Cancún
Cenote Cristalino, Playa del Carmen
Cozumel
Valladolid & Chichen Itza
The beach at the Ruins of Tulum & Grand Cenote, Tulum
Well hello there! Hasn't it been a fine minute? Here I am a year after us setting off on The Big Trip and I'm finally getting around to posting about the Central America part of it. So, vamos Mexico!
Sleep
For the whole of The Big Trip, we booked our hostels/hotels on Booking.com, primarily because a lot of places had a free cancellation policy which we could utilise if needed. We also used hostelworld.com who have a great app that's really easy to use to find a nice cheap spot for the night. To be honest, there was no stand out accommodation for me in Mexico. The average cost of a private double room was €10 each per night. Most had AC too. Essential.
Wear
If you can, nothing. The heat, lads! It lead to a major culture shock for me. The strength of the sun, the sweat and sometimes a 16kg bag on your shoulders on top of all that. I just couldn't believe how hot it was. I expected it, but my goodness. I may have cried about it. A few times. Adulting is going swell.
Transport
Our route through Mexico was Cancún - Playa del Carmen - Cozumel - Valladolid - Tulum. Mexico has an excellent bus service in Ado. The buses are run from major towns and cities on the Yucatán Peninsula. They're comfortable and the few we went on almost always had some kind of movie on for the drive. One of my favourite experiences in Mexico was hopping on local collectivos. They're these little white vans that drive all around the local towns or places of interest. To get on a collectivo you basically stand on the side of the road and hail one down. An angel in the form of a white van. My favourite thing about them was the fact that the locals used them too. There was many a time that I was squished in beside an elderly Mexican lady, decked out in traditional dress. And at 12 Mexican pesos (50c!) it's a treat. To finish, a little mention for the company we used to ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel, Barcos Caribe.
Eat & Drink
The food in Mexico is always best served in a local market square. It's cheap, delicious and the markets are a buzz with a lovely atmosphere in the evening. Our favourite such place was probably El Parque de las Palapas in Cancún. Listen to some amazing Mexican guitarists and try a marquesita. There are also some very cute market stalls where you can pick up some souvenirs and gifts for people at home. An authentic Mexican experience amongst the very touristy hotels and restaurants. In Tulum, we were those tourists that went to an Italian restaurant (La Nave) and, dare I say, I had one of the best spaghetti bologneses of my life. Also in Tulum, head to Kahlua where you get a bucket of beer for 100 Mexican pesos and free nachos!
Do
Partial to a dip and not a lover of the heat, visiting a cenote was my favourite thing to do. They're spectacular sinkholes that have turned into underground swimming pools. The water is so refreshing and it's something that I had never seen before so loved exploring. We went to Cenote Cristalino in Playa del Carmen and Grand Cenote in Tulum. In terms of ruins, I would recommend the Ruins of Tulum to Chichen Itza. The Ruins of Tulum are situated on the coast so you can take an afternoon dip at the most gorgeous beach at the bottom of a few steps from the city ruins. Also, the line to get in there was short compared to our wait to get into Chichen Itza. One of my favourite places in Mexico was Valladolid, the town close to Chichen Itza. It had the most beautiful pastel coloured, earthy colonial buildings and we got caught in a rain shower there. A great cooling off.
All in all, the Yucatán Peninsula is full of colour and beautiful places. I'd like to go back to Mexico to spend some time in a less touristy area and maybe at a time of year when it isn't so hot. This Irish gal just isn't built for it.
Next up, one of our favourites of the trip, Belize.
Ciara
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