May 12, 2023 – Palenque
We are just outside of Palenque at our best Airbnb so far, for only $65 CAD per night. There are two air conditioners both working to keep us cool. Air conditioning is definitely an advantage over camping that the camping overlanders don’t really talk about. At least we can pick and choose when we camp based on the weather. Tomorrow we brave the heat and explore what we can of the ruins.
May 13, 2023 – Palenque Archaeological Site
We spent the day walking around the Mayan ruins of Palenque today, and we visited the museum where they keep some of the artifacts.
May 13, 2023 – Coffee in Mexico
Good thing Sue brought her ground coffee from Canada because it is all about instant coffee in Mexico. Nescafé has this market sown up. And forget about black tea, which is nonexistent. I am hoping Belize has black tea.
May 14, 2023 – Casa Kaan, Xpujil, Campeche, Mexico
We have been to Casa Kaan twice now and we really love it here. The cook in the restaurant is amazing. It was nice that it aligned with Mother’s Day because Sue and I had a special dinner in a favorite place.
May 15, 2023 – Zona Arqueologica Calakmul
Calakmul is one of the best archaeological sites in Mexico. It is not well known, perhaps because it is at the end of a 60km, potholed, single-lane road, deep in the Mexican jungle. At this site, you are not far from the Guatemalan border. In fact, Tikal was a major rival of Calakmul back in the day. You have to wear mosquito repellent here because the last time I was here I got dengue fever. It is much larger than Palenque, and you are allowed to climb the pyramids. Sue and I spent a wonderful day exploring the ruins without vendors trying to sell us something every five minutes. There were no vendors at all. A perfect day.
May 16, 2023 – Mahahual
We crashed in a tiny little Cabana in Mahahual that was only just big enough for a queen-sized bed. There was no bathroom but I managed to fit our camping porta potti in so we didn’t have to walk to the shared bathroom in the middle of the night. Sounds weird but it was actually a fun place to stay. It was all last minute because we were supposed to be camping, but when we arrived at the campground that all the Overlanders use, it was closed. The pandemic has taken its toll. Tomorrow we are going to Belize.
Cheers, Chris
