Big Sur

Leaving San Cristóbal after a month was a shock to the system. Despite the parasites, we made the most of our time here, enjoying a free film festival, a live Easter crucifixion re-enactment, meeting a lively group of Mexican language students and soaking up the picturesque settting from our rooftop terrace at Tierras Mayas language school…

First stop out of San Cristóbal was the stunning waterfalls at El Chiflón. Great to be back on the bikes and back in the countryside.

We had time on our hands in San Cristóbal so made a supply of power bites – the ultimate cycling energy food…oats, caramel, raisins, nuts…all squished together into little calorific balls and no need to cook – perfect for the inevitable early morning snack stop.

The state of Chiapas is in parts autonomously controlled by the Zapatista Movement, a group of indigenous Mexicans who have been fighing for equal rights and recognition since the 1990s. The Mexican government seems to largely ignore them and they hold control over their own villages in this area. We cycled through many Zapatista controlled villages en route to Laguna Miramar.

We took a quiet road through the mountains and surprised lots of locals who don't often see tourists, let alone tourists on bikes.

Popping out in alpine valleys such as this one was a surprise to us too. It felt more like we were in a corner of Switzerland than Mexico…quite different from the deserts of Baja that we cycled through, back in November.

Reaching 10,000km of cycling on our trip so far and a brief pause taken to pinch ourselves a bit and to reflect on the scores of great people we've met, the hundreds of tortillas we've eaten, the thousands of photos we've taken…

…and then back to business; another day, another dirt road. We bumped downhill and then slogged uphill on unforgiving stony paths in baking heat to lead us to Laguna Miramar…

…often it all got too much and grabbing the opportunity to lie down and snooze after lunch was far more preferable than setting off again straight away.

These dirt roads are not to be disrespected either. This photo was taken at nearly 7pm – the sun is sinking and we are still short of our intended overnight stay by 10km. So we ended up stopping in the next village and camping outside a shop.

The next morning, the local kids crowded around the bikes, asking questons, prodding parts and trying on James' fetching cycle accessories.

Reaching the last village before heading out to the laguna, we stocked up on fruit and veg at this roadside stall. Sweet mangoes, fresh potatoes, soft avocadoes, ripe tomatoes. Mexico tends to sell just a few types of fruit and veg, but what they sell is very tasty indeed.

Having paid our fee to enter the park and being reassured by locals that we could take our bikes with us, we set off for Laguna Miramar, one of the most remote and beautiful natural sites in Chiapas. First though, a white knuckle bridge crossing…

The locals were right, we “could” take our bikes along what was by all accounts a dirt horse track. In parts, it was pretty and the riding was easy…

…mostly though it involved pushing, sweating, swearing and crying our way up and down enormous rutted slopes and over thick tree trunks.

Thankfully the end destinaton proved to be worth the effort. Prime camping spot on the beach at the laguna's edge, where we more or less had the place to ourselves.

Perfect place to spend a rest day and cook up a fried spuds/guacamole lunchtime feast.

Miramar: calm and beautiful in the mornings.

Sweating our way back out to the road was about as much fun as it had been on the way there…but this time we had our priorities right: jump straight in the refreshing river and cool off before doing anything else.

We had two options to leave this remote area. First option: another steep dirt road with possible Zapatista fees to be paid and a less than accurate map of the area. Second option: a lancha boat ride down the river to pick up a more frequently used road and a more direct route to the border. We opted for the lancha and took our bikes for a ride along the river…

A common sight for us in the last few weeks: a local who has spent the morning drinking more than his fair share of booze and passed out in the front of the nearest abandoned building or patch of grass before lunchtime. Unfortunately, sticking out like a sore thumb in these areas, means we attract the attention of most of the local drunks (those who haven't yet got to the passing out stage), leading to many incoherent and baffling conversations.

Our final day in Mexico was spent visiting the Mayan ruins at Chinkultic. We soaked up the views and wandered around the impressive remains of a Mayan settlement from over 1000 years ago….and Lee took a short nap at the top.

Over the border into Guatemala and we are welcomed by the sight of the Cuchumatanes mountains – the highest range in Central America…the stage is set for more hills and more dirt roads…