Like the US, and because it is a geographically large country, there are real differences between different parts of Mexico. Some are more tourist-oriented than others, and I suppose because we have been so many different places, we have found certain things we like and certain things we don't like. I am always sort of hesitant to say "go here" or"go there" because different people like different things.
One of the things we really like are nice beaches. And having spent time exploring the almost deserted pristine beaches in the Sea of Cortez, we are, I suppose, phenomenally spoiled. That said, there are times when we enjoy being part of a tourist scene. It does get sort of strange being the only gringo in town.
So we headed to Playa del Carmen, for a taste of the Caribbean. I have been to Cancun (party central) and knew that was not what we were looking for. Playa del Carmen is, according to my guidebook (a very old version, I know now) much lower key and a fun, laid back beach town. I guess it still was fun, but it is not even close to being laid back in any way. I have never in my life - and that includes Mazatlan, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta - been literally hassled by hawkers from stores and timeshares and tour groups. It was like a verbal assault from all angles. They literally chased after is on the street hollering questions. And there was no way to get away from it. The place is one big shopping mall bordered by a beach. That was it. And while the beach was pretty, it smelled of sewage in places. Additionally, we spent way too much money on mediocre food.
We did have an awesome hotel room for a great price - a third floor suite with a full kitchen and private roof balcony for $100 per night American. That was good because at times we used it to hide from all the uproar outside. And while it was just a big shopping mall, the prices were not bad and they did have nice stuff to sell. So if you are looking for a big party scene with lots of gringos and plenty of stuff to buy, this is your place.
We spent the days prior to P del C exploring ruins in western Yucatan. We stayed in a wonderful little hotel where our host took us to swim in cenotes. We had great meals - I truly believe Yucatan has the best food in Mexico. We stumbled across unexcavated ruins that are not listed in any guidebooks. We learned some Maya words. (Mike now wants to learn Maya.) I took Mike to see Chichen Itza - one of the grand daddies of all the ruins. The last time I was there, they let you climb to the top of the big pyramid, but now it is closed off. I was not disappointed - it is really high and I had already fallen and scraped my knee while negotiating the gravel sidewalk. I felt like an idiot and people came running up and expressing concern. We also went to the ruins at Ek Balam, which in some ways were even more impressive. And you could climb around on them. I fell again, this time no damage, but I felt shaky afterwards (since this time I fell climbing one of the ruins) so I let Mike climb up the big one by himself. He is terribly afraid of heights, but he forces himself to confront that fear. I say happily in the shade watching him do it. There are so many ruin sites here in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador that it would take years to see them all. I think even Mike is somewhat ruin-ed out at this point in time.
Right now we are in Chetumal, which is the last town in Mexico before you enter Belize. Chetumal is NOT a tourist town. The only gringos here (other than us) are a handful of expats and people on their way to and from Belize. We met a man last night who lives here - an older man who wanted to talk about the Rothschilds and Biltenbergs (something like that, anyway) and the tri-lateral commission, and all kinds of stuff like that. It all had to do with plots and conspiracies and oil companies, and one of those plots involves Hurricane Sandy, which he says was somehow purposely initiated or set up by a group called HULA who is doing it to somehow mess with the election, thereby ensuring the re-election of Obama. It was entertaining. I guess I am the last one to know about this. Anyway, he was a nice old man even if he was a bit eccentric. He did give us some good suggestions on Belize as he has spent quite a bit of time there.
We are taking a boat, rather than a bus, to Belize. It is more expensive than the bus, but it sounds like fun. We didn't plan to go this way, so I have rearranged our travel plans - first stop will be Caulker Caye. My sister went there and said it is beautiful. It is supposed to be peaceful and quiet, with snorkeling and I am looking forward to it. We will then head for another cay, Tobacco Caye. and then on to Belmopan, in the middle of the country where it will be ruins and caves and monkeys and all sorts of things. After that, we head to Guatemala. At this rate, it will be Christmas before we get back to Magda Jean, who by all accounts is doing fine in our absence. I have never seen such white sand as exists here in the Caribbean. If not for hurricanes (more of a danger here than on the Pacific side), it would be tempting to sail through the Panama Canal and spend some time here with the boat. This town we are in was completely destroyed in 1955 by Hurricane Janet, so all the buildings are 1950s or later. There is a wonderful statute built at the waterfront illustrating it and I will post the picture when it gets downloaded.
So that is it for now - next post will be from Belize. Again, it will be hard to leave Mexico. I love it that much.
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." (Anatole France)
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