May 23, 2016
After a year and half of traveling through only four countries we’re stoked to have reached the border to Central America.
Cycling Stats
Start Point: La Campana, Chiapas, Mexico
Destination: Ciudad Cuahtemoc, Chiapas, Mexico
45.0 km trip, 3:07 time, 45.2 km/h maximum speed, 14.4 km/h average speed
Route Description:
This is on a road with two lanes, one in either direction. There is a shoulder similar to one found on a cuota highway for some sections. Others were under construction. There are a few towns and places for food and water. There are also hotels along the route. Ciudad Cuauhtemoc is small. There are few restaurants, three hotels and two food stores. If you want to stock up on things before crossing the border do it in Comitan.
Accommodations:
There are three hotels here. We found a hotel for as little as 200 and stayed in one for 250 with air conditioning.
What happened…
Andrew writes: I had read about other people sleeping at or behind gas stations in Central America before and so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. In hindsight, having done it once, it was nice having the washroom to use in the morning; I would do this again. The Autopista La Frontera has a great shoulder for cycling on, and I enjoyed the ride today. Passing through Chamic, which seemed to be a bustling transportation hub, we did some people watching and enjoyed an icy cold drink. Amanda was trying to find Benadryl so that she could cure her rash – it seemed to be getting really bad. Arriving in Ciudad Cuahtemoc we passed a couple of hotels and there was an immigration office that we had to stamp out of. We weren’t keen on crossing into a new country in the middle of the day, and plus I wanted to get Amanda’s rash looked at by a doctor, so we settled into Hotel Benedicion de Dios. It looked “kind of new” and offered air-con, which Amanda hoped would help with some swelling she was starting to get in her arms and legs. The doctor’s office was closed all afternoon and so we ended up spending most of the day just lounging around in the quickly cooling hotel room. It’s nice to have climate control after about 3 weeks of either a shitty fan, or…nothing at all. I don’t want to complain about how hot it is, so I won’t, but damn A/C rocks.
Amanda writes: While Andrew won’t complain, I’ll take the bait. I don’t want to be hot anymore. I don’t feel well, my legs and arms are swelling and I had to use soap to get my wedding ring off before it took my finger off. The doctors office is closed, there’s no Benadryl in this town. Okay I’m done complaining and I’m going to go back to my air conditioned room. On a happy note, we’re going to enter a new Country tomorrow; I’m so excited!