Juchitan to Monte Pio – April 16

There has been no shortage of rain in this part of Mexico, evidenced by flooded fields and numerous swollen muddy rivers that we crossed on our way from coast to coast.  The skies were fairly ominous for most of the day as well, but the rain held off.

We had decided to stay outside of Vera Cruz for the night, at the tiny village of Monte Pio.  The road to Monte Pio passes through Catemaco, adjacent to the Laguna of the same name. The views were spectacular, and the road soon became narrow with a dense jungle canopy above as we rode through the Volcan San Martin Biosphere Reserve and down towards the Gulf of Mexico.    This is the first time we have seen the Atlantic Ocean since leaving Argentina for Tierra del Fuego.Monte Pio fits its billing of “tiny village”, being a collection of only about 25 buildings including one operating hotel where we checked in for the night.We rode the short distance down to the sea-shore, and ate dinner in an open-air restaurant right on the beach while a local fisherman tried his hand with a net in the surf.Tomorrow we’ll ride north along the coast past Vera Cruz, up towards Papantla.