So continuing the saga of the bus journey, for some reason the bus drivers in Mexico are compelled to keep the temperature inside the bus as low as the air-conditioner can possibly go. In our case that meant a four-hour trip in conditions not often seen outside of the Arctic. It was bitterly cold and there was not much to do except peer out at the sun-drenched tropical countryside on the other side of the window. We'll be better prepared for the next journey (ski-jackets, scarfs and beanies)!

So needless to say we were glad to be dropped off on the side of the freeway at the sign for the lagoon village of Bacalar, a town that rates only a small footnote in the guidebook as a good place to spend a few days if you're passing through the area. A few minutes walk through the town saw us at our hostel for the next two days where we were greeted by the most lovely woman who showed us exactly where to go, where to eat and also those places to avoid. Having slept pretty well on the bus (enforced hibernation due to the cold) I thought it a fine time for a siesta and was surprised to wake up three hours later, just in time for supper. Perfect timing, really. We ate some pretty good burgers and crashed early, keen for a busy day the next morning.

Up early(ish) we found some coffee and planned the day. A quick walk to hire some bikes saw us cycling about 5km along the hilly coastline to check out the Cenote Azul, a huge 90m deep cenote just inland from the sea. A refreshing swim was welcome after the hot cycle and it was a place worth seeing. You really got a sense of the sheer amount of water underneath you as soon as you jumped in, neither of us ventured terribly far from the shore! We cycled back to town to find lunch, ending up at a lovely place right on the lagoon for the standard margarita, guacamole and ceviche combo after which we hired a kayak and set out to explore the lagoon. We spent a fun couple of hours on the far side, getting mired in quicksand and having to reverse back up a narrow channel in a mangrove swamp. As we were trying to leave it transpired that I'd somehow managed to lose the key to the chain which was locking our bikes together. A lot of miming and pidgin Spanish managed to convince the local handyman to saw the lock open for us and we returned sheepishly to the bike hire place to return the bikes and pay for the lock. Not having much luck with the bikes so far! Dinner was a surprisingly good fettuccine at a local Italian place, no guacamole in sight.

The next morning we strolled around the town a bit before catching a 'collectivo' (shared taxi) to Chetumal, the nearest big town to catch the boat to Belize. I was sat next to a friendly Mexican dude who turned out be the bartender at the same place we had lunch the previous day, and we had a good chat all the way there. Every local that we've met on our brief sojourn through Mexico thus far had been incredibly helpful and friendly - what a great country to visit. We didn't see much of Chetumal as the emigration procedure took some time, but we changed our pesos for Belizean Pound and boarded the boat for Caye Caulker, where I'm currently sat in a bar with a large local rum and coke, writing this blog entry. Lots to see and do here, but thankfully that'll be Sophie's tale to tell in a few days time!

Hope you're all well and happy!
KL