Blogs from Campeche, Mexico, North America

An unserem letzten Abend in Merida und nach diesem tollen Ausflug liege ich noch ein wenig in der Hängematte über unserem Pool. Der Rest der Familie schläft schon und während ich mit dem Duft des wirklich (!!) köstlichen Insektensprays in der Nase dem Konzert der Straßenhunde, weit entfernter Polizeisirenen und der Eisensäge vom Nachbargrundstück lausche und in den Sternenhimmel schaue, habe ich das Gefühl, dass jetzt alles endlich gut wird. Aber wie ich mich noch täuschen soll... Auf der zweistündigen Fahrt zu unserer nächsten Station an der Westküste der Halbinsel schlummern beide Kinder friedlich. Aus irgendeinem mir völlig schleierhaften Grund ist die 250.000- Einwohner Stadt (San Francisco de) Campeche bislang vom großen Tourismus-Ansturm verschont geblieben. Mein Reiseführer widmet ihr gerade mal eine halbe Seite und auch in den diversen Reiseblogs und -seiten die ich online vor ... read more

Breakfast at Santa Rosa is lovely. We interrupt the Monday team meeting as we arrive. Seems to me that there are about 5 staff per guest assuming we are the only guests which seems likely as we haven’t seen anyone else since we’ve been here. With Wilko navigating we head off for Uxmal. The roads we have experienced in Mexico have generally been very good and the drivers are also easy to deal with. There are a lot of motorcyclists and also a lot of 3 wheeled motorcycle things that usually contain a whole family or just your mate who you can talk to as you cruise along. The only issue is that they do about 5kph. We arrive at Uxmal and as per usual there are very few people here. Again you require two tickets ... read more

(Cj writes) I’m very glad that we’re doing this trip the ‘wrong’ way around, because the Mayan sites are just getting better and better as we progress.Tikal, for example, was monumental - but heavily restored - ruins. Impressive, but not engaging. Uxmal (‘Ooshmal’) and Campeche have had the most marvellous carvings - almost all original (although they’ve had to be restored to their proper positions) - very crisp detail, and giving you (ie me) a real sense of how these cities really looked. Sc adds......Campeche itself is a old ... read more

Several years ago while puttering around Chiapas and Yucatán, I don't think I had ever even heard of Calakmul, a remote Mayan site still mostly buried in the thick jungle close to the Guatemalan border. No longer the case and with hordes of tourists ready to overrun the place, this trip was the perfect opportunity to visit these ruins. It was high on my list of objectives second only to the Patriots most triumphant victory, of course. $US ≈ 19 Mexican pesos ($M) XpujilFriendly, unassuming town close to Calakmul and other nearby ruins. Easy connections to just about anywhere in Mexico with 1st & 2nd class buses passing thru 24-7. Accommodation and food Quickly found a serviceable single room with my own bathroom at Hotel Gran Garra del Jaguar close to the small, central bus station ... read more

We left by truck leaving our RVs behind that could not make the roads to Calcakmul. Our goal Escarcega in the state of Campeche and find a hotel room for the night. All 12 of us and 5 dogs , in 2 pickup and a jeep. The trip there in day light was hot and scenic, the mood was exciting for a mystery venture . But as usual in Mexico after 3 shots we found a hotel with enough rooms (7) that we needed and the dogs were welcome. Now reminding you this is a small city in Mexico from 1 room to almost full for a price of 600 peos, they served the cervezas, they made us dinner and to boot............Breakfast. sent us off in the morning with nothing but good feelings and smiles. Still ... read more