San Francisco de Campeche – Day 1: Forts and First Dates
SAN FRANCISCO DE CAMPECHE
Day 1: Forts & First Dates
August 21, 2022
Another day, another bus trip – this time round to the city of San Francisco de Campeche. I’m gonna be honest here… this was the first time since I’d started travelling that I wasn’t quite impressed – mostly ’cause it felt like I had already seen something similar and because of the sweltering heat.
Campeche is a port city that was founded in 1540 following the Spanish conquest. Owing to its strategic position in the Gulf of Mexico and its vast riches, the city was once a bountiful target for pirates. In 1685, the notorious pirate Laurens de Graaf ransacked the entire city, killing around a third of its population in just under a month. Following these attacks, the city was fortified with a number of forts built along a polygonal wall, successfully protecting the citadel within.
The citadel reminded me of the ones we have in my home country – Malta. Our forts and citadels, mainly those of Mdina, Valletta, and Rabat in Gozo, were built to fend off invaders throughout our history. However, unlike the Maltese citadels, the streets and buildings within Campeche’s are all painted in vividly bright shades. The first time I had seen something like this was in Cartagena, Colombia. It was extraordinary to witness such similar architecture contrasted with such bold colours, especially when compared to the stone-coloured, uniform tones of the Maltese forts and bastions. Seeing such a juxtaposition for the first time had left me mesmerised.
The Citadel
I couldn’t quite say the same when I was wandering through something so familiar in forty-degree Celsius weather, drenched in sweat and on the brink of heatstroke. It was the very first time in all my travels that I would have rather been back home. I usually travel during summer mostly to avoid the heat, and yet there I was, in a far worse predicament.
I visited a couple of forts along the walls, the Puerta de la Tierra (a gate facing the mainland), and the Puerta del Mar (a gate facing the port side). Inside the citadel, there’s also a botanic garden (which happened to be closed), the main plaza (with a cute gazebo in the centre), a very unimpressive cathedral, and a few other landmarks (which I can honestly say I could’ve gone without seeing). Sorry for being such a sourpuss – I just can’t deal with the heat!
Fire and Rain
It was the sunset at the Malecón that I had been looking forward to all day — a long stretch of promenade along the coast that offers a great view of the ocean.
I was already picturing myself with a huge bucket of ice cream, walking along the coast, the temperature finally starting to feel bearable as the sun began its descent. This, of course, would be followed by all the shades of red and purple that would have Instagram influencers posting “forever chasing sunsets” on their stories. And so, with this in mind, I started heading to the Malecón. After crossing a couple of highways, I finally got there. Call me jaded, but I did feel a bit underwhelmed when I realised it looked very much like a promenade we have in Buġibba;, another town in Malta.
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To add to my ever-growing list of disappointments was the thunderstorm that followed – a torrential downpour that left me soaked to the bone, my flimsy umbrella no match for the heavy gusts of wind being thrown my way. I went from a panting Great Dane to a wet chihuahua in record time. My bag, loaded with all my travel documents and electronics, was soaking wet, and my shoes were a pool in and of themselves. I had to recross the highways through ankle-deep water with one metre of visibility at best, the rain flooding both the streets and my field of vision. I was so, so miserable.
Screw the heat. Screw the rain. And screw Campeche. Right there and then, I wanted nothing more than to be in the comfort of my own room back home. I’m usually prepared for everything. I had checked the weather forecast and no rain was predicted. Otherwise, I would’ve worn my flip-flops and stuffed everything in my dry bag as I had grown used to doing over the previous few weeks. But man plans and God laughs, huh?
After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got to my hotel room and busied myself trying to dry everything out. I have to reiterate — leaving your stuff under the AC in dry mode overnight works wonders! Not something you’d want to do regularly if you actually care about the environment, but in a pinch, I’d say it’s much greener than having to buy a whole new wardrobe. Luckily, my electronics had survived the downpour too. I guess it could have been worse.
A Romantic Affair
After settling down, I decided to finally have some fun of my own. I opened Tinder and suddenly this Spanish hunk called Xavier popped up. With sandy blonde hair, deep blue eyes, a chiselled jawline, perfect teeth, a smile to die for and a swimmer’s body, he looked as if he had come out straight out of the Elite series. We matched and started chatting right away. He seemed pretty cool and we hit it off immediately. Imagine meeting this adonis after such a long, stressful day!
And so we set a date. Once at the meeting point, I could hear someone whistling. Sure enough, he was standing over a ledge, wearing a white shirt, navy shorts and a straw hat. So, so handsome. He jumped over and came in for a hug. He looked even better in person. We then headed out for dinner. He told me he had been living in Campeche for over six months. It was meant to be just a three week visit so he could see his family but he ended up staying here after a cousin of his died. He then decided to set some roots here, and ended up building an apartment so he could come here whenever he wants. We spent hours just chatting away, and with him having been everywhere around the city, it was a no-brainer to accept his offer to show me around during my stay.
I have to admit, it was nice being in someone’s company after a few weeks on my own. Travelling alone had been my intention from the start, but I was also keen to meet new people. Other travellers and locals alike — that’s the best way to get to know more about the places I’d be visiting, after all. Plus, it does get a bit lonely sometimes, especially when you’re out eating or having a drink by yourself.