Lago de Media Luna – Half Moon Lagoon – Mexico

It seems all the best things in Mexico begin with an arduous journey down a long, vaguely marked road.  Chances are the road will be marginally passable in spots and you are surely to encounter any manner of moving obstacles, human powered, mechanical, animal driven and or inanimate.  Such was the case with Media Luna.  After several stops to ask directions and make sure that we were still on the trail we did eventually arrive at Media Luna, a lagoon of warm (fluctuates around 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit), crystal clear water nestled in the mountains just outside of Rio Verde, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.  The water flows from fissures in the Earth some 36 meters (117 feet) below the surface of the lagoon at its deepest point.

Media Luna is effectively a state park and the first place we’ve come across  in Mexico where camping is an offering.  Seeing as a good part of Mexico still lives in small huts with earthen floors camping is an activity confined primarily to well-to-do city kids and is not widely available.  For our part, with a couple weeks blown budget behind us at about $5.50 US a night it was too good to pass up.  There is also an entry fee of 60 Pesos (30 per person), about $5.00 US.  They rent small cabins and offer scuba diving as well.  A full scuba setup will run you 300 pesos and we didn’t bother to check on the price of the cabins.  Once you’re inside you can get anything you need onsite from the handful of food stands and stores.  Supper for the two of us costs a little under $10 and I think we spent about $60 all said and done for three days and two nights at the lagoon.  Cheers to that.

The one thing I would warn you about is the bathroom.  It’s 2 pesos to use the bathrooms in most of Mexico and the same is true at Media Luna.  There is an attendant that collects your two pesos and gives you a swatch of toilet paper at the door.  The problem is that when the attendant retires at around 8:00 pm there is isn’t a scrap of toilet paper to be found.  This isn’t the greatest news for two travelers still suffering from Montezuma’s revenge.  Then, there was a toilet paper heist.  I love a good heist as much as the next guy.  Peeking through the high windows Keli spies behind a locked door the toilet paper stash.  With the assistance of a hook “borrowed” from a broom “closet” Keli climbs onto my shoulders and proceeds to snag a four pack with the hook and pull it back through the window.  Problem solved.  Surprisingly enough, the next night the attendants were there all evening and security seemed to be stepped up a bit.

We spent the rest of our time swimming slowly from lagoon to lagoon through the channels trying to catch fish with our hands, chasing ducks and taking siestas.  You can’t beat three days frolicking in a lagoon.  I woke up this morning to Keli outside of the tent saying: “beggar ducks are bad ducks.”  Of course, while feeding them crackers.  Either way, I’ll show those ducks!