Bacalar, Tuesday

Tue 1023 On terrace waiting for breakfast. Feel a bit fragile. I didn't sleep that well. Kept waking up and rolling over and feeling sweaty yet cold. At one point knew I ought to drink some water and take aine ibuprofen but it too( ne maybe minutes (maybe longer) to summon the energy. I don't say I could not try a solo trip to chac but I am not feeling great and it just feels stupid to push it. It is a shame to be having a eest day so early in the trip but it might be nice tovputter round and hopefully feel better. I may also be able to sort laundry out given last night's shower and not washing anything threw me out a bit. 1357 On terrace with bluetooth keyboard. I feel crap but I think better. Right now I feel hot and sweaty, wearing just ls top. Earlier I was sat here wearing fleece and feeling a tiny bit chilly. Weater forecast shows tems like 27-29C. I atebreakfast very gingerly while listening to three Spanish speaking women (one from Barcelona) and the owner chap talking. I felt the tiniest bit BNM byt there were talking about politics - two are anthropologists, the other studied it, they were moaning about the "rise of the right" and how their president (Millei? Spanish president?) was trying to cut money for sociology type stuff and chuntering generally about indigeous protection policies and so forth and while it was sort of cool that I could understand them I had not the least desire to join in, especially as I was feeling fragile. I had shaved and showered before breakfast. After I decided to go put sunblock on and maybe walk down to the public pier but serously mustering the energy to do that was an effort. I genuinely felt like I was tottering around. I was and am struggling to remember that yesterday afternoon I felt happy and healthy. I went out for a walk and bought a sugary soft drink at corner abbarrote but it started to rain and I did not want to get wet again so i turned bac before i got to public pier. I then sat on the terrace with my fleece on and drank my Fresca Toronja feeling vaguely shit. It is fine, I a intellectually aware that my low mood is because I feel /unwell and it is unlikely I will coninue to feel this bad. It could be all sorts but I have to assume for now it is an after effect of the cold and semi-not eating yesterday. My muscles feel sore as fuck. I took two ibuprofen after having Fresca Toronja. I extended for another night. I havent been out to try to tal to the woman t that booth near fort about tour to Chac, I do not want to risk feeling like shit tomorrow. if I feel good i can try for a self tour, if not I guess I will just have another day bummng around. I am not exactly counting, but I think I need to put today down to the "rest/illness/recuperation" rather than "visiting Bacalar". It is a shame but it is what it is and it would be stupid to push myself too hard when I feel crap right near the start of the trip. It was slightly cool to be sitting here with the rain dripping off the roof earlier, albeit a shame I am not choosing to do it voluntarily. I got a change of sheets and then stupidly got dirt on them off my shoes while changing them. Woman at reception offered to do it but there is so much crap all over floor I thought it best to do it myself. I really need to be more diligent about taking shoes off before going in to tent despite how faffy it is when not wearing flip flops. I stayed on in tent as i didnt want to miss out (booking suggests they may be relatively short on tent spaces) and it does at least offer privacy if I need to toss and turn in the night. booking suggests the dorms are near empty and prices are similar and if I really wanted I suspect I could swap to a dorm for tomorrow night (or even tonight) for free or a nominal cost, but haven't asked. dorm beds might be more comfortable of course Went out for fruit and got some limes (which I am going to have in a minute with some chilled sparking water) and bananas and apples. I still have the half pizza from yesterday and I think I wll be able to eat that later. Obviously this muscle achey stuff could be any or a mix of things like: - old age - this weird "illness" from getting cold - "uncomfortable" mattress in tent As I say I dont feel super right now but I probably am feeling better. Woman at reception offered me a blanket when I got a change of sheets which may be handy. Given how funny I felt I genuinely wasnt sure if I was hot or cold at parts during the night but I did put my fleece over me as a sort of blanket at one point and I think that helped. I am dithering - and havent looked online at booking etc yet - what to do next. Arguably if these days are just written off to sickness not "Bacalar", it would make sense to stay here an extra day past however long it takes me to feel better to try a self tour to Chac, given that was my plan. On the other hand (and no ideal what accom is available) if I could get a cheapish private room in Chetumal (a nice short one bus hop, though maybe a bit enough place getting from bus terminal to accom is a faff) or in Xjwhatsit (a double bus hop, but probably not too hard) maybe with aircon for some affordable pseudo-luxury after this time in a tent that might be nice. Or even a comfortable dorm might be nice if I am feeling better. I could maybe see the appeal of the "urban" charms of Chetumal (museums, wandering round parks) instead of trogging off to archeological sights and doing tours at Xjwhatsit - ie would maybe do Chetumal then go on to Xjwhatsit. But I have no idea what Chetumal is like and it may not be very appealing and if I am feeling 95% recovered a double bus hop is not a huge deal. Wrt the slow travel, I would like to not race round too much, but I would also like to see Chiapas and Tabasco which may be cheaper and less touristy and I do see some value in doing *relatively* long bus trips between my relatively long stays in each place. 1421 Had an apple. Not feeling great but better enough I am toying with the Chac tour. However - and it isnt really about the money - it would be more of an adventure and good experience for future similar situations to do a solo attempt. And that hedges my bets wrt feeling shit tomorrow. It is odd, as I say I am very much not 100%, but I am starting to feel much better. 1425 Just had a slice of last night's pizza, which has been in the fridge. I didn't absolutely wolf it down but did eat it with a lot more zest and comfort than I remember eating last night or breakfast this morning. I could imagine (hope) waking up tomorrow feeling so much better. 1433 Having some sparkling water with freshly squeezed lime. Vague idea the vitamin C may help. If I didnt already say in bed this morning I was kind of thinking "I suppose I maybe could do the self tour attempt today" but I think I had pretty much decided I wasn't going to. And really I think the way I was tottering around the hostel on getting up and when I went out for that abortive walk to public pier earlier means I did the right thing. The self tour vaguely scares me but it did before and that is not illness related. No way am I swimming today. I just may wander down to the public pier weather permitting for a wander. I am still wearing the bracelet from the first day and am curious to know if it is still valid. Earlier the idea of eating tacos sort of appalled me, but I am now sort of feeling 50-50 about maybe doing down to El Valiente, albeit perhaps for just a couple. It may be that poor diet has been a factor in feeling bad today. I dont know. But today I guess the fruit is something and the hostel breakfast is probably not that bad. 2223 So I met a Canadian chap called Rob, who's on an open-ended trip, and has just recovered from Dengue, which was quite interesting. We chanted for a bit and then he went off to get find his old towel, and I went down to the public pier to just wander, not trying to swim. Woman at desk was a bit suspicious when I showed her my brace look but she asked me in Spanish if I'd been in that morning and I said si so , and she didn't make a fuss. Rob says the bracelet colour is the same every day. I then wandered down into town. I wasn't going to eat, but El Valiente wasn't open. I mainly wanted to break a 500 at supermarkets. I bought a bigish bottle of sparkling water. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of smallish bills to try and head off problems with change if I do do the chat trip tomorrow. Also remember to use a few of accumulating coins for the non round part of price. I came back, had a shower, did some laundry, before the shower. Feeling a tiny bit chilly and maybe a tiny bit sick but not too bad. I sat on the terrace and was just eating I ate some pizza and finished it. I met Rob again and a Dutch guy whose name I don't know and we had a bit of a chat. I was getting a tickle at the back of my throat and Rob said, There is a cold going round and before we went to bed and he said to do it after I cleaned my teeth he gave me some echinea. Fingers crossed. I had been assuming that the tickle at the back of the throat was maybe a dehydration from yesterday but who knows. He also told me about Ixqabal, which is apparently as near to here as anywhere else, so I may end up staying on here longer to see if I can go there, though apparently it's another taxi deal. It only opened to the public in January this year apparently. Throat feels a bit funny. I'm just going to have to see how it goes tomorrow. Obviously I can only wait and see how I feel in the morning and play it by ear, no point running myself down and getting overly stressed out. I had a quick look about onward trips. There are only two buses a day from Chetumal to Xjpil. One gets in at like 1.40 in the morning, the other one gets in at 7.40 at night. I'd probably have to take that one. Maybe if I can see Ishkabel, then I decide not to do xjpil. I think I'd probably stay in Chetumal for a day or two, given the awkward departure time, although given checkout's gonna be before then, maybe it's not great. Anyway, I guess it's just something I've checked out, so... And maybe this would be a worthwhile opportunity to use the Tren Maya if it has been times. Or, as I say, maybe just not go to Xjpil.

2223 Sending this now and then I'll try to go to sleep.