Bacalar
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Since selling my place in Santa Clarita, I’ve essentially become homeless. Sure, I can stay with family or friends, check-in to a hostel, hotel or Airbnb but that’s not the same as having a “home” to call my own. I hear and read stories all the time about people that visit places for short vacations, fall in love and just like that, a short vacation turns into a new home. Im wanting this kind of magic in my life, so I’ve been keeping my heart and imagination open to finding a new “forever” home.
A place that struck me as one with the power to capture hearts is a little gem in Quintana Roo, Mexico called Bacalar. While not a place I personally found irresistible, it’s charm is undeniable and it’s easy to see how one might decide to turn their back on big city life and opt for small-town lagoon living.
From the main road, where the ADO bus dropped me off, I was nervous and wondering if I was in the right place. Before Google maps, I’m sure plenty of people panicked at this point. I HAD a map and still felt that, “Uh Oh” adrenalin shoot through me. Only way to find out if I was in the right place was to follow Google’s directions so I rolled my suitcase 6 blocks as directed and found my Airbnb waiting with open arms, a terrace and a hammock.
Wether it was walking the street that parallels the lake, sitting at a restaurant or park with a lake view, standing on the ramparts of Fort of San Felipe or paddle boarding at sunrise, the lagoon and its 7 different shades of blue relaxed and enchanted me. While I was on the terrace, swinging in that hammock, I could feel how easy it would be to fall in love, pull up stakes and never look back, especially if you had a love for water and/or water sports. I get a bit nauseous after too much time in large bodies water so I was immune to her magical charm but I could still feel it.