A slightly different experience in Rio Lagartos
Pink lakes and hundreds of flamingos - I had this picture in mind when I was researching the next travel destinations in Valladolid and reading travel reports about the village of Rio Lagartos in the north of Yucatan. Since the place is only 100 km from Valladolid, the decision was made quickly to go there next and spend two days by the sea. Only about 4,000 people live there and I had read that it is very quiet, relaxed and hardly touristy. It all sounded like a perfect travel destination for us! When we left our accommodation and told the landlady's daughter that we were going to Rio Lagartos, she also told us that we would definitely like it there.
From Valladolid we made our way north by bus and had to change in the small town of Tizimin. From there (according to other travel reports) it shouldn't be a problem to get to Rio Lagartos, as the bus provider Noreste offers an hourly connection there. The ADO bus station was also right next to the Noreste train station and we went to the counter to buy two tickets for the next bus.
"Two tickets to Rio Lagartos, please," I said to the lady at the counter. "The connection doesn't exist anymore," she replied briefly. Obviously irritated, I couldn't believe what I had just heard and tried again with my broken Spanish to ask where another bus was going there. "No hay" she replied - there is none! Tomek also tried his luck because he understands a little more Spanish than I do and buses to Rio Lagartos were also written on the departure board. She noticed that we didn't understand her and wrote down the sentence she had just said on a piece of paper. The Spanish word “cancelado” was clear to us. Damn. And now? We asked her if there were colectivos, which she fortunately answered in the affirmative. She pointed in one direction and we started walking. When we still couldn't find any colectivos a short time later, I went into the nearest shop and asked the seller. He came with us to the door and told us that the Colectivos would leave from the parking lot of a supermarket. It was just after 2 p.m. and there were small stops in the parking lot with the departure times painted on the walls. "Rio Lagartos: 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 6 p.m." We were quickly approached by a man who was standing there and who asked us what we were looking for and how he could help us. He explained to us that the next and last Colectivo would leave at 3:30 p.m. I really don't know where we should have got this information from if not from the people on the street. We started talking a bit and he could even speak a few words in German.
So we waited about one hour in the parking lot, until a Colectivo actually turned the corner around 3 p.m. The driver recognized straight away that we wanted to go there and we were able to pack our backpacks straight into the bus. But we shouldn't sit down just yet, as it was very hot on the bus. Half an hour later he waved to us and we sat down in the colectivo. More and more Mexicans came, who also got on the bus and finally we drove off shortly before 4 p.m. with 12 people (including the driver). The driver spoke briefly on the phone while driving off and then drove to a housing estate, where he packed two more people into the bus. I can imagine that it is always the same people who drive the Colectivos at certain times. So the trip to Rio Lagartos started with loud music! The closer we got to our destination, the deeper we were in the mangrove forests and there was a really great atmosphere there during the sunset.
And so we arrived in Rio Lagartos after a 1.5 hour drive and walked to our accommodation. I had booked us in a small hotel with breakfast and pool, but where we only had a room without cooking facilities. When we arrived everything was completely empty and there was no reception either. I spoke briefly to the owner on the phone and shortly afterwards a woman came out of one of the rooms and gave us the keys. The handover was really very short, we asked about breakfast, which she said no. We found that a bit annoying, because we had, among other things, chosen this hotel because of the "breakfast included" offer. She also evaded the question about the WiFi password, but then brought us the data. We quickly realized that we could connect to the network, but that another log-in step was necessary. I wrote to the owner and we went looking for something to eat. According to google maps there aren't that many restaurants anyway, so we went to the first one we could find and had a delicious meal there too!
We were approached by a first guide who sat down with us at the table and wanted to sell a tour for the next day. After all, he was honest enough to tell us that the pink lake was no longer pink because of the heavy rain in the last few days, but only brown. Nevertheless, of course, he had utopian prices in mind, which he wanted to sell to us as “good prices” and although we set much lower prices, we couldn't come to a common price. He said goodbye quickly and we decided to look for a guide the next day and then consider whether it was worth it at all.
In the evening in the accommodation, we unfortunately had to find out that the handles in the shower were completely moldy. We didn't like that and the owner hadn't commented on the Internet either. Even if it was a really cheap place to stay, we thought it was a shame that we were simply ignored.
The next day started grey and we first went looking for a small café to have breakfast. We walked through the small village and to the waterfront, where what the guide from the restaurant had told us before was confirmed: the water was really only brown!
Overall, the whole village seemed very deserted. Cafes and restaurants were also in short supply. But at some point we found one in the center of the village. There we asked the waiter for information about when the Colectivos from Rio Lagartos would return to Tizimin. He had to ask briefly, but then told us that a colectivo would probably leave at the school around 2 p.m. It was just 11 a.m. and Tomek spontaneously suggested to me whether we should take the Colectivo back that day. I wasn't entirely convinced, but when we later strolled through the village, I also realized that we really couldn't do much there. Shortly afterwards, when we noticed in our room that the toilet was also blocked, we packed up without further ado, booked a small room in Tizimin and set off.
It was 1 p.m. and we didn't really know where the Colectivo should really leave. So we ran into the restaurant from the previous evening and asked the waiter there with our broken Spanish. He was so helpful that he got with us outside and checked with a few people on the street. He told us that from 2 p.m. we only really have to stand on the main street, the Colectivo will then collect us. Shortly afterwards it started to pour, so we sat down in his restaurant and ordered something to drink.
Shortly before 2 p.m. he took us outside and showed us the Colectivo, which had been parked on the street. We went there and from the little house next door came the driver - the same one who had driven us to Rio Lagartos the evening before. He was very happy to see us again and we were allowed to get on straight away. Together with two other people on the bus, he then began driving down every single street in the village and looking for passengers. We also drove along the water again. The bus filled up and filled up and around 2:30 p.m. we drove back to Tizimin together with 12 other Mexicans!
By the way, here are a few words about our hotel and the owner: When we left Rio Lagartos, I wrote him again that we would leave the place and the hotel room early. Of course, we didn't expect an answer, as he had never contacted us before, but at least we wanted to give you a brief answer. A short time later we drove the Colectivo past the hotel again on the way back and could see that our room door was already open and the room was being cleaned. This made it clear to us again that the owner reads all of our messages directly, but did not find it necessary to reply to us. That was very disappointing and in the end we gave it a bad rating on booking.com.
After a short stop in Tizimin we drove on to Merida, the capital of Yucatan.
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