Chetumal

Introduction

Chetumal is a city along the eastcoast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The city has about 140,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the state of Quintana Roo. The city is not a particular interesting one, though it is a safe agreeable place to spend a day or so, en route between Mexico and Belize, which is just a few kilometres away.

Sights and Activities

• Museum of the Mayan Culture
• Museum of the City
• Ecological Park (Parque Ecológico)
• Andrés Quintana Roo Memorial

Events and Festivals

Day of the Dead

Although the Day of the Dead is also celebrated in many Latin American countries except Mexico (and also in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa), the Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is most intensily celebrated in Mexciowhere where it is equal to a National Holiday. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. Although it is about the Dead, it is also a celebration where eating and partying both are common as well.

Weather

Chetumal has hot and humid conditions typical for the tropical location of this part of Mexico. The temperatures are high throughout the year, with mostly between 30 °C and 34 °C and nights between 17 °C and 23 °C. December and January are coolest, May is the hottest month. June to October is the rainy season, when hot and humid conditions are even worse and there is a chance of hurricanes as well.

Getting There

By Plane

Although it is called Chetumal International Airport (CTM), it only has flights to Cancun and Mexico City. Just over the border in Belize, the airport near Corozal has flights to Belize City, the Belizian cayes and to Tikal/Flores in Guatemala.

By Bus

There are numerous bus companies providing services to the border and onwards into Belize and northwards towards Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Cancun.

By Boat

Belize
San Pedro Water Taxi offers direct water taxis between Ambergris Caye (San Pedro) in Belize and Chetumal. Belize Water Taxi offers the same connection and both operate on a daily basis.

Sleep

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafe's are widely available and you generally can find one in the direct vicinity. Sometimes photocopy stores or photo processing stores will double as an internet cafe with a couple of computers. Look for signs reading "Acceso a Internet" or "Cibernautica" or "Cibercafe". Charges range from approx. US$1 an hour to US$3 an hour, depending on the location.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Phone cards can be purchased anywhere and are needed for the majority of public phones. To call any number outside your region you have to dial 01 then followed by the area code. If calling a cellphone from a normal phone start with with 044. If calling cellphone to cellphone just dial the 10-digit number. To make an international call dial 00 followed by the country code then the local number. To call to Mexico, also dial 00 (most of the times) followed by the national code 52.

Post

The Mexican postal service is operated by Correos de México. The post service in Mexico is pretty good although not very cheap. It is reliable regarding the sending of postcards, but it takes at least a week to send it to other countries (US/Canada), more so if you send it to Europe or Australia. For packages it is better to use international services like FedEx or UPS. If you are sending a package internationally with the Mexican postal service, take the package OPEN to the post office, they may want to inspect it. Seal it up at the post office. Post offices typically open from 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday, and 9:00am to 1:00pm Saturday. You will find post offices (Oficina de Correos) is almost any town or city in Mexico. To buy stamps it is best to go to the post office, although you can also get them at stamp machines, located outside the post offices, at bus stations, airports and some commercial establishments.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website