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CHETUMAL |
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| If you're heading south to Belize or Guatemala, you can't avoid
CHETUMAL , capital of the state of Quintana Roo. The city is beginning
to assert itself after decades of virtual stagnation, but there are
still no "sights" to speak of. The best is the new Museo de la Cultura
Maya (Tues-Sun 9am-7pm; US$5) on Héroes, near the corner of Mahatma
Gandhi. Although it has very few original artefacts, the numerous
interactive displays and models provide a fascinating insight into
ancient Maya society, mathematics and cosmology. Chetumal's broad,
modern streets (the town was levelled by Hurricane Janet just over
thirty years ago) are lined with rather dull, overpriced hotels and
restaurants, and with shops doing a brisk trade in low-duty goods -
Dutch cheese, Taiwanese hi-fis, American peanuts, reproduction Levis
from the Far East, Scotch whisky - to be smuggled into Belize or back
into Mexico. Chetumal's surroundings, however, do offer the opportunity
for some beautiful excursions, and the waterfront , enlivened by free
music in the plaza, has a certain sleazy tropical charm. |
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