At the risk of stating the obvious we are still in wetland territory; very humid and the temperatures are beginning to exceed 30c in the shade.
Although we are privileged to experience stunning natural scenery on a daily basis, disappointingly there seems to be an issue with fly tipping wherever we go.When we are in the open we welcome these bus shelters for the shade they provide whilst we have a short break.Floppy hats for us mean its becoming extremely hot although this is the last time you will see David wearing this hat. A light fingered guest removed it from his handlebars whilst he was having a last minute trip to the plumbing before setting off.Not exactly fishing for sport like we see in Europe. We have no idea how many mouths he has to feed and thisLarge parts of this stretch of inland are covered with mangroves and reminded us both of visits to Florida and the bayou in Louisiana, Thankfully we didn’t see any alligators – they would make us move faster than the wild dogs.Time for the money collection at this convenience shop – his mate is inside collecting the money box.The trees deny us views of the surrounding countryside along straight roads like this, however, we benefit from their shade and respite from headwinds now that we are largely aiming in an easterly direction.We may be in remote areas with little infrastructure, however, there are always well maintained and colourful cemeteries.The bridge over the river which signals our departure from the state of Tabasco into the state of Campeche. It has been so flat for days the only climbing we do is over these elevated road bridges.
We have the occasional exotic member of the lizard community for company at the roadside.Whilst Mexico is not considered a third world country economically there are many people living in extremely basic conditions. We hesitate to ask what they do for power and water let alone mobile ‘phones and internet connections.An overnight downpour left a lot of standing water. The main road soon drained although these side roads will take several days to dry out.This blocked our progress to the one and only hotel in Nuevo Progreso so a detour around the residential neighbourhood was required to access our overnight accommodation.When we arrived the Receptionist had difficulty finding the correct key for our room – he tried three rooms from a total of six before he found one that he could access – which, thankfully was on the ground floor.
The residents of this neighbourhood were fascinated by us both with a smartphone and wanting to video what, for them, are everyday scenes.
‘Pollos Asados’ are barbecued grilled chicken, and very nice they are too. Not one person has overcharged us, short changed us or expected a tip.‘Water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink’ – unless you buy it from the nearest shop.Not only was this the only hotel in town but also it had other occupants than ourselves. We were already prepared for the cockroach and he met his timely end care of an anti insect spray. The ants climbing the wall were a different matter so to ensure peace of mind we erected our anti creepy crawley tent on the bed. It was successful.We were awakened at 5.45 am by the loudest thunder and lightning we had heard for some years. There was no chance of us staying here another night and we would leave even if we had to swim out.
Mexico and Belize 