Dave's Travel Pages

Greek Island Hopping | Greece Travel Itineraries | Bicycle Touring

Travel Tips, Itineraries and Guides to Greece, Europe and beyond!

  • Greece Travel
  • Greek Islands
  • Athens
  • Santorini
  • Mykonos
  • Bike Touring

Last Updated On January 25, 2023 by Dave Briggs Leave a Comment

Cycling from San Jeronimo to Acapulco in Mexico – Bicycle Touring Diary

Today's section of cycling across Mexico took me from San Jeronimo to the famous city of Acapulco. I admit to singing the song to myself as I cycled in!

The Plastic Problem

(Blog post written January 25th, 2010)

I left Hotel Coloso (yes, really) at about 8.00 and hit the road. It was another day of pretty easy riding, although today, the amount of rubbish on the roadside was really noticeable.

A lot of the bike touring blogs I read mention the rubbish, but until today, I hadn’t found it too bad when compared with other countries around the world. 

In the more hilly regions of Mexico, most town's rubbish dumps are located on a hill, just outside of the town, normally off the road by a hundred metres or so. The rubbish generally isn’t land filled, but thrown from peoples vehicles into the general area, and then occasionally set fire too.

Because these areas are rarely signposted or fenced, and are still visible, some tourists assume that people are just dumping their rubbish anywhere, which isn’t necessarily the case (although, sometimes they can’t be bothered to go as far as the dump, and just launch it from the back of their vehicles anywhere).

Recycling – We need to make it work

The villages I passed today, however, were different in that they were on flat lands, and had no hill to take it too.  Instead, they dumped it on the roadside on the village boundary.

The rubbish is predominantly plastic bottles, and used toilet tissue (which can’t be flushed down the toilets). With tin and drink cans being recyclable for pesos these are rarely thrown away.

Now, obviously it is a shame that the viewable countryside was spoiled – But the thing is, that even if it was land filled, it would still be present. Landfilling it, as we do in say England, does not make it disappear or invisible. It is still there.

So, I guess what I am trying to say, is to have a look at the rubbish you are throwing away, and ask yourself  ‘Could I have bought that in another recyclable package?’, ‘Did I actually need that?’, and importantly ‘Can I recycle this instead of putting it in the black bag?’. I'd definitely recommend using a water filter for travel simply to cut down on the amount of plastic bottles used.

Related: How to use less plastic when you travel

Anyhow, now that bit of tree hugging is over with, back to the travelogue…

Cycling into Acapulco

Approaching Acapulco, there were some roadworks and a series of hills, with traffic backed up for some way. I was beating some of the traffic uphill it was that bad.

Then, it was the crazy descent into the sprawling city, and cycling through the mayhem. It wasn’t as bad as cycling through say Cairo, or Istanbul, but it was mad enough, and called for awareness!

I made my way down to the malecon, and found a hotel. For 200 pesos a night at Hotel Del Angel, I have got the most awesome view out over the bay in Acapulco possible.

Cycling from San Jeronimo to Acapulco in Mexico - Bicycle Touring Diary

Read more about cycling from Alaska to Argentina

Use the links below

  • Previous day of bike tour
  • Next day of bike tour
  • Bike Touring in Mexico

Also read:

  • What is Mexico famous for?
  • Mexico Instagram Captions
 

Filed Under: January 2010 Travelogue

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Dave’s Travel Blog

Dave Briggs, writer at Dave's Travel Pages

On this travel site, you'll find detailed guides and tips on traveling to Greece, as well as bikepacking blogs about cycling around the world. Dave's Travel Pages is an essential resource for planning trips to popular destinations like the Greek islands as well as preparing for adventures in off the beaten path destinations.

Find out more about Dave Briggs and this blog by clicking here

Recent Travel Posts

  • Can you bring spices on a plane?
  • River Captions And Quotes That Flow Beautifully!
  • What Are Bike Tire Caps And Do You Need Them?
  • Songs About Bicycles

Dave’s Travel Pages has a number of affiliate links placed within the travel blog. If you decide to buy items through these links, you will be helping Dave to fund this site and perhaps the next adventure. More importantly, it doesn’t cost you anything extra. Win win – we like that!

Dave’s Travel Blog Privacy Policy

Read our privacy policy here

You might also be interested in:

  • Travel by Bicycle
  • Travel Quotes
  • Travel to Athens
  • Greece Travel Guides
  • Dave’s Santorini Travel Guide

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Europe Travel Blogs
  • Asia Travel Blogs
  • Americas Travel Blogs

"Copyright Dave's Travel Pages (c) 2005- - 2022 "