Chetumal, perfectly dull Mexican boarder city

As usual, the ferry to Chetumal departed right on time. One hour late. Conveniently, all immigration procedures (exit stamp, currency exchange) were conducted in the terminal. Disappointingly, this was the most expensive border crossing in Central America (or perhaps the world?).

To exit Belize costs 20 USD paid in either Belizean or US dollars. However, to entry Mexico costs 30 USD which must be paid cash in Mexican pesos. So make sure you exchange enough Belizean or US dollars for pesos while exiting Belize. There is a lady at immigration counter exchanging money making sure everyone has the cash for Mexican entry. (No entry cash or Belizean exit stamp you’d have to swim back to Belize). She will also exchange all your leftover Belizean dollars for Mexican pesos.

The ferry fare is 55 USD. (You can take a bus from Belize City for much less). All in all 105 USD. It is cheaper to fly, just make sure the fare includes all taxes.

NOTE for travelers coming from Caye Caulker: Regardless of which ferry operator you take (there are two operating alternative days), you need to transport yourself and your luggage from water taxi terminal in San Pedro to ferry terminal located on the other side of the island. A walk between the two takes about 15 minutes.

Two hours later I arrived in a sunny Mexican border town Chetumal. After having all bags incl hand luggage sniffed by a dog several times, receiving an entry stamp and paying the whopping 30 USD in pesos for entry stamp I left the terminal and took a stroll to my hotel…

…Through a ghost town. No people, no traffic, no cars at all, many shops closed. In the middle of the day. “Where are all the people?“, “160 000 of them?“, “Why there are so many shops closed?”. This is (supposedly) an upcoming town, but it felt on the way down, deserted, almost spooky. Perhaps not as spooky as the ghost town of Myanmar, but not by much. Besides, Naypyidaw was a cool and fascinating spooky town, Chetumal is not. 

Straight, flat, wide, town-length long streets – and empty. Good visibility but strange vibe. Something didn’t feel right. Almost every street looks the same. Few restaurants. Little to see and even less to do. The Caribbean vibe I was to feel was nowhere to be felt. The widely spoken English language was nowhere to be heard. Dull. No charm. No color. Grey, grey and more grey. The most unattractive and boring town in the world?

The only tourists that pass Chetumal are people traveling from Belize, like myself, on the way North. They, however, take a cab directly from the ferry to the bus terminal and continue to Cancun or Playa del Carmen. Alternatively, people traveling the other way, catching a 3 p.m. ferry to Belize. Should they, however, miss it… bad luck … they may have to spend the night in town. I cannot imagine anyone stays here more than one night. Anyone… but me. I spent FIVE nights and days in Chetumal – most of the time in my hotel. I must be the only tourist to ever have spent that many nights in town.

Why? Because I needed to take a break from traveling. I needed to do some writing. I needed to rest my still soring toe after hitting a stone three months prior. And a boring place with no action seemed a perfect place for all that. No attractions, no action, no temptations, no disturbance, no distraction. Dull and perfect. 

Don’t know why but the town (or rather whatever is open) shuts down already at about 6 p.m. Even my (and everybody else’s) favorite restaurant, El Taco Loco, closes at 6 p.m. (go figure). The streets that are almost empty during the day become completely deserted.  Not in suburban areas but the town center. Main street.

The few people still on the move go down to the waterfront, which is the only place in town relatively lively, at least for a couple of evening hours. Some come to watch the sunset, some come for the street food, kids come to ride electric cars. Tourists come for a stroll. The waterfront is the most attractive (the only attractive) part of town and a place where you can meet “the town”. Only in the evening though, there is no one, not a soul, at the waterfront during the day. 

If you ever get stranded here for the night don’t expect to find a restaurant just around the corner from your hotel. There are only a few restaurants and far between so you better know where you’re going. Find one on the internet and make sure it is open before you leave the hotel. Otherwise, your best bet is waterfront and street food. There are two, three restaurants and bars further up the waterfront  (away from the ferry terminal) which are open in the evening. This is it. 

Not sure if Chetumal suffers from general depression due to closed businesses and deserted streets or if the town is under some other spell, but whatever it is, it is having an influence on people living there.  They seem to be living in their own world, suspicious of others and untrusting. Not that they are unfriendly, but they are not friendly. Even at my hotel, the staff was more “businesslike” than they needed to be creating unnecessarily rather unfriendly and unpleasant atmosphere, even hostile (making me lose my cool once). 

Still, it was neither the deserted streets nor the not so friendly inhabitants that made my stay in Chetumal less perfect than it could have been but the fresh water (at least fresher) or rather lack of it. Smelly water, poisoned by all sort of strong smelling chemicals dripping from hardly functional showerhead proved to be more of a challenge than I expected or was willing to accept.

I was in a desperate need of a proper shower. 

Chetumal in Pictures