The Real Mexico

Written: Chetumal, Mexico, 13 Dec. 2008

At last the real Mexico! Chetumal is a city six hours south of Cancun near the Belize border. I got here late this afternoon, and after checking into a cheap hotel, I took a long stroll down the main street. Many people were out walking, there were Mexican-style Christmas lights on buildings, and blaring Christmas songs everywhere, some in Spanish, some in English, but always loud.

Latin Americans have a higher acceptance of noise than North Americans. My hotel room is back from the street so I don't expect the noise to be too bad tonight. For a walk down the main street though, the noise and hustle and bustle created an interesting ambiance. The lights are lit up in letters of feliz año nuevo and feliz navidad, but somehow in the balmy 20° plus weather, it just doesn't feel like Christmas.

I rode the bus from Cancun and had both seats to myself. Mexican first-class buses are much more comfortable than North American buses, and the six-hour ride it went very quickly. It took a long time to escape the tourist ghetto of Cancun, and much of the ride wasn't particularly interesting. The Yucatán is very flat with scrubby vegetation and small trees, but not much scenery. Only in the last couple hours of the ride did the sun come out and I began seeing more Mexican looking at villages, many with poured concrete boxes for houses, and some with palm thatched roofs. Along the highway, people sold fruit. Pineapples are now in season at about a dollar for a big large ripe one.

Chetumal has a great looking Mayan museum about a block from my hotel, which I will check out tomorrow if it's open, before crossing into Belize.