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After a pleasant evening repaying small debts and drinking wine and a sound sleep and nice breakfast, I meandered the 5 minutes to the bus station. Naturally I passed the taxi touts who had enjoyed a little extra business at my expense upon arrival. I smirked a firm "no" as I was offered a ride and went to the counter, safe in the knowledge that the cabbies of Playa del Carmen would get no more of my hard earned.
As often happens, I got the last ticket on the bus, right behind the driver. This is generally a fearful experience, but as the next departure was a couple of hours away, I bought the seat. I asked which stand we'd be leaving from in 15 minutes time. Erm, it's not this bus station, was the response. Oh yes, there is another Ado terminal in PdC - an interesting bit of info the woman I intitally asked about getting to Chetumal could have mentioned.
So... I had to nip outside and ask the cab to kindly whisk me across town. He smirked as he overcharged me for the privilege.
Still, here I am heading to places unknown for a bit of extra hassle. I've finished my book (see below) and Pirates of the Caribbean rather appropriately playing at annoying volume on the bus telly. It's the one with Lovejoy in.
Later...
So I get to Chetumal and the timing seems right to nip to the other 'bus station' (scrubby market) in an overpriced cab and grab the 1445 Express to Orange Walk in Belize. Naturally it left at 1545, but a moving bus meant the air was flowing and the heat bearable. We get to the border and the newly imposed exit tax of 295 pesos became an issue. I only had 270 on account of the cabs. I could pay by card, but this entailed going to the banco. This was a slow procedure and the bus lackey was not happy. As a result they gave me my bag and said they'd wait for me on the other side of the border. We both knew this was rubbish.
Obviously, I had to the re-enter Mexico to leave it, being checked at customs for anything I might have brought into Mexico from, erm, Mexico. I then had a hot and sweaty walk across the border, although English speaking Belize had some immediate compensations - like sourcing another bus going in the right direction. I had to pay again, of course, but this one had some great loud music playing. Much better than my other bus.
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There is more... but later maybe. Off to the jungle now.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Of Love and Other Demons. Fine and dramatic. Suitably elegaic. Reasonably satirical where the church is concerned. But most of all, alarmingly graphic of life in 18th Century Latin America. I love reading site-specific books while on holiday. Here's to a decent book exchange soon...
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