Before this trip I had never heard of Campeche. But in prep for the PanAm I have been cutting out articles for years from my favorite travel magazines as inspiration for this trip. I read one while we were in Palenque on this pastel UNESCO World Heritage site that talked about a walled city and pirates. You had me at pirates……

When we first walked through one of the walls near the bus station into the heart of the city I fell in love in seconds. It was hot, humid, romantic, and I felt like I was time traveling back to Havana, Cuba in the 1950s. People were wearing straw hats, white dresses, the ocean was close, and the smell of salt water was a beacon of cool from the oppressive humidity inside the colonial city.

Campeche had a different feel to other places in Mexico, it was more tropical. This was a city that had to build a wall and make forts to keep out pirates! Campeche is one of only three European colonial cities that built walls to keep out invaders from the water, the other two are Cartagena, Colombia and Quebec, Canada. It was just really cool to me.

Another part of the wall near the ocean. So pretty!

So much color, and everything was very well maintained.

Walking through the drawbridge into the city. I was so enthralled by the view through the walls I did not even notice the lame pirate ship behind me.

The beautiful town center at twilight.

This overlooked the main square. We heard the food was not very good, so just go for drinks if you are tempted.

Sam posing in the oppressive heat. At this time of day most of the shops were closed. It was too hot to function.

Taking shelter in a Spanish colonial courtyard. I could not even wear my hat I was so hot. My head needed to let off heat. Oh, and a vendor convinced me to buy the skirt in Oaxaca. Just wait until you see the top……I totally blend in right?

Campeche has a malacon (waterfront pedestrian walk) that goes for miles. As soon as the sun went down it was filled with joggers and people doing Zumba. But it was still so hot to me….

I am sitting on a park bench shoveling about four pints of ice cream into my mouth. All the close ups I was covered in chocolate like a 3 year old. I will blame it on the heat.

Fort San Miguel

A little outside the city is one of the two forts built to defend the city. Fort San Miguel is now a Mayan art museum (it is not great as far as museums go….) but the fort is fun to walk around and gives you a sense of what it might have been like a few hundred years ago. And there is a fake but cool pirate ship anchored in the harbor below. I just wish the canons still worked…

On one of the many parapets. Great view of the ocean (and pirate ships….)

Sam on the drawbridge.

Walking through the mote. There were way too many huge iguanas down here.

Walking into the fort.

Oh, and just a side note, outside of Campeche we stayed at our most expensive camp spot in all of Mexico. It was at a nautical club and during the week we had the entire place to ourselves. They had amazing facilities and I swam laps alone in the giant infinity pool overlooking the ocean. There are worse ways to spend $350 pesos or $28 dollars even though the WIFI never worked and the wind was howling.

It could be worse……Oh, and the bathrooms were amazing!