I knew that Cancun and the Mayan Riviera is a popular destination because of the beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise waters. So it was no surprise to see all the grand entrances to each resort as we drove through. Shoulder to shoulder resorts dominate the entire coastline, leaving very little public beach access. So to avoid frustration, we didn’t even bother to try and kept driving. Tulum seems like a fun place, again we couldn’t get to the beach, but the main road through has many bars, shops & cafe’s full of young (50-70+ yrs) and younger (20+) people enjoying the heat. Bikes are for rent so you can go explore the many cenotes around. The night of the 26th we spent at a jungle camp, outside Tulum, grossly overpriced, but on this stretch of coastline we’ve noticed everything is that much more expensive. 300 pesos for the night, we pulled in late and left early. The only thing we enjoyed was the clean shower and the tree house lookout for the dogs. Birds were in cages, others free to roam like peahens, chickens & doves. A dirty turtle pool with dirty turtles, the kids liked playing with and a swimming pool that hadn’t been cleaned in a year.
Down to Bacala Lake, we stopped at a much nicer place for the same price, with lakefront camping. We pulled in early, the kids went straight to the rickety old, but functioning waterslide while we did the laundry. Dad and Jen arrived a couple of hours later, unhappy as the new fridge parts they went to the states for weren’t what was causing the problems. Doh! Lake Bacala is known for the seven different shades of blue, seen on a clear sunny day it looks amazing, but sadly we have grey, rain filled clouds that makes the lake look nothing more than wet.
We’ve been in Mexico 3 months and are feeling the pull for moving on. IF we had more time, we’d happily slow down and explore more, but since we only have 18 months, we have to consider where we spend our days. Shipping to Colombia isn’t cheap, so it makes sense to pass the bulk of our time in the Southern hemisphere. Because of the weather we’ve decided not to drive over to Calakmul, to see the ruins in the jungle. So our last stop in Mexico was in the town of Chetumal, just 15 min drive from the border into Belize. We found a campground with great recommendations on Ioverlander. All reviews said ‘expensive but worth it’. 350 pesos per night is steep, and worth every penny, we ended up staying 3 nights. There was a laundry service, so Jen & I didn’t hesitate to have someone take care of our laundry for us, mmm love the feel & smell of clean sheets, towels and clothes. I have been using a bag of soap powder that I brought from home with me, but it’s not as powerful as the Mexican brands, designed for the harder water. Sheets are white again!
The campground is neatly manicured, grass is mowed, coconuts cut from palm trees, garbage free, clean toilets with seats and dribbly showers. Theres pool and the kids are straight in. Not long after we arrive a truck pulling a 5th wheel with Alberta plates pulls in. Mennonites formally from Belize, now living in Alberta are on their way back to Belize for a holiday. Over the day more and more arrive. Conservatively dressed, the women and girls wear the same style of dresses in different colours, each family has the same fabric. Long dresses to the ankle, puffy capped short or long sleeves and buttoned to the neck with a small rounded collar and veil over their long braided bun. Black flat sneakers with white ankle socks. The men just wore jeans and button down shirts. The boys were also in matching shirts and pants. They were a group of 40, all related, gathered for a family weekend. The women were mostly out of sight, in the cabanas or campers cooking while the men sat in the shade talking and eating. The children naturally gravitated to the pool, bright white skin that has never seen the sun with blonde hair, playing in the water half dressed with floating aids as none of them could swim. Charley and Jaxon were so excited to be able to play with kids their own age, but the cultural differences set them apart instantly. Charley in her bikini with tanned skin dove straight in and swam along the bottom to the other side of the pool, Jaxon right behind her. The kids just stared at them, then continued to play as if they weren’t there. Charley and Jaxon tried to join in, chat & play, but it wasn’t until the next day that they were open for interaction. Puzzled by this we explained the cultural differences.
The men were friendly, we chatted to a few of them, they told us about their home town of Spanish Lookout, and how we would feel like we were in Canada if we would like to come and visit. One of the men came and had a look at Dad’s fridge, and said he’d be happy to take a look at it for him if we would like to come to his house in Belize, just 30km over the border, and just like that we have our first destination bearing. We will cross Monday morning. That night i was pulled from sleep by hearing shots fired. An automatic weapon or weapons let off what sounded like 40-50 rounds. Don’t know if it was just someone feeling trigger happy or a serious shoot out, but it sure sounded like it was just in the street on the other side of the wall.
Yup, it’s time to move on…..
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