North from Mexico City, DF

Ingrid flew back home and I had the afternoon to find a new rear tire. The adventure motorcyclist website Horizonsunlimited.com has a community section where travelers can reach out to locals for advice. I sent a message to the Mexico City mailing list, asking for advice on where to get a new rear tire. Within hours I received messages from locals, some general advice and some mentioned specific stores. The later was what I was looking for and shortly after checking out of our hotel I made my way to Moto House. After consulting with the clerk I picked out a Bridegestone tire and went up the street to have it mounted. Within two hours I was on my way to Tuxpan, a town I had stopped in with John and Tom while riding north through Mexico in 2009.
Leaving Mexico City I hit a little rain, but it soon passed. The bigger problem were both hands cramping. I had taken a few days off riding and my fingers were not back in the swing of things. I had to pry my fingers straight on both hands for the next two hours. By early evening I reach Tuxpan, four hours of road time, but more like six or seven on the road.

The following day I was determined to reach the US/Mexican border before stopping. On route the road had other plans for me. Somewhere south of Tampico I noticed an asphalt ridge in the road was making my ride squirrelly. At first I thought the ridge I was crossing over was taller than I thought, cause my rear tire to wobble a bit. A mile or two later I decided to stop for gas and as I slowed down I realized the rear tire was flat or very low. Finding the air compressor and adding air only revealed a hole in the tire. Air being pumped in was coming out the hole in equal measure.
In Mexico you don’t have to go far before finding a tire repair service. I had to wait while the guy fixed a truck tire. He had problems seating the tire, so I bought him a soda, took the tire off bike and got lunch.



While waiting for the tire to be un-mounted and a fresh inter tube installed, a truck pulled up and a small crew of guys hung flags for political party.

Eventually the truck tire ahead of me was fixed and mounted. Within a half an hour a new inter tube was installed and the tire was up back on the motorcycle. The whole deal chewed up 2 or 3 hours. It was a good break and interesting/curious to see new political flags being installed. The rest stop would come in handy as I rode until after midnight to Matamoros and the US border.

Yucatán Peninsula Scrabble

To meet Ingrid in Mexico City I had to cover 1020 miles in two and a half days. I had my work cut out for me. First stop, the Customs facility southwest of Chetumal. Importation papers in hand, I set my sights on Cordoba. 664 miles to the west.

Cordoba Centro

15 hours of travel later, I reached Cordoba around 1:00 AM and went to the center of town and free Wifi. Next stop, a “love hotel” where I could get a room by the hour.

6-7 hours of sleep and I was on the road to Mexico City, where Ingrid was flying in just after twelve noon. I found the hotel after stopping for directions a few times and settled in.

The next few days days we went to several museums, fine art and archeological, and great food. Had to replace my motorcycle battery (still under warranty!, but I have to take it home to NJ) and buy a new rear tire…

Dropping Anchor Cancun

The sail from Cienfuegos,Cuba took four nights. We reached Cancun near sunrise and anchored at the Isla Mujeres marina. Isla Mujeres is an island just off the coast of Cancun.

After breakfast Mexican Immigrations stopped at the boat and processed our tourist cards. We waited for customs to arrive and inspect the boat, but that near happened, so the bikes were unloaded and we went to the ferry.

There was some confusion regarding the immigrations officials, which kept us waiting on the boat. Ultimately the motorcycles were unloaded and we left for the ferry. It turned out the confusion revolved around immigrations delivery our receipt for the tourist card. As the ferry passed the Stalhratte, the crew scrabbled onto the dingy and raced to pull up along side the ferry boat. The crew handed off the receipts to my out stretched hand and that was it. We had our receipts, which I didn't think would ever be needed...until I was asked for mine the next day.

Leaving Isla Mujeres by ferry for Cancun

I was on a schedule to meet Ingrid in Mexico City and eager to complete the importation of the motorcycle into Mexico. Speaking with people on the ferry I learned that the customs office would be closed by the time the ferry docked. Plan B emerged. Ride about 5 hours south to Chetumal and the frontier of Belize, process the importation paperwork there. The tricky part was riding 5 hours without official importation papers. I rolled the dice and  headed south. Luck was with me and I did not encounter any checkpoints or get stopped by police. The next day I went to brand new Mexican Customs facility at the Belize border and left with my importation papers. Now the ride to Mexico City, with no time to waste.