Bacalar, Mexico
9 July 2019
It’s just one night here alone with you and the lake. Not sure whether it’s fresh or salt water. But it’s turquoise and the side I enter from is covered with bars and hostels.
The town itself is sleepy. Streets just have numbers - no names. It’s hot. The houses are concrete and the windows are just gaps where the concrete isn’t. No doors or bars. Utes carry families and bananas and workers from the couple of construction sites.
I’m stayingi n hostel-cross-camping next to a school which is doing its end of year kids sign song celebration event thing.
The ferry to Caye Caulker from Belize City leaves at 17:30. The bus from here arrives at 16:45, assuming no delays, at BC somewhere. How far from the ferry terminal? So it looks like its time for some more old school adventurous travel overland from Mexico to Belize via a collectivo minivan to a town, Chentunil, then a Belizian public bus from there. It’s cheaper but I can leave earlier in the morning. Out of nowhere it sounds like fun. Why?
There’s a challenge and a deadline to hit. I have fallbacks: daylight, maps available offline on my phone. There’s some difficulty: I speak little Spanish, no security. It gives my brain’s reward centre a tickle. Big day tomorrow so I let the other travellers cook and chat as I head to bed.
PS. Going on a boat tour from Caye Caulker in Belize down to some town over the course of 3 days. Snorkelling, fishing, drinking etc. Fun. Touristy. But I have an adventure to get there!