First I would look for the quality of components. From your description, the expensive bikes dont seem to be mountain bikes based on the tires alone. Each brand has many levels of components. Shimano and sram both make parts that may not be the most reliable. My suggestion would be to look for a mountain bike between $600-1000. That's when you leave the casual ride and get an entry level bike capable of lasting if taken care of. Sand is quite tiresome to bike through and you don't want slick or skinny tires.

It is something like: "They invited to work at Merina, some minutes away from the Maya zone,to an Echo-hotel, and expect I can collect the money for the airplane-ticket to start working already. and yes, I want to have kids. I do want already, that's why i'm looking for a partner." ( Lo del boleto, means the price, but it is not specified ["el precio del boleto"]) also, it is so bad spelled, there are so many typos indeed. "invitan a trabajar a Merida a unos minutos de la zona maya, a un ecohotel, y espero poder reunir lo del boleto de avion para empezar a trabajar ya. Y si, deseo tener hijos, ya quiero;por eso busco pareja"

Not enough info. What exact make, model, condition & year of bicycle?

hello, i'm afraid based on the given information nobody will be able to help you since the place of departure isn't mentioned.in general i would recommend to look for flights to cancun and take a ADO bus from there.it will take you about 4 hours to go to merida but it should safe you quite some money.on tickets to cancun you should be able to find a good deal.check out SPIRIT and ALASKA airlines and go to travelocity.com...but again: everything depends on where you fly from. excuse my english...i'm german, greetings from playa del carmen and have fun in merida (it is very,very nice there) cancundivers

Please excuse my English...I'm German living in Mexico,Playa del Carmen.Well first of:why should it be inconvenient to go by bus???? ADO buses go from Playa 3x daily...they are very modern, air-conditioned, comfortable, safe and even show movies (90% of the time in English with Spanish subtitle).Furthermore they are only 256 pesos (25 U$) one way per person. if you diced to rent a car with a/c and insurance it will cost you approx. 80U$ per day just on rental fee (Nissan Tsuru).Plus there are two highways to merida...one is free but not to recommend and on the other one you have to pay toll fees....which are currently very close to 410 pesos (40 U$) each way.Plus your gas.I'm not quite sure how much the bus from Merida to Celestun will cost you but I think it is about 50 pesos or so (5 U$). I don't know how long you plan to stay in Celestun and how many are in your company....so you do the math. All i can tell you is that I do live here since 10 years and I go to Merida about every other month....by bus. Greetings from Mexico and have a lot of fun during your stay here, cancundivers

Hi! Actually what the above answerer says might be true to some point but is a bit exagerated. I would recomend going by Bus if you are on vacation, sightseeing. The trip is great and the landscapes are beautiful. It's true: the roads are not the best and the drivers do tend to drive faster than allowed. The bathroom situation would depend on the Bus Company you choose as the stops the bus makes and time you decide to travel. I recommend the Peli Express company. They will leave you in Caracas, not downtown but at a safer zone. Regarding taxi cabs: taxi cabs is what you SHOULD take! There are no official or government approved busses here. Really. The Only ones could be the Metrobuses (that take you to Subway Stations), but the Taxis are the safest way. What you have to do is grab a company taxi. You will recognize them because they are painted white and have yellow and black squares on the sides. There are no regulated taxi-fares in Venezuela (and if there are, they are not respected). What you do is ask the driver in advance how much does it cost to take you to a specific place, and then, if the cabbie is willing you might negociate. The plane is the fastest and safest way to go. Although some people don't like it much because Merida Airport's plane runway is really short (Merida is a mountain city, so there is not much space for runways!). True, the plane will leave you at the Maiquetía Airport (which is and hour and a half away from Caracas) but hey! That's they way it is. (Narita Airport is like 1 hour from Tokyo s, no big deal). What might delay you in this case (againg, depending on your traveling date) is that part of the highway route is closed. A bridge was torn down but an alternate course was built. It is smaller and a little longer, but now people have gotten used to it (when it was new the traffic was very bad. Now it flows). Weekends are the slow days for this trip, because people tend to go to the beach... and that's the road they have to take to do so, so the more cars in a small road, the more traffic. The deal with the taxis is pretty much the same at the airport. At the airport there are also buses that can take you to Caracas. I wouldn't recommend them unless you have someone to pick you up at the Station in Caracas. There are also private transportation and taxi companys that guarantee a great and safe trip. If you have friends in Venezuela, ask them to help you find one. The train, my friend, is ruled out. There are no trains here! Venezuela is a great country. Security is an issue, mainly because of poverty, but if you are careful you don't have to worry. Just don't leave your belongins alone and always carry your passport and money with you. Do not wander alone in dark places or closed places with no people and bring a lock if you plan to leave you suitcase in the hotel. Have a nice trip! Goodluck!