia, this temple was dedicated to the high priests. Along the passage were a series of niches. We put our hands deep into each niche to see if there were any archeological relics. When we reached the most important one in the center of the tunnel, Alfonso Arnold, by chance or though some kind of intuition, thought to turn on his search light on first. He got such a scare that he recoiled almost as far as the front wall. Instead of archeological relics, what he saw there was a nest of deadly nauyaca or “sorda” or “four-nosed” snakes, the most poisonous in the Mexican paradise.
It was a good thing that we frightened a few of these serpents because if anybody’s hand had been bitten, it would have been necessary to resort to a primitive surgery technique of the “chicleros”.*  Since we carried no antidotes, this involved immediate amputation of the bitten limb with a machete without sterilization or anesthesia.”

 Built with a purpose, El Castillo is but one of nearly a hundred structures erected on these premises. Muyil was on one of many Mayan trading routes. Though some distance from the sea, the Maya excavated straight canals, one of five kilometers in length and the other one kilometer cutting down into bedrock with nothing but hand tools to accomplish their enormous goal. This is a real seaport in the jungle.
Seagoing sailing freight canoes of the Chontal Maya from Tabasco plied these waters ranging from distant Vera Cruz, Cuba, Florida and Central America. The cumbersome sea salt from northern Yucatan could have only been transported by seagoing vessel. Other cargo items included cotton, cocoa, copper, dyes, fish, honey, jade, and more.
In this area the seagoing Maya with their trading canoes utilized natural inlets and beaches along this coast, such as Tulum ruins, Tankah, Akumal, Xaac, Paamul, Chakalal, Xel-Ha and Xcaret.  All of these landing ports had Maya temple ruins.

Leaving the area of El Castillo your next jaunt is through a canopy jungle on a boardwalk. This segment of your visit will take you a minimum of forty minutes. To get the very most pleasure out of the boardwalk, take your time to sniff the flowers and admire the exotic jungle trees. 
If you are tempted to venture off of the walkway, remember the venomous snakes. The pit viper nauyaca is found in this lowland habitat.  Together with the rattlesnake it is the chief cause of snakebite in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

Midpoint on your boardwalk trip is an observation tower.

The observation tower offers a splendid view of the expansive surrounding jungle, lakes, lagoons, mangrove swamps and the distant Caribbean, but climb at your own risk. The steps are steep and are for the young and adventurous.




Muyil is under the jurisdiction of the federal agency INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia), but is partially within the Sian Ka`an Biosphere Reserve.

 Emerging from the jungle boardwalk you will find yourself at a lovely beach on Muyil Lagoon where guided tours are available. Several different excursions are offered including traversing the ancient Mayan canal system. There is nothing like this anywhere. If nature is what you came to see, this is your place. Don’t miss your opportunity.

Strolling back from the lake you will find yourself on an ancient Mayan sacbe road that has remnants of pre-Columbian ornate stone carving.

Pablo Bush Romero exclaims in his book Under the Waters of Mexico: “What amazing road engineers the Maya’s were! I have traced from a helicopter one of those roads called “Sacbe” [white road] for over 100 kilometers. Undoubtedly, Tulum was the focal point of a coastal artery because every seven or eight kilometers there is a temple. The temples offered refuge to travelers, thus establishing centers of protection against cannibalistic Caribe Indians…”

The jungle diversity here is positively amazing. Your path around the Muyil Mayan ruins site gives you a look at the area’s range of topography.

The jungle is literally full of temples in varying stages of restoration and degradation. Trees of considerable size have embedded themselves in the ancient structures. If unchecked, the trees with their invasive root systems will pull them all down. It has been over five hundred years that the jungle has had a free hand to do its destruction here and yet these structures stubbornly stand.

For the return trip to Tulum, walk out to the main road, then to the bus stop a short distance south of the entrance to Muyil ruins and wave down a bus or van (colectivo taxi) for the short trip back to Tulum. This side trip is recommended to all those who truly want more than just another tourist trap.

Helpful Information

Transportation to and from Tulum:  Tulum Bus Info.

Tulum - Mexican Caribbean’s Best Beach

More about Tulum: Tulum, More Than Just a Beach

Recommended reading related to Muyil:

The Lost World of Quintana Roo by Michel Peissel

Under the Waters of Mexico by Pablo Bush Romero

Final Report: An Archaelogists Excavates his Past by Michael D. Coe

The Maya by Michael D. Coe

*Chiclero (sp) a gatherer of chicle.  Chicle is a gum from the latex of the sapodilla tree (zapote) used as the chief ingredient of chewing gum.

 Copyright 2011 and 2012 John M. Grimsrud

 

 The book for traveling adventurers who want to see more than just trinket shops and crowded tourist traps has arrived: Our book—built one stone at a time like the Mayan pyramids.
Yucatán's Magic–Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab
Over a quarter of a century of inspired exploration and recording of our travels has led my wife and me to compile an impressive collection of outings that are the foundation for this book, built one story at a time. This isn’t a guide book but an idea book. It is something of another element not made to compete with guidebooks—it is made to complement them.

Available from iBook store and Amazon.com in paperback
and Kindle.
For EPUB edition: click here.
For NOOK edition: click here

Exotic Bicycles of Yucatan

This bike started life as a conservative Schwinn but when Carlos *Cherli” Dzidz Chí got it, he has mexicanized it with reflectors, ribbons and fancy do-dads. Now it is exotic.

 Dr. Steven Fry is a trendsetter. CD rear reflectors, rubber chicken squeeze horn, angle-iron seat extension, rubber hose speed shifter and numerous other eccentric innovations make his bicycle  at home in Mexico

.Biking on the streets of Yucatán; one kid to steer, one for locomotion and a passenger aft.  A device called a “diablo”, or devil is fastened to the axle shaft ends and is designed to stand on making extended passenger carrying capacity possible in the land where safety is an option.

For more exotic bikes, check out John's blog story: More exotic bicycles from the 1890's to 2011.

For bicycling in Yucatán, check out our website: www.bicycleyucatan.com 

Finally the book for traveling adventures who want to see more than just trinket shops and crowded tourist traps has arrived:

Just launched—our new book, Yucatán’s Magic – Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab

Built one stone at a time like the Mayan pyramids; Over a quarter of a century of inspired exploration and recording of our travels in captioned photo stories has led my wife and me to compile an impressive collection of outings that are the foundation for this book, built one story at a time.

We present the best of the best after over twenty-five years; places, excursions and outings. Each place we have visited we like for different reasons; tranquility, history, view of village life, and connect with the Maya past and present, change of scenery, and a look at a uniquely distinctive region. 

Available in Kindle and soon in paperback. 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005POWVU8