I didn’t truly understand the meaning of the word ‘bliss’ until I visited Bacalar. Bacalar, a ‘pueblo magico’, is a small, colourful town that sits on a lagoon so serene and so colourful its almost hard to believe its really there. Its a little way from Merida, over in the neighbouring state of Quintana Roo.
After only a short time in this sleepy town I am pleased to say that yes, the lagoon really does sparkle with seven different colours, from aqua to deep indigo, and I also now know the meaning of that little world, bliss.
I found it whilst staring out into the impossible blues of the lagoon and whilst sitting and watching boats come and go from the pontoon. I found it whilst watching sunset across the water and it appeared again during a misty sunrise. Whilst lying belly-down on the pier, head hanging over the side, marvelling at the transparency and beauty of the water, what did I find? My new friend, Bliss. Wading far out into the water, with the warm sun on my back and fish nibbling my feet, the only sound the gentle lapping of the water on the islands, bliss was what I felt.
It seemed like an impossible task, trying to capture the essence of Bacalar in photos, but here is a little selection, including some by Ivan
There isn’t an awful lot to do in Bacalar, but if like me you love the simplicity of a beautiful place and lots of time on your hands, you’ll be more than happy here. There are some wonderful places to eat and drink (El Manati for breakfast and art, La Playita for dinner, Los Aluxes for afternoon beers, Pizzeria Bertilla for, well, Pizza).
Beauty is just all around and oh my was it difficult to tear myself away from Bacalar at the end of my stay.
In ‘Eat, Pray, Love‘ Elizabeth Gilbert and a friend discuss the fact that every city has a word. Rome’s is “sex”, the Vatican’s is “power,” New York’s is “achieve” and L.A.’s is “succeed”. Elizabeth and her friend decide that to be truly happy in a place, your intrinsic qualities and the place’s word must match up. If Bacalar had a word, it would be ‘serenity’.
Yucatantastic 