Mexico
The food, the people, the culture, the colonial buildings, the sun, the beaches.. I could go on and on about this amazing country, I will forever be in love with Mexico!
Throughout our whole trip through Latin America, we tried our best to persuade every backpacker that we met along the way to visit Mexico. To this day we are still drooling over the al pastor tacos (spit grilled marinated pork) that are sold from almost every street vendor on every corner! BUT.. Unfortunately, not all is perfect in paradise. Some parts of Mexico are still tarnished by a reputation, built on drugs, violence and cartels.. There is still a significant danger, although this isn't always visible for all to see. With the correct precautions and a sensible head on your shoulders, you will be able to experience this unbelievable place to its fullest! As much as this nonsense is still a very big part of present day Mexico, there is so much more to this beautiful country! Some people can find it difficult to get a feel of the 'real' Mexico, away from the spring break filled resorts of Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. Although, if you venture a little further from the 'gringo party zone' you will find a country that is just waiting to be explored, so much so that you will be unable to see it all in one go and will be left, like us, itching to go back.
Planning a trip to Mexico?
With flights being so cheap from the UK to Cancun it was a no-brainer for us to start our journey there.. Even though Cancun wasn't so much for us, it is for a lot of people! So if you love to party and splash the cash then you will feel right at home around the Zona Hotelera (hotel zone). With high rise hotel resorts, soft white sandy beaches and more clubs & international restaurants than you can ever dream of. This is the perfect place to blow off some steam and party with the spring breakers!
After leaving Cancun with more than likely a pretty sore head, the next stop for you will probably be one of the nearby islands of Isla Holbox or Isla Mujeres. We chose the latter, with its beautiful white beaches and crystal blue waters, we were not disappointed! Explore this tiny island and enjoy the incredible nightlife on offer, we were lucky enough to stay at Poc-Na Hostel so the party came to us! With its own private beach and bar amongst the dotted palm trees, this was the life and soul of the island! Take some time out from the mezcal and make your way south to visit the turtle farm, before then heading to the Garrafon Natural Reef Park for some well needed scuba diving (or snorkeling which ever floats your boat..), and finally reaching Punta Sur for some incredible views out to the Caribbean Sea.. Although heavily touristy, Isla Mujeres ticked a lot of boxes for us, but after hearing a lot of stories about Holbox, which is a less touristy, more chilled out island made up solely of sand. This beautiful island is firmly on our to-do list!
Once you have washed the sand out from in between your toes, you now have a choice of whether to get back to the party and work your way down to Playa Del Carmen, or like us, decide to skip this and go straight to Tulum. A beautiful place, with great beaches and some of the most picturesque ruins in the world, perched on a cliff-edge overlooking the turquoise waters. Spend your days strolling through the beaches of the zona hotelera, treat yourself to some amazing food in the restaurants on beach road, then its time for some cocktails at Matteo's to watch the sunset over the ocean. My favourite part of Tulum though has to be, the cenotes! Explore these spectacular underwater sinkholes and caves, go for a swim, rope swing into them and in certain cases, zip-line into them or over them for a birds-eye view! These cenotes just look incredible and each one is slightly different, so make sure that you visit as many as you can!
Our next stop in Mexico was, the picturesque colonial town of Valladolid. Lined with colourful buildings, cobbled streets, amazing street food, more stunning cenotes and most importantly a stones throw away from a wonder of the world, Chichen Itza as well as many other impressive ruins, such as Ek Balam. This city gave us a short glimpse of the real Mexico, and we fell head over heals for it! Gaze at La Catedral de San Gervasio, wander adorable cobbled streets camera in hand admiring the pastel coloured walls and the decorative doorways, eat with the locals in Mercado Municipal, visit the nearby cenotes of Xkeken, Dzitnup, Samula and Zaci (with the latter being in the centre of the city!), be lucky enough to witness the light show that is projected onto the Convent de San Bernardino de Siena and people-watch in Plaza Principal by day before it turns into a cultural party by night! Valladolid will always stay with me as being a very special place. Although, better known for being the jump off point for the phenomenal Chichen Itza, there are also gems to be found here! After recommendations from a local we decided to visit Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman, a short taxi or bicycle ride from Valladolid, this cenote quickly became our favourite in Mexico! Not only a majestic cenote with crystal blue waters and numerous rope swings, but it also had its only bar and swimming pool just next to it, so you can spend the whole day here chilling out in a locals hangout!
After briefly brushing over it, I thought it deserved to have its own part on this page. Yeah you guessed right! One of the seven wonders of the world, Chichen Itza is a magnificent sight to behold, and if you are clever enough to not pay the extortionate prices from the nearby coastal cities of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya and instead choose to visit on your own from Valladolid. You will not only save lots of money, but you will have this wonder all to yourself before the hoards of tours come rolling in! Stay tuned for my blog post telling you exactly what to do.
If like us, you are heading to Belize then you have to visit Bacalar and its stunning lagoon of seven colours. Spend your days sitting by the lagoon with an ice cold beer, go out on a boat tour of the lagoon, make an exfoliating face-mask in the sulphur mud and visit the many cenotes including the 185ft deep black cenote! Bacalar is a great last stop before heading to the Caribbean lifestyle of Belize and if you are doubting this, then just look at the pictures!
Here is the best of the rest, and if you have more time in Mexico than we did, then these places should definitely be on your list!
- Mexico City
- Oaxaca
- Palenque
- San Cristobal
- Puerto Escondido
- Zipolite
- Puebla
- Guadalajara
- Izamal
- Rio Lagartos & Las Coloradas
- Cozumel
- Coba
& many more!
Getting around
In Mexico your main mode of transport will be buses and collectivos. The latter being, small white vans that make short journeys for next to nothing! The only downside is that you have to wait for them to fill up before they leave, but if you are on a budget, you're not in a rush, and you don't mind sharing your personal space with some locals and other money conscious backpackers then this is the perfect choice for you and are so much cheaper than taxis.
For the longer journeys you have buses, and very good buses at that, they are probably the best that you will see in the whole of Central America. Obviously, the more you pay, the better the quality, service and safety you will get. Although, even the most high end companies aren't necessarily breaking the bank! I do have to say though, if you are very money conscious then the less expensive companies are more than acceptable to use and in some cases, they are the better choice for some journeys because of the difference in price.
The most well known bus companies that you will see around the Yucatan and Quintana Roo regions of Mexico are:
- ADO - 1st Class
- Mayab - 2nd Class
- Oriente - 2nd Class
When booking your next bus, I would always recommend booking your ticket directly through the bus station, it will always be the best price and sometimes you can find some very good deals, especially with ADO. You can also buy tickets online at the websites listed below.
However, if you do like the convenience of having somebody do it for you and you have a little extra money to spend then you can always book your transport through your hostel/hotel, but just remember that they will take a cut, so you will be paying that little bit more.
Useful bus websites are:
- www.ADO.com.mx
- www.busbud.com
Our Route..
Useful Info
- Capital city: Mexico City
- Time Difference: GMT minus six hours.
- Language Spoken: Spanish is the main language but there are other indigenous languages spoken throughout Mexico, such as Mayan & Nahuatl. It is also worth noting that English is well spoken in most of the touristy areas around Cancun.
- Local Cuisine: Tacos, lots of tacos! (My favourite has to be the Taco al Pastor!) Seriously though, Mexican food is just incredible but very different to the Mexican food that we are used too back home.. Think fresh corn tortillas, succulent meat, mole sauce and the freshest guacamole that you can imagine.. Make sure to test yourself and try the hot sauce (I mean there is hot and then there is HOT!).
- Local Beers & Drink: There are so many beers availabe in Mexico and are all found in different regions, but my favourites have to be Pacifico & Indio. Now you cannot come to Mexico without sampling some Tequila and more importantly the Mexcal!
- Our Favourite Beer/Drink: There are lots of beers to sample in Mexico....
- Visa: Generally not required for most countries for a stay of up to 180 days.
- Entrance & Exit Fee: No entrance fee but there is a $25 USD exit fee. This is something that unfortunately you have to pay if you are leaving the country by crossing the border overland (believe me, we tried everything!). Although, If you are flying, this is normally included in your flight price.
- Proof of Onward Travel: Not necessary.
- Currency & Exchange rate (Aug 2018): Mexican Peso (MXN) £1 = $24.2 MXN
- $1 = $18.5 MXN
- Useful prices to note;
- 1 night in a hostel (Dorm bed) = $96 - $263 MXN / £4 - £11 / $5.2 - $14.30
- (Private Double Room) = $240 - $1199 MXN / £10 - £50 / $13 - $65
- 1 litre of local beer = $48 / £2 / $2.6
- Tacos from a street vendor = $10 - $35 MXN / £0.41 - £1.5 / $1 - $1.90
- Average cost for 2-3 bus journey = $84 - $167 MXN / £3.50 - £7 / $4.50 - $8.70
Mexican Peso (MXN) / British Pound (£) / US Dollar (USD)
Our must visit place..
We fell in love with Mexico and a major factor for this was the colonial town of VALLODOLID and its surrounding cenotes, this is by far our must visit place in Mexico! Wander the pastel coloured streets, and feast on the most incredible tacos, before taking a dip into the irresistible cenotes like
Cenote Zaci below!
