I.I.XI.I – Chetumal: Day One & Two
CHETUMAL
I.I.XI.I – DAY ONE & TWO
07/09/22 & 08/09/22
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 whilst usually that would mean it’d go back home and end my trip, this time it was nothing more than just the beginning.
After settling in at my shabby hotel room, I started on 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 had gained thus far. Everything else recommended to me by my host seemed to be closed, so I continued walking around aimlessly until I got to the Malecon; a feature of port towns I have grown to adore. The main road made way to a plaza with a giant white obelisk at its centre; the Monument of the Flag which commemorates war heroes. Then I continued to stroll along the promenade until sunset.
The coast, lined by a mangrove, 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 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 a 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 in 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 is only a very lucky few who get to see them over 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.
Moving on, I ended up 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. While my original plan was to get to Belize City by bus and catch the ferry to Caye Caulker from there, an officer kindly explained that I could just as easily catch the ferry directly to the island and avoid the extra step. I booked the tickets there and then.
There it was, my getaway ticket from Mexico.It was like the final nail in the coffin, the confirmation that my journey in the land that I had come to call home had finally come to a close. I’d have just one day left, and then that’d be it. I mean, for sure I’d have to come back one day. I’d only visited half the country, and that’s me being generous. I only visited the most popular cities, leaving behind everything else.
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, 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 surrounded by dense jungles and is fed by underground rivers which 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 lends itself the name of Lagoon of Seven Colours. Having heard many a traveller’s accounts 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 that 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 that 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 did make the most of it. We went around different areas of the lagoon on boat, making sure to take a dip at every possible chance. Swimming in it, even if for a short while, felt nothing short of being in a tropical dream.
And that was it. My last day in Mexico had come to an end. Standing at the pier, waiting for the ferry to arrive, I couldn’t help but stare at the vastness of the ocean. Looking back on the adventures I had had here in Mexico, looking forward to what was to come. Seven more months. A lifetime’s worth of experiences and memories.