APOTA – The Mexican Adventure 2025

[Apota]

Backdated ride report from a 60+ day solo motorcycle journey through Ed’s head and mainland Mexico.

One man, one KTM, walking, sweating and figuring it out as he goes.

Originally shared in parts on Facebook — this is the full story, posted here day by day. Not a highlight reel, the real ride.

[Apota]

Before we get into the ride itself, here’s a quick look at how I prepared — and I use that word loosely.

Training? Absolutely. I’ve been in the gym 5 to 6 days a week for years. But for this trip, I decided to take it next level.

Here’s the training video. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.



Packing? Controlled chaos. Camera gear, backup gear, gear I didn’t need but brought anyway. I left Puerto Peñasco in early February with a KTM 1290 Super Adventure T, no solid schedule, and a route that was “mostly, sorta, kinda” planned.

Right before I left, a guy on the beach named Brian asked me what I was doing. I told him I hoped to do a ride report.

He looked at me and said, “Hope is not a strategy.”

That landed. So here we are — no hoping, just doing. This is me figuring out HUBB and telling the story as it unfolded.

Next post: what kind of ride report this actually is, and how it’s structured.

[Apota]

Alright, before I start dropping Day 1 and beyond, here’s the setup.

This ride happened earlier this year — starting in early February. I’ve been on the road over 60 days, riding solo through mainland Mexico. These posts are
backdated but were written day-by-day while the trip was happening. I’m posting now that I’ve had time to breathe, sort photos, and clean things up a bit.

So, if you’re wondering why the weather doesn’t match real-time or why it feels like I’m talking from the past — that’s why.

You’ll get one day per post — some longer, some short and sweet. The ride had all the usual ingredients: dirt, pavement, blown plans, great food, weird encounters, and a lot of walking (yeah, I log more steps than most riders would ever admit).

There’s no fake drama, no clickbait, and no affiliate links to my favorite socks. Just the ride, as it happened.

[Apota]

The ride kicked off from Puerto Peñasco, Mexico where I’d been staged for a bit, living out of the motorhome and getting everything dialed. The bike was packed, the last-minute logistics handled, and when the day came to roll out — I rolled. No fanfare. Just threw a leg over and pointed the front wheel south. And it felt damn good to get moving.

I left Puerto Peñasco early and eased into the first real day of the trip. I’ve been prepping for this for a while now — physically, mentally, mechanically — and there’s still a moment where it doesn’t feel real until you’re on the road. That moment hit today.

Cautious Optimism and a Full Tank (Literally)
I wouldn’t say I was in full-blown adventure mode yet — maybe more like cautiously engaged. I need a few more days before I can say everything feels dialed: me, the bike, the gear, and the headspace. But the first steps were taken, and that counts.

The fuel gauge decided to stick at full, so that will be fun. I tracked mileage manually — burned about 26 liters for the day and got around 43 mpg. No complaints from the bike otherwise. Nothing fell off, nothing rattled loose, and it ran smooth all day.

Body Check
I’m in good shape overall, but I’m not in full riding shape yet. Stiffness crept in after an hour or so. I had to stop and stretch often — swinging arms, shaking things loose, walking it off. The birthday count might be catching up a bit. I figure a few more days and my body will settle in.

Roads, Stops, and Slalom Mode
Highway 3 served up the usual mixed bag:
• About half the ride was smooth and easy
• Some rough patches and cracked pavement
• A few legit pothole slalom zones with sand in the holes for fun

No sketchy traffic, no wild gravel, just the usual flavor of Mexican roads. The 1290 soaked it up and kept me rolling.

Only a few official stops: a customs-style checkpoint and two quick chats with local police. Standard stuff — “Where you going?” and “Can I see your registration?” — nothing serious. One survey-looking checkpoint I bypassed without issue.

Landing in Bahía Kino
Rolled into Bahía Kino and scouted a bit before settling on a basic hotel. Small, laid-back town with a decent pier and a quiet energy. I had fish tacos at Brisas Del Mar — killer meal and a solid ocean view to end the day.

Photos from Day 1
Instead of embedding individual pictures, I’m experimenting with short slideshow-style videos for this ride report. This first one is more of a pilot — just a handful of photos, some narration, some text, and it runs about 60 seconds. It’s a work in progress and will evolve into whatever it should be. Future posts will include more images, and maybe more narration… or maybe none, if it’s just pics. A bit more polish will come as I settle into the workflow.



Day 1 Takeaways
• Gotta stretch more and ease into riding shape
• Fuel gauge isn’t working, so it’s all range math from here
• Packing system still evolving — need better access to daily gear
• Roads are hit-and-miss, but manageable. No big surprises

Tomorrow, head south and make it .. AllPartOfTheAdventure

[9w6vx]

Nice!

[Apota]

Easy Miles and Flying Driveshafts

A short and easy ride today — just 120 miles from Bahía Kino to San Carlos, with about two and a half hours in the saddle. The roads were a little better than Day 1, but still had their fair share of potholes. Nothing wild, just enough to keep you alert.

A “What the Hell Was That?” Moment
I pulled over mid-morning for a water break and stretch. While I was standing there, a propane truck rumbled past. Something about it sounded off — a weird metal clatter or vibration I couldn’t quite pin down. Didn’t think too much of it at the time.

A few miles later, I saw that same truck pulled over on the shoulder… but what really caught my eye was the chunk of something massive lying in the middle of the road.

At first, I thought it was a tire. But as I got closer, I realized it was the truck’s driveshaft — full assembly, hanger bearing and all. Looked like 120 pounds of twisted steel, maybe 10 feet long, just sitting there on the blacktop like a missile someone forgot to launch.

That thing could’ve killed someone.

If I’d been riding behind that truck when it let go, it would’ve been ugly. No room to dodge, no time to react. Just a flying chunk of steel coming at you at highway speed. So yeah — a reminder to anyone riding out here: don’t hang too close behind anything big. Blown tires, brake drums, driveshafts… there’s plenty on the road that can turn your day (or your life) upside down.

Checkpoint Quickie
One police checkpoint at an intersection near a station. They asked where I was headed, took a look at my driver’s license, gave the bike a once-over, and waved me on. Nothing complicated.

Landing in San Carlos
San Carlos made a good first impression. It’s noticeably cleaner and more organized than Bahía Kino, with more restaurants and a bit of structure. I cruised around town for a while before checking into the Totonaka RV Park. Overpaid for a small room — but as an RV guy, I wanted to see what the park was like. It’s a solid setup. Definitely nicer than anything I’ve seen in Puerto Peñasco. Lots of Canadians around.

Could be a place to spend more time in the future — maybe an RV stop next year?

Day 2 Takeaways
• Easy miles, no rush — short days are underrated
• Don’t ride close behind trucks — ever
• San Carlos is worth exploring more
• Hitting the gym on the road? 100% worth it

Tomorrow? No clue yet. Might stick around and explore for another day. I know, no food porn today — kept it on the sun side so my snacks stayed warm. Priorities.

Good day and it's .. AllPartOfTheAdventure

Photos from Day 2
Another short slideshow-style video again today — I’m still playing with format. This one’s just a few photos and clips, nothing dramatic, but it gives a feel for the day.

[SpringBreak]

I’ve read all of these and subscribed to your thread. I never commented just so you’d have a continuous thread for future readers.

I absolutely love your writing, and was worried when the posts started to slow. I hope you finish the reports - or if you finish them elsewhere please link them as I’d love to finish reading your journey.

Your writing has that great style of some excellent travel writers that makes you feel transported there - the right balance of detail and story without bogging down in either.

[9w6vx]

Apota,

Great report.

I post my ride reports here just as a travel journal so that I can always look back to the places I've been. As time passes by I tend to forget and re-reading my own reports jogs my memory.

HU members don't comment much on ride reports.

[Apota]

Big Roads, Big Trucks, and a Bit of a Letdown

Left Escárcega early this morning and made my way to Chetumal. And yes, pretty much straight roads again the whole way. Big highway, wide shoulders, decent pavement overall, but not particularly exciting. There was a fair bit of traffic and a lot of construction. I’d say around 30% of the ride was torn up or being worked on. Some of it you couldn’t even figure out what they were doing. Some of it seemed kind of pointless, but I’m sure someone has a plan.
And the military presence? Heavy. Not patrolling, but big army trucks—convoys hauling gear, and some even helping with the construction. There’s gotta be a big base somewhere nearby. They were everywhere.
So yeah, kind of a cruise. Nothing challenging, just time in the saddle. Lost an hour due to a time zone shift when I hit Chetumal.

Chetumal: Not What I Imagined
Now, about Chetumal. This was supposed to be a bit of a milestone. Even though Zihuatanejo was the fun, symbolic first stage destination, Chetumal was the real geographical turnaround point. The Caribbean coast. The edge. I always knew I’d end up here before heading north up the coast toward Cancún.
And I’m not sure what I was expecting—but it wasn’t this.

Chetumal is just really different. It’s flat, like most of the peninsula, and the streets are wide, blacktop, and laid out almost like a grid. No cobblestone, no brick, none of the usual charm. It felt… like the USA or Canada. Honestly, parts of it really reminded me of a smaller U.S. or Canadian city. And maybe that was part of the problem.
I’d planned to treat myself to a seafront room on the Malecón. First hotel didn’t seem to exist anymore, but the next one had a great corner room with a wraparound view on the third floor. Room wasn’t quite ready, so I sat down at the restaurant and had a simple Milanesa de Pollo. And it was… fine. Not bad, just very “prepared.” Like something you’d get in a chain restaurant back home. The sauce was decent, but the vibe was off. Wait staff felt less friendly than what I’ve gotten used to all across Mexico. Prices were definitely more touristy.

Exploring the City
Once I was settled in, I cleaned up and hit the Malecón. The weather didn’t help—overcast, windy, and the sea was rough and a bit dirty. So no turquoise Caribbean postcard view today. Still, I walked a good stretch of it. The Malecón itself is long and clean, but again—felt kind of impersonal. Government buildings lined a big stretch of it, and what I thought were vendor tents turned out to be protest camps. Dozens of them. Some kind of civil worker or education protest from what I could tell, with banners, folding chairs, and signs everywhere.
There are a lot of statues here. Every few hundred feet, another monument to someone or something—some impressive, some not so much. There’s even a huge structure out over the water that looks like maybe a lighthouse or something marine-related. Nope—Googled it, and it serves no real purpose. I think it’s called the Mega Escultura. It might house tourism offices underneath, but otherwise? Just kind of… there. And the waterfront was a lot of nightclubs and restaurants that looked pretty uptown, not very Mexican

As I made my way back through central, I kept trying to figure out why it all felt so off. And here’s some thoughts. In the smaller towns across Mexico, the markets and street vendors feel personal. You’re buying from someone who owns that spot, who lives off what they sell. You feel a connection. Here, it’s mostly storefronts—big, clean, organized places, staffed by employees. There’s just not the same soul in it. The streets are all like that, because they are wide and far apart that sense of closesness and community are lost. I did not see many streets that two cars could not comfortably pass with cars parked on either side, unless it was a one way and they were also wide with parking on both sides.
In “real” Mexico, the vendors are shoulder to shoulder, or their store and wares literally spill out onto the sidewalk. Here? There’s nothing really on the sidewalk. Because who would put it all out and bring it in every day? Employees??

Chetumal isn’t bad. It’s just… not what I thought it would be. For the most part on this trip I have just let myself be amazed and taken it all in, no thoughts on how "it would be" and possibly that was my mistake here. Or maybe I caught it on a rough day. Maybe the sea is bluer when the wind isn’t blowing. Maybe the smiles come easier on another day. But after so much warmth and character in the towns I’ve passed through, this place felt kind of sterile. A little Western. A little… forgettable.

Calling It a Night
So that was Day 37. A long straight ride, a new town, and a reminder that expectations can be tricky. You never really know what you’re gonna get. I might hang around a little tomorrow, or I might push north. But I'm moving forward much more open minded on what is ahead.

And that's why it's called .. AllPartOfTheAdventure

ps: Back in Escárcega, someone mentioned they thought they’d heard Andy and Red were heading toward Chetumal. After today, I can’t imagine they’d be here. Maybe I just didn’t find the right part of town. Or maybe they worked there way up the coast to somewhere smaller.

[Apota]

A Short Ride, a Long Exhale

Not a very big mileage day. Went all the way from Chetumal to Bacalar. According to Google Maps, a whole 40 kilometers—25 miles. A big day indeed.
Got up this morning and decided my best move was probably to leave Chetumal. Had some advice from Throttlemeister that I would probably like Bacalar or Mahahual. Well, he was dead on with that advice. I’ve been looking for a down day, so I grabbed a spot in Bacalar, a block off the lagoon, and called it a day. I probably had the room settled at the Hotel SUR and was off the bike by noon. So yeah, that worked out good, and I had a feeling I would like Bacalar.

I couldn’t really check into the room until 3 o’clock. But they let me put my stuff by reception, which was perfect. They also gave me a spot to change, and then I headed out to see what Bacalar is all about. I kind of wanted to do a kayak tour, or even just rent a kayak, but it was still too windy and too rough—even on the lagoon—so that wasn’t an option. Didn’t feel like going for a boat tour, so I just went for a big ol’ walk.

Eco Park and Waterfront Time
Ended up at this eco-park where you can walk through the mangroves and greenery, then out onto the water on an elevated walkway. There are little spots where you can go down and swim in the water and stuff like that. Pretty cool. Beside it was a long pier with a palapa at the end—seemed like the perfect place to hang out, lay in the sun, just relax and enjoy the day. Did that, and that was pretty cool.
One thing worth mentioning is access to the lagoon is very difficult. You either get to it by being in an establishment on the lagoon like a restaurant or bar / beach club or pay for the eco park as I did, 20 pesos. There are a couple public access points, but they are quite a ways apart I believe.

By the time I was done on my walking tour the room was ready, so I went and got everything tucked away.

Town Vibes, Fort, and a Familiar Feel
After I got sorted, I went out to see what the town was about. You know what? Kind of back to more of what I’m used to. It’s definitely touristy here—there are people from all over, and it covers the whole gamut from older couples to backpackers to solo travelers. But it’s got a good vibe. It’s happy, of course they are, they’re on holidays..!!

There’s a big central park and a huge fort—Fort of San Felipe, built in 1729 or something like that—with a museum inside. The fort is restored very nicely. I did a little tour of that. The museum’s pretty cool too. Most of the signs in the museum had English translations, which was great—didn’t even need to use the translator app. There was a fee for admission and it was 110 pesos. Note: nothing much is free in Bacalar.

The park in centro was a little quiet that early in the day, but still colorful and alive. It was totally alive by 7:00pm and rockin. Along with all the tourist-snaggling bars, restaurants, there are still street vendors. And it’s that Mexican street vendor feel again, spilling onto the sidewalk. Not the big box stores like Chetumal. So yeah, I liked the vibe here. It was quite a bit better. I stopped in a few shops, checked things out and yes verified that things are neither free or inexpensive in Bacalar.
And in the centro area there was a church, big but fairly simple, but the yard it was in was really park-like, big trees and benches. Not the big grounds of the cathedrals but a really nice spacious yard. I have not seen that yet anywhere.

Ride Along the Water (Well close to the water)
And I didn’t stay off the bike completely—jumped back on and took a ride down what I guess you’d call the coast, or at least the boulevard along the bay. Rode the whole thing. It’s nice. Kind of a cottage country feeling, but not with cottages—more with bars, hostels, restaurants, beach clubs, and tour operators. It’s nice. Fresh, clean-looking. Tourism obviously helps here. It’s a vibing, bouncing town.

A Chill Night
Didn’t do anything over the top for food—just grabbed some street tacos, and that was about it. Great day to relax, catch up a bit. Not totally off the bike, but just kind of chillax. And I don’t know, it’s nice enough here that I might hang out another day. Might carry on to Mahahual or Tulum. Not sure yet, and don’t have to be either..!!

I think my experience with this is going to be kind of more or less like this all the way up the Caribbean coast. I’m not sure. But I kind of got my head around it a bit now.







more pics here..

[Apota]

From Lagoon Calm to Tulum Vibes

A Late Start, a Straight Road .. Very Straight
I had a bunch of stuff to get to this morning, so it was a fairly late start out of Bacalar. Decided I’d bump up north somewhere, and finally ended up making it to Tulum.
Not much to report on the road. Just a big old straight highway with some rough spots, potholes, and construction. A few small towns and the occasional topes, but otherwise… it’s just a road. Not scenic, not twisty, just a road. I plugged along pretty briskly and got into Tulum late afternoon.

The Hotel Shuffle
The first hotel I went to had their system down. After standing there for 20+ minutes while they tried to figure out what they wanted to do, my spidey senses went off and I passed. They didn’t seem to care either way.
Went a little further and found Hotel KAAB. It was great—900 pesos, main floor, parking tucked off the street (not hidden, but fine), decent pool, big room, all the amenities. AC included. I was in. Got unpacked, cleaned up, and headed out to see what Centro is all about here in Tulum, Quintana Roo.

Fish Tacos , Piercings and Man Buns
Once I got onto 307—the main drag through Centro—it was clear this place is buzzing. Very, very touristy, but full of energy. Streets packed, people everywhere. I didn’t get far before I stopped at a spot called Don Cafeto.
The plates I passed looked solid, so I ordered the fish tacos. Before they even landed, I had chips, salsa, green dip, and a bowl of vegetables. Then the tacos came—full plate, and absolutely fantastic. At least I thought so. They hit the spot.

While sitting at a sidewalk table, I really started to notice: the people-watching in Tulum is over the top. Tattoos, piercings, man buns, shaved heads (the girls), yoga gear, beachwear, long flowing dresses some of the girls even had long flowing dresses. You name it. I sat there thinking, “I don’t really fit in here.” No man bun (need hair for that), no tattoos, no piercings. I might need to find something to help me stand out—or maybe carry a cushion to sit on at a yoga bar. Not being judgemental just my observations. You do you..!!
It’s trendy. Lots of yoga. Fitness. Cafes and bars where you sit on the floor and sip tea or craft . Salsa, pole dancing, sound baths—probably all of it. Eclectic is the word. I mean the tourists, and there’s a lot of them. The locals seemed to be less "artistic" shall we say.

Centro Comes Alive
Once I finished my meal, I carried on and it just got busier. The shops felt more alive. Yes, wide sidewalks and streets like Chetumal, but not box stores. Still has that Mexican street vendor vibe. And every side street off 307 is full of funky little spots—bars, coffee houses, street art. I think that is for the tourist effect.

Eventually hit the plaza, the central park, and this thing was going off. One of the most happening plazas I’ve seen yet. Tourists, sure, but mostly locals. Girls soccer on a mini field, full on basketball game happening, a massive market with vendors selling everything but food (food vendors were on the surrounding streets). Big stage. Mexican dancers, with the crowd cheering, hooting and clapping. Saturday night in full swing.
Walked farther and the shops changed—smoke shops, mezcal, tequila. Tulum is alive. And that was just centro I didn’t even get into the rest of town yet. Wandered some of the side streets, passed some cool bars, funky murals. Didn’t see any historic buildings. No church spotted yet. I’m sure there’s a central market somewhere, but I didn’t find it.
Traffic’s mostly cars, scooters, and taxis. Not many tuk-tuks or three-wheelers like other towns. It moves fast and a little aggressive.

Room Recovery and Wrapping It Up
Got back to the hotel thinking I scored a great room deal… until I realized there was no AC. When I asked, they said the power was out. Funny, since I had lights and a fan and everything else. So, who knows.
Cranked the fan, sat down to write this—and the AC kicked back on. Back to a good deal.

So that’s it. Day 39. Not a ton of pictures, but some. Tomorrow I’ll check out more of Tulum. Maybe the beach. Might stay another day. We’ll see how it goes.

Maybe I’ll get a piercing or a tattoo.
or ... Not.!!
Because that will not be, AllPartOfTheAdventure







click here for more pics