Days 130 Through 132: Palenque To Chetumal To Bacalar

As the clock ticks down and the end of this particular chapter of my post-BigLaw adventures comes to a close, it's time for a bit of relaxation, sun, water, n' beaches... to have a vacation from my vacation.  It's a hard knock life.  We bid goodbye to Chiapas and headed to the bus station to take an overnight bus from Palenque to Chetumal.  From there, we groggily biked 40 km to the Laguna de Bacalar, an area not only entrenched in the true history of the pirates of the Caribbean, but may very well be the most beautiful turquoise blue lake in the world.

Sun rises as we cycle from the bus station to Bacalar.

Sixth flat of the trip.  This one was a doozy since Gonzalo rode over something that ripped a huge hole into tire.

Seventh flat of the trip, just minutes later.

And I thought my bike was heavy for my size.

A quick stop at the Cenote Azul on the way in.  It's a bit touristy, but a nice place for a dip.

Once upon a time, when Gonzalo was a wee lad, he used to come to the Laguna de Bacalar with his dad to visit a family friend.  Even though the family friend had since passed away, Gonzalo was curious to see the property again, so he knocked on the door to see if he could peek around.  Turns out that the family friend's daughter Leda lives there now with her partner Lupita.  We were welcomed with open arms to come in, treated to a lovely breakfast and then invited to stay.

The whole crew with only half the resident dogs.

An essential for beer drinkers who travel to Mexico... I knew I was going to get along with Leda and Lupita when I saw this amongst their cookbooks and wine guides in their bookshelf.  In fact, I may just need to come back to do a beer brewing workshop with them when the weather cools down a bit.

Luis.  Kind of like a man-child who doesn't talk and enjoys snuggling.

View from the porch... a lil bit o' paradise.

Gonzalo does his best beach modeling pose.

And now for an unblemished view.

Sunset from our balcony.

The fort built to protect Bacalar from pirates.

Pirates like this awesome guy... karma is a bitch, yea?

A few travel notes:

For anyone looking for an amazing bed and breakfast in this area, the room we stayed in is actually available for rent.  Since this is the only room they have for rent, you will be treated like family.  Leda and Lupita are wonderful hosts with an extensive background in the restaurant business.  We feasted on tamales made from corn that was locally grown and hand ground by them... the best tamales I have ever eaten, actually.  I highly encourage anyone who is looking for a getaway to be in touch with Leda at elrincondelvino@prodigy.net.mx and get more information at https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1195009.