MEXICO Fascinating, complex, colourful, vibrant, unpredictable, eccentric

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I adore Mexico's beauty and energy , I'm ready to rediscover more of what Mexico has to offer. Here are a few of the many reasons you should plan your next vacation to Mexico!

August 2010 - 17 Days

WHY GO

You will love Mexico for its beauty, history, beaches, cenotes, marine life, and shopping.

The Chichén Itzá ruins are perhaps the most famous in all of Mexico, they are said to reflect the civilisation when it was at its peak. This is where you can find the world-renowned Kukulkan Pyramid. Other spectacular Mayan ruins can be found at Uxmal, Palenque, Coba and Tulum.

WHEN TO GO

I could say that the weather is almost perfect year-round.

Near the end of their rainy season, around the beginning of Fall, temperatures are cool and all the vegetation is at its greenest and most vibrant.

In the southern regions of Mexico, the temperature remains between 24 and 28 °C (or 75.2 and 82.4 °F) year round.

This makes an ideal temperature to go out hiking through the rugged landscape and exploring the ancient Mayan ruins.

While Northern regions above the Tropic of Cancer are slightly cooler during the winter, they are still fairly warm, resting at about 20 to 24 °C (or 68 to 75.2 °F).

WELCOME TO MEXICO!

My trip starts in Cancun, the city with awesome nightlife and beautiful beaches. But there are many other fun things to do in Cancun that most people miss…

If you’re planning to spend some time in Cancun, I wanted to recommend some of my favorite fun and unusual things to do, no matter what time of year you visit.

Cancun is divided into two areas. Downtown, also known as Ciudad Cancun — and Cancun Island, also known as The Hotel Zone or “Zona Hotelera”.

The Hotel Zone is the primary tourist area, synonymous of resorts, catamarans, wild nightlife and beaches. It’s a 15-mile strip of sand shaped like the number seven. This is where most people stay.

Downtown Cancun (or Ciudad Cancun) is the main residential area for locals too. This is where all the people who work in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula tourist industry actually live.

Swimming In Cenotes: Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is famous for its amazing cenotes, natural pools formed in limestone caves. The entire Riviera Maya is covered with thousands of cenotes, many of them you can swim in. Some of the best cenotes near Cancun are located along the Ruta De Cenotes (Cenote Route) near the city of Puerto Morelos; about a 30-minute drive away you’ll find Cenote La Noria, Verde Lucero, Cenote Mojarras, and Cenote Selvatica among many others.

Beaches:

1) Playa Delfines is one of the largest beaches in Cancun. It is also known for the iconic Cancun sign and for being void of hotels or resorts, which makes it a local’s favorite. The currents are quite strong, so swimming is not advised.

2) Playa Tortugas is best for families with kids, because it has small waves that allow swimming. The only drawback is the fact it can get crowded. You can enjoy a drink or seafood at the oceanfront restaurant.

3) Chac Mool Beach is the perfect place to dive into the Caribbean waters. There are plenty of operators who rent water sports equipment, which makes this beautiful beach heaven for all water sports lovers.

4) Playa Forum is the perfect mix between a vibrant atmosphere and a tropical retreat. It is located behind the most popular nightclub of Cancun, the Coco Bongo, this beach is filled with restaurants and bars.

One Day Isla Mujeres

I spent one day visiting Isla Mujeres (translated from Spanish, Isla Mujeres means the “Island of Women”, named after the Mayan Goddess Ixchel, the Goddess of fertility and happiness) – how to reach the island? Click here for more info; (you can rent a motorbike as I did).

Things to do in Isla Mujeres:

1) Visit El Centro

The main street in El Centro and one of the places to see in Isla Mujeres is Avenida Miguel Hidalgo, the heartbeat of the island. This is where you will find endless bars and restaurants lined up from the center of El Centro all the way to the famous Playa Norte. There are many terraces and people watching with a cocktail in your hand is one of the Isla Mujeres activities to put on your list of things to do. This is also the place to go if you are looking for things to do in Isla Mujeres at night or want to do souvenir shopping.

2) Chill at Playa Norte or Playa Sur

Playa Norte is a relaxing place with sand beach and amazing ocean view where drinking ice cold beers!

Playa Sur is a public beach with amazing views over the hotel zone in Cancun. It is located in the South side of the island, far enough from the tourist trail so that not that many tourists flock here.

3) Romantic Sunset at Playa sol

Here you have beautiful sunset views over the mainland, less tourists and cheaper drinks and food compared to the other beaches.

4) Swim with whale sharks (if you are brave enough)

The whale shark season is from June till August. For the same reason people travel to Isla Holbox during those months. Tours easily cost up to $130 per person for 5-6 hours. Check here some of the tours.

5) Save the Turtles – Tortugranja

Tortugranja is the Isla Mujeres beach where the turtles , late at night or in the early hours of the morning, lay their eggs in the summer. A sea turtle is capable of laying more than 100 eggs at a time.

Authorized and trained volunteers (from the turtle farm) scour the beaches on the Caribbean coastline and collect their eggs for a 60-day incubation period (the participation fee for the farm is $3 USD)- located on Sac Bajo (North of Playa Paraiso).

Isla Mujeres hosts four types of endangered migratory sea turtles ; the green turtle, loggerhead, hawksbill and leatherback. In fact, a sea turtle monument erected and dedicated by the government, proudly overlooks the Caribbean sea just East of the Palacio Municipal.

3 days Cenotes - Chichen-Itza

3 Ways To Get From Cancún to Chichén Itzá

1) Rent a Car

Driving in the Yucatan Peninsula is fairly easy in comparison to some other places in Mexico, so renting a car can be a good and convenient option for independent travelers. The highway from Cancún to Chichén Itzá is quite flat and straight, it’s in decent shape, has good signage, and the drive typically takes about two hours. The advantage of this option is that you can make your own schedule and decide when and where to stop.

2) Join a Group Tour

You can easily book one of these tours online before your trip or at your hotel once you’ve arrived. A van or bus will pick you up at your hotel in the morning, and you’ll travel the distance to Chichén Itzá along with your group and have a guided tour of the site. Most tours include a visit to a nearby cenote for a quick dip either before or after visiting the archaeological site, as well as a buffet lunch somewhere along the way.

3) Take the Bus

The ADO bus company offers service from the ADO station in downtown Cancún to Chichén Itzá daily at 8:45 a.m. with a return bus departing at 4:30 p.m. from the archaeological site. According to the ADO website, the journey takes a little more than three hours. If those times don’t work for you, another option is to first take the bus to the town of Valladolid (since there are many more departures throughout the day), and then get another bus from there to Chichén Itzá. Bus tickets are available for purchase online through the ADO website, or in person at any ADO bus station in Mexico.

Chichén Itzá

It’s believed the former Maya city dates back to as early as 550 AD, and once operated as the ceremonial centre of the ancient civilization. As the towering El Castillo (also known as the Temple of Kukulcan) gets most of the attention, some travellers are surprised to find the site has much more to offer: thing sacred cenotes, sprawling temples adorned with intricate stone carvings, and forests leading to crumbling ruins.

The best time to go to Chichén Itzá is first thing in the morning when the gates open, or around 3 p.m. It typically takes about two to three hours to tour the complex.

TIPS: be sure to bring pesos when visiting the site ( there are souvenir stands absolutely everywhere, selling the likes of t-shirts, wood carvings, shot glasses and figurines.)

Entrance fee is 232 pesos for adults (about $13 USD) – Check here the getyouguide tour.

This temple was not built by the Mayans, it was built by the Toltec when they conquered the city in 950 A.D., adorned with stucco and stone-carved animal deities. At the top of its steps is a classic reclining chac-mool figure, sadly not visible from behind the ropes.

You can walk through the columns on its south side to reach the Columnata Noreste, notable for the ‘big-nosed god’ masks on its facade. Some have been reassembled on the ground around the statue. Just to the south are the remains of the Baño de Vapor (Steam Bath or Sweat House) with an underground oven and drains for the water. The sweat houses (there are two on-site) were regularly used for ritual purification.

The Temple of the Bearded Man or the North Temple is a small masonry building with detailed bas-relief carvings on the inner walls, including a center figure that has carving under his chin that resembles facial hair. At the south end is another, much bigger temple, but in ruins.

This temple is one of the oldest buildings at Chichén Itzá. Masks of Chac decorate two upper stories. Among the crowd of Chacs there are also an armadillo, a crab, a snail, and a tortoise. These represent the Maya gods, called bacah, whose job it was to hold up the sky.

El Caracol or Observatory is a round building on a large square platform dating to around 906 AD. It was probably an ancient Maya observatory with doors and windows aligned to astronomical events, specifically around the path of Venus. From the tower the Mayans could view the sky above the vegetation without any obstruction.

This large natural well (sinkhole) may have given Chichén Itzá (“Well of the Itzáes”) its name. There is a second karst cave in the center of Chichén Itzá that was used as a source of water for Chichén Itzá’s residents. The use of the Sacred Cenote was exclusively ceremonial. Over the years, the murky water has yielded many artifacts including gold, jade, copper, turquoise, obsidian, copal or incense, pottery, rubber, shells and the bones of around 200 people who were thrown in as a sacrifice.

6 days PLAYA DEL CARMEN

Playa del Carmen, smaller than Cancun, still has all the amenities to make for a comfortable stay, lounging on the beach or taking part in a variety of water sports. There are 3 ways to get from Chichén-Itzá to Playa del Carmen by bus, car or shuttle.

Things to do in Playa Del Carmen

1) Chill Out at Lido’s Beach Club

There’s no fee for using the beach loungers and no minimum spend, just pay for whatever you order, and enjoy the comfy green loungers or the swings at the laid-back bar.

2) Take a Day Trip to Xpu Ha

You’ll need to either rent a car or take a collectivo minibus to get there, but the journey will reward you with access to a pristine white sand beach with clear water and without the crowds.

There is a 50 pesos ($2.40) entrance fee to the beach. You can get that back if you meet the minimum spend at one of the handful of beach clubs, or you can just bring your own towel and settle in on any of the many wide open stretches of sand.

3) Party the Night Away at Coco Bongo

~80$ for a ticket , admission includes drinks, a spectacular show featuring rotating acts (for example a Star Wars-themed show).

4) Try a Marquesita

It’s a local dessert served with Nutella and Edam cheese, which makes for quite the unique flavour combination, though you can also get them with peanut butter, cream cheese or chocolate syrup.

5) Take a Ferry to Cozumel

Hop on a ferry from Playa del Carmen’s main dock and in 45 minutes, and 135 pesos later, you’ll find yourself whisked away to the island of Cozumel, home to some of the bluest water in this part of Mexico: you can enjoy the world-class diving and snorkelling scene.

6) Beaches

For sure you will want to relax on the beach: if you stay at a resort outside of town, the Playacar section or in the center of Playa Del Carmen you have access to the beach. There are many beach clubs to relax at or you can just go to the beach and put down your towel .

Most of where people stay in the downtown area is only a few blocks to the beach.

The turquoise waters entice people to get in and the waves are not that big, so it makes for easier swimming.

3 days tulum

Tulum’s original Maya name, Zamá translates as “place of the dawning sun.” This is because it has a perfect view of the rising sun!

Evidence of the Mayan civilization is all over this peninsula and down into Guatemala and Belize, though the Tulum location was of significant importance to the empire as a religious and ceremonial center. The location is also stunning, set on a backdrop of the beach with dazzling blue water and white sand.

Tulum was built to be a seaport fortress, with steep ocean cliffs providing protection from the East, and a large limestone wall enclosing the rest of the city on three sides.

El Castillo (the Castle) is Tulum’s main pyramid, and was used as an ancient lighthouse. Two small windows at the top allowed sailors to navigate the bay at dusk.

The Temple of the Frescoes, located in front of El Castillo, is the best preserved building at the site. Peer inside to see an actual mural with colored paint still intact!

Each Mayan city was ruled by a halach uinic who served as high-priest. The House of the Halach Uinic in Tulum is also well preserved.

WHERE TO STAY IN MEXICO

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