It’s a late start, but we needed the rest. After a walk to the parking garage to retrieve our bikes we follow the shoreline through Veracruz and are awed by the beauty of the city. Don comments that the city looks like a mini-Miami. Traffic is light and much better than coming into town.
Outside of Veracruz on 180 we make good time and end up on a spit of land with the gulf on one side and a bay on the other. There are vast fields of cactus. At the end of this sliver of land we stumble across the city of Alvarado. From this distance, it’s the picture perfect little town near the coast. If we have time we will stop there on the way back.
On our way to Campeche, we sidetrack down 175 to Tlacotalpan which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ride to the town is down a small two-lane road through rivers and marshes and is worth the trip all by itself. The town is like a postcard with each building painted a different color and a wonderful gazebo in the town square. The town doesn’t seem to receive many visitors and we are the only gringos to be seen, which tends to be a theme on this trip. We sit in the square for quite a while before we leave and head to Eyiplanta Falls.
Eyiplantla Falls is where part of the movie Apocalypto was filmed. In the parking lot we are swarmed by vendors to the point we almost can’t breathe. Mike hires a guide to take us to the falls which are 240+ steps down. We also hire someone to watch the bikes. I can put everything in my bags except my pants, jacket and helmet, which I cable lock to the bike. Even my tank bag goes in a trunk.
We get amazingly close to the falls. A joke throughout the trip is “where is OSHA.” Handrails? Lighted walkways? Tile that doesn’t turn to glass when wet? It’s not happening. The falls are fantastic and I sit in the mist until I’m drenched and cool. I don’t want to leave. The guide is a nice guy, but he is speaking Spanish and I have my usual dumb gringo look on my face. If what our mothers told us was true, my face permanently looks like that at this point. It’s a long way back up. Don takes two steps at a time and is up in a hurry. I hope he has a place to relax because I’ll be awhile. Don gets the conversion wrong and tips the guy less than $.40 for watching our bikes for which he gets a nasty look.
 
A few miles down the road is Lake Catemaco which is the 3rd largest fresh water lake in Mexico and is formed by a crater. Amazingly, the area is known for witches and witchcraft. Every march there is an annual witch congress at the lake. We have lunch overlooking the lake and eat whole black bass fresh from the lake. With a cool breeze coming off the lake we have found a home and elect to stay here for the night. Mike even hires a band to play for us and the band includes a harp player of all things.


Across the lake we see a motel and head over to the La Finca, which is a very modern motel at a good price. This is the place the crew from Apocalypto stayed. Mike's back has been bothering him so Don and I chip in for a massage. I run into town to look for stickers and see a beautiful church in a very unusual form of architecture. I can’t explain what stickers are and a delivery driver looks at me like I’m crazy.

Back at the motel, Don and I climb into the pool while Mike gets the kneading he is needing. The pool overlooks the lake and has a waterfall and Don and I get pruny.
While eating dinner a huge storm blows in and knocks out the electricity. The people on the balcony outside are literally blown around as is their food and they seek shelter inside. Our room is flooded by the force of the rain through the glass doors, but the motel staff does a great and quick job cleaning the place up. The storm adds to the atmosphere of this magical place. Tomorrow is going to be a long ride.