My Summer Vacation 2017 Part II – Yaxchilan and Bonampak
Overview So in part II of the drive, we head to Palenque, which is one of the more famous Mayan ruins in Mexico. It is one of the longest inhabited and they estimate there are over 1,400 buildings in the area. Only a small fraction of them are restored. Most are still buried under the jungle. The original plan was to get to Palenque early enough in the afternoon to take in the ruins that day. Harvey made the drive take a lot longer than expected and when
Day Trips from Xcalak – Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve Tour
Overview This one is actually not a day-trip per se, but is something to consider on the drive down or back to Cancun if you have some extra time. The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is a huge protected area south of Tulum and Ascension Bay and extends to just north of Mahahual in the Espiritu Santo Bay. The tour starts and ends at the Mayan ruins of Muyil and lasts for 4 hours. We highly recommend that you go with Caamal Pastor . He is a local independent tour guide who grew up
First Annual Silver Scales Xcalak Fly Fishing Tournament 2017
Overview The first annual Xcalak Silver Scales Fly Fishing Tournament just ended last weekend and despite a relatively short timeline, was well attended and a big success. I have never participated in anything like this, so I thought, “what the hell, give it a shot”. The tournament was based on the 4 saltwater flats species of bonefish, permit, tarpon and snook. You could only score 5 caught fish per species per boat per day. You got various points based on the size of the fish you caught. The
Daytrips from Xcalak – Butterfly farm
Overview I have been driving by this sign that says “Butterfly Farm” on the Cafetal road just 4 KM after the turn from 307 for a long time. I've always wondered what it was about. It is before the Rancho 5KM. They have now put up another sign saying that they have deer as well. So I finally decided to go check it out. Driving in to the parking area, I was immediately led to a greenhouse that was alive with flying butterflies. There were large neon blue morpho butterflies,
Recycling comes to the Costa Maya
One of the challenges of running an off-grid Inn is what to do with your garbage, especially your recyclables. There really are no government services here. Our garbage is collected once a week by one of our neighbors dragging a trailer. He just takes the trash to a landfill outside of town. When we first moved down here, we looked into recycling, and found a recycling center in Chetumal which is a 2.5-hour drive away and dropping off your recyclables is a half day ordeal. And we
Daytrips from Xcalak – El Palmar Balneario
Overview Palmar is an interesting little place that is not in your normal tourist literature. This is not sparkling white elegance on the beach. It is way off the beaten track, but if you are going to Kohunlich or Dzibanche it is a great place to go to cool off after playing Indiana Jones at the ruins. Palmar is little Mexican “resort” where crystal clear cool water comes gushing out of a hill and flows into the Rio Hondo. The Rio Hondo is the border with Belize. The water is cool when you
Quest for a Grand Slam – A Year Later
So today was nearly perfect. Absolutely epic, but not quite perfect. Came thiiiiis close. Friend of the Inn Holden, invited me to go out with Capt. Victor to fish in Chetumal Bay. I had some time so of course I said ‘Yes”. Always take an opportunity to go out with Capt. Victor when you can. We started out a bit late due to some miscommunication but we were out on the water pretty quickly. Victor has been fishing a new secret spot lately so we went to try
Los Rapidos – Day Trips from Xcalak, Mexico
Located at mile marker 8 KM on route 307 between Chetumal and Bacalar is the restaurant at Los Rapidos. It is located on a creek that connects the Xul-ha Lagoon and Bacalar lagoon. The difference in elevation is enough to give it a decent current, thus the name. It isn’t white water like you would see in the western United States. More of a Lazy River kind of feel. It is clean sweet water that is crystal clear. They also have a number of seating areas along
2016 Updates and upgrades at Acocote Eco Inn
So in year two we did a lot more improvements to the place. Hope you can come see them. Here is a list that is in no particular order. 1. New Entry doors. 2. Added 1500 watts of solar panel capacity 3. Doubled battery capacity 4. Upgraded solar system to 48 V with new inverter, and new charge controller 5. New beach loungers and cushions. 6. Repaired exterior concrete 7. New exterior paint 8. Upgraded more mattresses. 9. New battery cabinet 10. New doors for battery cabinet 11. New doors for water heaters 12. New Kayak 13. Repaired and re-glassed
San Pedro, Belize – Day Trips from Xcalak, Mexico
[Updated Nov. 6, 2018 Currently it is not possible to get a boat from Xcalak to San Pedro. The only legal way to do it at this time is to leave from Chetumal using the water taxis] Overview So Xcalak is only 7 miles from the border with Belize. You can take a panga from Xcalak and an hour and a half later you are in San Pedro. San Pedro, is a hopping town and one of the biggest tourist draws in Belize. It was made famous by the Madonna