Viva Mexico 2019 - Chetumal/Bacalar

The next stop in our itinerary was Chetumal. The drive down is rather long, so we decided to take a break at the lagoon Ocom. Not sure that I would drive there just to go there - for us it was on the way and we needed a break. We drove off the highway onto a pothole, sand and gravel street, following some weathered signs. We ended up on the lagoon, and we think that at some point this must have been a more touristy place, but now it looked more lost than anything. We were the only guests over lunchtime. After climbing the mirador and walking to the cenote, only Frank jumped in bc it was rather slippery, we ordered some fresh fish - and surprisingly, this meal was very, very good and fresh!

Lagoon in Ocom.

Walking to the cenote.

Fresh fish - pescado frito :)

And then finally we made it to Chetumal and once the sun started to set, we went out for a walk. It is nice to have that breeze from the ocean to make the heat more bearable. Chetumal does not have anything in terms of architecture or nice restored houses, but people know how to enjoy life. Many people are outside in the evenings doing sports, having food from the many food vendors, dancing in the parks, or just chatting on a bench near the sea - really wonderful.

Selfie in Chetumal.

Since there isn't much to do or see in Chetumal, I followed a recommendation and looked at nearby Bacalar. If you are in the region - YOU HAVE TO GO!!! It is an amazing place. I booked a morning kayak tour which included breakfast, a visit of the old fort and a swim in the cenote Azul. I found the tour on a webpage - only in Spanish and with a telephone number. A lot of the communication is done via WhatsApp, so I tried my luck. And so we got up early to drive to Bacalar and meet our tour guide, who also only spoke Spanish, at 6:30 am. It all worked out! We meet on time, jumped in their car and drove to the pier to get started. The water is warm and very pristine. It feels wonderful. We jumped in a couple of times.

Our guides car with the kayaks.

Mr. K enjoying the morning.

View from the fort to the lagoon.

After about 1.5 h of kayaking our guide took us out for breakfast - honestly, we would probably not have stopped at that place or given it a second glance if we would have been on our own - more like a very basic place, where I would feel strange and afraid to get a stomach bug, but it was fine! The food and coffee were good! After having had some food the tour took us to the fort in Bacalar which gives a short write up of the Yucatecan history and is a nice little stop. As another highlight, we drove to the Cenote Azul - this is a huge cenote, the water is so refreshing and we did swim for a long time.

In Chetumal, we also took the time to do some shopping. On our trip, we realized that we were very underdressed. The locals are always dressed well, and especially well on weekends and on special occasions. So it was time for a new skirt, shirt, and pants and we blended in a little better :) Next time, we decided, we will only pack one change of clothes for our journey and just get dressed there ;)

Shopping all done!

Food at "La Viagra Jarocha" - nice seafood!

On the next day, we did another little history tour and drove to nearby Kohunlich. A huge Mayan settlement in the jungle and since it is very far from most major touristy places, we again had it almost to ourselves.

And it was climbable.

Kohunlich is famous for these heads - 5 of them were stolen and most likely destroyed in the effort, the last ones are being restored. 

There are remains everywhere and the walk underneath the trees is very nice.

More housing to see.

After this jungle tour, we were craving water again. Frank had already researched a new place to check out on the Bacalar lagoon - Los Rapidos. It was amazing. Floating is great, the food was great - do not opt for the hamburgesa - only have fish dishes, these are really, really good - I loved the aguachile! I would go again, right now if I could.

Clearwater and floating galore!

And with that, it was almost already over only one stop left in our journey. Keep reading Puerto Morelos and Cozumel.