Magic mushrooms, frogs and monks

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Today we had a bike ride planned but there are rain clouds looming. Should we take the chance? We go for some breakfast. Today it is me that chooses ham omelette and beans whilst Ian opts for pancakes. The door in the restaurant is wide open and it feels pretty chilly. We have packed our day bag with a picnic lunch but no waterproofs and the sky is still looking decidedly black.

Breakfast finished, we walk outside and the sky is looking brighter. The sun is even trying to squeeze through between clouds so we decide to give the bikes a go. Cycling in full sunlight would probably not be such a good idea either so the overcast sky is probably going to be a good thing. We head to the three amigos to hire our bikes.

Today there are plenty of bikes on offer and also the option of a guided ATV tour, which certainly looks like it would be a lot less effort, but I am not sure that I would be safe on the roads on one! We decide to stick with the bikes.

It’s a very slick outfit. First we are measured up so that they can get the right size bike and then we are supplied with crash helmets, gloves, bike lock, repair kit and a pump. We are also issued with a repair kit including a complete new inner tube and tools. We won’t be needing it, they assure us, but just for peace of mind!

Now we are given a short lesson on how to ride a mountain bike, how to change gear and how NOT to apply the brakes. They want to see us ride around on the pavement and street in front of the shop. First attempt and I fall off, I ask them for a shorter bike - it may be incorrect but my feet need to be able to feel the floor! It’s not that I have never ridden a bike before, but it’s been many years. My recent experience has been confined to static bikes in the gym...much easier to master!

My bike is duly swapped and my only fault is not remembering to cycle on the correct side of the road! I quickly remember when I see a 4WD heading in my direction! I jokingly ask for a basket to put my things in and they appear with a bag that I can Velcro to the handlebar! Ian also asks for a shorter version bike and now we are almost ready to set off. So now, they are happy that we are safe to go, we are issued with our map and some verbal instructions.

The first part of our ride is easy as we walked it yesterday. Down the road to the fork, turn left at the fork and then up the steep rough track (which I walk) and pay to enter the land at the Indian toll booth.

From here it’s undulating starting with a terrifying downhill freewheel, and remembering the dire warning from the three amigos not to apply the left hand brake too sharply to avoid a mid-air somersault. We are touring a series of valleys with interesting rock formations, although there are scenic rocks everywhere so it’s hard to know whether we have arrived or not! The rock shapes were formed by volcanic activity in the tertiary era which resulted in Rayolite - a soft rock which has been eroded by water and wind over the centuries.

We arrive at a very helpful signpost with arrows in all directions but nothing written on them...we assume the paint has faded in the harsh sun. We branch off to the left following our map and sure enough, the rock formations here do indeed indicate that we have reached the Valley of the Mushrooms. From here it’s a very short ride back to the main track and the Valley of the Frogs. In truth, they are pretty much the same valley!

Now it’s a straightforward peddle over challenging terrain for us, probably not for experienced mountain bikers however! We have a track which, in fairness, is reasonably flat, but full of potholes and the choice of riding through serious potholes or through thick sand. Imagine cycling along a beach?

We have reached a small bridge marked on our map so we know we are still on track and have covered 11km. It’s now a long slow slog uphill to reach a disused airstrip. This is reasonably flat though slightly uphill and extremely bumpy. Put it this way, you would only land an aircraft here if you were desperate!

We have reached a fork in the road at the end of the airstrip. We will need to return to this point but first we are pressing on to visit the Valley of the Monks. Another slightly uphill pedal, passing a fork in the road brings us to another toll booth. Here we are passing into another Indian’s land so it’s another toll booth where we are forced to cough up again.

The Monks are supposed to be the highlight of our tour so we have been encouraged not to rush it. We dismount to take some photos. This involves a scramble up a bank and under a barbed wire fence. Unfortunately I slip on loose shingle coming back and now have a huge tear in my brand new jeans. This is a blow as they are the only ones that fit me properly after my recent weight loss purge! I know it’s fashionable to have huge tears in clothing these days but I really don’t think it’s my style - oh well, I suppose it will be one less thing in the luggage.

Now we have arrived in the Monks Valley proper and, with some imagination, you can see how it got it’s name - the stones look like cloaked figures with little heads on top. We lock up the bikes and find a shady spot to eat part of our picnic lunch before exploring the stones more thoroughly. It looks like we timed it right as a minivan with tourists has just turned up. It’s a Mexican family that we met at the portacabins! We are just exchanging hellos when one of the three amigos turns up on an ATV with another group of visitors.

We retrace our route to the airstrip and branch off through the pine forest. This is a welcome respite as the midday sun is now fierce. We remember to follow the trail of white stones, as instructed earlier. The other trails are for ATVs rather than bikers. This involves picking our way through a stream - I guess we were supposed to ride through but I choose to use the stepping stones and wheel my bike through the water - I was bound to fall off!

The terrain here is a little more tricky with some steep rocky descents - a few of which I find easier to dismount and push! We stand aside as the ATV group passes us. It seems like they are using the same track as us here.

As we descend, the glittering water from Lake Arareko comes into view. I see the ATVs have stopped at a viewpoint so we follow as their guide surely must know all the best places! Sure enough we have a lovely view of the horseshoe shaped lake from up here.

The lake was originally a swamp which was dammed to create a water reservoir for Creel. In the event, it was never used due to its size in comparison to Creel’s growing population. Our map informs us that the lake is full of largemouth bass, mojarra, matalote and charal - we are free to fish, swim or paddle in a hire boat if we fancy. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my swimming costume, otherwise I might well have taken a dip!

We freewheel, cautiously, down to the lake edge where we finish our picnic lunch and enjoy the tranquility (we are the only ones here), sitting on a large rock in the shade.

It’s 1.30pm and we are both feeling pretty tired. We still have the pedal back to Creel to complete and we don’t want to be late returning our bikes. We freewheel from the lake down towards the road for our return trip to town. Half way down Ian has a flat tyre so he stops to pump it up, then we are off on a nice tarmac road...remembering to stay on the right hand side of course!

We haven’t been cycling long when I hear a shout from Ian - his tyre is flat again! We dismount and find a piece of waste land beside the road where Ian can make a closer investigation. The tyre is hissing loudly and is flat again in minutes. Ian locates the culprit - a large piece of sharp metal swarf. Bugger! It’s the back tyre and replacing an inner tube on this wheel is not going to be easy!

Ian opens up the repair kit (the one we were definitely not going to need) and finds the tools to remove the tyre. He pumps up the tube and the hissing is so loud that’s it’s easy to locate the hole. Fortunately a stick on patch seems to do the job. Tyre replaced and tube repumped, we are back on the road again.

The 8km section of road is reasonably easy to cycle...it being properly sealed and relatively flat. We are back in Creel in good time. The amigo that we met at the lake is back at base and welcomes us in. We return our bikes, explain about the repair, and reclaim our passports (left as security).

And now it’s back to the room for a well earned shower and siesta! We have both caught the sun and Ian estimates that we have cycled around 24km today.

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