Mexican Adventure

 

I had been planning to go to Mexico for a while now. Part of the reason I wanted to go to Mexico was because I have wanted to go back to a Spanish speaking country for a while. Another motivating factor for going was that I have never been to Mexico but I have heard about different places to go for years. Despite people saying how dangerous Mexico is people are often traveling their, especially young people on break from college, and it seemed like the right time to go. Also, I had a previous airline ticket from the beginning of Covid that I needed to use up before I lost my credit. 

My parents were worried about me traveling alone so my mother's friend Mary decided to join me on my Mexican adventure. I picked an all-inclusive that was right on the water. This was a cheaper one than most of the other all-inclusive resorts in the area. I did some research before I booked the hotel and knew that it was not going to be one of the higher end ones that people often stay at but I did not care. As long as it was safe and clean that was all that mattered to me, and it was. 

I flew down on March 17th. Mary met me at the airport in Cancun. It was crowded and disorganized. There were so many people trying to get through customs. It took quite a while to get through. Once I did I found Mary. The more challenging part of this part of the adventure was getting a ride to the hotel. We had selected a hotel that did not have a shuttle. I didn't do enough research before to realize that this might be an issue. We did find a cab but it took 45 minutes to get to us and it was a group cab. However, it was fun chatting with the other people waiting for a cab too. 

Once we settled into the hotel Mary and I headed down to the beach. Our beach was right at the end of the main strip of hotel that are popular among tourists. There were other beaches near by but these appeared to be more frequented by locals. The other fun thing about our beach was that it was where all of the boat tours for the area came and left from. We spent our time in Mexico people watching at the beach, especially the drunk, sunburned spring breakers. 

That night we spent time swimming in the water, enjoying the ocean hammocks, and watching life around the hotel. I talked with a few of the crew members from the boats. They were very friendly. The beach was great. The water was warm and there were only little waves. Our hotel room was nice too. I really liked the stonework of the hotel floors and the design of the room. We had a beautiful wooden balcony that we could sit out on and overlook the beach and other parts of the hotel as well. 

The next morning we slept in and enjoyed watching people from the hotel balcony. We headed down to the kitchen to get food. The food at this resort was not what one might expect for breakfast. It was more typical of the food I have eaten in other Caribbean places. The hotel did not seem to cater to Americans at all. I actually really liked this. Everyone spoke Spanish, very few people spoke English at all, and the food was not what would be typical when trying to feed Americans. I felt more like I was experiencing what it would be like as someone from a Latin American country, or another part of Mexico might experience when they came here. I liked that we were probably the only two Americans at the resort. 

We spent the day at the beach people watching and enjoying more time at the water. It was so very relaxing. I felt at peace. I listened to an audiobook, swam, ate yummy food, and relaxed. We also made plans for the next day. Since I had never been to Mexico there were things that I wanted to experience but I also wanted to have time to just be on the beach and experience Cancun. One of the things that surprised me that first day was that the coast guard for Mexico patrols the beach. They carry M4s with them. I know that there are a lot of different beliefs about why they are on the beach and how unsafe they are but honestly I didn't worry that much. 

That night we had dinner down at the docks, eating outside the kitchen. There was a local market that appeared on our hotel boardwalk. People from the hotel could see some local art and we got to talk with some of the people in the stands. It reminded me of being in Peru and the little markets that I went to there. Being outside on the beach in the dark, after the boats had emptied for the night and many of the people had gone back to their homes or hotels. 

On Saturday we took a bus tour to Tulum. Our first stop was to the Tulum sign. It was cool to see. Much of the trip on Saturday seemed like it was geared towards people who were going to post their pictures on Instagram or other social media accounts. I do post my stuff to social media but I don't often try and look for places like this. Our next stop was Escultura Ven a la Luz. This was certainly for people who wanted to post it to social media. While the sculpture park was cool the line to take a few photos took over an hour in the hot sun to get through. 

After visiting the sculpture gallery we drove on to Tulum's downtown area. We walked into the Tulum Archeological Zone. I loved this part of the trip. I could have used another hour or two at least in the park. There were lots of old ruins, beautiful beaches, lizards, and breathtaking views. I was in love with this part of the tour. I wanted to know the history, go in the old buildings, and try and imagine what it was like to live when the ruins were built. Too soon this part of the trip was over. 

We next stopped at the cenotes. These are natural water holes where one can swim. We went to Casa Tortuga. Here we got to swim in 4 different cenotes. The first one was like a big open lake surrounded by rock walls. There were a few parts where you could walk down to the water edge. I chose to jump off one of the rock ledges instead. It was about a 12 foot drop into the water. It was a lot of fun. The water was beautiful and clear. The next cenote was long and more resembled a river deep in the rock. Again, I chose to jump in rather than walk down to the rock edge where you could take the stairs into the water. This drop was about 15 feet. It felt like swimming in a lazy river with a pool at the end of it. I liked floating in the pool at the end. 

After this cenote, the next two were enclosed and you had to walk into them. The first one was completely dark once you got inside it. You could not see where you were swimming. There were bats in the caves and some fish. However, it was a very wonderful experience swimming through the tunnel that connected one pool to the other under the rocks. I loved it. The last cenote was another cave but this one was shorter and this time it was not completely dark. I also enjoyed going into this cave and swimming around. We could also climb on the rocks which was fun. The trip to the cenotes was short and this was another place I could have spent more time. 

The day trip was winding down at this point. We went to dinner at a delicious Mexican restaurant inside Tulum. After dinner we drove up to Playa Del Carmen. Here we had a few hours to explore. Mary and I went to the beach. We also spent time with some other Americans we met up with on the tour. We walked through the streets, shopped from local vendors, and listened to local music. We had a good day trip but we both agreed that one bus trip was enough for us. 

On Sunday we did a different kind of day trip. We went sailing on one of the tour boats that left from the docks right by our hotel. Mary and I made sure to get there early and get on the boat early so we could snag a spot at the front of the boat. These sail boats have mesh netting that you can sit on in the front of the boat. This is where we sat. Our first stop was to go snorkeling at a little underwater park off the shore of Cancun. It was cool but quick. From there we sailed more until we came to even prettier water where we were able to swim again. 

After our second swim the boat sailed to Isla Mujeres. We got off the boat and had lunch at a little restaurant that served more authentic Mexican food. It also had free Mexican tequila. The restaurant was right on the beach so I was able to walk down to the water and again enjoy some beach time. They had water swings that I tried and took a few photos on, again this was more of an Instagram thing, but still fun to do. 

After getting back on the boat we headed out to the main part of Isla Mujeres where there are lots of shops. Mary and I went into a few, got some items we were looking for and then decided because it was so hot that we wanted to get ice cream. We then went and walked around a few more shops. After this, we still had some time and it was so hot, that we went back to the beach and went swimming again. Our day ended with an enjoyable boat ride back to the docks by our hotel. It was a fun day on the water and in the sun. 

Monday was a quiet day. We spent time walking the beach, doing some exploring, and more people watching. I really enjoyed sitting by the water in the morning, eating breakfast and sipping coffee. It was extremely relaxing.  We walked along the beaches for a while, going as far in one direction as we could before turning around. I went swimming and of course took a lot more photos. Dinner was again by the water. I didn't want to have to live. I could have stayed at the resort for much longer. I felt peace there. 

Tuesday was more of the same. Breakfast by the water. Walking along the beach. Then it was time to pack up. Mary and I headed to the airport together despite the fact that our flights were at different times. On the way to the airport, I had to use more Spanish to explain where we were going. As our time in Mexico had gone on my Spanish started to come back bit by bit. I am still not fluent by any means, but it was good to use it again. The flight home was uneventful. I got some writing done and got in late. Lauren let me crash at her place, so I didn't have to drive back home after midnight. 

I loved traveling to Mexico. I never felt unsafe while I was there. I an not naive. I know there are dangers there, but I also know that one needs to be smart no matter where they are and be aware of the culture and environment they are in when traveling. Many people act foolishly while traveling and this gets them into more trouble. Mexico was comfortable for me. I met many people I enjoyed being around. I really liked my time there. Mexico has a bad reputation and I believe, like many other places, there is good and bad parts to it.