As I mentioned in my last post, Bacalar was our big off resort trip this year. I still can’t believe how amazing it was!

The van picked us up around 8:00am (about a half hour late due to traffic). We then picked up another couple in Tulum – which I might add was the first time we had been there unrelated to a ruins visit. We were truly surprised by how much there was around and how big it is. First stop after that was Muyil. I knew these ruins existed but I knew little about them and after a short visit here we decided we will have to go back. We really didn’t have enough time to fully appreciate the site.  The architecture here is similar to what you find at Tikal in Guatemala. They only began restoration of the site in 1998 so it is still fairly new.

A good half day trip would be grab a cab to Muyil and then spend a few hours shopping, eating and exploring Tulum. On the agenda for a future trip!

From there we went on the long drive to Bacalar. So many cool sites along the way. We stopped for ‘organic’ fruit and fruit juice snacks, which was really just a stand on the side of the road.

Bacalar is home to the Lagoon of Seven Colours and there truly are seven. It’s also home to sulfur mud which is used to exfoliate the skin. That was so much fun! All of the sun burns disappeared after playing in the mud.

We also stopped for lunch at what my husband called a ‘Harry Potter’ restaurant. From the outside it looked small and you really wouldn’t have noticed it, but you walk in and it grows as you walk from room to room until you finally arrive at an outdoor restaurant in the back. Just like the tents in the Harry Potter movies. Pretty neat!

We investigated the town a bit and were lucky enough to have the group guide take us on a personal tour of San Joaquin Church. The church was the site of a brutal massacre during the Caste War. It was very eerie but peaceful in there.

Being Canadian we watch a lot of sports, so we are used to the group gatherings where everyone cheers for their favourite team. The bars in Bacalar all have outdoor patios and there were loads of people so we ventured over to see what was going on. Everyone was watching soccer and cheering away. It was pretty neat, just like at home when Team Canada plays.

Bacalar was one of those experiences where you know you have to return. Honestly, you need to do a overnight trip here to have time to fully appreciate everything it has to offer.

We returned to the resort around 8:30 that night so it was a very long day, but absolutely worth it. I would return in a heart beat.

Next up – new friends, great memories and til’ we meet again!