Attractions in Ciudad del Carmen
The attractive, cream-coloured Cathedral (Parroquia de la Virgen del Carmen), begun 1856, is notable for its stained glass. The Palacio Municipal and Library, stands on the Plaza Principal, or Plaza Zaragoza, a lush square laid out in 1854, near the waterfront, with wooden gazebo (free band concerts Thursday and Sunday evenings), Spanish lanterns, brick walkways and elegant wrought-iron railings from Belgium. There is a modest Archaeological Museum in the Liceo Carmelita showing locally excavated items. La Iglesia de Jesus (1820) opposite Parque Juarez is surrounded by elegant older houses. Nearby is the Barrio del Guanal, the oldest residential quarter, with the church of the Virgen de la Asuncion (1815) and houses with spacious balconies and tiles brought from Marseilles. Close by is the Casa de la Cultura in a French-style building (1860s) with library and temporary exhibitions and concerts.
There are several good beaches with restaurants and watersports, the most scenic is Playa Caracol (southeast of the centre) and the Playa Norte which has extensive white sand and safe bathing.
Living costs in Carmen tend to be higher than the norm, partly on account of the spending power of the oil workers but also because most commodities have to be brought in. However there are hotels and restaurants in the budget range.
Ciudad del Carmen
This is the hot, bursting-at-fhe-seams principal oil port of the region and is being "' developed into one of the biggest and most modern on the Gulf. Its important 0 shrimping and prawning fleets are also expanding and much ship building is undertaken. The site was originally established in 1588 by a pirate named McGregor as a lair from which to raid Spanish shipping; it was infamous until the pirates were wiped out by Alfonso Felipe de Andrade in 1717, who then named the town after its patroness, the Virgen del Carmen.
Carmen is situated on
The coast road
Although Highway 180 via Ciudad del carmen is narrow, crumbling into the sea in places and usually ignored by tourists intent on visiting Palenque, this journev is a beautiful one and more interesting than the fast toll road inland to Campeche. The road threads its way from Villahermosa 78 km north through marshland and rich cacao, banana and coconut plantations, passing turn-offs to several tiny coastal villages with palm-lined but otherwise mediocre beaches. It eventually leads to the river port of Frontera (Population; 28,650), where Graham Greene began the research journey in 1938 that led to the publication
Isla Aguada
Eleven kilometres beyond Carmen is the Rancho EIFfriix, with an interesting iguana (lagarto) hatchery. Highway 180 runs northeast along the Isla del Carmen and crosses the bridge to Isia Aguada (C Hotel Tarpon Tropical. D Motel La Cabana and Trailer Park at former boat landing just after the toll bridge. Full hook-up, hot showers, laundry facilities, quiet, US$12 for vehicle and two people), actually a narrow peninsula with more deserted shell-littered beaches on the Gulf shore. The road then undulates its way northeast through tiny fishing villages towards Campeche; there are many offshore oil rigs to be seen. At
Paamul, just south of Playa del Carmen and about 92 km south of Cancun, is a fine beach on a bay, planned for development, with chalets (C with bath, fan, terrace for hammocks, comfortable, pretty, clean, recommended) and campsites (recom¬mended). There is snorkelling and diving and a reef a few metres offshore. Sec¬ond-class buses from Cancun and Playa del Carmen pass.
Playa del Carmen
A pleasant little town on the beach which still maintains some of the charms of its former existence as a fishing village. The beach is dazzling white, with crystal-clear shallow water, ideal for swimming, and further out there is good scuba diving. There is accommodation for every budget, and plenty of good restaurants and bars of every description. Many travelers choose Playa as their base for trips to the ruins of Tulum in the south, and archaeological sites such as Coba in the interior.
The town is laid out in a grid system, with the main centre
Xcaret
Back on the mainland, there are some Maya ruins at Xcaret, a turn-off left on Route 307 to Tulum, after Playa del Carmen. The Maya site, an ancient port called Pole, was the departure point for voyages to Cozumel. It has now been turned into an overpriced and very tacky theme park catering exclusively for day-trippers. â– US$37 (children under five years free). This entry fee entitles you to visit the small ruins, the aviary, the -, K beach, lagoon and inlet, to take an underground river trip (life vest included) and to use all chairs, hammocks and palapas.
Cozumel
The town, San Miguel de Cozumel, is a seedy, overpriced version ofPlaya del Carmen. C Daily tour groups arrive on cruises from Miami and Cancun, and the towns' services seem geared towards this type of tourist. But Cozumel is a mecca for scuba divers, with many beautiful offshore reefs to explore, as well as much interesting wildlife and bird life. Travellers looking for a beach holiday with some nightlife will find the island disap¬pointing compared to Playa del Carmen. There is only one nice beach, on the west side, and the eastern, Atlantic coast is
Ex-Convento del Carmen: Mexico City
Campeche
81 Highway 180 enters the city as the divided Avenida Resurgimiento, which passes either side of the huge Monumento al Resurgimiento, a stone torso holding aloft the torch of Democracy_ Originally the trading village of Ah Kim Pech, it was here that the Spaniards, under Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, first disembarked on Mexican soil (22 March 1517) to replenish their water supply. .For fear of being attacked by the native population, they quickly left, only to be attacked later by the locals further south in Champotdn, where they were forced to land by appalling weather conditions at sea.
It
Puebla : Tourist attractions
Puebla's Zócalo
Important locations include "La Capilla del Rosario" a chapel inlaid with gold and milk, "El Barrio del Artista" where exquisite arts are produced and the bustling "El Centro y Zócalo" where the centuries old Cathedral and the "Palacio Municipal" remain the heart of the city. Red double-decker buses, known as "turibuses", give tourists an opportunity to enjoy the city's architecture, museums and monuments located at the historical downtown. Another tourist attraction is the zoo, "Africam Safari", where animals are not caged, but roam in liberty, while visitors drive through their "habitat" in their cars. Finally,
