Chetumal – Day 1 & 2: The Lagoon of Seven Colours
CHETUMAL
Day 1 & 2: The Lagoon of Seven Colours
September 07 & 08, 2022
One last comfortable bus ride later and there I was, in my final destination in Mexico: the city bordering Belize – Chetumal. I gotta admit, I wasn’t quite ready for it. Getting to Chetumal meant I’d be leaving Mexico, and while usually that would mean going back home and ending my trip, this time it was nothing more than just the beginning.
After settling into my shabby hotel room, I started making my way around the residential area, trying to fill my day with as many activities as I could. First up was the Maya Museum, which only served to solidify the knowledge I’d gained so far. Everything else recommended to me by my host seemed to be closed, so I continued walking around aimlessly until I got to the Malecón – a feature of port towns I’ve grown to adore. The main road gave way to a plaza with a giant white obelisk at its centre: the Monument to the Flag, which commemorates war heroes.
Here, I was stopped by a middle aged man who requested an obscene amount of money on account of his wallet being stolen and him not having enough money to go back to his hotel and sort everything out. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was just something a little too sus about him. Perhaps it was the Rolex dangling on his wrist. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the bottle of whiskey he had in his hands. He swore he would repay me. I swore I wouldn’t fall for it.
The Luck of the Manatee
The coast, lined by mangroves, is, as usual, home to many species of birds and other animals. Not usual, however, are the moving rocks. Or at least, that’s what I thought I saw when this moss-covered rock started to move. It also had this weird, spade-shaped tail. A face very reminiscent of a French Mastiff. Two fins. Quite the weird rock… Turns out, it was a friggin manatee! Whether they swarmed this place or whether it was just dumb luck and sheer coincidence, I had no idea – but there it was, a friggin manatee in the friggin flesh!
I was mesmerised by the creature. As I stood there with my jaw to the floor, there it lay, gnawing on the mossy rocks. Of course, after a few seconds, it quickly turned around, flipped its tail up, and proceeded to dive right back into the sea. I asked a random passer-by whether what I had seen was actually real or if I had been hallucinating. She confirmed that manatees do indeed inhabit the area, but it’s only a very lucky few who get to see them there – and that in their culture, it means you’re blessed!
From the promenade I continued onto a pier. A sound system along the road played loud, traditional Mexican music and on the sides, it was lined by statues of the Mayan gods. As if my wildlife adventures hadn’t sufficed just yet, it was also here that I came across the biggest iguana I had ever seen. It fled the minute I approached it, but, the second I turned around to snack on some Doritos, the demon lizard came out of its hiding and bit me on my hand. It could’ve just asked but nooooo… Also, I was pretty lucky (must’ve been the manatee’s blessing!) as their serrated teeth often cause lacerations deep enough to require suturing – meanwhile I had just a couple of indentations left from its sharp teeth. A Google search also explained that they’re also mildly venomous; which perhaps explained the tingling and pain.
From the promenade, I continued onto a pier. A sound system along the road played loud, traditional Mexican music, and on the sides, it was lined with statues of the Mayan gods. As if my wildlife adventures hadn’t sufficed just yet, it was also here that I came across the biggest iguana I had ever seen. It fled the minute I approached it but, the second I turned around to snack on some Doritos, the demon lizard came out of hiding and bit me on my hand. It could’ve just asked, but nooooo… Also, I was pretty lucky (must’ve been the manatee’s blessing!) as their serrated teeth often cause lacerations deep enough to require suturing – meanwhile, I was left with just a couple of indentations from its sharp teeth. A quick Google search also revealed that they’re mildly venomous – which perhaps explained the tingling and pain.
Blessed and bitten, I strolled along the gorgeous promenade, cherishing every single second I still had in this beautiful country. I couldn’t have been more grateful if I tried… Man I loved this country.
Laguna Bacalar
The next day… The last day… Despite having the better part of a year of travelling ahead of me, I could still sense that sort of impending finality. As the previous month had flown by, so would the next seven. That’s all I had left before I’d have to go back home. Just one blink, and I’d miss it all.
But I wasn’t gonna let that get to me. I shook off my ennui and put on my bandana for one final Mexican adventure. Another bus ride, another long-ass walk in another random city, another chance encounter with the man claiming he’d lost his wallet (who didn’t even recognise me and asked me for money again), and I was at the port of Bacalar – the gateway to the infamous Laguna Bacalar. Derived from a Mayan word meaning “surrounded by reeds,” the lagoon next to the city is bordered by dense jungle and is fed by underground rivers that connect to open cenotes in the middle of the lake.
Said to have at least seven shades of blue – ranging from indigo all the way to violet – this wonder of nature earns its name: the Lagoon of Seven Colours. Having heard many a traveller’s account of the magical waters, I simply had to visit this gem. And so, after finally managing to find a boat charter company and dragging along a couple of newlywed Brits, I was on my way to the lagoon.
I have to admit I was a bit wary of the whole “seven colours” thing – especially after the whole Rainbow Mountain debacle in Peru. But honestly? Let’s just say Bacalar’s lagoon definitely lives up to its reputation. In fact, I’d say it’s not hyped quite enough. Forget about the seven shades of blue – it was hundreds of them, and then some! Here, I got to see the greenest of blues and bluest of greens, its water crystal clear, pure, transparent.
Though we didn’t have a lot of time, we certainly made the most of it. We went around different areas of the lagoon by boat, making sure to take a dip at every possible chance. Swimming in it, even if just for a short while, felt nothing short of being in a tropical dream.
The End of the Beginning?
And that was it. My last day in Mexico had come and gone and I found myself at Chetumal’s marine terminal – a building situated right at the tip of the pier. From there runs a daily ferry to Belize City and the islands of Caye Caulker and San Pedro.
Having booked my ticket the previous day, it felt like I held in my hand the final nail that would forever seal the coffin wherein lay the most beautiful memories of my journey in the land I had come to call home. Although I expected this sense of finality to wash over me, I felt the complete opposite. Not only was I anticipating all that was in store for me, I was also excited about coming back to Mexico again one day – to visit all the places I had heard of from both locals and other travellers alike, to check off more Mayan ruins from my list, and, most importantly, to bring the memories I had created back to life.
Standing at the pier, waiting for the ferry to arrive, I couldn’t help but stare out at the vastness of the ocean – looking back on the adventures I’d had here in Mexico, and looking forward to what was to come. Seven more months. A lifetime’s worth of experiences and memories