BootsnAll Travel Community

anybody every been to or lived in ciudad del carmen (not playa)... considering a job there. also, if i am visiting, what else should i see in the area? thanks.

Hey there, right...I had forgotten about that town...sorry!!

There isn't a whole lot in the area but, when I was in Campeche (the state) I was hoping to get to Calakmul, about 6 hours towards Chetumal (and Belize). There is an inexpesive hotel very close to the highway and they provide a tour into the rainforest. Apparently if you get on the highway early in the morning you stand a good chance of seeing the wildlife right on the road. The ruins are still being excavated but they say on a clear day you can see the pyramid of coba from calakmul.

As well, some people I met up with on my last trip had visited Palenque and enjoyed it. It is a bit south of Villahermosa in Tabasco.

Cheers!!

Hola,

Ciudad del Carmen is right at the center of the Mexican oil industry. Pemex has the town sewn up, and it's not a pretty sight. I was there 30 years ago, and it was a beautiful place, way off the beaten track, but plagued with mosquitos. We stopped overnight at Ciudad del Carmen more recently and were appalled at what we found. The town has disintegrated into an R&R place for oil workers--it's dirty and unsafe with lots of rough bars and brothels. The hotel we checked into turned out to be in the business of renting temporary rooms, if you know what I mean. In our room, phone lines were cut, windows and doors had obviously been forced open, and the cucarachas had taken over the place!

If, after all I've said, you do wind up there, be sure to take an excursion on the nearby lagoon. There used to be Frigate bird nesting areas there (a rare sight) and the fishing was good. There were also some nice white sand beaches with abundant shells. I don't know what has happened since the oil industry took over. The last time we were at Cd. del Carmen, we got out of there as quickly as possible!