Bacalar, Mexico 2018

The Lagoon of Seven Colours.

FT. OTT photos and super tasty vegan burgers.....dive in.

A place so mystically beautiful that actually on more than one occasion during your trip you will sit back and wonder how something so perfect and natural even exists. From sunrise to sunset the colours you witness are as if someone had got the saturation tool and whacked it up a notch. Famous for its seven hues of blue that it proudly projects during sunlight, Bacalar is a hidden treasure that is only 42km long and yet still to be really discovered by tourists.

The day starts with perfectly still water and a seductively calming air lingering over the surface, not a single movement on the Lagoon. You definitely feel exceedingly special to be an onlooker to the sunrise about to take place.

Now, you have to be up at the crack of dawn, but my gosh is it worth it.

The soft, calming colours offer a supernatural feel, and as if by magic it changes before your eyes into warmer tones. Evolving Constantly, effortlessly substituting colors for ones inexplicably better than the ones before.

Now this is not my first time in Bacalar so each time I go I know I am in for a real treat, the appeal to wake up early to catch the sunrise is always there and it sets you off in a great mood for the rest of the day.

If you can find a place on the waterfront I would definitely recommend it, it seems such a waste to make your way to this quiet town and not take advantage of one of the most majestic sunrises you might ever see. Most places on the water if not fully equipped with swings and other grown up things at least have jettys you can throw yourself off of, with or without clothes.

These smiles I can assure you are anything but forced, embracing my inner five year old and swinging away in utter silence as dawn was breaking was enough to make me forget every trivial problem I thought I had.

Heading into the town early to be once again completely overwhelmed with colour, my favourite breakfast spot was unfortunately closed but if, or should I say when you head to Bacalar, make sure you check out ´El Manati´ a gorgeous urban chic art spot not only with incredible food and drinks but with a collection of items that will keep you there longer than expected. You can browse through clothing, art, and other little artisanal trinkets you never knew you needed. It is unfortunate I cannot entice you with anything other than my words but I assure you the spot will not disappoint you. A hippie garden brought to life with the greenest of plants and murals on each wall that really allow you to appreciate the dedication to the freedom of expression in art in Mexico.

The decision was simple, as not to dwell on the disappointment of not being able to grab a bite in my usual spot´ we decided to wander the center and see what was new in one of favourite Pueblo Magicos. Mexico in general is a country alive with smell, culture and colour but in the smaller towns it always that little bit more enjoyable, as everywhere you turn there are buildings, huts and fruitstalls in an array of tones all in such a close proximity.

After working up some hunger we decided to not go ahead and eat where we knew it would be good and try somewhere new in town. Bacalar the town is not very big so wandering around you will inevitably come across places you see to eat, passing the Fort San Felipe, an incredibly structured piece that has some super interesting history.

Since the beginning of the 17th century, Bacalar was a target of pirate attacks, yes that’s right, pirates really did exist. Bacalar on several occasions saw itself under attack and inside the Fort you can learn all about the over-comings of the sweet little magical town inside with its own little mini museum and history lessons.

As interesting as pirates are I hear you say, you must be on the edge of your seat wondering what on earth I got my teeth into after such a long morning taking in the colourful streets of Bacalar.

Well, Mango Y Chile is tucked away to the side of the fort and covered in more gorgeous designs by Mexican artists, and it was as if it was calling us to eat there. Slightly reluctantly I managed to convince the meat lover that a plant based meal every now and then wouldn’t kill him and we decided to share a burger, ever so accommodating they served us the burger split down the middle in our own baskets with a load of fries.

I kid you not, this is the best vegan burger I have ever tried.

Sure, you are thinking, first blog post, going straight in with false accusations, but this unpretentious place blew me away. We have a game every time we eat anything together we ask each other if it made the top three of the category of food we are eating, and I can tell you straight away this burger was whisked straight to first place.

If he had not taken a photo of his burger there would have been no photo evidence at all as in less than a minute I had almost scoffed the whole thing. It was absolutely delicious and so filling, had I eaten a whole one I am not sure if I would have been able to move around much afterwards. And the big meat eater was remarkably impressed as well.

They pride themselves on their homemade patties, 100% plant based, brimming with sprouts, seeds and fresh veggies. Homely food away from home that tasted so impressive and wholesome, and the place has a view of the lagoon that is just incomparable, and catch it at the right time of day and the sun reflects perfectly off the water.

After meandering around the town some more, some coffee for me and ice cream for him we headed on down to one of the many jettys in the town to watch the sunset. Fooled around and lay underneath the beautiful clouds for a while and took it all in.

Bacalar never gets old, the colours, the waters. This place will be even more of a hit in the coming years, and as much as I would love more of you and the world to know about this hidden gem in Mexico I hope it doesn’t change too much and we as humans allow this natural beauty of a lagoon and its seven colours to stay intact.

Peace out guys and stay tuned for my next place of choice.

Swimsuit: Wolf & Whistle

Black Crop Top: Motel Rocks

Photography: Ger.Arte