Day 7   22 January 2003

          We said our thanks and goodbyes to Didier and his family and a member of the local bike club led us out of town and down the road to the turn off " short cut " to Tulum. He told us the road was pretty good till  Coba but the next 42 klicks were very, very bad and dangerous, with LARGE, DEEP potholes everywhere. Boy was he right !!!! We were standing up swerving from one side of the road to the other dodging them. Gator was having a tough time with his extra width. Stopped at a roadside souvenir stand  for a break and looked over their wares.
          We made it into Tulum and found a good bank and ATM for Nelio to replenish his cash. The exchange rate was 10.60, the best we had found. Money affairs taken care of we hit a good restaurant and I had some of the best Chili Relleno ever, and the obligatory 2 Dos Equis also.

          The parking was tight so we just parked on the sidewalk right near our table. No problemo, Senor. The Harleys were welcome everywhere.

          After the food had setteled some we took off for the ruins which, as it turned out were very close.
Yucatan, Mexico
                  continued
one of the first things we saw at Tulum were the pole dancers
as nice and awe inspiring as Tulum was it was hot and bright and we all headed for the shade
Tulum was right on a beautiful beach and our shady vantage point let us see the ruins as well as the bikini clad senoritas cavorting in the sand and surf ---- trust a TwoDog to find the best spot
          The ruins were impressive and hot. They were right slam on the impossibly blue Caribbean Sea. The parking area and the ever present vendors were about a quarter of a mile from the actual ruins and you could either walk or ride the shuttle for $15 pesos each(1.50usd). Needless to say, we opted for the transport.  Bigfoot treated us to round-trip rides on the tractor pulled shuttle cars. It sure beat the crap out of getting heatstroke.

          George had been wearing his plastic reflective vest all day and was showing signs of giving out. He was blaming it on Montezuma's revenge but we all thought it was the heat and alcohol combination.

          Waiting on the shuttle we watched the pole dancers put on their show of spinning down and around the pole on ropes tied to their feet. Accompanied by a guy sitting on top of the pole playing a flute.

          It was all very impressive and we would not have missed it for anything but it was time to move on and see a little more of Mexico.

          Not very far out of Tulum was a camping area called Santa Fe and we had passing thoughts about staying there and just sleeping on the beach or in a rental palapa . That is until we gave it a good once over and saw the old piss bottles sitting on the floor by the beds -- bare mattresses -- no covers of any kind  -- modern day hippies and Euro-Trash playing bongos and other drums, which we learned later, went on all night long.

          George was pretty well out of it by this time  hot, sick and tired and just looking for a place to rest his head. He really wanted to stay here but I don't think he would have been very happy in the morning when he was picking off the crabs and lice.

Cocktail time !! Office of Santa Fe camping area in the background
The palapa you see back and to the right over T-Shirt George's wore out ass was the only rental left -- no thanks!!!
A clean tent on the beach would have been great
All you TwoDogs think about this scene when it's pouring rain and your'e in a muddy campground freezing your ass off -- you now know were to go
          We beat a hasty trail out of there and shortly hit a divided highway  -- 307  and headed north to Playa del Carmen. It was a 70mph road for sure and we made good time for the 65 or so klicks into town. We wondered around for a bit looking for a hotel when a guy on a sportster, Eikka Huhtala, rode up and ask if we needed any help. I guess we looked lost. He led us to the "Hotel Paradise" which we promptly renamed "The Blue Penis"  look at the picture.
          Eikka had his office in the hotel so he was probably getting a kickback from the owner for steering us there but what the hell, we really needed a room and $50.00usd a nite seemed reasonable for the Mexican Riviera.
          After supper I went across the street to a laundry and ask where the nearest telephone was. The hotel did not have one, as is so often the case down here,  the phone service sucks.

          Turns out that the laundry was owned by a young couple from New York and he directed me to a pay phone one block down the street. Phone card worked fine and I had a good long conversation with Lizzard -- .32 cents/minute on my Sam's card so it wasn't too bad. While looking for the phone I ran across an Internet Café so I stopped back by and checked out the website and signed the guest book.

          Things seem to be falling in line here. Got a chance to get the laundry done too. Time to hit the sack.
Day 8 23 January 2003

          Back to the Internet  Café this morning after breakfast to check on the website and check e-mails. It's a good way to stay in touch while in Central America. They are in most towns down here and are usually pretty cheap. The connections run from really fast to reaaally sloooooow.



          We got up with Eikka and he led us to a place where Nelio could rent a Harley for the day for $50.00usd. The Harley rental place in Cancun was $185.00 a day + insurance+ $3000.00 security deposit. Nelio got an old blue sportster that was promptly dubbed "Mad Max". It wasn't pretty but it ran good and best of all he didn't have to ride bitch with anyone.
          Everything straightened out and Nelio aboard his own bike we took off back down 307 to Puerto Aventuras for a little "Fun in the Sun". Sitting by the seashore sippin suds and just maybe getting our tootsies wet in the warm, blue Caribbean Sea. Met a couple of ladies there, Deborah and Jewel. Promised Jewel we would come by her place later in the day, but right now we had bizzness to tend to.
Thats T-Shirt George with the binoculars watching a topless bather down the beach from us  ---  "Whiteboy" and "Little Brown Buddy" wading --- Bigfoot made the comment that he had eaten enough salsa to shit a 5lb sack of onions --- after all the sightseeing and riding it was great to sit back in the warm sunshine and do nothing for a change. Thankful we weren't shoveling black, shitty snow and slush.
Enough lazing around, we promised Jewel a visit
When Gator saw the motor homes and beaches here his next long vacation was set. I'll bet you a dollar to a doughnut he has had the road atlas out planning his trip.
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          Let's see now, if Gator brings his motorhome and bike down here next year and I could talk Lizzard into coming with me we could probably camp on his lot and not wear out our welcome for several days -----  Hummmmmmmmm ?????
          Jewel was very nice and invited us in to her palapa for a beer/highball. I think she got Gator all hot about coming down in his motorhome next year. Alaska last year, why not mexico next year????

          Off and up the road to the "Cenote Azul".  The place was truly amazing and beautiful and they are scattered all up and down this coast. Wish we had time to visit each one.

The colors here were almost too saturated and intense to register on my poor befuddled brain -- it's almost Disneylike but then you realize it's just mother nature showing her stuff.
did not know what we were riding into
Mayan construction crew
          Supper tonight  was lobster at what we were told was one of the better seafood restaurants in Playa del Carmen-- not so  started off fine when the waiter brought out a tray with 10 lobsters on it and said we could have all 10 for $55.00usd. That was $11.00 each for a two lobster meal?? Seemed like a no brainer to me until they badly overcooked them. They were tough as hell but we ate them anyway.

          We had decided to remain in Playa del Carmen one more night to check out "Alux", a bar/nightclub in a natural cave --  complete with stalagmites and stalactites, pools of water, passages and secluded rock rooms closed off from the rest of the cave with gauze like floor to ceiling drapes and furnished with couches and what appeared to be king sized beds !!!
The entertainment tonight was a Lebanese belly dancer and later a Peruvian music group. We got to see the dancer but missed the group as they weren't to start until 11:30pm and we were beat. Oh well  tomorrow Cancun.
Day 9  24 January 2003

Packed up and said so long to the German woman who owned the Blue Penis and to Eikka and split for Cancun, north on 307. It was a fairly short ride of 70 klicks or so. We pulled over at a roadside stop south of town. The wind was blowing and the red, no swimming, flags were up on the beach but it was magnificent all the same.

It looked bad and stormy but never rained and was warm and comfortable.
          The first stop was at the Harley rental place where we shot the shit until a guy came in and told the owner that one of his renters had just wrecked one of his bikes and was covered up in road rash and who knew what else. The owner split in a hurry to check it out  the rider ??? or the bike ????

          We had by now, learned that city driving in Mexico took a lot of balls and very quick decisions and reflexes  no shrinking violets here  you either shit or you were KNOCKED off the pot !!! On the whole trip we only rode 793 miles but fully 10% of those were adrenalin pumping, white knuckle city riding. The traffic roundabouts were jumpin/jumpout affairs where your safety depended on your ability to make snap judgments. I was always so stoked after a city ride it took me a little while to settle back down to a normal heartbeat. I may be over-exaggerating a bit here--but not much. There were several very close calls over our 7 day ride, some from inattention and some just because--- they were not because we were riding in a reckless fashion.

          There was a bar next to the rental place so we stopped in for a beer or two before heading to the large modern mall for some shopping and a stop at the Harley-Davidson  shop  a clothing/accessory only store. Talk about high prices  this place was only for the rich wannabees.

          T-Shirt George enjoyed shopping for his wife and Possum found an Internet Café to check on the website.

          We met back up down in the parking area and headed to wal-mart / grocery / liquor for necessary supplies.

          While waiting with the bikes a very pretty blonde senorita came over on a bicycle and was admiring the bikes. She told me she rode a 600cc Honda crotch rocket. We talked for a bit in spanglish and she told me of a reasonable motel nearby.

           I passed the info along to Nelio but he wanted to stop by to see his wife's cousin that lived here. Stopped by the cousins house and here came Veronica(the blonde) on her Honda. She just lived right down the block. After a short visit she and her husband Erick led us to the "Suites Albatros SA" a good place for the night. Reasonably clean and cheap for Cancun.
          Nelio was hot to go to the nightclub "Pericos", not too far from our motel so after a shower and clean clothes we took off --- me riding bitch w/Bigfoot cause I had already moved my bike into the courtyard for safekeeping. Cornbread, Gator with Nelio riding bitch. We were set for a Friday night in Cancun.

HOLY SHIT !!!! IT'S PARTY TIME !!!!

The pictures below tell only a fraction of the story -----------------

They staged a real live cockfight right beside our table --- the white rooster kicked the shit outta the brown one !!!!
Neilo fell in love until he found out she was a $2000.00usd         ho---stess. Her  name is Monica and she likes big cigars.                her website is:

The shots we all had were flaming big time -- you just can't see the blue alcohol flames as it was poured into a funnel full of ice a down our throats.
The Devil made me do it !! -- twice !!
Guide-dog was really a frustrated Mariachi singer
Kiss me sweet lips
          Our waiter whistled everywhere he went -- loudly and shrilly -- he danced, pranced and told the other waiters to " hurry the fuck up" or "get the fuck out of the way" in a very loud voice, but in a good natured, party kind of way.
Suck it up Foot
          I'm sure all the TwoDogs will hear tons of stories -- some of them might actually be true -- some will probably be total fabrications, or at least will be denied to the last dying breath.
Veronica & Erick

Day 10  25 January 2003

          Saturday morning and we had to beat a hasty trail back to Merida to get Nelio home and to be close so we could make it to the ferry by 11:00am Sunday and turn in our steeckers.

          We decided to take the "Auto Pista" or "Quota" road even though it cost $26.00usd  for 233 klicks  --  it was worth it as the road was fenced to keep the animals off and was well paved and smooth. Plus the added attraction of no junkers or trucks or taxis.

          Hit our first military checkpoints on it. One of them had a really uptight officer that said "no pictures" --  but I took one anyway. Got a few more at the next one.

          Gator led for a while and when he got tired of leading he ask me to take over, I promptly kicked the speed up to 75-80mph range and was zoned out and kicked back enjoying myself immensely when Bigfoot came up alongside and gave me a thums up sign. We rode along like that for a while just enjoying the sunshine when Foot decided to kick it up a notch --- 85-90-95-100-  and here came T-Shirt George on his BMW wanting to play. The speeds topped out at 110mph before the front ends began to get light and our good sense took over.

          There was a Pemex station about halfway to Merida and we stopped to see if anyone needed gas or a rest stop. This was the time that Cornbreads bike took to take a dump ---  the starter finally gave up. Tried to pull him off but the rope got tangled around the wheel and tore the speedo cable off. Finally pushed him to the pumps to get gas. Had a drink and got Cbread's bike started again, I think that Bigfoot kicked it off( it had a kick starter). Once it was running we made it Julio's place thinking maybe he had the parts to fix it. No such luck. Kick it back home.

          We went back to the first motel we had stayed at and got a room for the night  -- had a pizza supper at Nelio's house and hit the sack  all of us were tired from the party the night before.

          We wound up our trip with a walk on the beach at Progreso and a few $3.00 T-shirts.  Some more "Pescado Frito" for lunch and a bus ride back to the boat.

          Bigfoot made the mistake of eating the soft "spoonmeat" out of half a green coconut, ask him what the results were.

          The good times were not over as we had two more nights on board the Scotia Prince --- much to the dismay of the crew.



IT WAS A TRIP OF A LIFETIME AND WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN BY THE 6 AMIGOS


                      Thank you Nelio
and thanks to the wonderful people of Mexico for           being so open hearted and generous
"THE BLUE PENIS"
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Possum getting a gutfull