Between Magendarm & Mayan sites.

The new year was not even an hour old when I (Caro) suddenly had a high fever and could hardly move. Besides headache and body aches, our dry separation toilet was put to the ultimate test. Mathias and Wilma tried to spend as much time outside as possible. Of course, only to give me some rest :-). This state did not change for the next 14 days. We tried to continue driving to find a cheaper place than the previous one. I was lying like a bundle of misery in the seat. Mathias was suddenly everything - father, caregiver, driver, and entertainer. We spent one night at a beach or something similar. Unfortunately, it was not usable. Dirty and rocky. We continued on to Campeche, hoping that things would improve. In Campeche, we spent five days at the harbor right next to a beautiful playground. The weather was good for a few days and gave us gray and cooler days. So we could all take a breath.

It didn't take long before someone knocked on our door. It was a German couple who saw our camper and was curious.

The next day, there was another knock - Danny from Lichtenstein in Saxony was standing in front of us. A character through and through. Wonderful. We talked and laughed a lot with him. He was backpacking in Mexico and had traveled all over the world. Mathias and him were connected through the wood industry. Danny is a carpenter or rather a wood artist. He told us about his work and his work in Germany and his travels. It was really exciting and very interesting. We agreed that if we ever return to Germany, we will visit him.

A few minutes later, there was another knock - Akim and Paula. A German couple who also noticed us because of our license plate. They became my personal doctors. We talked for a while and said goodbye for the moment. We ended up meeting again the next day. I told them what was wrong with me and Paula understood because she had a similar experience a few weeks ago. We spent the afternoon together. While I kept disappearing from time to time. In the evening, they offered me charcoal tablets and a miracle cure - hydrogen. We drove to their hotel and they took care of me with everything. I had already tried everything we had with us, but nothing helped. So my hope was very high. The next day I felt better at first, but then it started again. I took the tablets and hydrogen for two more days. When we thought, okay, now it will get better, we continued and visited our first Mayan site - Edzna. But during the visit, it started again. I struggled through the day and at the end of the day, I was sitting in the hospital. I couldn't go on like this anymore and something had to happen after over 7 days.

In English, Dr. Darios and I tried to communicate. It worked better than expected, although I noticed that he also struggled (linguistically speaking). In the end, I got an infusion and three medications against parasite infestation and a load of antibiotics. I felt well taken care of. Mathias and W. were waiting in the parking lot outside. Now it was a matter of waiting again and hoping that this had done something. We slept in front of the hospital. The stomach cramps had already become less severe. I wished for a place by the sea for the next 6 days (the duration of taking the medications) to be able to recover. Dr. Darios and I waved to each other one last time, and then we continued.

We found a beautiful place in Puerto Progresso, above Merida. It was good for all of us. Fresh air, cooling down, and nature.

The first night, we stood on a beach, similar to St. Peter-Ording. We had already settled in when someone approached us. It was a Frenchman who explained to us that we were not allowed to park here. The police are strict. He recommended a place 2 minutes away. As soon as he had left and we packed everything up, the police actually came and politely asked us to leave. We did so immediately and ended up at a small place about 10 m from the sea. Here we stayed for another five days. We got to know an Austrian and a few Canadians and felt very comfortable. The police came by every day to check if everything was okay. I felt better every day, thanks to the tablets.

We had a very nice time here. We swam every day. Observed the pelicans from the breakfast table and found peace.

As I started feeling better towards the end of our time there, we took a long beach walk. W. and I went swimming from time to time. The huge beach was deserted. We arrived at the lagoon where we stood on the first day. Here we tried to see flamingos. But besides pelicans, we didn't see anything except for trash. We collected a few coconuts and walked back on the small road. W. didn't want to walk anymore, and neither did we. It was over 4 km to our camper and the sun was scorching us from above. We wished for a scooter taxi. There are many of those traveling around here. A scooter with seating in the front and actually, 5 minutes after we expressed this wish, our taxi arrived. Hooray. Our first ride. The little thing struggled, but we quickly arrived home. We paid 2 euros for the fun. It's definitely worth it.

Now everyone got an ice cream and we had another round of fun in the water. The next day, we wanted to continue. I was feeling better again and we were eager to explore Mexico again.

We headed inland to Yucatan. We didn't visit Merida. We often skip big cities. Our destination was initially a very young Mayan site - Dzibilchatún, including a cenote. When we arrived there, we were a bit puzzled because the entrance fee was enormous. We also didn't understand why we had to pay two different prices. Well, I really wanted to see the site, so we obediently paid everything. The site was okay. We climbed around on a smaller pyramid and saw the radio towers of Merida. Great. The cenote used to be suitable for swimming at some point, but not anymore. However, we saw turtles. We strolled around the area when W. stopped and asked, "Mama, what is that?"... I also looked down and was unsure if what I saw... was real. It was. It was a piece of a giant python. Right in the middle of the path. For me, it was over at that point. I didn't walk relaxed through the area anymore. Every tree, every stick was now a snake. W. couldn't stop asking, and Mathias dutifully answered all snake-related questions. It's actually intense to see such a huge constrictor snake lying dead on the path here. Thank God it's dead. And thank God it was just a piece. I don't know what I would have done if it had been the whole "monster" (for me) and maybe still alive. My God. Pure horror. Well, enough of that.

We also saw a few very well-preserved temples and then we were done. Back at the camper, we continued driving through very small towns. We had lunch along the way and ate some chicken again, and then we continued. In Izamal - the yellow town - we took a stroll. We noticed that we were seeing and hearing more and more tourists. We wanted to drive a bit further and had chosen a camping spot nearby. But it was not good. It was more like a dumping ground right next to the road. Of course, it was getting dark now and we needed a place to sleep. We ended up in a small transit village. Football was still being played on the field. People sat by the road and talked and there was music playing. We asked a security guard if he knew a place where we could sleep, and he pointed to a lawn right next to the road and the football field. Okay. We gratefully accepted this place. The music stopped pretty quickly, as did all the other sounds around us. We spent a very quiet night by the road. We didn't expect that. The next morning, I (Caro) went to the village store and got something for breakfast or for W. We had actually forgotten to shop. The people greeted me kindly. I took another small walk around the village. Talking to an older lady. We didn't understand each other, but it was still nice. The bananas hung in the front yards. The houses were modest but radiated so much positivity. I was enchanted - knowing full well that I don't live like this, so I might be misinterpreting things a bit. Right next to our sleeping spot, there was a house. There was already a lot of activity there. W. discovered chickens and little chicks next to it, so we went to take a look. I started talking to a man. He spoke good English. He was the grandson of the homeowners. He told me that the whole village is related and everyone helps each other. There is not much here, but the people are happy and the village also radiates that. He proudly told me about his sheep farming and showed me a horseshoe that he had repurposed as a key protection. Once again, we can say that the people we have met, spoken to, and gotten to know were all friendly and helpful. We haven't felt any strange looks or anything like that. Even if they may be a bit reserved sometimes, when we smile - they smile back. Thank you, Xocempich, for this fantastic glimpse into the village.

After saying goodbye, we headed to Chichén Itza. The probably most famous Mayan site (?). We knew that we were now entering the absolute tourist area. We were there early enough and only stood in line at the entrance for 30 minutes. We heard Russian, English, Dutch, French, Japanese, and more. Danny (the guy from Saxony) had already "warned" us - Chichén Itza is a big flea market with pyramids. We saw what he meant. From the entrance to the exit, there were stalls everywhere with all sorts of things. Hats, masks, pyramids, pipes that made sounds like a jaguar, and much more. On that day, we probably said "no gracias" a million times... Besides the stalls, there were, of course, the pyramids and remnants of the Mayan site to admire. By the way, the entrance fee now includes a part of the site. It's a pity that the money doesn't go towards maintenance - some of the signage was no longer readable. There was a lot of trash lying around. With the help of our guidebook, we tried to find a route. The crowds dispersed well throughout the large area. No pyramid in Chichén Itza can be climbed anymore. Everything is fenced off and not so well discoverable. Nevertheless, it is an impressive complex. Of course, we took a souvenir with us. We had a long conversation with a man who carved masks himself. He told us how he learned it from his father and how his whole family is involved in the production. Colorful masks are painted by his daughter and wife. The colors are partly extracted from plants. It was very interesting, so we also bought a mask from him, which now protects our home and us. After almost 4 hours, we were done. We arrived at the camper. Now we drove a bit further. We still had to do some shopping, and we did that in Valladolid. At the checkout in the supermarket, a Mexican turned around and asked us if we were from Germany - in German. Um, yes. He was just out shopping with his two sisters. They live here and he is a tour guide in Cancun and has a German colleague. We talked for a while. In the end, he came to the camper again and took a picture for his colleague. He was very excited.

Now it was time for us to go to our sleeping spot - we had chosen a place with a pool and a private cenote. We were the only guests, at least those sleeping there. We had the pool to ourselves. The cenote was already closed. That was okay. We'll visit it tomorrow morning. We swung in the hammock for a while, cooled off in the pool, and fell asleep blissfully.

The next morning, after breakfast, we made our way to the cenote. About a 5-minute walk. There were already a few tour buses there. We had to shower before and were given life jackets. We walked through a small park to the entrance of the cenote and descended the stairs. This cenote was underground or rather in a cave. Only a small hole in the cave ceiling let in some light. We had seen two cenotes before, both of which were outside and not suitable for swimming. This was our first underground cenote and also one for swimming. We reached the bottom and what we were offered is hard to describe. A huge cave with stalactites and crystal clear water. The sun shone through the hole in the ceiling directly into the cave. A beautiful play of light. People posed and took wild photos on a kind of underwater bridge/stone pier. Of course, we also had the camera with us and took a few pictures at first. Then we briefly posed and now we had time to fully enjoy the cenote. We were among the few who actually swam in the water. Most people were busy taking photos and posing. Very entertaining for us. The water was crystal clear and turquoise. The further we went towards the center, the darker it became, and then it went very deep. We think about 100 m. A unique experience that we will not forget so quickly. After about 1 hour, we walked back to the camper and spent the day relaxed by the pool, still being alone. We planned to continue the next day. In the morning, we went to the cenote again without a camera and took one last swim almost on our own. The wild ride continued towards the Caribbean Sea. We didn't have a fixed route and let ourselves drift. Eventually, we ended up somewhere near a Mayan site. But we didn't feel like visiting another one already. About 5 km away, there was a kind of Mayan village. It looked inviting, so we stopped and went on an exploratory tour. We received a village tour. This family is exclusively focused on Mayan medicine and its production. A shaman said something and fumigated our heads with something that smelled good. The young man, who spoke very good English, explained every plant to us. We tried Mayan honey, which is also used for medicine. He showed us artifacts - vases, stones, reliefs, etc. that they had found here while working on their property. He told us that "our" Bible has many points of intersection with the Mayan beliefs and that what is written in their sacred book was already written there. Unfortunately, we forgot the name. Mathias talked to him for a while and later told me that many young people in Mexico with indigenous roots want to learn the original languages again and learn a lot from their ancestors. The young man himself speaks Maya. Once again, we were pleased that we followed our gut feeling to stop here. After about 1 1/2 hours, we continued driving. We ended up at three cenotes again. But somehow, we were not in the mood for that either and turned back. Suddenly, a car on the opposite lane honked and flashed wildly. We were unsure if something was wrong with our camper. We drove slowly and suddenly the vehicle drove backwards and stopped at our level. We rolled down the window and looked at the couple somewhat confused. "You're not really from Rostock," they said. It was indeed a couple from Western Mecklenburg who had already seen us a few minutes earlier and could hardly believe it. We pulled over and talked to each other. The two of them were on a short road trip with a rental car in Yucatan for 4 weeks. It was really a funny encounter.

After this brief stop, we continued driving. Still somewhat annoyed because we wanted some peace and relaxation from this constant change of location after what felt like just one night. 2 hours later, we found ourselves in Bacalar. On the grounds of a hostel. Right on the lagoon. Space for a maximum of one camper. There was already one parked there. We could stay. They had made some space. It was a beautiful place. We met many people. Spoke German again and got to know Oliver and Stefanie, including their children, from Belgium. They also knew our Belgians and told us that they were having big problems with their camper. We met Canadians again and Wilma played with Mira. The two of them were so cute to each other and had a lot of fun. But unfortunately, they left one day later. Both girls were quite sad.

We spent three nice days at the lagoon. Swam in fresh water again and used the water swings daily. Then we were almost out of laundry and our supplies were running out. So we continued to Chetumal. The last city before the border to Belize.

There, we experienced some bustle and rain. We went shopping. Got haircuts and slept right on a small beach in the middle of the city. What that was like? We'll tell you next time.