Bacalar Lagoon, San Felipe Fort, Museum of Mayan Culture
Leaving Cancún behind me, I took a bus to Bacalar and checked into a small hostel in a quiet area. On the downside, It was a bit of a walk in order to go anywhere. The lagoon was the main attraction of course, and there was a museum in there as well, but that was pretty much it. There were some ruins within driving distance, but I didn’t have a car, public transport didn’t get me all the way to the ruins, and the tours were all ludicrously expensive.
I thought that a fun way to go around the lagoon would be on a kayak, so I rented one for the whole day. Looking at the map, I amused myself with the idea of going to Chetumal and crossing the border, but very quickly it became clear that it is not realistic to do it in one day, even more so as I needed to go back to where I rented the kayak.
I got a bit of help from the staff in order to get the kayak in the water, and then I was on my own. As I was rowing away, heading toward the other side of the lake, there were two boats departing from the pier, with only a few people on them at that time of the day. They quickly passed me, and I could almost feel like I had the entire lagoon to myself. Not long after that, less than ten minutes after my departure, my arms started to feel tired and wondered if I can actually spend the whole day in a kayak,
Although I was trying to row across the lagoon, I didn’t go in a straight line. My more diagonal route meant that it took me longer than I thought it would, but I just kept going until eventually I got what looked like an island (which on Google Maps was supposed to have some kind of church). From there I kept rowing for a little while more until I got to the smaller, yet more interesting, Island of the Birds, where I met a man who got there on a paddle board. The island was true to its name, and it was possible to see quite a few birds there. It was a nice place to stop and relax for a few minutes.
Then it was time to move on, and I continued along my route, trying to get as close I could to land before heading toward the next point of interest in the lagoon. Trying to conserve energy, I tried to row at a moderate pace that wouldn’t require me to stop very often. After about fifteen minutes I started to notice something in the distance which looked like a man made structure of sorts, and I positioned the kayak in that direction, wondering if this was the place I was looking for. A few minutes passed by, and I noticed some boats in the area.
Then, about an hour and a half after I got in the kayak, I was at the entrance to the Pirates’ Channel, which seemed like the biggest attraction in the lagoon. Looking at the map, the story about the pirates using it in order to attack Bacalar seemed fake to me, but just like the rest of the lagoon, it was quite a nice place. It was also quite shallow, and many boats stopped there to let their guests off and swim.
Even though I was tired, I didn’t want to stop just yet. I went into the channel and carefully crossed it, making sure I didn’t hit anything too hard in the shallow water. About half way through I came across another man on a kayak, making his way back from the inner lagoon at the other end of the channel. We only exchanged a few words very briefly, as the kayaks were getting away from each other, and I didn’t stop rowing again until I was in the inner lagoon, completely by myself. Once again, it was a nice area, but it also felt a bit lonely in there, so after getting close to the edge, I turned back around and crossed the channel.
At the entrance to the Pirates’ Channel, I found the fellow rower I met earlier and parked my kayak next to his. Getting into the water and swimming, we walked for a little while until he got back in his kayak and left, making his way to the Island of the Birds. I stayed in the area, relaxing in the water and enjoying not having to row. I had the whole day ahead of me and there was no rush to go anywhere.
Despite feeling tired, it was still early in the day, so when I got back in the kayak, I didn’t turn around toward my starting point, but rather kept going along the bank of the lagoon, looking around me and enjoying the view, not knowing where my next stop would be. And somewhere along my path I started to feel quite bored, on top of being tired. With some effort, I eventually managed to get to what Google called “Punta Muñiz”, and that was the point I decided to turn around.
The problem was simple, I was tired, and if I just rested my arms for more than a few moments, the kayak would drift away, carrying me in an unwanted direction. The way back to Pirates’ Channel was difficult, painful, and not fun. Not only my arms, but my hands and back were also hurting at this point. It wasn’t fun anymore, and the worst part about it all was that I had no one to blame but myself. I severely underestimated the challenge for a full day in a kayak.
It took me a lot longer than I thought it would to get back to Pirates’ Channel, where I rested for about an hour or so before I resumed the painful journey back. With the wind blowing, the waves pushing me around, and my strength dwindling, I constantly had to adjust the position and direction of the kayak in order to make sure I got to my destination. I returned the kaya a few hours before the deadline, and when the staff asked me how the experience was, I said it was difficult, the only honest answer I could give.
As I was done with the kayak earlier than I expected, I walked over to San Felipe Fort. This old building used to overlook the lagoon, but now it is overlooking a few resorts and beach clubs. From the outside it looked like a nice fort, although not a big one, and in the main room there was a museum. It took me a few moments to realize I needed to go counterclockwise in order to get the information in a chronological order (and I later mentioned that to a confused traveler who came in just as I was about to leave), but once that was clear I could start my tour there.
The museum started by telling some general history about Mexico, quite a bit of it I was already familiar with at that point. It then moved on to the more specific maritime history of Bacalar, the importance of it to the Mayan people, and how it had changed over the years. It continued on, with a section dedicated to pirates, not just in Bacalar but in the Caribbean area in general. Of course, part of that history was about the Spanish empire and their wars over control in Mexico. While the place wasn’t big, it was quite an informative experience, and even though the price of the ticket was higher than other museums in Mexico, it was a different part of history which I liked learning about.
After resting for a bit and going back to the lagoon for a swim, I got on the bus to Chetumal, from which I intended to leave Mexico. I didn’t have a lot of time there, so after I got to the hostel and dropped off my bags, I grabbed a quick lunch and headed over to the Museum of the City of Chetumal, but unfortunately it was closed (even though Google said otherwise).
Instead I walked for a few more minutes until I got to the Museum of Mayan Culture. There were three floors for the museum, and the entrance was on the second floor. It was dark, had some trees around, and ambient noises that I assumed were supposed to make me feel like I’m in the middle of the jungle. While the atmosphere was nice, a bit more light on the signs would’ve helped.
For the most part, this museum felt like a summary of everything I have learned so far about Mexico and the Maya. There were some sculptures on display, carved stones, and of course, the ever so present funerary urns. In addition to that, there were some models that represented some ancient Maya sites, and what they supposedly looked like. The top was more about the different gods that the Mayan people worshiped, and as well as some explanation about their calendar, astronomical understanding, and use of mathematics. Then I went down to the bottom floor, and realized why the entrance was in the middle. This part of the museum was about the beliefs of the Mayan regarding the afterlife. It was the one part of the museum which made sense without a lot of light in it. It was interesting, and some of it was new to me, but I didn’t spend much time there.
There was one place left to visit. When I started my Mexican adventure, it was at the malecón of Cabo San Lucas, and to end this visit I headed over to the malecón of Chetumal, which was surprisingly empty and quiet. I walked along the path for a while, looking at the sea and letting my thoughts wander around, until I sat down next to some statue overlooking the water.
To me, it was a bit of a bitter ending. Perhaps my expectations from Mexico were a bit too high, as I didn’t find the country as exciting as I thought it would be. From early on it felt like I’m playing this on-and-off game with an entire country, trying to look for the right place for me, and the right experience. When I came to this country, I was confused, tired, and frustrated. I needed to rest for a while, and La Paz in Baja del Sur was great for that. I can’t help but wonder if I should’ve stopped there.
Mexico was nice, but not very nice. Comparing it to Australia, it was better, but not by much. The experience was more than mediocre, but very few moments made me say “wow!”. I did learn quite a bit about the history of Mexico, more about the pre-Columbian history, and yet at the same time I felt like I could have learned more. Sure, on more than one occasion the language barrier got in the way, but I don’t think that was the problem in the places that offered English translation.
And then there were the tours. I’m not keen on paying quite a bit of money in advance without a clear idea of what I’m going to get, and the two tours I did, in hope to get a better understanding of the ruins and the ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica, but both tours didn’t go very well for me. The more enjoyable experiences I had were on my own, going into nature using public transport, or taxis when public transport wasn’t an option. Those experiences for the most part didn’t last very long.
For me, Mexico was a good place for vacation, but not so good for traveling.