Last Friday, I got to do something I would never have considered on my own; ride through the jungle to Playa Cacaluta after the sun went down. I have ridden to this beach several times
https://alackofcleardirection.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-perfect-beach-day-at-playa-cacaluta.html
https://alackofcleardirection.blogspot.com/2016/12/return-to-sendero-cruz-del-monte.html
but it is a completely different deal after dark.
Isaac told me there was a group night ride somewhere but there were no other details. I found out our destination when we arrived at the starting point, here at Descubre Huatulco. This is the number one (possibly only) place to rent a bicycle in our town. Lots of places will rent out scooters but a lot of travellers, after spending hours and days on planes and buses, prefer to stretch their legs a bit.
This was more than I'd bargained for. It was already a little past my usual bedtime. But what a great start for the week's vacation. Isaac had felt impulsive one night and attempted this alone. He was quite deep in the trail before the dangerous postion of being alone and vulnerable out there hit home and he turned back. With this group of fellow travellers, everyone equipped with some kind of night light, it couldn't have been safer. Not that animal attacks have ever been a real problem around here, it isn't advisable to go in there alone even in the daylight. The chances of anything like that happening are reduced with every member of your group.
Years ago, on another trail in a group of four, we encountered a pack of four wild dogs. The others jumped behind me while I faced our visitors down, looking for any wood that wasn't too soft and rotten for a weapon. There was nothing. The alpha dog sized us up, gave a huff, and the whole pack turned back the way they had come. I wondered then if that would have ended differently if one of us had been alone.
Strong front lights were essential for avoiding hanging branches, rocks and potholes. My own hadn't been recharged well enough and soon I had a confusing strobe light flashing. One second it's dark, flash, look out for that rock. Dark, flash, dark, flash. Too many surprises. Eventually I just turned it off and depended on the lights from other bikes to show the way. At times, the moonlight was almost enough.
I got separated from Isaac for a bit while he helped a couple of young tourists from the big city who were struggling. I rolled ahead in the moonlight when I found myself way behind any red tail lights in the front and no more lights trailing behind me. We were on an ancient road at that point. Shadows from the trees raised false alarms of potholes and other hazards. I stopped for a cigarette until Isaac and the tourists caught up. It was so so quiet there.
Isaac is always quick to help anyone in trouble so he helped the young tourists navigate their way through some tricky spots and stayed with them for a rest. He wasn't the only one. The whole group was so considerate and protective of everyone else. One of the guides must have tripled the distance the rest of us made, from running to the back again and again to make sure no one had been lost, injured or left behind.
This post doesn't have a lot of pictures for obvious reasons. The moon was full over the beach when we arrived but our smartphones weren't designed for those kind of lighting conditions. I don't think anyone tried. We just rested in the sand and listened to the ocean.
On the return trip, some young guy kept pace just behind me so I could benefit from his strong helmet lamp. These were super nice people.
Huatulco was sleeping when we rolled back to town around 1:00 AM. What a great little adventure.
http://www.oaxaca-mio.com/descubrehuatulco.htm If you are looking for something special on a post -pandemic vacation, here's the link to the people who organized this ride.
