Mexico City and 1 week home in Florida
October 28th, 2009
One of the big obstacles of riding through Mexico is the huge metropolitan area of Mexico City, with over 20 million people the second largest city in the world. I don’t want to ride my bicycle there. Traffic is just chaotic and riding a bicycle here is not advisable, much less with a recumbent and a lot of luggage. Plus there is a considerable risk of theft here in the city; I had been warned by many friends to be extra careful in Mexico City and not ride there or even take the subway at night…
Last week I got to Toluca (about 40km West of Mexico City) and stayed in a hotel. I left my bicycle there and took a bus to Mexico City. After an interesting half-day / evening in the metropolis and some great chamorro dinner I went to the airport and took a flight back home to Florida.
This last week was very recuperative for me and allowed me to reconnect with my family. I also took care of some logistics and picked up my mountaineering gear for upcoming Pico Orizaba.
Yesterday I retraced my route back from home via car (to West Palm Beach), TriRail (to Miami airport), airplane (to Mexico City airport), metro (to bus terminal), luxury bus (to Toluca) and on foot (to hotel) to get back to the hotel and my bike here in Toluca. What a trip! Rainy / overcast weather provided better air quality and visibility of how vast the Mexico City area is. Amazing!
Today I need to cross Mexico City one more time, now with the bike and all my gear (including the 40 lb mountaineering backpack). This will be quite a challenge, as the buses from the West (Toluca) and to the East (Puebla) end at different terminals. Between those there is either the metro (not an option with my bike and luggage) or taxis. We’ll see how I can navigate the city one more time…
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4 Comments Add your own
1. Matt | October 31st, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Hi Thomas! Glad to hear you made it to Mexico. I’ve made it as far as Arizona, am now contemplating the route ahead. Do I go down to the Baja peninsula or head down into the mainland of Mexico via Arizona or New Mexico?
I met another cyclist this last week, we traveled for a few days together. We were eating lunch in a grocery store in Williams, AZ and got to talking to a couple about our travels. The husband, Jim, mentioned that he and his son Andrew biked with a German cyclist on a recumbent while on the Avenue of the Giants, with his wife Malihe in the support vehicle. Turns out that German cyclist was you. They asked me to send on some greetings to you. What a small world…
2. Administrator | October 31st, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Matt, great to hear from you. I remember Jim and son Andrew as well as wife Malihe in the support vehicle in the Avenue of the Giants – one of my favorite spots of the entire ride. Small world, indeed!
As for the route into Mexico: I chose the Baja since I wanted to stay on the PCH all the way down to San Diego and also to see the desert down there. Since it’s getting later in the year the Baja heat shouldn’t be so bad anymore. I liked the scenery. The road (Mex1) was ok, but a bit narrow. In one area there were a few close calls with trucks during dusk, so avoid riding after sunset if you can! The ferry crossing to Mazatlan was ok, then you are in the tropics with heat and humidity. (Don’t know about the mainland route down to Mazatlan.)
Safe riding! Thomas.
3. nelson | December 1st, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Hello how are you Thomas? I hope you fence well on your journey, you enjoy all of central america, I’m Nelson, who met at the internet cafe planet, Jutiapa, Guatemala
4. Administrator | December 1st, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Thanks Nelson. Today I crossed the border into El Salvador and now I’ll stay in Santa Ana for the night. December will be busy for me to get all the way to Panama City before Christmas!
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