'Stressful' travel life & the most beautiful waterfalls.

Arriving in Chetumal, we had a lot to do. We used a laundry service for the first time in weeks, got gas, and went shopping. Afterwards, we looked for a spot to stay. Of course, it had to be right by the water, where else. Quiet, secluded, and free. Those are our favorite places ... well, not just ours. ;-) We actually found a spot right by the water, with a small water slide, a view of Belize, and a few picnic benches. However, the spot was right by the road, in the middle of the city. Since we only planned to stay for one night, we accepted the potential noise level. It wouldn't be too bad, right?

We took a walk around the town. Strolled along the promenade and saw busy activity not far from our spot. "Oh Mama, they're setting up a fair here. Can I go on the carousel later?" ... Yes, well, we had forgotten that it was Friday. And indeed, they were setting up a fair. We would pass by it on the way back, so W. could go for a ride.

The town was manageable, although it wasn't actually small - but it felt that way. We continued strolling. Mathias looked for a hairdresser for the next day, and W. was in princess heaven. Similar to Spain, there are countless stores in Mexico with extravagant dresses for "the little ones." W. and I wanted to have some fun trying on things in such a store. Today was the day. A (nightmare) dream of glitter, tulle, and plastic. In the end, W. tried on three dresses and wasn't convinced. One was too wide. The other was too low-cut - only the unicorn dress was perfect. Perfect for the child. The parents were in a dilemma. W. hadn't quite understood that we were just doing it for fun and not because we wanted to buy a plastic dress. In the end, our unicorn happily strutted out of the store, and we had one more piece for the (hopefully) dress-up box.

Now we were hungry. Pizza it was. So we looked for a pizzeria and actually found one. A nice restaurant. We got really good pizzas and mom and dad had a homemade sangria, which was quite strong. It was dark by now, and we made our way back home. Of course, we went through the fair on the way back. W. went for another carousel ride, and Mathias and I observed the activity. Listened to the loud music and watched a party bus go round and round. Right past our camper van. The picnic area in front of our home had filled up a bit. However, the noise level was still tolerable.

W. quickly fell asleep. The party bus eventually stopped, but the guests gathered in front of our door. They drank, laughed, talked, and listened to music. Eventually, around 2 am, a rain shower put an end to it and helped us sleep.

On Saturday morning, Mathias went to the hairdresser. W. and I played. We had originally planned to visit a museum about Maya history, but it got too late. We had to pick up our laundry at 4 pm and we wanted to keep driving. We didn't feel like staying another night in the city. We packed up and picked up the laundry and drove off. We were told that Route 186 was dangerous and that we shouldn't drive on it. Our app didn't have any warnings, and people we had met before didn't say anything either. So we drove on this road, just like any other road. It reminded us a bit of Route E45, which we traveled on in Sweden and Norway. It was just a straight road. The surroundings gradually became greener, lusher, and more densely vegetated. The road led directly through the jungle. Well, where there was a road, there is no jungle anymore. Our destination was Calakmul. But we didn't make it there. We spent the night at a Pemex (gas station), which was actually very quiet. The next day, we drove directly again and didn't get far. Our camper van was too big for the road to Calakmul. We had to park about 60 km before and take a taxi. Adventurous. We paid the entrance fee for the Calakmul Mayan ruins and the taxi ride there. This was and is our most expensive adventure in Mexico so far. Maybe we would negotiate now, but on that day, we were a bit out of our minds. Anyway, we hope it ended up benefiting the right people and that a village can live off it for a week.

The taxi zoomed off. But first, we had to get gas, otherwise we wouldn't have made it back. So we drove with our driver to his house, and his daughter used a plastic bottle to fill up the tank. That's completely normal and common practice in Mexico. Now we drove along a narrow and densely vegetated road straight to Calakmul. Here in the jungle, there were pumas, jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, capybaras, and wild turkeys. Even if they had been right by the side of the road, we probably wouldn't have seen them. The taxi driver had a speedy driving style. Thank goodness there was another car ahead of us later. We had a chance to look for animals. In the end, we actually saw several wild turkeys and two capybaras.

Arriving in Calakmul, the parking lot was full. We said goodbye to our driver and arranged to be picked up at around 3 pm.

Calakmul is a Mayan site in the middle of the jungle. It grew from a small, unknown power to a very large one. Calakmul took over all the surrounding and very important and large sites, such as Tikal (Guatemala). Tikal was the largest and most important Mayan site. Eventually, Calakmul fell again, but it is a significant and powerful site. With over seven large pyramids, houses, and squares that can be visited and even entered. The highest pyramid is about 50 m high, and from the top, you have a magnificent view of the jungle. As we walk through the jungle, we hear howler monkeys above us. Later, we see them right above our heads. We climb up and down and marvel at everything. Calakmul is the most beautiful Mayan site we have seen so far. After about 4 hours, we take a taxi back to our camper van. We would have liked to stay at the parking lot, but we were not allowed to. So we had to go back on the road. It was now 4 pm, and as expected, we couldn't find a place to park. We had dinner on the way and then continued driving. In the darkness, we arrived in Escarega. Not a nice town. A pass-through place, and loud. Incredibly loud. We slept between a hotel and a gas station restroom. A terrible night. Completely frustrated, we had to keep going the next day. We just wanted peace and nature. After a few kilometers, we turned off the main road. We were done with straight roads. We were now in a more rural area and quickly found a spot for a long lunch break. Right in front of a small ranch with horses and lots of greenery. We refueled before continuing our search for a place to sleep.

We found a spot right by a river. We headed there after our lunch break. Again, it was disappointing. The spot was right in the town, and we were too big for the road. We took a short tour of the town. We were tired and had had enough. After a very moody walk, we thought we would finally find a place. We drove on. The first glimmer of hope - the landscape became more beautiful with every kilometer. Quieter. More natural. And then we had our next "Sweden moment." We came across a village consisting of five houses and a huge colorful church. It looked like the giant Villa Kunterbunt. The evening sun shone and enveloped the inconspicuous village and the church in a beautiful light. We stopped and looked around. What a beautiful place. It would be perfect to spend the night here. We asked a young man, but he was just waiting and didn't live in this village. For reasons unknown to us, we didn't ask any other villagers. We looked at the church. W. petted a horse, we greeted some geese and chickens, and then we got in the camper van and continued driving. Why? No idea. We didn't even understand it ourselves. That evening, we ended up in an abandoned campsite that sounded promising. But unfortunately, no one was there, and our camper van wouldn't fit on the premises even if we tried. So we drove back to the last town and slept once again in the middle of the city, right next to a sports field, which was still very busy at 9 pm. The night was okay, but we really didn't feel like driving anymore. Our mood was at its lowest point.

So we set off again. The surroundings became even more beautiful, and now we were in the next state - Chiapas. It is one of the richest regions in Mexico - coffee plantations, timber industry, and oil reserves. But at the same time, it is the poorest state in terms of the living conditions of the indigenous people who live here. It is also the southernmost state of Mexico and borders directly on Guatemala. We drove on small roads not far from the border and were happy about the nature, the few cars, and looked forward to our spot. A waterfall in the middle of the jungle. Welib-Ha was a dream and exactly what we needed. We were welcomed very kindly and immediately hiked the short path to the waterfall. Amazing. First, a wide river for swimming, including mini waterfalls, and then, three big waterfalls cascading down a mountain. We walked down a steep staircase and were completely alone in this magical place. We heard the sound of water, the howler monkeys, and enjoyed the lush nature around us. Unfortunately, we hadn't brought our bathing suits yet. So we quickly went back and jumped into this natural spectacle.

We spent 4 days/3 nights here. Completely alone. Occasionally, a car would pass by. We swayed in the hammock right by the river. W. could swim endlessly. Every evening and every morning, we heard the howler monkeys, and we enjoyed our almost private waterfall several times a day.

The village was about 1 km away from us. One afternoon, we strolled there. We walked past fields with cows. Picked flowers and greeted every person in the village. We were the little attraction. We chatted in Spanish with a farmer and didn't understand each other. A few houses down, we met - Eugen. He, like what seemed like the whole village, stood in his garden and looked at us. He spoke very good English, so we were actually able to have a conversation. He lived in a small house with his entire family, including uncle and others. We talked about living conditions, working in Mexico, and much more. It was nice to learn/experience a bit more about Mexico in this way.

For us, it was time to move on. The goal - the next waterfall. A slightly more touristy waterfall not far from ours. However, it was also bigger. It was about a 40-minute drive. Again, through enchanting landscapes. We parked our camper van in a meadow with a lot of trash. At first, it didn't make a good impression. We grabbed our bathing suits and walked the rest of the way on foot. When we arrived there, we were disappointed. Is this the waterfall? Very small. The water was a bit dirty and not beautiful at all. A small bridge led over the river and straight into the jungle. We walked on and on. And found one waterfall after another. One more beautiful and bigger than the other. Oh yes. We'll swim here. The initial disappointment was blown away, and we enjoyed swimming and climbing here. We had hoped to be able to stay here as well. But for the aforementioned reasons, we didn't want to.

After we had enough swimming and had lunch, we continued. I (Caro) had chosen a route. Again, a small road that was supposed to lead us to another waterfall. Off we went. At first, the road was paved, and then the asphalt was gone. We continued driving, although we had a strange feeling. It went up and down the mountain. And the next time up, it didn't go so well. The road was muddy, and we skidded on the edge of the road. Mathias took over, and a truck driver helped us safely and backwards to get back on track. My (Caro) knees were shaking. We turned around and took another route, which was beautiful in the end and also paved. Around 5 pm, we arrived at the third waterfall. There was hardly anyone there. The parking lot was empty. We put on our bathing suits again and went to the waterfall. Phew, that was a completely different story. The mountain that the huge waterfall fell from was about 35 m high. The water basin in front of it had a strong current and didn't exactly invite for swimming. But that wasn't necessary, because we could walk behind the waterfall directly. A wish that W. had wanted for a long time and could finally be fulfilled. "What does it look like behind a waterfall?". Well, now we know. And we were as wet as if we had been swimming. We walked along the little path. Then an employee asked if we wanted to look inside the cave. Uh, a cave - we hadn't even seen one, but yes, we wanted to. We walked a bit and then stepped behind a barricade. With a flashlight, he led us into the mountain. Water from below and stalactites from above. The flashlight didn't provide much light, but then we saw it. A waterfall inside the mountain and countless bats on the ceiling. A nice little adventure.

Back at the camper van, we enjoyed the coolness because it suddenly started to rain heavily and didn't stop. Our second real rainy day in Mexico and would be our last for now.

Since all good things come in fours ;-) we visited another waterfall the next day. This one is the most famous and touristy - Agua Azul. Famous for its blue water. But today, the water was anything but blue. Due to the rain, it was Agua Marron (brown) for us. But it still had its charm and, above all, there were no other tourists. We had this hotspot all to ourselves. After a lunch break, we continued. We found a small campsite near our temporary last Mayan site - Toniná. Of course, as always, it was already dark, and the road to the site was an unpaved road. Everything was quite slippery and muddy due to the rain. In addition, the site was in the middle of the mountains. Once we arrived, the site was closed. But a car was already coming from behind, and the driver explained that he also had a spot and we should just follow him. There was a child in the car, so we trusted him. We almost didn't make it up the mountain, but eventually, with great difficulty, we made it. It was a small ranch with a swimming pool that we had ended up at. We got a little tour in the dark. Saw peacocks sitting in trees - not just one, but about 13, cows, and a few dogs. It was all fine for us. But then he proudly showed us a huge tree and called out a name. It was clear to us that the grandmother certainly wouldn't jump out of the tree, but we also didn't expect a monkey on a leash. We felt really sorry for it.

We processed the monkey incident during dinner in the camper van and went to bed.

The next day, we explored everything in daylight. Of course, the monkey was still on a leash. In addition, we found cages/enclosures with squirrels, coatis, and something else. That was also not a nice sight, and we definitely didn't approve of it.

We continued to the peacocks. W. spent the rest of the day collecting all the feathers lying around. We now have a huge supply of peacock feathers on board.

We used the swimming pool, although the water was really cold. We played soccer and went for a hike. Our supplies were running low, and we had to go shopping at some point. So we drove on 3 days later. First, to the Toniná Mayan site. It was about 3 km away from our spot.

Toniná is a Mayan site that actually came to life when all the others had already disappeared. Artists, warriors, and others gathered here involuntarily and built a gigantic site on and from a mountain. It had a total of 7 terraces and platforms. The pyramid can be completely climbed and is a total of 72 m high. Higher than the Sun Pyramid near Mexico City. At the top was the Temple of the Prisoners. There was a separate sacrificial site and a ball court for ritual competitions. Mathias and W. even climbed into a small underground passage. This site is very well preserved or restored and once again shows what a highly developed culture the Mayans had.

After so much culture, we were hungry and set off. We stopped briefly in Ocosingo and had a very good and cheap meal at a restaurant. Our place for the night should be in the mountains near another waterfall. For this, we had to cross a pass. Shortly before we wanted to leave the city, a policeman stopped us. He explained something to us, but we didn't understand. We thought he wanted money. But he didn't. Then we thought we might not be able to drive up the pass. But that wasn't it either. Hey, after 20 minutes of back and forth, we finally understood what he was trying to say. The road over the pass had a roadblock. Here, you had to pay to pass. In addition, we would drive through an area that the police does not enter. Ok, thanks for the information. We continued driving. The roadblock didn't come, and we couldn't access the waterfall. The path was too steep, and we weren't allowed to sleep at the top of the road. Once again, it got late and later. In addition, we were driving through an area that our app classified as very dangerous. Tourists had recently been abducted here. For us, it was clear that we had to get through quickly and wouldn't sleep on the way. So tonight, we had to make it to San Cristobal.

We armed ourselves with a knife in the side door. Closed the windows. Locked the doors (which we always do anyway) and continued driving with an uneasy feeling. Nobody paid any attention to us, and we made it through the dangerous area without any incidents. Eventually, around 8 pm, we arrived in San Cristobal and parked at the Walmart parking lot so that we could go shopping the next morning and then drive to the selected campsite in the city.

"Es magico, es Chiapas" they told us. So far, we found Chiapas very beautiful. Does San Cristobal also contribute to that?