Sat 2052 OK, new file. Let's go clean teeth and go to bed.
2111 so I'm actually lying on the mattress in the tent. I'm using the one socket to charge the o6. So I haven't got the fan on. to be honest, I don't really think the fan's necessary, at least not at night, maybe during the day it is. So we'll see how it goes. I haven't even got the covers (just a thin sheet) on me, although I might put those on just to add some general sense of comfort when I'm sleeping. I think it's okay. It's a bit weird, but that's kind of the point, right?
When I was feeling freezing on the bus, I did wonder if it would be ridiculously chilly at night in the tent, but I don't think that's going to be a big concern.
I will say that it kind of feels like I've been away forever earlier on I was thinking, oh I haven't done such and such a chore since I came out and then I realised, oh that's been about two days, so it's hardly like I really let it slide.
2128 watching a downloaded video in bed. Maybe it's just me but there is a slight middle of nowhere feeling like bolita or lost+found even though we are really in the middle of a town, and I am constantly having to remind myself that we have mains electricity and water and so on.
Sun 1959 Writing this on terrace by kitchen with bluetooth keyboard. two new guests seemed to have checked in just now but arent really around much, had a guy ask me if I had a lighter and had a brief conversation.
I slept OKish. Didnt have fan on. Woke up a few times in the night and finally got up maybe 8-830ish, though I had already heard other people up since 730ish.
Given relative lack of cheap rstaurants, I decided to ask for hostel breakfast (70 for scrambled eggs with tomato and onion and some toast and 30 for an americano ) which was pretty decent. I checked on booking and this hostel was available for another night fo 270ish, I asked at reception without mentioning ooking and was quoted 190 so was quietly overjoyed and closed on the deal. (They didnt have change for a 500 and I preteded to have no other change so they let me off paying until later.) Incidentally i really feel slightly under the cost for irrational reasons and I am probably ot going to be too strict about fixing up typos with this unfamiliar keyboard. I am stone cold sober FTR.
I also asked her about Chacchoben and she seemed to asically say it is really hard to go if you dont have a car. The guide book glibly says it is really easy to get to and gives no detals. She said you have to go to Limones and then from there and there is no tour. And indeed while I havent spoken to anyone - the generl ambience of the town is a bit weird and there dont seem to be tour agencies of the usual sort - I haven't seen anyone advertising any.
Let me skip ahead now so as to write the next bit while it is fresh in my head and then ome back to documenting the days activities Writing about this may help me think about it.
So just now out on the terrace I've been looking at possible options. Wrt Chacchobe, the only tours I can find mentioned on the net are aimed at cruise ship passengers at Costa Maya port, and they seem to involve an hours drive and about 90 mins at the site and then waste time on a swimming excursion afterwards. Anyway i am not at Costa Maya, of course.
This morning after hat I had a quick poke on Uber. I could get a car to take me out to Chacchoben - which is about 40 mins drive - for something like MXN550, which is borderline tolerable. But I checked and I couldnt get a ride *back* full stop. I have seen mention of essentally chartering a taxi to take you out there an wait while you go round. That jst might work but it feels a bit expensive and a bit stressful, both in terms of will the driver try to rip you off and are you then charging round the (perhaps not huge) site in a rush.
I looked tonight and AFAICT there is no accommodation - I tried booking, hostelworld and expedia and a general Google search - in Limones, at least not to book online. r2r says there are maybe 4-6 buses from Bacaar to Lmones a day and it is about an hour, but I am reluctant to try to do a single day trip there and back (and youd still have to get a taxi from Limones to Chac and back). In theory I could go to bus terminal and ask about timetables. Not 100% ruling this out.
There is more investiation/dcision to write up but let me skip back to this morning.
So I headed out maybe about 1030 or 11 with no solid plans beyond seeing the lagoon and probably wandering down the "lakefront" and going to Fort San Felipe. I headed over to the nearish public pier first. Nearly didn't go on it there and then as it is 20 pesos for foreigners but I paid and it was actually pretty cool. People were swimming and there were kayakers and in the distance jet skis and e-foils and boats. I actually sat there semi-meditatively musing for probably 2-3 hours, I hope I havent got burned but fingers crossed nothing serious I had put block on but I hadnt anticipated this (perhaps foolishly) and hadnt been over-riorous with the application.
During this and having read about the sunrise over the lake, I formed an idea to walk over (pace dogs) just before sunset tomorrow in swimming gear and see the sunrise and swim before the UV was heavy. (It is not consistnetly advertised, but you seem not to be supposed to wear sunblock into the lagoon. I have no idea if "reef safe" stuff is OK, it doesn't say,) I also wondered if I could rent a kayak and given how shallow it was by the edge take a chance or maybe get some instruction for an hour, though this also sent me into a bit of aspiral of "am I cool enough to do that? Why should I have to be cool to do that anyway? But I have never done it. Is it a stressful hassle?" etc. This took the edge off my chilled meditative vibe a bit but not too badly.
I got up after sitting for as I say maybe 2-3h and finished the walk of the rectangular pier over the lagoon. Back at the entrance I had the wit to check the opening times and it's 9am-6pm. Bang goes sunrise, even without the dogs. I asked the nice enough woman taking the money to check and asked about sunrise and she said there was a place called Balnearo something 5 blocks south. I am not sure i found it, but I might have done by accident. If it is the place I think it is, its a horrible looking complex on the lake (as I heard one kayaker remark to another, there is actually very little public access to the lake in town) which wants 100 pesos to go in as a foreigner, 150 pesos to hire a kayak for an hour, 100 pesos for a lifejacket. It just feels like nickle and dime hell. Also it is further south and getting there before sunrise would mean getting up even more in the dark and facing he dogs and then youd need to pay to go in and maybe it isnt even open that early etc.
At this point my sunny mood was waning a bit. The town feels oddly exploitative - like, I didn't expect to get a kayak for free. I was/am also willing to pay for an instructor for an hour or whatever. But I kind of expected to be allowed to wander along the lake front and talk to individual businesses without it all being kind of walled off and you cant even see what it's like inside etc.
So now let's flip back to this evening and the other decision making aspect now Ive talked about that. (Typing apostrophes is super awkward on the bluetooth keyboard. I may need to look into turning on some very light touch autocorrect, but not now.)
The guide book mentions a relatively low budget hostel right on the lakefront. Ive checked and I could get into a dorm there Tue-Wed nights (remember I am staying on here on Mon, and that is fine - also one of the general meditative things I was thinking about over breakfast and at the lake is about trying not to charge round too much) for something like twenty quid a night. This is a lot for a dorm, *but* it is right on the lake so I could see the sunrise. They might also rent me a kayak, though I am not too fussed - I would like to stretch myself and try this and you have to start somewhere, but it doesn't have to be here.
(Just had little chat with probably german long term traveller who has been talking to me about his visa run to belize. He has gone for a beer and I may see him in a bit./But will kee writing for now)
There is also an ecocamping place with mixed but broadly positive reviews 5km north of town, which I had seen when booking from home. They can do me a tent (hopefully solo) for proably same or less (cant quite remember and inconvenient to chec right now) as the in-town lake front hostel. The ecocamping place is also right on the lake front, so again sunrise is probably OK - weather permitting of course, I should check before I book anything - and although it's a bit remote it is probably an affordable taxi ride or maybe Uber, and if not for dogs I could probably walk it - OM says 1h15m. It does feel a bit like you might be a captive audience for their restaurant but still.
With either of these places I would probably book for just two nights and see how it goes. I could extend if I wanted but it may also be that as this would kind of make 5 nights total in Bacalar-ish and that may well be enough without feeling over-rushed unless I am somehow having a fantastic time.
So there are decisions to be made - probably tomorrow after some subconscious etc thought - about this - do I somehow try for Limones/Chacchoben or do I try for one of these two tolerably priced if not amazing lakefront options?
Anyway, lets get back to todays write up. So I wandered down the walled off lake front and came across the fort almost by accident. I then wandered back briefly to take a quick look at the in town lakefront hostel from outside and then was going to go into the fort - a relatively decent 110 peso entrance - but feeling thirsty I decided to pop round corner and try to find a little shop and after a bit of walking I did and got myself a 20 peso 600ml bottle of Cristal soft drink "sabor cebada" (which I was able to 95% certainty remember was barley) and guzzled that outside before going to the fort.
The fort was cool in a small kind of way, I snapped a lot of pictures (inclding of some quite cool and big iguanas around) and took photos of two couples on the small highest up platform and an Irish woman took a picture of me when she saw me taking a selfie - I didnt really want a photo but I suddenly felt I ought to. I suspect I have a shitty pose and what is supposed to be a smile but isnt in the photos she took but that isn't her fault.
That small tower looks like it has a face on somehow, so I took some extra photos of that. There is also a small fan-cooled but not air conditioned museum type exhibit in the middle which isnt bad if nothing over-exicting. Some nice-ish views and despite being way smaller, there was a bit of a personal "similiarity" to how it felt to go to the (much bigger) fort in Cartagena at the start of my trip in 2020 - the fact it was at the start, as it was today, being part of the similarity, also the hot-ish weather etc (though I think it is a bit cooler here - in a good way - than Cartagena).
I had formed a plan at some point after finding out that the morning sunrise was out to go swim this afternoon - the UV would probably be lower anyway and the sun would not be right over the lagoon. I wanted to go for food first, despite not being mega hungry, because I expected to go to swim as near closing at 6pm and as near sunset as possible. But El Valiente wasnt open and I wasnt that hungry and swimming on a full stomach didnt feel great so instead I came back to accom, dithered around a tiny bit and basically changed into swimming stuff and walked the maybe 5-10 mins (in flip flops - and I noted the departure time both ways but forgot to note time when I finished walking, hence "5-10") to the lagoon about 1530. I felt oddly edges - perhaps some dog stuff and some general swimming anxiety ish stuff - but did remind myself, as I remember realising in Brazil in 2019, that I was basicaly mugger proof, since I had the clothes I was wearing, a 50 peso note, two disposable bottles of water and my accommodation key. No phone, no cards, no wallet, etc. Not that mugging felt super likely, I don't want to get cocky but it generally feels pretty safe (pace dogs) here. Incidentally the town does have quite a small undeveloped feel in parts, eg there are chickens scratchig around on an open bit of land just down the road from here.
A very refreshing breeze sprung up about 5 mins ago. I am also wondering if there is a bar I dont know about given that german guy said he was going for a beer and might see me later - where s he drinking it? Not offended, just curious. I did know they sold beer but I assumed (poss correctly) you'd just ask at reception.
Loads of people in lagoon and the water was deeper than this morning. A fair mix of tourists and locals. It actually felt pretty nce. If anything I was "too serious" actually trying to swim and wearing goggles but obviously no one cares. I wasn't very good, considering I had swum back in London on Wednesday less than a week ago, but every little helps to keep the habit up, and maybe wearing my short-sleeved red Tshrt and my bandanna as pseudo swimming cap makes it harder Plus though not fierce, there were waves. I *mostly* stayed inside the rectangular walkway (although this morning that would have been about knee-thigh deep even out by the walkway itself) but did go out past it a bit. I was probably in the water 30-40 minutes.
Walked back to hostel no problem. The "waterproof" neck strap wallet I had bought in Bocas del Toro and which I had put a (smartly and deliberately choosing a plastic one) 50 peso note and my accom key had leaked. Maybe it is knackered, I thought I had sealed it properly but who knows. Not a big deal, main thing is to know it cant be trusted. It is still useful as it means I domt have to worry about these sort of things being stolen while I swim. It felt pretty safe and probably no one would teal your stuff, but you know, better safe than sorry.
After showering and changing I trogged back down to El Valiente and had *four* beef tacos without sauce, and this time the guy asked if I wanted potatoes and after a bit of back and forth I said yes and this made them even more substantial. I had been dithering about having a beer today but I thought I might bring a couple back (no signs saying you cant, and better to ask forgiveness than seek permission) but I tried three small supermarkets and a couple of small snack-type shops and none had beer. They didnt obviously have it blocked off due to purchasing hour restrictions either. Since I am still in QR and you could buy beer within reasonable hours in supermarkets in Cancun, maybe this is some local municipal restriction or maybe I just got unlucky in my choice of supermarkets. I decided that although I probaby could get a beer at the hostel (and probably still could) I would probably try to make it another day off the beers, which it has been so far, and modulo german guy mentioning it I havent felt too bothered,
I was going to wash some tops tonight but they had just painted the area and there were fumes so they didnt really want me to use it. Tops dry pretty quick and I dont think I will be dashing off tomorrow morning to do anything so I can wash them tomorrow.
In no particular order the plan for tomorrow is:
- try to decide what I am doing next and book as appropriate
- have breakfast at hostel and probably lunch/dinner at El Valiente
- probably go for a late-ish afternoon or just possibly (checking UV on weather forecast?) early-ish swim (I got a bracelet when I paid my 20 in the morning so I didnt have to pay again this afternoon, I have no idea if the bracelet will work tomorrow but unless it really starts to bug me I will keep it on overnight and see what happens, obviously 20 pesos is not a big deal but still)
- probably look into "the" (it is advertised everywhere but I think it is just resellers) 2h boat tour which is about 350 pesos and which I suspect I can do at short notice and am not that bothered about but it sort of feels like the sort of thing I "ought" to do and none of the probably more specialised and expensive activities are more obviously attractive. Especially if I decide to stay at the hostel in town for sunset purposes (I think it might be raining by the way) I may not rush to do this, especially if it might clash with the prospect of a swim tomorrow, but we will see.
- maybe (depending on and perhaps part of) the decision making process for what to do next, I may pop over to the bus terminal and ask about buses to Limones and/or (less likely) this 5km north of here ecocamp place.
German guy has come back, I think he got his beer from hostel as he is paying the (apparently Spanish) owner-type chap. He sat at another table and so we are not talking, it may be because he saw me typing but maybe he wants some peace etc, fair play to him.
It hasnt been a bad day overall. As I say I felt a bit wobbly at points re the kayaking and then the vague "ffs, this is all so expensive and crappy here" bit with the waterfront locked off and the sunrise and so on, and also some disappointment over Chacchoben (which isn't to say I have written it off at ths point either). But the somehow unexpectedly nice atmosphere out on the public pier (it was much quieter - not dead, sort of pleasantly low-key busy - this morning than this afternoon btw, it is Sunday of course FWIW) and spending time sitting in the sun looking out and thinking was nice, and the fort was cool, and going for a swim was both cool and sort of envelope-stretching.
I do have this vage uncertainty about what to do next and it has some connection with a feeling that I dont want to blatantly waste time vs not rushing round excessively. I think it is fine but we will see how it goes.
Tent floor is covered in my junk due to various rushed in and out visits but at least with a tent everything *is* kind of automatically contained so fingers crossed I wont lose anything.
2103 Just finished writing the above. Will stop typing and sit back a bit and try not to feel awkward.
2116 He has a laptop or something, which makes things feel less awkard. I will probably move off towards bed 10ish if not earlier, since fwiw that is when "quiet time" starts, and I am not gagging for chat nor is it likely to be an option. Nice to have a little bit of a chat earlier to be fair and may break the ice for tomorrow.
Wearing flip flops and no socks tonight, partly due to laundry type issues as well as comfort. Would not want to be walking a lot in flip flops even if I wasnt worried about looking weird (or looking less weird :-) ). Sprayed a load of repellent on which may make this "expensive" but its all an experiment etc.
212 He just said goodnight, I said see you tomorrow maybe. Probably reasonably "normal" behaviour on my part.
Am tinkering a little with keyboard settings on P7 but will probably move towards cleaning teeth and bed soon. Probably be good to be up early-ish tomorrow but hopefully without forcing it, given it *is* a day when I dont have to travel or have specific things to be up for and so it is nice to have the option to lie in. But especially if as is likely I am naturally going to be early I am likely to be up relatively early anyway, plus the daylight will probably wake me etc Not complaining, this is kind of cool. I left the light on outside tent all night last night but tonight I may try turning it off.
There is a nice black and white cat at the hostel but it is very nervous and wont come near me, But I just saw a black cat with a few white specks follow it across terrace and I think that is the cat that let me stroke it on street the first evening here. But it wont come over to me either.
2132 I cant seem to find any way to get autocorrect of any kind with the bluetooth keyboard, though I am sure I had some kind of interaction between it and the virtual keyboards at one point.
There is also a whte-ish cat around but again it wont come near me.
I have been using the phone in landscape mode with the keyboard but I think it may be better in portrait - it works, and it also means if I switch to another app the screen isnt the wrong way round. And I guess portrait format is probably better for writing anyway, insofar as it makes any difference to me writing this.
2138 Back of neck feels a little burned but hopefully not too bad. I think I might pack up here and move towards bed etc. I will send this now and start a new file.
2111 so I'm actually lying on the mattress in the tent. I'm using the one socket to charge the o6. So I haven't got the fan on. to be honest, I don't really think the fan's necessary, at least not at night, maybe during the day it is. So we'll see how it goes. I haven't even got the covers (just a thin sheet) on me, although I might put those on just to add some general sense of comfort when I'm sleeping. I think it's okay. It's a bit weird, but that's kind of the point, right?
When I was feeling freezing on the bus, I did wonder if it would be ridiculously chilly at night in the tent, but I don't think that's going to be a big concern.
I will say that it kind of feels like I've been away forever earlier on I was thinking, oh I haven't done such and such a chore since I came out and then I realised, oh that's been about two days, so it's hardly like I really let it slide.
2128 watching a downloaded video in bed. Maybe it's just me but there is a slight middle of nowhere feeling like bolita or lost+found even though we are really in the middle of a town, and I am constantly having to remind myself that we have mains electricity and water and so on.
Sun 1959 Writing this on terrace by kitchen with bluetooth keyboard. two new guests seemed to have checked in just now but arent really around much, had a guy ask me if I had a lighter and had a brief conversation.
I slept OKish. Didnt have fan on. Woke up a few times in the night and finally got up maybe 8-830ish, though I had already heard other people up since 730ish.
Given relative lack of cheap rstaurants, I decided to ask for hostel breakfast (70 for scrambled eggs with tomato and onion and some toast and 30 for an americano ) which was pretty decent. I checked on booking and this hostel was available for another night fo 270ish, I asked at reception without mentioning ooking and was quoted 190 so was quietly overjoyed and closed on the deal. (They didnt have change for a 500 and I preteded to have no other change so they let me off paying until later.) Incidentally i really feel slightly under the cost for irrational reasons and I am probably ot going to be too strict about fixing up typos with this unfamiliar keyboard. I am stone cold sober FTR.
I also asked her about Chacchoben and she seemed to asically say it is really hard to go if you dont have a car. The guide book glibly says it is really easy to get to and gives no detals. She said you have to go to Limones and then from there and there is no tour. And indeed while I havent spoken to anyone - the generl ambience of the town is a bit weird and there dont seem to be tour agencies of the usual sort - I haven't seen anyone advertising any.
Let me skip ahead now so as to write the next bit while it is fresh in my head and then ome back to documenting the days activities Writing about this may help me think about it.
So just now out on the terrace I've been looking at possible options. Wrt Chacchobe, the only tours I can find mentioned on the net are aimed at cruise ship passengers at Costa Maya port, and they seem to involve an hours drive and about 90 mins at the site and then waste time on a swimming excursion afterwards. Anyway i am not at Costa Maya, of course.
This morning after hat I had a quick poke on Uber. I could get a car to take me out to Chacchoben - which is about 40 mins drive - for something like MXN550, which is borderline tolerable. But I checked and I couldnt get a ride *back* full stop. I have seen mention of essentally chartering a taxi to take you out there an wait while you go round. That jst might work but it feels a bit expensive and a bit stressful, both in terms of will the driver try to rip you off and are you then charging round the (perhaps not huge) site in a rush.
I looked tonight and AFAICT there is no accommodation - I tried booking, hostelworld and expedia and a general Google search - in Limones, at least not to book online. r2r says there are maybe 4-6 buses from Bacaar to Lmones a day and it is about an hour, but I am reluctant to try to do a single day trip there and back (and youd still have to get a taxi from Limones to Chac and back). In theory I could go to bus terminal and ask about timetables. Not 100% ruling this out.
There is more investiation/dcision to write up but let me skip back to this morning.
So I headed out maybe about 1030 or 11 with no solid plans beyond seeing the lagoon and probably wandering down the "lakefront" and going to Fort San Felipe. I headed over to the nearish public pier first. Nearly didn't go on it there and then as it is 20 pesos for foreigners but I paid and it was actually pretty cool. People were swimming and there were kayakers and in the distance jet skis and e-foils and boats. I actually sat there semi-meditatively musing for probably 2-3 hours, I hope I havent got burned but fingers crossed nothing serious I had put block on but I hadnt anticipated this (perhaps foolishly) and hadnt been over-riorous with the application.
During this and having read about the sunrise over the lake, I formed an idea to walk over (pace dogs) just before sunset tomorrow in swimming gear and see the sunrise and swim before the UV was heavy. (It is not consistnetly advertised, but you seem not to be supposed to wear sunblock into the lagoon. I have no idea if "reef safe" stuff is OK, it doesn't say,) I also wondered if I could rent a kayak and given how shallow it was by the edge take a chance or maybe get some instruction for an hour, though this also sent me into a bit of aspiral of "am I cool enough to do that? Why should I have to be cool to do that anyway? But I have never done it. Is it a stressful hassle?" etc. This took the edge off my chilled meditative vibe a bit but not too badly.
I got up after sitting for as I say maybe 2-3h and finished the walk of the rectangular pier over the lagoon. Back at the entrance I had the wit to check the opening times and it's 9am-6pm. Bang goes sunrise, even without the dogs. I asked the nice enough woman taking the money to check and asked about sunrise and she said there was a place called Balnearo something 5 blocks south. I am not sure i found it, but I might have done by accident. If it is the place I think it is, its a horrible looking complex on the lake (as I heard one kayaker remark to another, there is actually very little public access to the lake in town) which wants 100 pesos to go in as a foreigner, 150 pesos to hire a kayak for an hour, 100 pesos for a lifejacket. It just feels like nickle and dime hell. Also it is further south and getting there before sunrise would mean getting up even more in the dark and facing he dogs and then youd need to pay to go in and maybe it isnt even open that early etc.
At this point my sunny mood was waning a bit. The town feels oddly exploitative - like, I didn't expect to get a kayak for free. I was/am also willing to pay for an instructor for an hour or whatever. But I kind of expected to be allowed to wander along the lake front and talk to individual businesses without it all being kind of walled off and you cant even see what it's like inside etc.
So now let's flip back to this evening and the other decision making aspect now Ive talked about that. (Typing apostrophes is super awkward on the bluetooth keyboard. I may need to look into turning on some very light touch autocorrect, but not now.)
The guide book mentions a relatively low budget hostel right on the lakefront. Ive checked and I could get into a dorm there Tue-Wed nights (remember I am staying on here on Mon, and that is fine - also one of the general meditative things I was thinking about over breakfast and at the lake is about trying not to charge round too much) for something like twenty quid a night. This is a lot for a dorm, *but* it is right on the lake so I could see the sunrise. They might also rent me a kayak, though I am not too fussed - I would like to stretch myself and try this and you have to start somewhere, but it doesn't have to be here.
(Just had little chat with probably german long term traveller who has been talking to me about his visa run to belize. He has gone for a beer and I may see him in a bit./But will kee writing for now)
There is also an ecocamping place with mixed but broadly positive reviews 5km north of town, which I had seen when booking from home. They can do me a tent (hopefully solo) for proably same or less (cant quite remember and inconvenient to chec right now) as the in-town lake front hostel. The ecocamping place is also right on the lake front, so again sunrise is probably OK - weather permitting of course, I should check before I book anything - and although it's a bit remote it is probably an affordable taxi ride or maybe Uber, and if not for dogs I could probably walk it - OM says 1h15m. It does feel a bit like you might be a captive audience for their restaurant but still.
With either of these places I would probably book for just two nights and see how it goes. I could extend if I wanted but it may also be that as this would kind of make 5 nights total in Bacalar-ish and that may well be enough without feeling over-rushed unless I am somehow having a fantastic time.
So there are decisions to be made - probably tomorrow after some subconscious etc thought - about this - do I somehow try for Limones/Chacchoben or do I try for one of these two tolerably priced if not amazing lakefront options?
Anyway, lets get back to todays write up. So I wandered down the walled off lake front and came across the fort almost by accident. I then wandered back briefly to take a quick look at the in town lakefront hostel from outside and then was going to go into the fort - a relatively decent 110 peso entrance - but feeling thirsty I decided to pop round corner and try to find a little shop and after a bit of walking I did and got myself a 20 peso 600ml bottle of Cristal soft drink "sabor cebada" (which I was able to 95% certainty remember was barley) and guzzled that outside before going to the fort.
The fort was cool in a small kind of way, I snapped a lot of pictures (inclding of some quite cool and big iguanas around) and took photos of two couples on the small highest up platform and an Irish woman took a picture of me when she saw me taking a selfie - I didnt really want a photo but I suddenly felt I ought to. I suspect I have a shitty pose and what is supposed to be a smile but isnt in the photos she took but that isn't her fault.
That small tower looks like it has a face on somehow, so I took some extra photos of that. There is also a small fan-cooled but not air conditioned museum type exhibit in the middle which isnt bad if nothing over-exicting. Some nice-ish views and despite being way smaller, there was a bit of a personal "similiarity" to how it felt to go to the (much bigger) fort in Cartagena at the start of my trip in 2020 - the fact it was at the start, as it was today, being part of the similarity, also the hot-ish weather etc (though I think it is a bit cooler here - in a good way - than Cartagena).
I had formed a plan at some point after finding out that the morning sunrise was out to go swim this afternoon - the UV would probably be lower anyway and the sun would not be right over the lagoon. I wanted to go for food first, despite not being mega hungry, because I expected to go to swim as near closing at 6pm and as near sunset as possible. But El Valiente wasnt open and I wasnt that hungry and swimming on a full stomach didnt feel great so instead I came back to accom, dithered around a tiny bit and basically changed into swimming stuff and walked the maybe 5-10 mins (in flip flops - and I noted the departure time both ways but forgot to note time when I finished walking, hence "5-10") to the lagoon about 1530. I felt oddly edges - perhaps some dog stuff and some general swimming anxiety ish stuff - but did remind myself, as I remember realising in Brazil in 2019, that I was basicaly mugger proof, since I had the clothes I was wearing, a 50 peso note, two disposable bottles of water and my accommodation key. No phone, no cards, no wallet, etc. Not that mugging felt super likely, I don't want to get cocky but it generally feels pretty safe (pace dogs) here. Incidentally the town does have quite a small undeveloped feel in parts, eg there are chickens scratchig around on an open bit of land just down the road from here.
A very refreshing breeze sprung up about 5 mins ago. I am also wondering if there is a bar I dont know about given that german guy said he was going for a beer and might see me later - where s he drinking it? Not offended, just curious. I did know they sold beer but I assumed (poss correctly) you'd just ask at reception.
Loads of people in lagoon and the water was deeper than this morning. A fair mix of tourists and locals. It actually felt pretty nce. If anything I was "too serious" actually trying to swim and wearing goggles but obviously no one cares. I wasn't very good, considering I had swum back in London on Wednesday less than a week ago, but every little helps to keep the habit up, and maybe wearing my short-sleeved red Tshrt and my bandanna as pseudo swimming cap makes it harder Plus though not fierce, there were waves. I *mostly* stayed inside the rectangular walkway (although this morning that would have been about knee-thigh deep even out by the walkway itself) but did go out past it a bit. I was probably in the water 30-40 minutes.
Walked back to hostel no problem. The "waterproof" neck strap wallet I had bought in Bocas del Toro and which I had put a (smartly and deliberately choosing a plastic one) 50 peso note and my accom key had leaked. Maybe it is knackered, I thought I had sealed it properly but who knows. Not a big deal, main thing is to know it cant be trusted. It is still useful as it means I domt have to worry about these sort of things being stolen while I swim. It felt pretty safe and probably no one would teal your stuff, but you know, better safe than sorry.
After showering and changing I trogged back down to El Valiente and had *four* beef tacos without sauce, and this time the guy asked if I wanted potatoes and after a bit of back and forth I said yes and this made them even more substantial. I had been dithering about having a beer today but I thought I might bring a couple back (no signs saying you cant, and better to ask forgiveness than seek permission) but I tried three small supermarkets and a couple of small snack-type shops and none had beer. They didnt obviously have it blocked off due to purchasing hour restrictions either. Since I am still in QR and you could buy beer within reasonable hours in supermarkets in Cancun, maybe this is some local municipal restriction or maybe I just got unlucky in my choice of supermarkets. I decided that although I probaby could get a beer at the hostel (and probably still could) I would probably try to make it another day off the beers, which it has been so far, and modulo german guy mentioning it I havent felt too bothered,
I was going to wash some tops tonight but they had just painted the area and there were fumes so they didnt really want me to use it. Tops dry pretty quick and I dont think I will be dashing off tomorrow morning to do anything so I can wash them tomorrow.
In no particular order the plan for tomorrow is:
- try to decide what I am doing next and book as appropriate
- have breakfast at hostel and probably lunch/dinner at El Valiente
- probably go for a late-ish afternoon or just possibly (checking UV on weather forecast?) early-ish swim (I got a bracelet when I paid my 20 in the morning so I didnt have to pay again this afternoon, I have no idea if the bracelet will work tomorrow but unless it really starts to bug me I will keep it on overnight and see what happens, obviously 20 pesos is not a big deal but still)
- probably look into "the" (it is advertised everywhere but I think it is just resellers) 2h boat tour which is about 350 pesos and which I suspect I can do at short notice and am not that bothered about but it sort of feels like the sort of thing I "ought" to do and none of the probably more specialised and expensive activities are more obviously attractive. Especially if I decide to stay at the hostel in town for sunset purposes (I think it might be raining by the way) I may not rush to do this, especially if it might clash with the prospect of a swim tomorrow, but we will see.
- maybe (depending on and perhaps part of) the decision making process for what to do next, I may pop over to the bus terminal and ask about buses to Limones and/or (less likely) this 5km north of here ecocamp place.
German guy has come back, I think he got his beer from hostel as he is paying the (apparently Spanish) owner-type chap. He sat at another table and so we are not talking, it may be because he saw me typing but maybe he wants some peace etc, fair play to him.
It hasnt been a bad day overall. As I say I felt a bit wobbly at points re the kayaking and then the vague "ffs, this is all so expensive and crappy here" bit with the waterfront locked off and the sunrise and so on, and also some disappointment over Chacchoben (which isn't to say I have written it off at ths point either). But the somehow unexpectedly nice atmosphere out on the public pier (it was much quieter - not dead, sort of pleasantly low-key busy - this morning than this afternoon btw, it is Sunday of course FWIW) and spending time sitting in the sun looking out and thinking was nice, and the fort was cool, and going for a swim was both cool and sort of envelope-stretching.
I do have this vage uncertainty about what to do next and it has some connection with a feeling that I dont want to blatantly waste time vs not rushing round excessively. I think it is fine but we will see how it goes.
Tent floor is covered in my junk due to various rushed in and out visits but at least with a tent everything *is* kind of automatically contained so fingers crossed I wont lose anything.
2103 Just finished writing the above. Will stop typing and sit back a bit and try not to feel awkward.
2116 He has a laptop or something, which makes things feel less awkard. I will probably move off towards bed 10ish if not earlier, since fwiw that is when "quiet time" starts, and I am not gagging for chat nor is it likely to be an option. Nice to have a little bit of a chat earlier to be fair and may break the ice for tomorrow.
Wearing flip flops and no socks tonight, partly due to laundry type issues as well as comfort. Would not want to be walking a lot in flip flops even if I wasnt worried about looking weird (or looking less weird :-) ). Sprayed a load of repellent on which may make this "expensive" but its all an experiment etc.
212 He just said goodnight, I said see you tomorrow maybe. Probably reasonably "normal" behaviour on my part.
Am tinkering a little with keyboard settings on P7 but will probably move towards cleaning teeth and bed soon. Probably be good to be up early-ish tomorrow but hopefully without forcing it, given it *is* a day when I dont have to travel or have specific things to be up for and so it is nice to have the option to lie in. But especially if as is likely I am naturally going to be early I am likely to be up relatively early anyway, plus the daylight will probably wake me etc Not complaining, this is kind of cool. I left the light on outside tent all night last night but tonight I may try turning it off.
There is a nice black and white cat at the hostel but it is very nervous and wont come near me, But I just saw a black cat with a few white specks follow it across terrace and I think that is the cat that let me stroke it on street the first evening here. But it wont come over to me either.
2132 I cant seem to find any way to get autocorrect of any kind with the bluetooth keyboard, though I am sure I had some kind of interaction between it and the virtual keyboards at one point.
There is also a whte-ish cat around but again it wont come near me.
I have been using the phone in landscape mode with the keyboard but I think it may be better in portrait - it works, and it also means if I switch to another app the screen isnt the wrong way round. And I guess portrait format is probably better for writing anyway, insofar as it makes any difference to me writing this.
2138 Back of neck feels a little burned but hopefully not too bad. I think I might pack up here and move towards bed etc. I will send this now and start a new file.
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