Race Info

Day 201. Kilometre 22,750 (Mile 14,135).

Distance Oaxaca-Pinpin: 3,200 km (1,990 mi)

Back to Oaxaca (from my detour by the Pacific coast), I traveled to San Cristobal de Las Casas, in the Chiapas mountains, where I was hosted by Uriel, a friend of my scout friends in Oaxaca. From there I visited the Mayan site of Palenque. Then I went to Mérida, colonial city in the North of the Yucatán peninsula. From there, I visited Chichén Itza, where I met Arnaud and Sophie, a French couple who brought me to Tulum, with a stop in Valladolid. If you haven't seen them yet, you can have a look at my pictures of the Mayan sites of Palenque, Chichén Itzá and Tulum in the previous post.

Located on the Caribbean Sea, Tulum was my first step on the “Atlantic side”. It was also my last one in Mexico. I left Anne, a German girl who I knew from Mérida. We will probably meet again in Peru in a couple of months. For the moment, I leave Mexico. I really enjoyed the country. Little by little, I learnt a lot about the culture, the history, the language and the diversity of the country. I met great people on the road. And I enjoyed the Mexican cuisine very much. The country is very far from the cliché, it is very safe to move around and a lot of wonderful sites to visit.

From Tulum, I took a bus to Chetumal, on the border with Belize, and another one to Flores in Guatemala, via Belize City. That day, after three in six months, I was in three countries in six hours. Also that day, I lost an hour. Most of you will think it isn't information. But some of you will be surprised as I was. Indeed, going East would imply to gain an hour. But both Central and South Americas do not have daylight saving time.

From Flores, I could visit Tikal, a Mayan city lost in the jungle. I also met Savant, from Nepal, who travels in the same direction; I'll probably meet him again in Honduras in few days. Then I crossed the whole country, via Guatemala City, to reach Pinpin, near Tacaná and the volcano of the same name. Almost on the border with Chiapas, Mexico, I spend a few days with Nico and Elsa, a French couple, who work there. From Pinpin, I am going to Lake Atitlán to climb Volcán San Pedro. And I will visit the wonderful city of Antigua and Guatemala City.