Chetumal!

Heading north, we bused out of Belize yesterday and crossed the border into Mexico at about 6:30PM.  We are heading for Playa del Carmen, but since we had the choice of hurrying for the bus, or getting a good dinner and spending the night in Chetumal, we of course opted for dinner.  So, we had a lovely seafood dinner at La Botana, and checked into a little hotel where we have stayed before where we know it is quiet and comfortable.

On the way to La Botana, we walked through the Centennial Park in the waterfront.  We've never been here on a weekend night before, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that the city has a festival atmosphere on a Saturday night.  Slides and jumps for the kids, little cars for the kids, people kicking around glowing balls, light-pulsing music-blaring buses, and a clown show all grabbed our attention.  The clown show was actually a little too much attention, since when we stopped to watch the clowns immediately noticed the only two white people in the crowd, and started exchanging silly patter with us:

You speak Spanish?

Si!

Habla Ingles?

No!

Where are you from?

Belice!

Le gusta taquitos?

Si!

Le gusta tequila?

SI!

Barratos!

Everybody laughed all the way through, and while it was a little uncomfortable to be in the spotlight, it was fun.

Today we are on to Playa, where there are more tourists.