After my ride in a truck, I took the Burril Boom Cut-off to Hattieville. Once again, it was very hot but after I turned onto the Western Highway at Hattieville the wind was at my back. Most of the time, a tailwind is welcome unless it is really hot and today was really hot. With a tailwind there isn't any relief from the heat. It was Sunday and the traffic was fairly quiet. There weren't any commercial trucks, the road was wide, the electrical posts were much farther than usual from road and I wanted to try flying my drone using the follow me mode where the drone will track me as I ride. I got the drone in the air and the gimbal followed me but the drone wouldn't move. Hhhhhmmmmm....I'll have to take a look at the instructions again. Maybe tomorrow...
Hawk
I got checked into a sweet cabana at the Cheers hotel for $60. It was beautiful, big and very comfortable. The hotel is run by a Danish woman and her daughter. Aside from the Belize Zoo there really isn't anything else in La Democracia. It's the halfway point between the Guatemala border and Belize City. Most of the customers are taking a break from the drive between here and there. The food in the restaurant is good and good value. They also offer the best wifi I've had in probably 3 weeks.
Tapir
Jaburi stork
In the morning after breakfast, I pedaled back 2.5 miles to visit the zoo. I've heard lots of people swoon over this zoo. I love animals but I'm not a big fan of zoos. Especially American zoos where animals are kept in cement enclosures with little plants. This zoo is totally different. It is actually a sanctuary for rescue animals and all the animals are local. There were jaguars, ocelots, hawks, tucans, macaws, cuatis, monkeys, tapir, crocodiles and storks that had been brought to the zoo for lots of different reasons. Many had been pets and then abandoned. A few had been in injured in fights. Some of the jaguars had been killing farmer's cattle but jaguars are endangered and it is illegal to kill them. So, instead of the killing the jaguars, the farmers bring the problem cats to the zoo. All the animals are gorgeous and it was especially cool seeing jaguars close up. The zoo has an intern program and Sarah, from England, was walking around checking on the animals before her shift. She gave me all kinds of information. It was like getting a private tour. One of the jaguars is named Sylvia I decided she is my spirit animal. All the enclosures are big and have been built into the jungle. There's no cement. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the zoo and made a nice donation on my out.
Jaguar 'Junior'
Cuoti
Cuotis are big diggers
Marga and Michael of Monkey Bay Sanctuary
I returned to the hotel, got Myrtle packed up and headed down the road. Next to the hotel is a huge animal sanctuary called Monkey Bay. I learned about it from a friend in Guanajuato. I wasn't exactly sure if it was the kind of place where I could show up unannounced but as I approached, Marga, the owner drove in. She stopped to ask me about the trike. I introduced myself and told her who my friend is in Guanajuato and immediately she invited me in to see the sanctuary. Marga and Michael have over 1,000 acres set aside for no development and a safe place for the animals of Belize. Marga gave me a quick tour. They have been working on the sanctuary since the late 70's. There is a study abroad program, cabanas, hostel type rooms and a huge beautiful campground. They were getting ready for a big meeting so I didn't stay long but would love to return to spend more time.
Ride to Belmopan
Reflection in a building
By now, it was late morning but I didn't have far to ride. My destination for the day was the capital of Belize, Belmopan. After hurricane Hattie in 1961 devastated Belize City, the capital was moved to Belmopan. Aside from some government buildings, this feels like a small town surrounded by farm land. I got checked into a hotel for $50. They offered a $12 discount for paying cash. The hotel had a restaurant and once I got settled I didn't leave the hotel until morning.
In the morning, I rode over to the market. I've noticed that the markets in Belize are open very early. Sometimes as early as 4 am. I had a fabulous breakfast of eggs, beans and tortillas for $3. Unfortunately, the coffee at the markets is always Nescafe. As I hit the road again I started seeing lots of cyclists on fancy bikes and full kit. There is a big cross country bike race every Holy Saturday that starts in Belize City and goes to San Ignacio and back. This race has been happening for 80 years and the route is close to 180 miles for the day. I had many fun interactions all day. And because there were so many cyclists, the traffic was extra courteous. This stretch from Belmopan to San Ignacio was the hilliest of the tour so far. Most of the hills were very gradual but there were a few short hills that were probably around 12%. Ouch! Luckily, I got my cycling legs back and my glutes are strong again. At some point, I needed to pull off the road to pee. I always look for some privacy and pulled onto a dirt road that was the entrance to a large Mennonite farm. The farm was so beautiful I decided to take out the drone for a quick flight. This is something I'm hoping to do more of.
Selfie from the air
I arrived in San Ignacio dripping in sweat at a very reasonable hour. It was holy Thursday and I made sure I was in a good sized touristic town for the Semana Santa holiday weekend. The holiday goes through Monday and many people will be traveling. Finding accommodation can be tough. Most everything will be closed on Good Friday and then Easter. Monday will also be a Federal type holiday. The country won't get back to normal until Tuesday.
Drone and trike
My first stop in San Ignacio was the big market. I had a wonderful meal with watermelon juice. The family running the 'cafe' recommended a hotel and I pedaled over. I was really surprised they would recommend a resort. I was about to turn around but then thought why not check it out. They had a cabana for one night for $65, but nothing more. It was super cute and comfortable. I dropped off my bags and then took a spin around town to find another room for the rest of the time I needed to spend in San Ignacio. Some the hotels looked kind of sketchy and many were already full for the weekend. I finally found a room at Martha's that was a really nice place for $50/night.
Arriving in San Ignacio
Arriving at Martha's
San Ignacio is a good sized town and there are lots of interesting to do. There are lots of adventure tours that include boulder scrambling in caves. Some tours are more adventurous than what I can handle but there are 2 Mayan ruin sites very close, an iguana sanctuary, a local fair starting on Saturday, swimming in the river that runs through town and also really cool looking kayaking cave tours. I was also looking forward to seeing the big bike race. My hotel has better wifi than most of the places I've stayed for the last couple of weeks. I have a ton of photos and video to go through, a few videos I am thinking to make as well as getting my blog updated. There will be lots of do over the next 4 days to keep me busy.
A Walk around San Ignacio
Next route through Guatemala back into Mexico
This is my last stop in Belize and so I also need to figure out what's needed to cross into Guatemala. Looking at the weather, the forecast for the next week is right around 100 F and 85% humidity. This is too hot for cycling. San Ignacio is only 10 miles from the border with Guatemala. Right now, I'm thinking of riding to the border and then getting transport to Tikal which is about 2 hours away. I'll probably also get transport from Tikal to the Palenque Mayan ruins in Mexico. It's an idea, we'll see how it all works out.
The ride from Bacalar to the border with Belize was straight forward. Luckily, the road construction had been completed so I didn't need to worry about more asphalt attracting rocks and gravel on my tires. The border crossing was easy. First I went through the process of exiting Mexico paying the $25 fee. There was no fee for entering Belize and I got a stamp for a month long visa. There were no lines and going from Mexico into Belize probably took 15 minutes total. Welcome to Belize!
Crossing into Belize
Hotel view in Corozal
Corozal statue
Right away, I noticed the road condition had deteriorated and the shoulder I enjoyed coming south through Mexico was now gone. There was also less traffic. I didn't have far to go to get to my stop for the night, Corozal. I got checked into a simple hotel for $50 and decided to stay an extra day so I could get acclimated to this new country. My hotel room had a lovely view of the ocean and the breeze felt great. I needed Belizean money, a new sim card for the my phone and basically to get a lay of the land ahead. Everything I needed was easy to obtain and everyone I dealt with was super nice. It turned out a huge dramatic thunder storm came through on my rest day and so my timing was excellent.
Corozal from a small boat dock
Corozal library statue
Belize has proven to be a huge surprise. This country is very different from what I expected or had in my mind's imagination. I expected the culture to be similar to Mexico and Guatemala. I've always thought everywhere south of the US border is Latino but Belize is Caribbean. Maybe 2 days before crossing I heard that the official language of Belize is English and that the country had been a British colony. I thought that meant there would to be English people, but no, Belize is mostly Black and everyone speaks with a Jamaican-like accent. Queen Elizabeth is on the Belizean money and Belize is still part of the British commonwealth. But, the Belizean dollar is tied to the US dollar. The exchange is always 2:1 and it never fluctuates. Prices are given in US dollars and Belizean dollars. Most establishments will accept both currencies. Then, while I was talking to people who were stopping at the hotel for lunch or dinner, I learned that people often introduce themselves identifying their religion. So people would tell me they were Jehovah Witness or Mormon. I also learned there are very large Jehovah Witness, Mormon and Mennonite communities. The Mennonites were given land in the 1950's and today grow most of the countries produce. While I was walking around I discovered that all the grocery stores are owned by Chinese and clothing stores are owned by Hindi Indians. None of this was part is my imagined idea of what I going to find in Belize.
View from the day's ride
I love gates like this
Sugar Cane
As I was getting dressed the next morning, a zipper on one of my cycling jerseys broke. I've never had a zipper break on a jersey before but I'm sure it will be easy to get fixed. I also asked the owner if she could put ice in my Camelbak 3 liter bladder. No problem. I gave her the bladder with the lid open which is attached to the bladder with a plastic ring. When she gave me the Camelbak back full of ice, the lid was no longer attached. I have no idea why the owner detached the lid but now the bag was leaking water. I couldn't see how the lid was fit into the plastic ring and would need to figure this out later. I got going early after 2 days in Corozal to start my ride to Orange Walk. The ride continued to be flat with a strong side wind. Ever since arriving in Bacalar, the winds have been very strong starting in the late morning. Luckily, it wasn't a head wind and it kept me cooler in the hot sun. Every day, it is also partly cloudy which is lucky because the sun is scorching. Lathering up with sun screen is very important. The road doesn't have a shoulder but the traffic was kind. Weirdly, the traffic is often staggered so it's usually only coming in one direction at a time. Sugar cane is a big crop in Belize and being harvest time there were lots of sugar cane trucks passing me.
I arrived in Orange Walk at a reasonable hour to learn there was a big high school basketball tournament going on. Lots of kids from one of the islands were competing against the local kids. This meant that most of the hotels were full. I wasn't thrilled about being in a hotel with a bunch of excited teenagers but I also needed a room. I finally found a spot at the only hotel that also has a pool, D'Victoria. The room was comfortable but nothing special. I was surprised that the price was over $60. At first, I was suspicious that I was getting the tourist rate but I watched Belizeans get charged the same posted rate. The manager, and probably the owner, wanted me to lock Myrtle out front where there is a bike rack. The rack was not in a secure area and clearly obvious from the street. There was also a big sign saying the hotel was not responsible in case of theft. There was a ton of room in other parts of the hotel or even around the pool but the manager wouldn't let me park Myrtle anywhere else. This situation was not ideal.
Getting my cycling jersey a new zipper
I got settled and then asked the manager to recommend someone who could replace my jersey zipper. She sent me 3 blocks to a small shop. The guy dropped what he was doing to fix my zipper. I went to get something to eat, returned 45 minutes later and the zipper was replaced. How easy was that?!? I also figured out how to reattached my Camelbak lid to the plastic ring and now the bag doesn't leak anymore. Yah!
When I got back to the hotel I had another chat with the manager about finding a safer place for Myrtle. I suggested rolling her out by the pool. There was a ton of room in various places in and around the hotel. The pool is fenced with razor wire and there is also a security camera. I told her I could sign a waver to release the hotel from any responsibility if Myrtle was stolen while inside but she just kept saying 'no'. Keeping my trike out front made me so nervous I probably wouldn't sleep well. We talked for probably 20 minutes before she finally relented and opened an unused conference room that was that was next to the front desk. This was such an obvious solution and so easy, I don't know why she couldn't have offered the conference room to begin with. Wow that was a lot of talking but, in the end, Myrtle would now be safe and I was very relieved.
Lamanai Mayan Ruins and boat tour
There are some Mayan ruins close by that are accessed by boat that I wanted to check out. The hotel made me a reservation for a tour and someone came to pick me up at 8:30 the next morning. This was a fabulous day. $55 included transport to the boat launch, 3 hours on a boat exploring the birds, animals and plants on the river, entrance fee to the Lamanai Mayan site and a very nice lunch. We saw monkeys, bats, snakes, crocs, tons of birds, wonderful ruins and I especially enjoyed being on the water. I had read online reviews where the biggest complaint was the tour company sometimes pack too many people into the boats. The boat I was on was only 3/4 full and very comfortable. I met lots of nice people and found the whole experience delightful.
Tiny bats
New River view
Burial temple of 9 Mayan rulers
While I was on the boat tour, I met a group of young Germans who were on a car tour of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. They were headed to a place called Crooked Tree Island for another boat tour and talked about it being a special place. They weren't staying on the island and didn't know if there were hotels. I looked on the map and Crooked Tree isn't far but I couldn't tell if there was any accommodation.
Sunrise on Crooked Tree Island
The next morning I started out early expecting to ride to a town called Ladyville. This route would be my longest of the tour, so far. Again, it was hot with a strong side wind. The wind is nice for keeping me cooler. I don't remember ever being on a road where traffic is so staggered. Occasionally, I had to ride in the gravel shoulder when traffic met in both direction where I was riding but this only happened a few times through out the day. When I arrived at the turn off for Crooked Tree Island I saw many advertisements for hotels. I randomly picked the Bird's Eye View Lodge to call and they had a vacancy. Spontaneously, I decided to change my plans and check out this island.
Riding an unpaved road to Crooked Tree Island
Crooked Tree is 3 miles down a unpaved road. There wasn't much traffic but whenever a vehicle passed I was enveloped in a cloud of dust. The suspension on my trike handled the bumpy road well and I was very happy that I had switched out the derailleur system for a Rohloff hub before this tour. Instead of a derailleur hanger which is a 1/2 inch off the ground, I now have a chain tensioner that has 3 inches of ground clearance. This road would have been difficult to ride with a derailleur and the risk to bending the hanger would be great. There were lots of big rocks and it was uneven where truck tires had put groves in the surface during rain storms.
View from the Bird's Eye View Lodge
The Bird's Eye View Lodge was lovely. It was right on the gorgeous lagoon. The people running the hotel couldn't have been nicer. My room was very comfortable with a view of the lagoon for $60. I thought this hotel offered exceptional value. There was a restaurant that served very tasty food, a bar, laundry service, canoes and bikes for rent. There were also lots of bird-watching activities offered. It turns out that this is peak bird watching season in Crooked Tree. Everyone staying at the hotel were birders. They were all walking around with binoculars and cameras.
Flowering lillies
I signed up for a birding boat tour of the lagoon. The next day everyone staying left so there was no tour. I spent the day walking some of the trails and working on my blog while uploading pictures. The wifi wasn't very good and this was a slow process. The wifi in Belize has been terrible. 10 years ago I could understand bad internet but now, not so much. The internet isn't new and all businesses need to use it. How do businesses manage with such slow speeds? All I can do is make the best of what the hotel offers and I managed to get through everything I needed to do.
Rudy, birding boat tour guide
The next morning I got up very early for the birding boat tour. 5 of us met first for fruit and coffee before boarding the boat at 6 am. This was a fantastic tour. We spent 3 hours on the water and saw a ton of birds. Everyone else had binoculars and the guy next to me kept offering for me to use his. I really like birds but I've never needed to know the names of the birds. Another guy had an app on his phone where he kept track of the birds we were seeing. The tour guide was amazing. He had a bright green lazer pointer that he would use to show us where to look and then he would identify the bird giving details. There was a new Jabiru stork nest and everyone was very excited about seeing this bird.
When we got back to the hotel and had breakfast, it was getting late enough that I couldn't decide if I should stay or start pedaling. The wind was really picking up too. The hotel staff was tying down all the flags as there was a storm forecast for later. Hhhhmm....this could be a problem if rains arrived and the unpaved road going out to the highway became a muddy mess. Then a couple I met on the boat tour, who are from Portland, offered to give me a ride. They had rented a truck and needed to return it to Belize City. They also told me about a short cut where I could completely avoid going into Belize City. I had seen this shortcut on the map but I wasn't sure if it was paved. There really aren't that many paved roads in Belize but this is one of them. We got everything loaded up and they took me to where the Burrell Boom to Hattieville shortcut meets the Northern Highway. This shortcut not only let me avoid Belize City, which everyone says is to be avoided, but it saved me a whole day. I already had a recommendation to stay at Cheers hotel in La Democracia and made that my new destination.
Update from the road to La Democracia
In La Democracia, the Belize Zoo has been highly recommended and a friend from Guanajuato recommended stopping at an animal wildlife sanctuary called Monkey Bay. Tomorrow morning will be busy!
I really enjoyed the Mayan ruins of Tulum. Even though there were lots of people and it was also very hot, the site is very beautiful with big expanses of lush green grass and wonderful views of the sea. After my spin at the beach seeing how crowded the resort area of Tulum is, I decided to push on. Checking the map, it appeared that the next town with accommodation was over 60 miles. At this point, my fitness level isn’t up to doing that many miles and I went to the front desk to ask about getting transport and they suggested a taxi. There is a town about halfway and, in the morning, I asked the taxi guys parked across the street if they could take me there. From Chumpón, I can ride the 30 miles to the next hotel. Talking to the taxi guys was a very funny interaction. First, they had no idea what a tricycle is but I could see that a hatchback taxi with the back seats down would be big enough for the trike if I folded it. Then, they couldn’t understand why I only wanted to go to Chumpón. They explained there is nothing but a bus stop at this spot on the highway. The actual town is many miles inland with only a few ranches. I was pretty excited to be having this conversation in Spanish but my language skills weren’t up to the task of explaining that I wanted to cycle the final 30 miles to Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Finally, I got a driver to accept the challenge, negotiated a price and loaded up the taxi. This driver was very apprehensive about the whole endeavor and kept trying to get more money from me even after all my gear was loaded up. I had to be firm and say $25 is more than enough money to drive me 30 miles even though I realized he also has to drive back to Tulum.
Filipe Carrillo Puerto
We were about 20 miles into the drive when he suddenly understood why I only wanted to go halfway to Felipe Carrillo Puerto exclaiming loudly ‘Oooohhhhh, you want to ride half way’. SÃ, exactamente! He dropped me at the bus stop where a mom and daughter were waiting for transport back to Tulum. I think the driver did just fine for himself.
Simple church
Plaza Mayor
The rest of the ride was uneventful and I arrived in Felipe Carrillo Puerto at a very reasonable hour. This is a good sized typically dusty Mexican town. I passed some very sketchy looking hotels and kept riding hoping to find something more comfortable. I found a nice, clean, simple but tired hotel with a terrific restaurant and got checked in for $27. The hallway was exceptionally wide and I locked Myrtle to a pillar outside my room. Another reason I left Tulum is the internet was very poor at my hotel and I was hoping for better in this bigger town. Unfortunately, the internet speed did not improve. I also had an update and solution for my mangled side seat mount. Robert at Terracycle suggested replacing the whole side seat mount and not just the clamps. DHL could deliver the parts in 2 days to my friend’s house in Bacalar. My friend had recommended using DHL because the Mexican post is completely unreliable and packages don’t always arrive by FedEx either. Shipping DHL is very expensive but you can be confident their estimated delivery times will be accurate and the package will arrive. I was planning on being at my friend’s house in another 3 days so this would be perfect! Terracycle has always been terrific about supporting me on all my tours. They deal with customers all over the world so sending me parts is not as big a deal as using a regular bike shop. And Robert is always entertaining as well.
Kids who spontaneously stopped playing to group together for a photo as I walked by
From the taxi, I saw there was another Mayan ruin site of Muyil and realized it was one that had been recommended as worth seeing by a few people. It is actually closer to Tulum but busses go from Felipe Carrillo Puerto to Tulum every hour and I got a ticket for $2.50. While I was at the station, I asked about taking Myrtle on a bus going south. No problem and they don’t even charge for taking any luggage. The only issue is if there isn't enough room in the luggage compartment under the bus. Busses in Mexico are great and I don't know why I didn't think of it for my transport out of Tulum. The driver for the bus ride to Muyil was very funny. Even though I showed him I wanted to stop earlier than Tulum, he forgot. When I saw we were passing the ruin site, I jumped out of my seat to show him my ticket again and ask him to stop. He hadn’t gone far passed my stop and I expected he would just open the door and let me off. But no, he backed up the bus for about a 1/4 mile to let me off at the bonafide bus stop.
Muyil
Boat dock at Sian Ka'an
Walking path to Sian Ka'an
Sian Ka'an
I spent a delightful 1.5 hours at the site. I have found the Mayan ruin sites to be very interesting and a lovely place for walking. Muyil is on a beautiful lagoon and the Sian Ka'an wildlife refuge. There is a boat launch with tours of the lagoon from here. There were lots of birders waiting to take the next boat. Since Muyil is a smaller site, I thought I might be able to fly my drone there. I think I was only person walking through the site but drones are not permitted. I also asked about flying in the Sian Ka'an lagoon but drones aren’t permitted there either. I totally understand the objection, too. All I can do is ask for permission but there would be no drone flying today. On my way back to the bus stop I met a couple cycle touring with a young daughter. It was very hot and I could see they were suffering. They had also started in Cancun but had full camping gear. Part of their tour is to go into schools where their young daughter can play with other kids while they tell stories about cycle touring. They were not excited about camping in the heat and humidity. I told them they could put their bikes and gear on a bus to get to Felipe Carrillo Puerto where there are many hotels. They were very grateful for this information. I took the next bus back while they decided to go to a school across the street to see about doing a story presentation. I bet someone at the school will take care of them...
The next morning I called my friend Ginny to explain that, once again, I needed to take transport because the distance was too far and that I would be arriving to her house in Bacalar a day earlier. No problem, she gave me directions to her house and I said I would call again when I got closer in the afternoon. Then, I packed up Myrtle and rode the short distance to the bus station. I had to take the local bus because I wanted to stop at the small town of Limones and ride the 30 miles to Bacalar. This turned out to be very fortunate because the Mayab bus company goes from Bacalar to Felipe Carrillo Puerto and then turns around for the return trip making stops at all the little towns. The under carriage of the bus was completely full when the bus arrived in Felipe Carrillo Puerto but since everyone was getting off, it would be empty for the return trip. I had to remove the seat and lower the standing aid but I didn’t need to fold Myrtle to get her to fit. At the Limones bus stop, I had Myrtle put together in no time and pedaled on to Bacalar. I think the bus ticket for the trip was less than $3.
I've known Ginny from when I first moved to Portland. We were both one of many Goddesses (bridesmaids) in a mutual friend’s wedding. Ginny has lived in Bacalar for 19 years and I’ve only seen her a few times over those years when she comes to Portland to visit. I have heard a lot about Bacalar, her property and was eager to see her house. My imagination had a picture of a large house next to the lake on a piece of jungle property that she had to machete her way through to build. My mental picture wasn’t too far off, either.
Salbutes with Ginny
As I approached Bacalar, the highway was being repaved. She said to call when I got to kilometer marker 25. I passed kilometer marker 27 and then didn’t see another marker. I was suspicious that the kilometer marker signs had been removed for the repaving project. The road was quite busy and the shoulder was coned off and being worked on. I still rode in the shoulder because there really wasn't anywhere else to ride. The last mile or so was in the process of having new asphalt laid down and my tires acquired a thick layer of gravel as I rode through the fresh oil. This really slowed me down and was also very noisy as the small rocks spit through the fenders.
My timing to call Ginny was perfect. There was a sign right where the road to her property crossed. I only had to ride another 100 feet before the turn off. This is an unpaved road leading to the gate of her property and I picked up more dirt and gravel on my tires as I arrived. Ginny opened the gate and it was fantastic to see my friend.
The swimming was lovely
Boat Tour with Ginny
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. My time in Bacalar was essentially dependent on when the DHL package from Terracycle would arrive. The estimated delivery time turned out to be a week. Even though I was staying with a friend, I think it’s a lot to ask to visit for so long. My experience, even with good friends, is 4 days is about the limit and then you start to wear out your welcome. In fact, 3 days is the perfect length for a visit so the idea of staying for a week was difficult for me. Ginny insisted it would be ok but I know how much work it is to have guests. Bacalar is in a fairly remote area of Mexico and considering the time it takes to travel here, I'm sure most visitors do stay a week and Ginny is, in fact, used to longer visits.
Bird Island
Cenote Azul
Ginny has a few lovely casitas on the property that she rents out on Air BnB. She also has a younger couple renting a room in her house while they build a house close by. The couple has already been staying for over 2 years along with 5 dogs and 2 cats. They both help out around the property and the man, Steve, has a very nice boat. He offered to take me and some Air BnB guests out on the lake. 3 of the dogs came along as well. The lake is freshwater with varying colors of blue and green depending on how deep the water is and the changing sun. The water is warm and the swimming is fantastic. I love being out on the water and this was a great day. Ginny also took me to a large Cenote (freshwater sinkhole) to swim, a market in Chetamel and we also went on another wonderful boat tour. Lake Bacalar is absolutely gorgeous and you can feel that the town, although still under the radar, is on the brink of becoming a major tourist destination. I wouldn't be surprised if big resorts start moving in. I love good food and Ginny took me to some fabulous restaurants. A couple that had just recently opened. There have been some big storms recently and Ginny has needed to do lots of cleanup on her property. Every morning she goes to pick up the worker guys in the center of town as well as enough food for breakfast and lunch for everyone. This is one busy place!
Colors of Lake Bacalar
I really had a wonderful visit with Ginny and was very grateful for her hospitality as well as letting me use her address to ship the replacement side seat mount. And, I have to say, I was relieved when the package arrived after staying 3 days. Using the old mount as a reference for placement made installation of the new mount very easy. I remember installing the 1st one was much more difficult to get all the parts to line up just right.
Arco
Once my side seat mount arrived and was installed, there wasn't any reason to stay longer and I was ready to leave. Ginny is so busy with the property, it really felt like the right thing to do. After 4 fabulous days in Bacalar, I said goodbye to my friend and pushed on to the Belize border. A new country!
