Villahermosa, Tabasco to Campeche, Campeche, Mexico     December 1, 2023

I had a great sleep and was on my way to the bus depot by 8 a.m. for a 9 a.m. departure. This is the first shower head like this I’ve seen since arriving-

It is ideal when you don’t have a water heater because the showerhead heats the water.  The stick controls the temperature , sort of.  It was either almost too hot or colddoIhad to switch back and forth so I didn’t burn!  I would think it uses a lot of electricity but at least this one was high enough that I didn’t feel any shocking. I was in the Tikal, Guatemala and the showerhead was about 5 inches above my head, and as I showered, I felt small jolts or shocks. The owner of the hotel said that that was no big deal and not to worry!  

 stopped to pick up breakfast from a street vendor, asking for whatever was popular.  She looked at me like I was nuts but sold me 2 things that were delicious.

Along the way-

I have been very surprised by the few churches I’ve seen this trip.  

A 4 way or a 1 x 1.  Same thing-

Unfortunately my bus-

was 1.5 hours late but eventually we were on the road.  I bought an upgraded ticket on an up graded bus but I didn’t notice anything special.  There was a cart at the entrance to the bus-

but I was disappointed to see we only got a drink- either water or Pepsi.  I sat with a woman working in agriculture and we had a good visit.  The trip was long and boring.  We drove next to the Gulf of Mexico for most of it-

Approaching Ciudad de Carmen, I thought the bus had become a boat because there was water on both sides, as far as the eye could see-

Ciudad de Carmen is a big city but in Canadian standards it would probably be bulldozed.  I was glad I didn’t plan an overnight there.

Luckily we arrived in Campeche at dusk.  I hate getting somewhe in the dark.  I exited the depot and asked a taxi driver where the collectivos were to go to el centro.  He said there weren’t any.  Fucker!  Of course there are but he wanted my money.  I went inside and learned they were just down the street.  Thank goodness for google maps because it’s so easy to find where I’m going.

Ambar House-

is right beside the mercado and very close to the Centro Historico which unfortunately is quite small.

My room is nice-

Jorge, my host, is very informed about what to see and how to get there.  He sent many messages with all the info required to visit his home town.  I appreciate that very much.

I’m on the second floor with 3 other rooms.  Jorge’s ready for Navidad too-

Because of tradition, alcohol is only for sale on Calle 59 which is an eating street for tourists!  The people no longer like that tradition but it sticks.  Usually the OXXO convenience stores sell beer and liquor but not here!  Another interesting tradition is that fish in restaurants is not available after 5 pm.  That’s funny!

I was starving because I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so I went to Calle 59.  I was looking forward to a burger as one can only eat so many tacos.

Calle 59 is nice-

I picked a busy place and was given some chicharron with my beer-

Then came my hamburger.  I had the choice of sirloin or angus and a bell should have gone off but didn’t.  My hamburger was not ground beef but sliced/shaved meat-

I couldn’t pick it up as it was more like a dry stir fry with lots of fried onions, peppers and mushrooms.  It was very good but a disappointment when you’re dreaming of a juicy Canadian burger.

I carried on to a big park where there were a lot of people waiting for the magic moment!  December 1 starts the Christmas season in Mexico so at 8 pm, the large Christmas tree-

became-

to a cacophony of cheers!  There were a lot of people hanging out-

and lots of food stalls and live music-

I came upon the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Inmaculada Concepción-

The altar was crowded with bouquets-

The church is right across the street from the Plaza de La Independencia which was also lit up-

I was exhausted so started walking home.  I usually have a very good sense of direction but somehow got lost. When nothing was looking familiar I took out my phone for the map and realized I was going north instead of east.  It was okay as I ended up walking through residential areas that were very quiet, clean and nicely decorated for Christmas.  

Tomorrow I may have an easy day and might even extend my stay by a day.  I am in no rush!

P.S.

Lynne and I were talking about the differences in travelling solo.  I’ve been thinking about it for a while.  Do not get me wrong – I very much enjoyed being with Lynne for the two weeks of this trip in Puerto Vallarta but travelling alone is quite a different experience and something a person has to get used to. You are initially forced to step out of your comfort zone but that becomes an addiction because it is thrilling once you start to do it and you start to want more and more.

You learn and see who you truly are because there are good experiences and once in a while bad ones.  You can be happy or not with the way you handled them and make behavioural changes for the next one.  It’s a great time for introspection.

You gain confidence knowing you just accomplished something you never thought you could from something as simple as finding the location of a hole in the wall restaurant or a bus to get to the next place.

For me, it is an adventure and that is why I like overlanding so much. You never know from one day to the next what’s going to happen – where you’re going to sleep, who you’re going to meet, what you’re going to eat and what you’re going to see.

Sometimes it is lonely but that is another great opportunity for learning who you are and how much you can handle. Being lonely also forces you to meet new people. 

It is humbling because you realize very quickly you are a small fish in a big ocean.

You learn to not sweat the small stuff because in any life, the majority is small stuff and how we handle it is the definition of our character.

I would like to believe that travelling alone has made me a better person, at least I feel like one inside and truly, that is all that matters.