I.I.VI.I – San Francisco de Campeche: Day One
SAN FRANCISCO DE CAMPECHE
I.I.VI.I – DAY ONE
21/08/22
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 been travelling that I wasn’t quite impressed – mostly cause it felt like I had already seen something similar and cause of the sweltering heat.
Campeche is a port city that was founded in 1540 following the Spanish Conquest. Owing to its strategic position and 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 found along a polygonal wall, protecting the inside of the citadel successfully.
The citadel reminded me of 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 from different countries throughout their entire history. However, unlike the Maltese citadels, the streets and buildings inside that of Campeche are all coloured in vividly bright shades. The first time I had seen something like this was in Cartagena, Colombia. It was extraordinary to see such similar architecture contrasted with such bright colours, with the Maltese forts and bastions being stone coloured and uniform. 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 whilst drenched in sweat and on the brink of a heat stroke. It was the very first time in all my travels I would have rather been back home. I usually travel during summers mostly to avoid the heat, and there I found myself in a far worse predicament.
I visited a couple of forts along the walls and the Puerta de la Tierra; a gate facing the mainland and the Puerta de la Agua; a gate facing the port side. Inside the citadel is 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 have gone without seeing). Sorry for being such a sourpuss – I can’t deal with the heat!
Fire and Rain
It was for the sunset at the Malecon that I had been looking forward to all day; a long stretch of promenade along the Pacific coast that lends itself a great view of the ocean.
I was already picturing myself with a huge bucket of ice-cream as I walked along the coast, the temperature starting to get bearable as the sun started its descent. This, of course, would be followed by all the shades of red and purple that would have all the Instagram influencers go “forever chasing sunsets” on their stories. And so, with this in mind, I started heading to the Malecon. 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 list of disappointments was the thunderstorm that proceeded. A torrential downpour that left me soaked to the bone – my flimsy umbrella not standing a chance against the heavy gusts of wind being thrown my way. I was miserable. I went from a panting Great Dane to a wet chihuahua in record time. My bag; victualled with all my travel documents and electronics was soaking wet, my shoes a pool in and of themselves. I had to recross the highways through ankle-deep waters with one meter visibility at best; the rain flooding both the streets and my field of vision.
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. You see, I’m usually prepared for everything. I had checked the weather forecast and no rain was predicted. Otherwise, I would’ve worn my waterproof hiking shoes and stuffed everything in my dry bag. But man plans and god laughs, huh?
After what seemed like an eternity later, I finally got to my hotel room and busied myself trying to dry up everything. I have to reiterate – leaving your stuff under the AC in dry mode overnight works wonders! Not something you’d wanna do regularly if you’re actually concerned about the environment but, in a pinch, I’d say it’s much greener than having to buy a whole set of new clothes.
A Romantic Affair
After having settled down, I decided to finally have some fun of my own. I opened Tinder and suddenly this Spanish hunk called Xavier popped up. We matched and we started chatting right away. He seemed pretty cool and we hit it off immediately. Imagine meeting this 32-year-old handsome, blonde, blue-eyed, ripped guy after such a long, stressful day!
He told me he’d been living with his family in Campeche for six months and decided to set down some roots here. He was building his own house which he would rent whilst he’d be in Spain and would use it himself whenever he’d visit. We spent hours just chatting away, and, with him having been everyone around the city, it was a no brainer to accept his offer to show me around during my two remaining days.
I have to admit it was nice being in someone’s company after being on my own for a few weeks. Travelling alone had been my intention from the very start, but I was also interested in meeting new kinds of people. Other travellers and locals alike – that’d be 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.