Mexico: Campeche

Francis Drake Hotel
Originally uploaded by Elizalou.

We're relaxing in our room in Campeche at the Francis Drake Hotel. It would be a lot more relaxing if we didn't have a balcony door that doesn't close all the way overlooking a very busy street where apparently the Campechano tradition is to rev your engines and honk your horn in an ear-splitting and nonstop fashion. The shower was a nightmare. The shower door doesn't close all the way, either, continuing the theme of very aggravating ajar door ridiculousness and I had to use one hand to hold it closed while getting blasted in the eyeballs with the shower nozzle that cannot be repositioned. AUGH. Thank God the bed is large and comfortable or this hotel would get a big fat zero from me.

But I don't want to focus too much on the blinding (shower) and deafening (horns, motorcycles) aspects of Campeche because the truth is that I love it! The colors, the buildings, the people passing you on the sidewalk who smile like they mean it. The walls with the cannons that protected the city from pirates. Very deliciously cool. It's a really nice place, and I'm very glad we came here. I probably won't sleep much, but what in the hell else is new?

Photo by B

We ate a very yummy lunch at La Pigua ... the best on our trip so far. Seafood crepes, coconut shrimp with applesauce, and stuffed shrimp. It was a camarones extravaganza to be sure. We each had two beers and then good strong cafe con leche and coconut cake. DELISH. The guidebook described it as "the place local professionals come to linger for lunch," and that is dead on. Laptops and the whole bit.

:::

It's now 10:40 pm, and we had a nice stroll around the historical centre -- along the water and through the park/plaza/whatever it's called. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception looked beautiful all lit up for the evening. We ate at Casa Vieja, which had a great view but unfortunately had food that tasted like ass. Shrimp the size of corn kernels and teeth-breaking bread. We got out of there as quickly as possible and left a giant tip for the elderly waiter who looked like he might keel over from the frantic pace at any moment.

Photo by B

We took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel and stopped for ice cream -- chocolate and pistachio. Overall, it was a lovely day in a very beautiful, friendly, and lively city. I recommend Campeche to all.