Campeche city is the capital of the Campeche state which is approx. 2.5 hrs from where we are staying. Campeche earned its UN World Heritage designation primarily for its network of city walls, bastions and forts.
Most have been meticulously restored and contain small but excellent museums. We walked on the city walls as well as visited replicas of daily life within the forts. (see picture of Serge defending the fort, and David taking care of the daily water ration!!!).
We also saw some very impressive Mayan artifacts.
We went wandering around the central plaza and city center where we found a number of historical churches and buildings worth peeking into and looked at the colorful facades and cobblestoned streets along the way. This city must get a lot of rain based on the height of the sidewalks. (See pictures)
Every weekend, the city streets around the central plaza are closed for pedestrians only, restaurants place their tables outdoors, food and trinket vendors set up stalls, and bingo games get going in front of the Cathedral. Both evenings, the city hosts cultural events; typically a concert and people fill the park benches to enjoy the show. The weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor event, warm and windy. It was a perfect opportunity for us to stroll around the plaza and to get a sense of how Campechanos enjoy their city.
We also walked around the fruit and vegetable markets and the fish and meat one (stinky…) as well as the Malecon (very wide seaside boardwalk) under a very warm and humid sun. (not complaining though)
We stayed overnight in a very nice renovated small hotel, 2 blocks from the central plaza so that we could take full advantage of the evening activities. We also had a very nice meal at one of the local restaurants followed by a drink on the central plaza. On the way back we stopped at Calcehtok caves which Lucille did not visit because she does not like caves…
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