Belize/Mexico - Back to Mexico!
Door: Marielle
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Marielle
21 Maart 2019 | Costa Rica, San José
I find San Pedro less attractive than its next door neigbour Caye Caulkner, no more sand roads and tourism is more developed on this island... and most important there is no Split... However I do have some nice days here meeting Sonja with whom I planned to cycle to The Secret Beach when we meet Bryce and Bobby who rented a golf cart and ask us to join. On the golf cart heading to The Secret Beach we are quite happy not to be on a bike in the heat ;-) We pass endless wetlands which are beatiful especially when the sun sets. After a lot of "Ooh Boys" due to holes in the road we reach The Secret Beach which is not so secret judging the amount of people visiting here. Having drinks on bar stools in the blue ocean water with fish all swimming around us is fantastic!
After one more lazy day in San Pedro (and my last in Belize!) it is time to head back to Mexico. I board the 8:30 boat after paying an exit fee. Arriving in Chetumal I have to pay a Mexican entry fee... it is an expensive day! The Mexican customs office is laying at the end of a pier in the middle of a light blue ocean and the first typical Mexican statue greets me when exiting the building. Together with Carla, whom I meet while waiting at the customs, I head into town to find a taxi. We find one who takes us to the ADO busstation for only 20 pesos. Within 45 minutes we are in a bus on our way to Bacalar! So happy to back in Mexico. The people are so warm and welcoming, very different to Belize where people were much more distant.
In Bacalar Rodger picks me up with Zombie at the bus stop. We camp at a campsite in te middle of Bacalar where little rabbits are hopping around in the garden. It is nice to cook our own food. By foot we visit two of the cenotes in Bacalar, very deep naturally formed water pools. The swimming is a nice cool down, though I do prefer to swim in the light blue and shallow (!) water of Laguna de Bacalar ;-)
On the last day in Bacalar we head out with a kayak to see the "pirate ship" at the other side of the lake. It appears to be a former concrete building in the form of a ship with some gravity on it... a bit disappointing (especially for Rodger ;-)). After a great time in Bacalar and some delicous tacos it is time to say goodbye to Rodger and catch a bus to Tulum.
In the bus I meet (again!) Carla and we happen to both have a reservation at Mama's Home. What a coincidence! In the evening we treat ourselfs on paella at a nearby restaurant which tastes delicious. On a bicycle I visit the Mayan ruins at the coast. Very busy with tourists (like all of Tulum) but a beautiful sight to see these ruins next to the blue ocean. I also find a huge supermarket and buy some fresh vegetables and fruits for dinner. After again a delicious breakfast of Rosa I cycle the next day to El Gran Cenote, it is possible to swim though I forgot to pack my bikini... special in this cenote are the little turtles that are swimming in between the tourists. That afternoon I have to bring back the bike and decide to go with a local collectivo to the beach. In the collectivo I meet a nice lady staying at one of the expensive hotels at the beach. To be able to reach the beach I need to cross somewhere which apparently is quite difficult if you are not a guest... The lady helps me out and I am at a beautiful white beach much better than the public one. When I want to head back, the collectivos do not stop and pass me by... I am told that they do not pick up tourists at the roadside and that I should take a taxi, 150 pesos instead of 20 pesos for the collectivo! I do not like taxis and to be discriminated as a tourist and decide to hitchhike. Soon a nice couple from the USA picks me up and we stop for an icecream (which I am not allowed to pay for ;-)). In the hostel there are free drinks (it is such a nice hostel!) and with a group we head out for a late burrito. Marianne from Amsterdam is so nice to relieve me from some weight in my backpack and takes my jeansjacket home, it really makes a difference!
With a luxiruous ADO bus I reach Valladolid sleeping :-) The first authentic Mexican town in Yucatan. I stay at Casa Xtakay on advise of my Belgian friends (Karina and Elise thanks!!!) and am welcomed by Gabriella and Luis as if I were their long lost daughter. Breakfast is home cooked and amazing and when preparing for the second day in a row an omelet Luis brings me a plate with delicious chicken, rice and veggies :-)
In the middle of Valladolid is Cenote Zaci which has many visitors (local people and tourists). Very nice to take a swim here since temperatures and humidity are very high.
Keegan and Christina from Canada are driving to Merida the next day and are stopping Chichen Itza for a visit. I am so lucky that I can get a ride with them. Emma from my dorm also joins. The entry fee is 480 pesos for these famous Maya ruins, very expensive for Mexico... With Alfredo (our guide) we explore the impressive ruins and get a good explanation on all the details (eg. the snake coming down the main temple in the sunlight and the ball game being played by the Mayans where the winner was to be killed (not what we would expect!)).
After the heat of Chichen Itza we drive to a scary cenote to cool down. To get into the water it is either a jump of over 8 meters or down a vertical metal ladder... Keegan and Christina jump! I shiver down the ladder and up again... Canadians are dare devils ;-)
Keegan and Christina are so kind to drive back and drop us of at Chichen Itza where we take a public bus back to Valladolid.
I love cycling so I rent a bike and head out to a cenote outside town. I expected a nice ride, unfortunately I cross the local waste dump, end up on a dirt road and meet some unfriendly dogs that chase me on my small pink bike... that must have been a funny sight! Luckily I reach the Cenote Oxman in one piece and have a nice time for 150 pesos which included food and a free cocktail :-)
Valladolid is a very nice town and I very much enjoyed my days here in Casa Xtakay which became a bit my second home. I am sad to leave for Holbox...
Holbox is full of tourists but luckily also still has some quiet spots. One of them is Playa Mosquito which is reached by foot through shallow water (we call this "wadlopen" in The Netherlands, only here there is sand and the water is blue :-)). A beautiful walk! I also do lots of reading here on the beach and in the very early morning some jogging. The heat makes me lazy. My favourite place becomes a coffeebar with delicious cappuchino and airconditioning. Having explored the complete island after 5 days I am ready to leave for some action in Costa Rica and Nicaragua! But first still one night in Cancun in a dorm where others keep me awake all night... Horror dorm, hostel and town(?)... Happy to leave at 6 without waking up a single soul in the dorm to set an example (though I doubt they picked that up...).
This is my first flight since Alaska to skip travelling over land through Honduras and El Salvador due to a negative travel advise from the Dutch government. In a blink of an eye (because I am asleep the minute I sit down) I reach San Jose. The horror of aggressive taxi drivers pushes me back into the airport where I find kind help from the guys of Dollar rental cars who provide me with some fast WiFi to order an Uber. Also I am offered a cheap rental car for when I return to Costa Rica ;-) The Capital Hostel de Ciudad is an oasis after the hostel in Cancun with pod beds, an extremely nice reception and other guests where I can have a nice converstation with. This makes me happy!
Tomorrow I will leave San Jose for Nicaragua where I will continue my travels to escape the high season in Costa Rica (May is "shoulder" season). I'm curious for the situation in Nicaragua. The Dutch government has pronounced Nicaragua to be safe again but the country is not very stable. As shared on travelblogs by fellow travelers in Nicaragua, the Nicaraguan people are very happy with every tourists that comes to visit and there should be no problems when sticking to the tourist trail. I am sure it will be fine! I will keep you posted and in the meanwhile do not worry ;-)
Take care and hasta luego!
After one more lazy day in San Pedro (and my last in Belize!) it is time to head back to Mexico. I board the 8:30 boat after paying an exit fee. Arriving in Chetumal I have to pay a Mexican entry fee... it is an expensive day! The Mexican customs office is laying at the end of a pier in the middle of a light blue ocean and the first typical Mexican statue greets me when exiting the building. Together with Carla, whom I meet while waiting at the customs, I head into town to find a taxi. We find one who takes us to the ADO busstation for only 20 pesos. Within 45 minutes we are in a bus on our way to Bacalar! So happy to back in Mexico. The people are so warm and welcoming, very different to Belize where people were much more distant.
In Bacalar Rodger picks me up with Zombie at the bus stop. We camp at a campsite in te middle of Bacalar where little rabbits are hopping around in the garden. It is nice to cook our own food. By foot we visit two of the cenotes in Bacalar, very deep naturally formed water pools. The swimming is a nice cool down, though I do prefer to swim in the light blue and shallow (!) water of Laguna de Bacalar ;-)
On the last day in Bacalar we head out with a kayak to see the "pirate ship" at the other side of the lake. It appears to be a former concrete building in the form of a ship with some gravity on it... a bit disappointing (especially for Rodger ;-)). After a great time in Bacalar and some delicous tacos it is time to say goodbye to Rodger and catch a bus to Tulum.
In the bus I meet (again!) Carla and we happen to both have a reservation at Mama's Home. What a coincidence! In the evening we treat ourselfs on paella at a nearby restaurant which tastes delicious. On a bicycle I visit the Mayan ruins at the coast. Very busy with tourists (like all of Tulum) but a beautiful sight to see these ruins next to the blue ocean. I also find a huge supermarket and buy some fresh vegetables and fruits for dinner. After again a delicious breakfast of Rosa I cycle the next day to El Gran Cenote, it is possible to swim though I forgot to pack my bikini... special in this cenote are the little turtles that are swimming in between the tourists. That afternoon I have to bring back the bike and decide to go with a local collectivo to the beach. In the collectivo I meet a nice lady staying at one of the expensive hotels at the beach. To be able to reach the beach I need to cross somewhere which apparently is quite difficult if you are not a guest... The lady helps me out and I am at a beautiful white beach much better than the public one. When I want to head back, the collectivos do not stop and pass me by... I am told that they do not pick up tourists at the roadside and that I should take a taxi, 150 pesos instead of 20 pesos for the collectivo! I do not like taxis and to be discriminated as a tourist and decide to hitchhike. Soon a nice couple from the USA picks me up and we stop for an icecream (which I am not allowed to pay for ;-)). In the hostel there are free drinks (it is such a nice hostel!) and with a group we head out for a late burrito. Marianne from Amsterdam is so nice to relieve me from some weight in my backpack and takes my jeansjacket home, it really makes a difference!
With a luxiruous ADO bus I reach Valladolid sleeping :-) The first authentic Mexican town in Yucatan. I stay at Casa Xtakay on advise of my Belgian friends (Karina and Elise thanks!!!) and am welcomed by Gabriella and Luis as if I were their long lost daughter. Breakfast is home cooked and amazing and when preparing for the second day in a row an omelet Luis brings me a plate with delicious chicken, rice and veggies :-)
In the middle of Valladolid is Cenote Zaci which has many visitors (local people and tourists). Very nice to take a swim here since temperatures and humidity are very high.
Keegan and Christina from Canada are driving to Merida the next day and are stopping Chichen Itza for a visit. I am so lucky that I can get a ride with them. Emma from my dorm also joins. The entry fee is 480 pesos for these famous Maya ruins, very expensive for Mexico... With Alfredo (our guide) we explore the impressive ruins and get a good explanation on all the details (eg. the snake coming down the main temple in the sunlight and the ball game being played by the Mayans where the winner was to be killed (not what we would expect!)).
After the heat of Chichen Itza we drive to a scary cenote to cool down. To get into the water it is either a jump of over 8 meters or down a vertical metal ladder... Keegan and Christina jump! I shiver down the ladder and up again... Canadians are dare devils ;-)
Keegan and Christina are so kind to drive back and drop us of at Chichen Itza where we take a public bus back to Valladolid.
I love cycling so I rent a bike and head out to a cenote outside town. I expected a nice ride, unfortunately I cross the local waste dump, end up on a dirt road and meet some unfriendly dogs that chase me on my small pink bike... that must have been a funny sight! Luckily I reach the Cenote Oxman in one piece and have a nice time for 150 pesos which included food and a free cocktail :-)
Valladolid is a very nice town and I very much enjoyed my days here in Casa Xtakay which became a bit my second home. I am sad to leave for Holbox...
Holbox is full of tourists but luckily also still has some quiet spots. One of them is Playa Mosquito which is reached by foot through shallow water (we call this "wadlopen" in The Netherlands, only here there is sand and the water is blue :-)). A beautiful walk! I also do lots of reading here on the beach and in the very early morning some jogging. The heat makes me lazy. My favourite place becomes a coffeebar with delicious cappuchino and airconditioning. Having explored the complete island after 5 days I am ready to leave for some action in Costa Rica and Nicaragua! But first still one night in Cancun in a dorm where others keep me awake all night... Horror dorm, hostel and town(?)... Happy to leave at 6 without waking up a single soul in the dorm to set an example (though I doubt they picked that up...).
This is my first flight since Alaska to skip travelling over land through Honduras and El Salvador due to a negative travel advise from the Dutch government. In a blink of an eye (because I am asleep the minute I sit down) I reach San Jose. The horror of aggressive taxi drivers pushes me back into the airport where I find kind help from the guys of Dollar rental cars who provide me with some fast WiFi to order an Uber. Also I am offered a cheap rental car for when I return to Costa Rica ;-) The Capital Hostel de Ciudad is an oasis after the hostel in Cancun with pod beds, an extremely nice reception and other guests where I can have a nice converstation with. This makes me happy!
Tomorrow I will leave San Jose for Nicaragua where I will continue my travels to escape the high season in Costa Rica (May is "shoulder" season). I'm curious for the situation in Nicaragua. The Dutch government has pronounced Nicaragua to be safe again but the country is not very stable. As shared on travelblogs by fellow travelers in Nicaragua, the Nicaraguan people are very happy with every tourists that comes to visit and there should be no problems when sticking to the tourist trail. I am sure it will be fine! I will keep you posted and in the meanwhile do not worry ;-)
Take care and hasta luego!
