Next Stop - Bacalar

23rd February 2018

My Polish friend Michal, whom I met last year in Ecuador, suggested that we meet in Bacalar today. He would hitchhike about 500 km from Palenque in the morning, and I got myself a more or less affordable bus. The meeting point was a campsite, as poor Michal is quite broke after 1.5 years of traveling.

By 6 PM, I was at the said campsite and had already secured us a spot, as I don't have a tent.

There are already a few peculiar characters here. It's mostly dreadlocks types, and as a woman, I'm in the minority of those wearing a bra. My first acquaintance was a German guy who has been traveling for three years with his typewriter, on which he writes poems. That's the vibe of the people here, somehow really cool too.

I then ate at a typical small street stand, where I met a Mexican family who was on vacation in their own country. The eldest son is desperately waiting for a scholarship to study in Germany. They wanted to buy a 1 Euro coin from me, but I only had 50 cents, which I naturally gave to them as a good luck charm for their son.

Michal also arrived at the campsite after a while, and it was as if we had seen each other just the day before. We sat in a nearby park and talked for ages while having a few beers.

The night was less cool, our tent neighbor snored so loudly that even my earplugs didn't help, and in general, it was probably the most uncomfortable experience I've ever had. Besides, we had to decide whether to have a hundred mosquitoes in the tent or not to have any air.

24th February 2018

We bought avocados, bread, eggs, and fruit at the local market to make breakfast. I had almost forgotten how amazing avocados taste in Latin America.

Then we visited the beautiful 'Laguna of the Seven Colors' and went swimming in it. I think I have rarely seen anything so beautiful. Although instead of the mentioned seven, I could never see more than four different shades of blue.

In the evening, there was an event at the Plaza Mayor, where traditional dances were performed.

25th February 2018

We were recommended to visit the 'Cenote Negro'. Normally, you can only go there by kayak or boat tour, but some locals we met gave us a good place where we could climb over a fence and get there too.

Done and done, we had a dock all to ourselves, could go swimming, and enjoy the beautiful view. Only a Dutch guy whom we had already met in the camp came paddling on his kayak at some point, red like a crab because he didn't use sunscreen. (Great idea when kayaking for about 3 hours)

In the evening, we got some beers and chilled together with the people at the camp. Two Spaniards arrived on the same day, and I got along really well with them. They really wanted me to continue traveling to Guatemala with them. They were so funny, and we had such a good connection that I briefly thought about it, but in the end, I decided to stay in Mexico for now.