Once upon a time in Mexico!

I am super excited to be writing this post! I should have probably written this post a long time ago (since Mexico is our favouritessssssttt place in the whole universe!!!), but like everything else that I should have done a long time ago, this too didn’t get done a long time ago! Of all the countries that Rajesh and I have visited so far, Mexico is hands down our most favourite country!! It is a wonderful place full of wonderful people, tropical white-sand beaches, Mayan ruins, cute cobblestoned towns, indegenious culture, excellent food and thousands of gorgeous cenotes! 

So when I told my mum that we were travelling to Mexico, she absolutely freaked out! I was like, “Don’t be ridiculous mom! what could possibly go wrong?!”
“I am glad you asked, here is an essay with examples!” and of course my mum started listing out the 500 scenarios that she had imagined in her head which all ended with Rajesh and I being kidnapped by the Mexican drug cartel! I think my mum probably has enough worry stored up for the entire human race, so if you are a worrier, you can stop now! My mums got you covered! We laughed at first and tried to reassure my mom, that there are higher chances of us dying from something completely ridiculous like choking on oxygen or getting stabbed by a 3 year old! (We watch way too much Family Guy IMO). Needless to say, my mom wasn’t amused and instructed us to send her a text message everyday we were there to reassure her that El Chapo hadn’t beheaded us! 

We had 5 days in Mexico, Rajesh wanted to see every little corner of this amazing country, however we did not want to cram too much into these 5 days, we were afraid of being stretched too thin and half heartedly decided to only explore the Yucatán Peninsula! Rajesh planned our whole travel itinerary and he did a darn good job! I think he has some serious skills in travel planning, but to avail his free services, you either have to be married to him or pay him in potatoes (I did both!). Rajesh tried to bury his sorrow of not being able to watch the Lucha Libre (Mexican professional wrestling) in a tub of buttery mashed potatoes. If you don’t like mashed potatoes, you’re insane!! (although liking it doesn’t make you non-insane).

Is Mexico safe to travel to?

If you read too much like I do, there is a loooooottt of information on the internet about crime and gang warfare looming over this country enough to give you anxiety! Tourist destinations haven’t seen anywhere near the same level of crime that other parts of the country have experienced, but it is always good to take basic precautions! Like any city, there are neighbourhoods to avoid. Robberies and pickpocketing (especially on public transport) are not unheard of but these are avoidable if you are aware of your surroundings! When Rajesh and I travelled, we had a great time, made new friends and never felt unsafe once. Do some googling, take a map and you will be fine. 

The Mexican people we met were so soo kind, I imagine had they robbed us, it would have been politely “Good Evening, I am Juan, and I’ll be your mugger this evening!”

Here are a few tips for first time travellers to Mexico:

• We recommend avoiding Taxis! Everytime we went out in the evening, we either walked or took the local bus.
• We also rented a car for long distances. Our credit card covers both our travel as well as car insurance. If you are not covered by your credit card, you can purchase additional insurance from your rental company. But make sure to go with a known rental company even if it means spending a few extra bucks.
• You can’t drink water straight from the tap! I mean, you can….you won’t die (not right away at least), but you shouldn’t as it is not safe for consumption.
• Dont flash your valuables unless you want to know what it is like being poor (instead just ask me, I am still trying to figure out where all my money went…maybe if I hadn’t bought that bag of skittles back in 1998….*focus*), try to blend in and not act in a way that screams out that you are a tourist!

Best time to visit Mexico:

Although Mexico is a year-round destination with little variation in temperature, the best time to visit is between December and April. The rain is more prolific from May onwards. Unlike Australia, where the water is always cold even on days hotter than Channing Tatum  (Seriously, what is up with that!?), Mexico has the perfect tropical weather. You don’t have to endure the sensation of your brain and possibly your heart freezing when you go for a swim! (YAY!!!)

Itinerary:

Day 1: Cancún and surroundings
Day 2: Pink Lake, Cenote X’canche and Valladolid
Day 3: Chichen Itza, Coba & Tulum
Day 4: More of Tulum and Cancún
Day 5: Downtown Cancún

Day 1: Cancún and surroundings

If you want to stay by the beach, bars, restaurants and nightclubs, we would recommend staying in the Hotel Zone in Cancún. We chose to not stay in an all inclusive resort as we wanted to explore the different restaurants and bars in this area and not restrict ourselves to a single resort. To get to the hotel zone from the airport, you can either take the Cancún airport taxi (600 MXN), which is the easiest and quickest option or take the ADO bus (90 MXN) into the city center and then take the local bus to reach your hotel.

We flew into Cancún from Vegas, we had a flight via Miami. The transfer times were so short that we were running through the airport barefoot. We literally did not have the time to put our shoes back on after the security check! This airport did a fantastic impression of hell!! Our gate was the furthest possible gate from where we were at! Security checks are stressful! Because not only do you have to put your shoes, phone and rest of the thousand things in your pockets into small trays but you literally have to do it at 10,000 miles per hour because there are a million people behind you…along with their screaming babies and their cavernous lung capacities!! And if that is not enough, Rajesh adds to my anxiety because he almost always has to walk through metal detectors more than once… (he claims it’s because of his abs of steel 🙄)  Seriously guys, if you want to get through the airport security 60% faster, just get in any line other than the one Rajesh is on!

Also thank you American Airlines for giving us a free panic attack that also doubled up as a cardio! Luckily, we did not miss our flight(YAYYY!!) , but our bags did! (BOOO!!) Our bags were on the next flight to Cancún! However everything ended up alright! We were pretty impressed that our luggage was dropped off to our hotel room just two hours after we had checked in! 

We checked into our hotel room and slept for a few hours! Our room was pretty great! We had direct access to the pool from our bedroom which overlooked the ocean! We spent half the day lazing around in our pool and the other half lazing around on the beach! The beach was just perfect, the sand was warm and soft and it felt great to just squiggle your toes in them! Have you ever wondered what it is like to really relax, to just swim in the water without having to worry about what is wiggling beneath your foot?? I think one time, in Sydney, a shark even licked my knees!!!? (of course, Rajesh still thinks it was only seaweed, but what does he know??! AND YES,  SHARKS HAVE TONGUES!! ) . I reacted like any NORMAL person would. I ran out of the water as fast as I could screaming “WHAT IS IT??! IS IT A SHARK!! ! I BET IT IS A SHARK!  I AM DEAD!! HELP ME GOD! TELL MY FAMILY I LOVE THEM!!!”. I am happy to announce I had no such experience in Cancún! 

We also got to soak up some sunshine on the beach cabanas and hammocks! You can while away the morning on your sun lounger with a book, and even have drinks and food delivered to you! The idyllic beaches and the warm waters of the caribbean were so rejuvenating! Honestly, we never wanted to leave! It was our happy place.

In the evening, we strolled around the Hotel Zone which is lined with dozens of bars, restaurants and clubs! For dinner, we had mexican burritos! We later went to a cute little bar called Monkey Business for some drinks and suddenly, just like that, the flat screen TV in the room sprang to life…by the magic of karaoke!!! Clearly the universe wanted us to sing, who were we to deny it?

Day 2: Pink Lake, Cenote X’canche and Valladolid

We started out early and drove towards Ría Lagartos famous for its stunning pink lake! We decided to stop in a small town for breakfast first. It was Rajesh’s first time driving on the “other” side, it was a little daunting, because just like India, the lanes in Mexico are narrow and the pretty white and yellow lines on the road are merely taken as “suggestions”. We stopped by a cute little cafe and were looking for a parking spot, when a bunch of Mexican people came running towards our car. We were almost convinced it was because we broke some traffic rule unknowingly and were going to get beaten up by a mob of angry people, until they started to help us find parking and even stopped traffic on the narrow lane to help us park! Rajesh didn’t know what he could do to show his gratitude to these kind hearted Mexicans – Offer them our firstborn? Donate one of his kidneys? Display an endless stream of weird and confused facial expressions? Yup! He went with the last one!

La Joya de Valladolid was a really really cute cafe run by a mother-daughter duo! We were really hungry and forgot to take pictures of the cafe itself, so you just have to take my word for it. They had a lot of vegetarian options as well. Everything looked really good but what really jumped out and punched me in the head screaming “EAT MEE!!!” was the loaded Mexican Omelette! (Eggs can be violent)

Whether or not the pink lake is worth visiting totally depends on your interest. If you want to visit for an awesome photo op, then it is definitely worth a visit (provided that the weather conditions are favourable). The pink lake is located inside a salt factory and the surroundings aren’t pretty at all (not usually shown in the photographs!) Also swimming in the pink lake is prohibited because the salt extracted from here is sold for consumption later. The sun plays a hugeeee part in the water’s colour! When we visited, it did not look as pink as some of the pictures we had seen, but that might have been because of the rain that it experienced a few days prior to our visit. It is also quite a detour from Valladolid. If you have more time here, we would recommend spending a day or two in Mérida as well!

Next we drove to Ek Balam, home to many Mayan ruins! We visited our first cenote here and it was a heart stopping experience! Firstly because I’m scared of heights and there are a lot of steep stairs to walk down, secondly cenote X’canche was absolutely gorgeous, a beautiful natural body of freshwater right in the middle of the jungle. There were trees hanging down and the water was pretty deep! You should definitely go for a swim here!

We spend our evenings in the cute little town of Valladolid. Our hotel was a short stroll away from the town center. Every Wednesday to Sunday, they have a light and sound show which covers key aspects of the local history of Valladolid on the walls of an old convent in the heart of the town center! The English show starts at 9:30 PM and lasts for about 20 minutes. We settled down on the grass in front of the convent to watch the show! It is free and a must see! The town center is buzzing with live music and street vendors! There are street vendors all around, selling churros and smoked meat. I consider Rajesh and myself to be street food connoisseurs! We love street food!! (what’s not to love?) However, we did not actually eat much, I have no idea why!! We must have been delirious from travelling in the hot sun! Did our Indian upbringing teach us nothing!? Don’t make the same mistake; EAT EVERYTHING. (Also never take health advice from us…!) We later went to La Villa bistro for some grub! The interior is so vintage and inviting! We ordered two plates of lasagna because we were feeling a little lazy to make a more interesting decision. However, this french bistro did not disappoint!

Day 3: Chichén Itzá, Coba & Tulum

Holding the title as one of the seven wonders of the world, the Chichén Itzá is one of Mexico’s top attractions. El Castillo (the Temple of Kukulkan) is the famous pyramid which dominates the site of Chichen Itza and it actually sits on another much older temple. It is designed with such perfection – the pyramid is a physical calendar aligned with the sun, it also once operated as the ceremonial centre of the ancient civilization. We were fascinated by the history behind this structure. During Equinox, the sun’s rays create an illusion of a massive serpent descending the pyramid and if you clap in front of the Kukulkan Pyramid, it creates an echo resembling a serpent’s chirp (Note: I haven’t the slightest clue what a serpent’s chirp sounds like).

Millions of people visit the Chichén Itzá every year, so to say it can get busy is an understatement. We decided to be smart, we had a quick breakfast at our hotel and went super early, we reached soon after the gates opened! Timing is everything guys! It takes about 2-3 hours to see the entire place! You can also see the mayan ball court here! Fun fact:The Mayans played with a very heavy ball which weighed upto 4 Kilos and they could only play using their hips, shoulders, knees and elbows. There is also a myth that the captain of the losing team was beheaded and sacrificed to the Gods! Who ever said “Success consists of going from failure to failure” surely wasn’t talking about Mayan ball games!

This wall of skulls (Tzompantli), at Chichén Itzá, is outside the great ball court! It was believed that the human sacrifices were made on this platform!

There are also a lot of vendors selling all sorts of things here, we bought a couple of souvenirs here. I really wanted to buy the beautiful skull sculptures they were selling to keep in our room! Rajesh insisted that I don’t, since he was convinced I would never enter the room alone at night! He was wrong (OBVIOUSLY!), I am not sure how anyone can possibly be scared of something that lives inside their face?!! But look at how pretty they were!

We drove back to Valladolid for lunch! We decided to have pizza and some pasta at a local cafe, the man who ran the counter was just the sweetest (THE SWEEEETEST)! We also met a couple who had seen us eat at The Villa Bistro the previous night and were asking us for food recommendations. I was a bit embarrassed since both Rajesh and I ordered the exact same dish the night before! “If you’ve had vegetable lasagna before, it tastes like that, but more lasagna-y” was how I described it! Needless to say, everyone (including myself), concluded that was the worst food review ever!

After a heavy lunch, we took a detour and drove to Coba, an ancient Mayan city with a lot of awe-inspiring Mayan ruins! At first we weren’t sure if we had enough time to cover Coba, but we are so glad that we did anyway!! We were unaware that the time difference in Coba was an hour ahead of Valladolid, and hence ended up losing an hour here (DAMMIT!) 

The Mayan site in Coba is still largely unexcavated! It also houses the highest Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan, Nohoch Mul. We visited Coba in Dec 2017, and at that time it was still possible to climb the Nohoch Mul pyramid. (Sadly, now it is off limits for tourists, ever since a tourist slipped and tumbled to her death). 120 steps lead up to the top which boasts a remarkable view of the Yucatan including both the lagoons that surround this settlement. Even in the scorching heat, it was super fun to climb! The secret of surviving this arduous ascent was to not look down until you have reached the summit! I can’t remember how long it took me to climb, clinging onto Rajesh like a duct tape!  All I remember is how standing on top of this magnificent pyramid made me feel – HAPPIES. (That is “happy” in multiples) 

Next, we drove to the Gran Cenote, another must see attraction! When the sun hits the water it is an unbelievable turquoise blue. Words can’t describe this place, we haven’t seen anything quite like it! I instantly regretted not knowing how to swim! Why do I go to the beach, you ask???? To lay completely still of course! (also read and make the sand squeak with my toes)..it is a skill far easier to master than swimming, you should try it! I do know how to stay afloat guys!!  But it is not as good when done face-down, which is the way my body naturally does it! We rented snorkels and I had to get a life jacket. We quickly got changed into our swimsuits, we also had to take a shower before entering this cenote as the turtles and fishes in this cenote can die from the chemicals on your sunscreen, and may I also add that turtles and fishes do not appreciate body odour (YES, FISHES HAVE NOSTRILS!!). You can even swim all the way to the back of the bat cave! There are ropes to hold, so of course I held onto them with my life. Even though I had a life jacket, I did manage to drown a couple of times, one of my many talents! In spite of that, it was one of the best experiences of our lives, snorkelling under the bat caves with tiny little turtles, in water so clear it was almost transparent!

We were completely exhausted after our swim and we finally drove to Tulum for the night. We checked into our hotel and decided to rest for a bit before heading out again in the evening. We first went to the Batey Mojito & Guarapo Bar for a few drinks! It was such a hipster bar, we totally loved the vibe here! They had live music, dancing and even open mic nights. They are also famous for their fantastic variety of Mojitos! All their Mojitos are made from crushed sugarcane juice that came out of a converted Volkswagen Beetle! We ordered a variety of Mojitos here and the habanero was the clear winner! You must absolutely order one of their chilli infused flavourful mojito (or five! Like we did!)! Later, we had to order takeaway food for dinner, because it was 3AM and most restaurants were closing. I cannot remember what we ate, my memory is rather iffy. I guess that is what drinking copious amounts of alcohol does to the brain!

Day 4: More of Tulum & Cancun

Rajesh and I have never been much of breakfast eaters because we like sleeping more than we like eating I think. After ignoring multiple wake up calls from the front desk announcing that it was 8 a.m. or some other too-early-to-wake-up hour, I finally did manage to get up with a massive hangover! I think I even needed sunglasses to open the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. Rajesh was still sleeping, he responded to my wake-up calls with non-compliant grunts that I assume were some sort of acknowledgement! Waking him up was like trying to wake up a heavy breathing sack of potatoes! After a lot of effort, we did manage to go in time for the breakfast buffet at our hotel! It was a home-made mexican breakfast. I can’t tell you how it was. We ate the food so fast! Otherwise, we might have actually tasted it.

After food, we drove to the Tulum ruins. This archeological site is perched on the edge of a cliff in Quintana Roo overlooking the Caribbean ocean! It is quite the site! Tulum’s actual Mayan name  (Zamá) literally means “place of the dawning sun”, and it is easy to see why! It is located in the perfect spot to view the sunrise! The site is pretty big and can easily take over 2 hours, so make sure you wear comfortable shoes! Right below the main pyramid structure, there is also a secret beach that you can actually swim in! It is one of the best beaches we have been to in Mexico, the sand so sooo soft with not a rock in sight and the water was so impossibly clear! If you are thinking that I say this about every beach I visit, which may…ummm be occasionally true. BUT this was definitely the BEST BEACH EVER! (I PROMISE!). It made us forget all about the throbbing pain in our head from the previous night!

Our next stop was the Dos Ojos (Two Eyes) Cenote (YAYYY!!!). This cenote has appeared in many documentaries and movies. When you visit, you will understand why! It is incredibly beautiful!! It is one of the most extravagant diving sites in the Yucatán Peninsula and also one of the largest underwater cave systems. We got our snorkelling gear and life jackets! There are two caves here, the Barbie and the Bat Cave! The water was an electric dazzling shade of blue. Swimming in the bat cave with all the bats was really really cool (and a tad scary!). The underwater view was magical! We did not have our phones on us, hence we do not have a lot many pictures of this place! But this was hands down our most favorite cenote in Mexico! Rajesh and I decided we would absolutely have to come back someday to explore all the different cenotes that Mexico has to offer!

Next, we drove to Cancún and checked into our hotel. We were really tired to go out for lunch, so we had pizza delivered to our room. The car rental guys even picked up the car from our hotel directly which was great! We were so tired, we just lay on the bed like two corpses. The only thing that was missing was a robot hand feeding us pizza while moving our jaws up and down so we  did not have to expend our energy to chew. We are remarkably lazy, in case you haven’t figured that out already.

In the evening, we went for a stroll in the Hotel Zone. We had heard/read so much about Coco Bongo and how it was thee entertainment paradise! The tickets to Coco Bongo were a bit pricey as well but soooo worth it! It is not your run-off-the-mill nightclub but a complete show with acrobats, dancers, musician impersonators and what not! There was confetti, streamers, balloons flying the whole night! I thought Vegas night life was crazy, but this right here was a whole other level of craziness! Imagine your best nightclub experience and multiply that by a thousand million gazillion! That was Coco Bongo! The ticket also included an open bar! We indulged in drunken flailing of arms and legs that might pass off as dancing if you are disoriented, I assume most people in Coco Bongo were, either from the lights or from the alcohol! It is a good thing this was only captured in photos. Videos would have been disastrous! We finally left at 2AM and for a brief moment I thought I was free to return to my couch potato lifestyle, but Rajesh wasn’t done for the night (SIGH!) We went to another club called La Vaquita, which had a weird cow print decor! There were beautiful dancers dancing on the dancing platform! No one spiked our drinks or poisoned us which was great!!! We had a great time at both these places! We finally left around 4:30 AM. Got takeaway burritos and nachos with habanero salsa. Rajesh likes anything spicy! Sometimes I wonder if food is just an excuse for spice to get to his face! He loved the nachos so much, he made sure to announce to everyone we passed by just how much he loved the nachos. I was ready to dive head first into my soft pillow, but obviously Rajesh had other plans! He insisted we climb a giant rock in front of the beach and eat our food there! “We should probably head back to our room, since we have a long day tomorrow” said the part of my brain that dictates adult-like responsible decisions! And then, another voice butted in, loud, uninhibited and shrill “OMG WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!”, That came from the far more dominant part of my brain that makes stupid decisions!

I complied. We climbed this giant rock, ate our food listening to the waves crashing against it. It was really peaceful and I am glad we did it. We watched the sunrise after which we finally went back to our room at 5:15 in the morning! It was a GREAT FUCKING NIGHT!!!

Day 5: Downtown Cancún

We woke up at noon! We took a bus first to Playa Tortugas, it has a great beach and some nice restaurants. After spending about an hour here, we took another bus to Mercado 28. This is an open market center located in Downtown Cancún. You can find literally anything you would want for a souvenir here. You can do a moderate bit of haggling with the vendors too! There was also a person playing guitar and singing on the bus! He was pretty darn good! We did a lot of street shopping at the flea markets. Rajesh also bought his favorite mexican hot sauce (Obviously!) We had a late lunch at one of the restaurants here and went back to Cancún! We decided to go for a swim and then spent the rest of the evening chilling in the jacuzzi and having drinks and food delivered to us! It was perfect!! In the evening, we ate something that was supposed to be dinner, but we couldn’t find it as it was covered in a gooey giant slab of cheese! Like that wasn’t enough, we also ordered strawberry cheesecake (MOAAARR CHEESE!) and an oreo milkshake the size of my head!

I hope that when you do visit, you’ll see that Mexico has way more to love than to fear. It has so much to offer! You’ll find Mexico has an extensive collection of old Volkswagen Beetles (or Vochos as the locals call it) that bring a fun, retro mood to the country’s alleyways. We had not really seen many original Volkswagen beetles, but only a few days after we arrived in Mexico, we had already spotted a dozen! The beaches are some of the best that we have been to, they do have a great vibe! There is so much history and culture here to absorb! And not to forget the Cenotes, there is absolutely nothing like it! The Yucatán Peninsula alone houses more than 6000 Cenotes! Mexicans are also warm and welcoming people and their food is pretty great too. If this doesn’t convince you to visit Mexico, then I am not sure what will! And thanks to Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), skulls have become deeply ingrained in the Mexican Culture! Rajesh and I even got our Calavera (or skull) makeup for Halloween because we looooooooovveee Mexico! (* Insert a million heart emojis here *)

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