A pretty seamless day: off to JFK early; did not get charged the bicycle fee (typically $100!) or even the normal checked baggage fee. Empty flight with plenty of seats. Got to Cancun early and passed customs quickly. Immediately found a cheap airconditioned bus to city center, then a big taxi to get the boxed bike to the hotel. Spent the rest of the night walking around el Centro drinking beer, eating delicious tacos, and enjoying the quiet nighttime streets (and some loud ones). Lost two games of pool to a local in a bar on Calle Yaxchilan. Determined by degustation that my favorite Mexican beer is Bohemia.
As I had secretly hoped, the night air is filled with the same incense of aromatic burning wood (or leaves or something…) that I so loved when I was in Tanzania.
Oh yeah, looked into the box, and the bike seems OK, though there are a couple of dents/holes on the box and one of my handmade cardboard protectors for the read derailleur is slightly squished. Will find out for sure tomorrow when I fully assemble the bike and test it.