If you have read my post about hostel culture, you will know that sometimes your itinerary will change rapidly because another traveler has inspired you. In the case of Bacalar, I had heard people in Tulum talking about it for days.  Atop of the Tulum archaeological zone ruins, surrounded by tourists, I accidentally overheard a tour guide explain to some older US people that the Mayans were meant to accept Jesus Christ from the conquistadores because otherwise how else could they have possibly developed a lunar calendar?  I decided I needed to wake up seeing Bacalar the next day.

I booked my hostel in Bacalar while on the Tulum ruins. The last minute availabilities were not great.  My friends from Tulum would be staying there with me. I knew that seeing their familiar faces would make me feel better about the assumingly poor accommodations.  I was right.

My two days in Bacalar were beautiful.  Last night our group went out to the dock and sat in a circle and drank and smoked for hours while we learned about each other.  I was mostly inspired by the Finnish girl who started her travels in Moscow.  When she realized she was the only backpacker there, she used her intuition to determine that maybe she started in the wrong place.

This is the same girl who I had seen in Tulum for the preceding four days.  I had judged her.  I decided she was busy meeting guys and was occupied and I had not made the opportunity to hang out with her.  Besides, her looks were beautiful and intimidating.

Her amazingly supportive mother ended up recommending Miami to her.  She dropped off her winter clothes in Helsinki and went to NYC for a few days and then headed to Miami.  She was not impressed and was shocked by the prices. By this point, my respect for her had already completely shifted but now I knew I could trust her judgement as well.  At least I was hoping this was the case.

She told me she ended up in Key West.  A man she met in Miami picked her up in his car and they drove on that crazy highway to the Keys that for some reason still exists (fun fact: it was originally for trains).  This scared me.  After an afternoon there, she got the hint about that place too.  She did not know about it’s reputation for drifters and people who need to live under the radar.  She told him she didn’t like it there and he drove her back the next day.

By this time, she wanted out of the US.  She was cool with NYC but her Florida experiences were thus far unimpressive and depressing.  She was finding US people to be unfriendly and overall prices high.  She went to the airport in desperation with the intention of getting a flight to somewhere with hot weather.  An airline employee recommended Cancun.

From Cancun, her backpacking and travel experience flourished.  She eventually found herself overlapping my circuit in Tulum.  We officially met in Bacalar.

She told me that she is a solo traveler. She said that growing up hearing about how women can never travel alone and how they must leave the bar or club with someone scares women. She said that the situation won’t get better unless someone can prove that a woman can be a solo traveler.  She wants to prove it.

I told her that she should document her journey.  She had studied professional photography but still hasn’t written anything down.  I told her she would inspire many others and there is nothing to lose by letting people know about her mission.

It was a meaningful night for all of us.  We talked about it today.  I would like to leave it that way and keep the desire to return to Bacalar in the future; at a hostel that has hot water, toilet seats, mirrors and soap.  If The Yak wasn’t booked, I’d probably do another night.  I figured it was a sign that it’s ok for me to go.

I accept that sometimes it is ok to leave beautiful places, even though you don't have to.  I won't lie, I spent about 3 hours dwelling on this before I left.  I thought about it all throughout my last meal and was searching diligently for decent hostels nearby.  It just wasn't the right now.  Really enjoying a place like Bacalar requires planning ahead, and I did not even know this place existed until I got to Tulum.

I write this while on the bus back to Tulum.  Going to head to Playa del Carmen tomorrow AM and experience some urban beach life at Hostel MX. Also, I will visit one of the only gay bars on the Yucatan Peninsula.