It’s only a two hour drive from Merida to Campeche, we ride the motorway all the way there and it is nice and smooth.
As we leave the Yuchatan, and move into the Campeche region. We think we have come to a police checkpoint, trucks are parked up on the side of the road and police are walking up and down looking into their cargo compartments.
We get waved over to another lane, scrutinized by the police and then waved on, The Operator thinks they are just checking cars registrations and with ours being a rental, nothing to check. Next to the check point though a market has sprung up, peeps selling drinks and food and souvenirs….maybe sometimes it is quite a wait to be able to carry on.
Welcome to Campeche, home of 220,000 people and the capital of its own same named State, its also a UNESCO listed seaside beauty of a town. Before long we are on the seaside Malecon driving into the city. Hey hey, look what we found….this truly is a welcome to Campeche!
The land between the sea and the town is all reclaimed and there are big plans afoot on the sea front with hotels and tourist zones underway or about to be built. The sky and sea are blue, a nice breeze is blowing and we pass the statue of the girl waiting for her pirate lover to return. She sits and stares out to sea, and waits…he does not return…she waits.
We turn away from the seaside and pass through one of the gates in the city wall and enter the old town.
The Spanish first set eyes on Campeche in 1517 but resistance by the local Maya stopped the Spanish from gaining control for over 25 years. In 1540 under the leadership of Fransisco de Montejo (yes, the dude that founded Merida, he came here first) he and his conquistadors swept in and gained control of the settlement. The city became a major port for the Yucatan Peninsula but it faced regular pirate attacks. A particularly bad ransacking in 1663 left the city in ruins. The King of Spain ordered the construction of Campeches famous walls putting an end finally to the periodic carnage.
Today the walls which surround the city give it its point of difference to any other Mexican city and the towns economy hinges largely on fishing and tourism, which to some extent has funded the old towns ongoing renovation that gives it its charm.
Our accommodation for the next couple of nights is actually classed as a boutique hostal. The reviews say it is not a party hostal and is nice and quiet.
The reason why Rosie booked this place (She is not a hostal girl) is their private double room over looking the square….open up the enormous windows and….just wow.
The town unfolds before you. The catch…it is a hostal….you do not have an en suite in your room. Our private bathroom is a room off the main bathroom. Rosie can suck it up and handle this for two nights. Cause we have that view….and the only air conditioner in the place…mwaaahaaahaaa.
Directly outside our window is the Plaza Principal. The town square shaded by spreading carob trees and ringed by tiled benches.
A beautiful hexagonal kiosk sits in the middle of the plaza, it has the tourist information office inside (no English spoken) what! That is a first here in Mexico and a great travesty for this wonderful city. On the other side is a bar/cafe where you can buy beverages well into the evening and sit at a table and chairs in the shady kiosk.
The town square started life in 1531 as a military camp. Over the years it has become the central focus for the towns civic, political and religious activities. The plaza comes to life in the evenings with the beautiful nightly light show and a permanent stage built in the square has bands, dancing and concerts every weekend.
Directly across from the Plaza is the Cathedral de Nuestra Senora de la Purisma Cencepcion….now that is a mouthful eh. Its tall twin limestone towers dominate the landscape and it has stood here for over three hundred years.
Inside the church and out a side door, you have a courtyard with a small walled cemetery, you also have the bright yellow facade of what used to lead to the churches seminary and now houses a small religious relic museum which (to The Operators relief) was closed.
It was late afternoon, we hopped aboard a wee tourist train that would give us an overview in English of the sights in the city.
We caught the train on the edge of the plaza after being intercepted by a man telling us all about it in perfect English, he also gave us the address of his restaurant in case we wanted to visit it afterward.
It was one of the best restaurants in the city according to Rosie’s TripAdvisor snoop, we might just have to pop in especially seeing as he gave us a card with his name on offering us a free cocktail….did we just get scammed again? Not sure how getting a free cocktail is a scam….
Off we went on the wee bus. It gave us a tour of inside the city walls as well as outside to various barrios and along the Malecon. The train had a driver and a tour guide that did that explained the sites in both Spanish and English.
We stopped at the Church of St Roman – inside it has the Christo Negro, or, Black Christ.
Cool Story – This crucifix was made out of ebony in in Italy. It was purchased there especially for the church in Campeche. When it came to getting it back to Mexico the first ship that was approached wouldn’t take it. A second ship was approached and they agreed, the crucifix was packaged and put in the hold.
Halfway home a great storm arose…..the first ship sank. The sailors on the second ship were terrified for their lives in the storm until a black man took control of the ship and sailed them through to the other side unscathed…..they had no black men on the crew.
When the ship sailed into Campeche the whole town was there to greet it. How did you know we would arrive today said the Captain? A black man ran through the town last night knocking on the doors telling everyone. To this day all sailors pray to the Christo Negro for safe passage at sea.
This wee tour has given us a good overview of the town and reinforced where we want to back track and revisit tomorrow so Rosie can take loads of pics…now it is time to find a Happy Hour and some dinner.
We walk along Calle 59, it is a pedestrian only street and is full of bars, cafes restaurants and shops. The street is lined with the beautiful pastel buildings that Campeche is famous for, tables and chairs fill the street for the punters to enjoy the cool evening. We stop at a cafe for a Happy Hour deal enroute to our free cocktail restaurant. OMG another lizard…
The Operator is quite taken with this one, the only thing Rosie is not to comfortable with…it wears a wee harness and is tied to the statue….still, all it does is sleep and then change position into the full sun every now and then. It dosent even mind if you pat it.
The restaurant recommended by the guy in the park is awesome, it is one of the busier ones on the street and the food is delicious. Mexican with a modern twist and heavy on the seafood which is a specialty in this town. Checkout my giant diaquiri!
Our first round includes octopus tacos in a squid ink soft shell followed by a local dish of the most tender crispy ribeye that you dunk in slighty hot/spicy guacamole.
The Operator was never going to pass up any whole grilled octopus that was on a menu…it came with roastie potato pieces and was lathered in the butter, garlic and spices it was cooked in…so tender and delicious.
We walked back to our hostal and were just in time for the lightshow that was being beamed in and projected on the wall of the building facing the plaza.
We settled in and watched the 20min presentation in the fading light of the day outlining the history of Campeche pictorially and to music. What a brilliant way to end an awesome day.
Tomorrow we are going to explore the bastions and the city walls plus also take a trip along the Malecon to see some of the wee fishing ports. Rosie hopes you will join us as she loves this city and cant wait to show you more.
