We left Veracruz around 11pm in a comfortable overnight bus. We all slept pretty well and after two stops around 4am and 7am we arrive in Campeche on the Yucatan peninsula around 11am on the 11th November, and not a poppy in sight. We get an early check in at a hostel in a private room with aircon - then chill out for a while. A heavy tropical rainstorm delays our exploring for half an hour, no sense in getting soaked!
We find the La Merida restaurant, as recommended in the Lonely Planet guide, for our lunch and what great food it has! Pasta and prawns, marinated chicken and fish ceviche but so much more tasty than their description! More European than Mexican and wonderfully tasty. Then chocolate pudding and washed down with homemade lemonade - so yummy. We even spot a cool beetle parked on the street.
We start to explore Campeche and come across a Mexican wedding in the main church by the square.
We think the couple must be ‘landed gentry’ as the guests are all beautiful, very well dressed and there is a queue of expensive cars ready to take them away plus loads of onlookers on the square, including three dishevelled travellers! The rain forces the guests back into the church then the sun comes out for the bride and groom, ahhh!
We explore the local museum, buried in the old city walls, where the most important artefact is a beautiful jade mask from one of the Maya sites.
After walking the ramparts it’s back to the hostel for a respite from the Caribbean humidity.
Heading out a little later we go via the Zocalo for the evening lights and a couple of Margeritas then explore the beautiful back streets to find food noting that the local police use roller skates!
The main restaurant street is very busy and we are lucky to get a table. And some snacks, chips, wings and tacos to help more margaritas go down!!
After a good nights rest in our air conditioned room it’s up to explore the rest of the old town and the beautifully decorated and preserved buildings.
Then back to the bus station for another bus journey, 2nd class this time, to Xpujil. 2nd class buses are the type which stop wherever you ask them to along their route, so, with some additional local music coming from various different seats, we get the rustic Mexican travel experience. Except Alex sleeps through it all! The journey shows a lot of the Yucatan countryside and the impact of all the work going on to build the “Train Maya”.
We are not going the full distance to Xpujil so have to communicate with the driver where we want to be dropped off. Surprisingly, we manage to convey where we want to stop and he slows down appropriately at the right time just as the light fades away. We are opposite the Rio Bec hotel about 5 km from Xpujil and about to meet the ‘English Lady in the Jungle’.
The lady of the jungle is actually called Diane. And she can cook English food (later). Diane is a great character and we spend some time chatting, eating and having a beer. She has been here well over 24 years and knows so much about Mayan history and the architectural ruins, she was a guide at Calakmul and wrote the guide book! Her knowledge is extensive and we tap into it for tips about what to do and where to go. We also tap into 2.5 bottles of wine simultaneously and it’s very late to bed (12:40) in a lovely rustic jungle cabana with a hot shower! Luxury!
Being slightly hungover we are up a little later than planned but Diane has organised a taxi to take us around and it’s due at 8:30. Diane is working the hotel on her own, no mean feat at her age, as her last staff member is off sick. However, breakfast does arrive with some gorgeous pancakes. Then it’s off for a 2 hour drive to Cakakmul, one hour to get to the entrance and another hour driving through the biosphere reserve to the actual site. We look out for jaguars but are rewarded by sightings of wild turkeys instead!
The actual site is magnificent, impressive and could have Indiana Jones lurking around the corner. Using Diane’s guide map we explore the whole site over three hours, in the jungle heat, climbing several of the pyramid temples. Even I overcome my hatred of heights and climb a couple to be rewarded with great views across the canopy of trees with bits of temples poking through. The whole place really makes you think about the lost civilisation of the Maya and what they accomplished. And no wheels for transporting stuff so all by foot. The acropolis area is fascinating and enlivened by a troupe of spider monkeys swinging through the branches above. There are tons of amazing butterflies and we spot a wild wasps nest up in the canopy and a bat in one of the ruins.
We can only spend 3 hours at Calakmul because we also plan to visit, on Diane’s recommendation, Balum Ku and then Volcán de las micierlagos. Luckily they are on the route back to the hotel! Balum Ku is small but great with its highlight being preserved friezes with their original colours, fantastic after nearly 2 thousand years. We also spot a weird raccoon like creature called a diary pttering around which is super cute.
We move on to Volcan de las micierlagos but have to be there before sunset - as it’s a bat cave. We arrive just in time only for the heavens to open and throw it down with a huge tropical rainstorm. We get soaked to the skin but the sight of a hurricane of thousands of bats flitting out of this huge hole in the ground is an amazing spectacle. They are all around you and just keep streaming out, even for the scant 10 minutes we stand there soaking. Alex loves it!
Returning to Rio Bec a hot shower revives us all. Then it’s off for an English roast dinner that Diane has said she will make. We meet a Belgian couple also staying at the hotel. But Diane is on her own and dinner takes some time arriving and I help as a part time waiter and dispenser of drinks - I know where the beer fridge is! The food was great and so were the beers.
After helping tidy away it’s off to bed, but… no internet and no organisation for tomorrow is a real worry.
It’s Tuesday 14th November and we get up late as no itinerary planned as we had no internet in the jungle. After breakfast, and Diane’s helper has returned, we plan an itinerary for more Mayan ‘stuff’ as we’re getting addicted! The internet had also returned so eventually we get a taxi around 1pm.
We are heading to Chetumal, on the East side of the Yucatan, for the bus station but our first stop is at Becan. A small but lovely site whose pyramids are very tall with ropes to help you climb. And the ropes are a bit of a contradiction as there are a couple of signs saying don’t climb! Alex and Emma are the mountain goats and climb the pyramids whilst getting somewhat wet from the rain in the process.
We move on to Kohunluch which is famous for masks and is in a glorious garden setting, getting there just in time for last entry at 4:15. After a quick hour exploring it’s on to Chetumal bus station.
We manage to book night bus tickets to go to Merida, which is towards the Northern coast of the Yucatan and have time to get something to eat. Our taxi driver had recommended a place near the waterside so we go there to a nice taqueria then it’s back to the bus station.
We load our backpacking luggage, 3 rucksacks, 2 bags and 2 camera bags onto the night bus and it’s off back across the Yucatan peninsula. We are due to arrive in Merida at 4.45 am, have nowhere to stay and a six year old who hates being woken up from sleeping at such an un-earthly hour!
Guy
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