Country 89
Mexico was always somewhere i wanted to go, years ago when in Canada i remember considering a trip down there, which I couldn't afford, but it didn't stop me from looking. At that time i was looking at a quick 'All Inclusive' resort style trip to get some sun and well, stay safe- after all Mexico is soo dangerous right? Wrong
Don't get me wrong, it's not the safest country in the world but i feel like if you are streetwise (which someone kindly labelled me once) and follow your gut, you can't go wrong. Also knowing locals definitely helps... Luckily when I started my job with Trailfinders, i was told to take a week of annual leave which i was due and they were kind enough the play around with the schedule and allow me 11 days to travel, this changed everything.
Originally i thought of returning to Iceland, i then considered other places close to home but when my time was extended I could look further afield. It worked out perfectly that my good ship buddy Sergio happened to be on his vacation back home at that time and so I booked my flights. I think he thought i wasn't serious until he got the screenshot of my itinerary, then he got super excited and went all out planning for my arrival. How cool?
When i arrived to Cancun, i took a Ado bus to Merida which is a big colonial city about 3 hours from Cancun. I planned to stay with Sergio and his family for a few days and then make a circle around the Yucutan peninsula and back to Cancun over a 10 day period, i had no real plan, but that's the beauty of travel. I was welcomed with open arms by Sergio and his amazing family who hosted me in their beautiful home just outside of the city. Sergio spent the next few days driving me around to many places of interest including Celestun Biosphere where we took a boat ride to see the flamingos, to the beach with his family, into amazing Merida city and my favourite excursion which was to the Cenote.... where we had a private tour through all the underwater caves. This was the most spectacular sight i had ever seen, and I've seen the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu to name but few. It was a natural wonder and completely blew my mind. Looking below the surface of the water with the snorkel on, I was absolutely taken aback by the underwater world of caves below me and tried not to freak out when the guide told us how deep it was. It was terrifying but spectacular, so much so that Sergio, who has seen many of these cenotes (these are a network of underwater caves and waterways native only to Yucutan and all 5000 are connected) said it was the best be had ever seen, and if a local says this, then it must be pretty good right?
Sergio took me to some amazing places to eat local Mexican food, not your usual fajitas and burritos like we imagine, this was freshly ground guacamole, freshly made tortillas and the most flavoursome fish first caught. I was so thankful to him and his family for showing me such a great time, if only i could have stayed longer.
Sergio dropped me off at the bus which took me to Valladolid, the closest town to Chichen Itza - one of the wonders of the world and a place high on my list. I decided to stay at a hostel here for one night. The first afternoon i had some delicious food and headed off on an exploration of the beautiful, quaint town. Many people avoid this place and I myself planned to see the mayan ruins and then continue on but i was so happy i stayed there. The town was so picturesque and architecturally mind blowing, i took so many pictures. It was here i met Ruby and Abby in my hostel, two girls on a big trip around Mexico and Columbia. We decided to head to Chichen Itza together the next day where we hired a guide with a few other travellers we met on the bus (donativo local bus) for about €10 each. It was so worth it. Not only did we learn the history of the most famous Mayan ruins on the globe, but the guide knew all the best photo angles....
We picked up some souvenirs and headed off back to Valladolid before grabbing our bags at the hostel and continuing on the bus station to get the bus to Tulum. The girls had planned to stay at a nice beach front hotel at Tulums hip beach area while i had opted for a hostel in the town centre close to the bustling 'strip'. I soon realised that Tulum has many different sites to it and i much preferred the 'bali beach vibes' of the Tulum beach area. I explored the town which was lined with bars, restaurants and shops that all sold hand woven dream catchers, hired a bike and cycled to the Tulum ruins. I even managed to catch-up with a friend from work who was in Mexico with his wife. He picked me up and we explored another cenote and had a lovely lunch together. That evening, I got dolled up and cycled to the beach bar to meet up with the girls where we sat drinking cocktails on the rooftop and listened to live music. It was the dream! When the night was over, the owner of their hotel popped my bike into the back of his truck and took us all into town for 'the best local tacos' which was open all night. There were were at 2am, a group of travelers from all over the world including a Canadian man we met a long the way, eating THE BEST tacos in Tulum. This made my heart smile. I yearned for these moments back in Ireland and i had forgotten this feeling existed. This was the start of a fire inside me, reigniting.
The next day i headed for Playa del Carmen just an hour up the coast from Tulum, but i had heard it was more hustle bustle vibe there. And it was....
I stayed at my 'fancy hotel', you know the one nice place you stay along your trip when you've been slumming it at hostels every other night. It was actually very cheap and was right on the beach. When it was too early to check in i was told to relax on the sunbeds and enjoy my complimentary cocktail... Don't mind if i do!
I became friends with the local waiter who was a young local man very friendly and full of knowledge. He said he had never met anyone from Ireland before and the next day ran up to me to tell me how he had met an Irish family. He was so excited.
My room was huge, had everything i needed and more importantly had privacy to relax. That evening I roamed the infamous strip, full of bars and restaurants and huge versions of shops we all know. I got a lovely gelato and bought a nice ring as I wandered around the street stalls. The next day I decided take the ferry to Cozumel, where I hired a scooter and circled the island (there's only one road, you can't get lost really). I felt the freedom as I drove on the open road, wind in my hair and views of the turquoise sea all around me. This was life, this was living. The more i saw and did in Mexico the more i sparked that fire inside of me. I stopped at a derelict hotel perched over the ocean and enjoyed a few moments of peace and calm before continuing on. I did this a few times along the way to take it all in. When i dropped the bike back, i got some delicious churros whilst waiting for the ferry back to Playa. That evening i planned to meet someone i had met on my flight over, who turned out to be creepy so i luckily avoided it and ended up meeting a fellow traveller. A very handsome fellow traveller. Needless to say, my plans changed and I had a lovely few days in playa with great company before taking my flight home from Cancun. I was glad i had sacrificed a few days in a hostel in crazy Cancun for a real travel experience because these are rhe moments you cannot plan and you cannot recreate. The fire in me was roaring and looking back, this is when i knew i had to make changes. The ideas of vanlife came to me, I knew i needed to feel like I'm living my life again and I was fully inspired by each person i met a long the way, including myself, the real me. Thank you Mexico for being more than you'll ever know.
Don't get me wrong, it's not the safest country in the world but i feel like if you are streetwise (which someone kindly labelled me once) and follow your gut, you can't go wrong. Also knowing locals definitely helps... Luckily when I started my job with Trailfinders, i was told to take a week of annual leave which i was due and they were kind enough the play around with the schedule and allow me 11 days to travel, this changed everything.
Originally i thought of returning to Iceland, i then considered other places close to home but when my time was extended I could look further afield. It worked out perfectly that my good ship buddy Sergio happened to be on his vacation back home at that time and so I booked my flights. I think he thought i wasn't serious until he got the screenshot of my itinerary, then he got super excited and went all out planning for my arrival. How cool?
When i arrived to Cancun, i took a Ado bus to Merida which is a big colonial city about 3 hours from Cancun. I planned to stay with Sergio and his family for a few days and then make a circle around the Yucutan peninsula and back to Cancun over a 10 day period, i had no real plan, but that's the beauty of travel. I was welcomed with open arms by Sergio and his amazing family who hosted me in their beautiful home just outside of the city. Sergio spent the next few days driving me around to many places of interest including Celestun Biosphere where we took a boat ride to see the flamingos, to the beach with his family, into amazing Merida city and my favourite excursion which was to the Cenote.... where we had a private tour through all the underwater caves. This was the most spectacular sight i had ever seen, and I've seen the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu to name but few. It was a natural wonder and completely blew my mind. Looking below the surface of the water with the snorkel on, I was absolutely taken aback by the underwater world of caves below me and tried not to freak out when the guide told us how deep it was. It was terrifying but spectacular, so much so that Sergio, who has seen many of these cenotes (these are a network of underwater caves and waterways native only to Yucutan and all 5000 are connected) said it was the best be had ever seen, and if a local says this, then it must be pretty good right?
Sergio took me to some amazing places to eat local Mexican food, not your usual fajitas and burritos like we imagine, this was freshly ground guacamole, freshly made tortillas and the most flavoursome fish first caught. I was so thankful to him and his family for showing me such a great time, if only i could have stayed longer.
Sergio dropped me off at the bus which took me to Valladolid, the closest town to Chichen Itza - one of the wonders of the world and a place high on my list. I decided to stay at a hostel here for one night. The first afternoon i had some delicious food and headed off on an exploration of the beautiful, quaint town. Many people avoid this place and I myself planned to see the mayan ruins and then continue on but i was so happy i stayed there. The town was so picturesque and architecturally mind blowing, i took so many pictures. It was here i met Ruby and Abby in my hostel, two girls on a big trip around Mexico and Columbia. We decided to head to Chichen Itza together the next day where we hired a guide with a few other travellers we met on the bus (donativo local bus) for about €10 each. It was so worth it. Not only did we learn the history of the most famous Mayan ruins on the globe, but the guide knew all the best photo angles....
We picked up some souvenirs and headed off back to Valladolid before grabbing our bags at the hostel and continuing on the bus station to get the bus to Tulum. The girls had planned to stay at a nice beach front hotel at Tulums hip beach area while i had opted for a hostel in the town centre close to the bustling 'strip'. I soon realised that Tulum has many different sites to it and i much preferred the 'bali beach vibes' of the Tulum beach area. I explored the town which was lined with bars, restaurants and shops that all sold hand woven dream catchers, hired a bike and cycled to the Tulum ruins. I even managed to catch-up with a friend from work who was in Mexico with his wife. He picked me up and we explored another cenote and had a lovely lunch together. That evening, I got dolled up and cycled to the beach bar to meet up with the girls where we sat drinking cocktails on the rooftop and listened to live music. It was the dream! When the night was over, the owner of their hotel popped my bike into the back of his truck and took us all into town for 'the best local tacos' which was open all night. There were were at 2am, a group of travelers from all over the world including a Canadian man we met a long the way, eating THE BEST tacos in Tulum. This made my heart smile. I yearned for these moments back in Ireland and i had forgotten this feeling existed. This was the start of a fire inside me, reigniting.
The next day i headed for Playa del Carmen just an hour up the coast from Tulum, but i had heard it was more hustle bustle vibe there. And it was....
I stayed at my 'fancy hotel', you know the one nice place you stay along your trip when you've been slumming it at hostels every other night. It was actually very cheap and was right on the beach. When it was too early to check in i was told to relax on the sunbeds and enjoy my complimentary cocktail... Don't mind if i do!
I became friends with the local waiter who was a young local man very friendly and full of knowledge. He said he had never met anyone from Ireland before and the next day ran up to me to tell me how he had met an Irish family. He was so excited.
My room was huge, had everything i needed and more importantly had privacy to relax. That evening I roamed the infamous strip, full of bars and restaurants and huge versions of shops we all know. I got a lovely gelato and bought a nice ring as I wandered around the street stalls. The next day I decided take the ferry to Cozumel, where I hired a scooter and circled the island (there's only one road, you can't get lost really). I felt the freedom as I drove on the open road, wind in my hair and views of the turquoise sea all around me. This was life, this was living. The more i saw and did in Mexico the more i sparked that fire inside of me. I stopped at a derelict hotel perched over the ocean and enjoyed a few moments of peace and calm before continuing on. I did this a few times along the way to take it all in. When i dropped the bike back, i got some delicious churros whilst waiting for the ferry back to Playa. That evening i planned to meet someone i had met on my flight over, who turned out to be creepy so i luckily avoided it and ended up meeting a fellow traveller. A very handsome fellow traveller. Needless to say, my plans changed and I had a lovely few days in playa with great company before taking my flight home from Cancun. I was glad i had sacrificed a few days in a hostel in crazy Cancun for a real travel experience because these are rhe moments you cannot plan and you cannot recreate. The fire in me was roaring and looking back, this is when i knew i had to make changes. The ideas of vanlife came to me, I knew i needed to feel like I'm living my life again and I was fully inspired by each person i met a long the way, including myself, the real me. Thank you Mexico for being more than you'll ever know.
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