My Kinda Place
Trip Start
May 16, 2007
1
14
24
Trip End
Ongoing
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Day 65
Well after a good rest and reducing my frustration level I was eager to get on the plane for Mexico. A decent flight, the in-flight movie was Blades of Glory (Will Ferrell) so I got to laugh a bit. The flight to Cancun was fairly short, just over an hour. Walked out of the airport and I was immediate hit with the hot tropical feel of Mexico. Ah after the Winter of South America it was great to feel the warmth again.
I jumped straight onto a bus to Playa del Carmen which was a reasonably cheap and short ride. I hadn't booked anything but I had scouted out a hostel
Cenote 1
. It was only about 20 metres away from the bus stop. I checked in. The place had an amazing view of the Carribbean Ocean, very nice. The water had some great turqouise colours to it. Man it was hot. Time to slip into the boardies, pluggers and t-shirt. Now that I had checked in I headed straight to the beach. There I quickly found a bar litterally right on the beach (I stood at the bar with sand under my feet) and got into the Mexican way. One shot of tequilla and an ice cold beer! The shot was actually quite nice. There are so many different types of tequilla or agave here. And yes it is fairly cheap and actually tastes good. So sitting at the bar watching the beach and all the scantily clad bodies, enjoying some tequilla shots and reggae music I decided that I had arrived at my kinda place!
After this I did some wandering around to explore my new surroundings and enjoyed some local cuisine. I love Mexican food and now it was great to eat the authentic real deal, and on the cheap too!
Next move was a swim in the Carribbean Ocean. This I have missed diving into the ocean. So nice. The water was a little warm. I think the outside temperature was about 35 degrees. Very nice
Cenote 2
. This was another pince myself moment. Here I am drinking tequilla in Mexico and swimming in the Carribbean Ocean. Wow my life is great! Well back to the hostel and time to meet my new friends for the week. Everyone seemed like really good people and I got on well with everyone straight away. Such a relaxed vibe here. So of course a few coronas were had at the hostel listening to some good tune and chatting whilst glancing at the ocean. We all headed out to one of the beach clubs. This was great as the place was very lively and also had a reggae band playing who were very good. Yes a very good start to my Mexican experience. I was already wishing that I could have more time here to enyoy!
Day 67
I enjoyed a thoroughly well deserved sleep in. Then for the day I simply frequented the beach and discovered the town. There was one main street that had an endless supply of everything. There were countless shops selling Corona merchandise and various jewellery. I decided to pick myself a new towel. The towell is very colourful looking like one of those rainbow coloured ponchos that traditional Mexicans may wear. After purchasing my towel the shopkeeper than showed me the Cuban cigars and offered me anything else that I would like
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. I guess when you have a wild busy beard you are probably bound to attract these types of people. Anyway more beach and more great Mexican food was required. More partying followed back at the hostel. Tonight it was decided to enjoy some Margarhitas. Delicious and cheap. 1 litre of tequilla and 1 litre of margarhita mix cost $10 US. We went to another great beach club and had one helluva time. Day 68
Yesterday I had looked into a few local tours. I didn't book any tours. So today I decided to go on my own tour. I hopped on the ferry over to the Island of Cozumel. This island is world reknowned for its snorkelling and diving. Once getting over there (about 45 minutes) I went and hired a scooter and snorkel to drive around the island.
This was a fantastic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed. I was able to cruise around the island at my own pace and stop off anywhere I wanted. The scenerey driving so close to the beach was great. There were also so many reefs right off the shoreline all around the island. So I frequently stopped for a bit of a snorkel. The reefs were all pretty cool to see and the water was so nice to swim in
Cenote 4
. I enjoyed some more amazing seafood and great torilla chips and deeps right on the beach. Also by the sides of the roads are some very dense jungles. Amazing views. It did rain on a few occassions whilst I was driving but it was actually nice as the heat was immense. So a thoroughly enjoyable day driving the scooter around the island seeing the sights and stopping off for a snorkel here and there.
Once back in Playa I went and booked a trip to Chichen Itza and then simply chatted to everyone back at the hostel (that is of course after some more amazing Mexican food).
Day 69
Up early to go and see Chichen Itza. The ride took about 4 hours to get there. But first off we stopped at cenote (natural underground water hole) nearby for a swim and to check it out. It was pretty cool seeing this water hole under the ground in this cavern. Next we went for a buffet Mexican feed (heaven). Then off to the main event.
Chichen Itza is one of if not the most famous of the ancient Aztec ruins in Central America
Cenote 5
. And yes it was very impressive. The pinnacle of the site is this massive pyramid. It was awesome to see and still in fairly good condition. There were a host of other significant ruins, but it was hard to compete with the pyramid. All around the site is very thick jungle which added another unreal element to the experience. This also meant it was incredibly humid and hot. There were also droves and droves of tourists here to see the site. But I really enjoyed it, another amazing place I have visited. Back on the bus to Playa. After the trip I got back to the hostel and everyone was in high spirits. So of course time to party. Another great night of partying at the hostel and then out at one of the beach clubs. Ah I love this place.
Day 70
At the hostel I had been getting on quite well with a few Dutch lads. So today we decided to hire a little catamaran and sail around on the Carribbean Ocean. Now as I had sailed previously I was nominated as the Skipper, which I rather liked the idea of. So now here I am sailing around in the beautiful sunshine and a glistening clear Carribbean Ocean living out my dream as a real pirate
Chichen Itza 1
. Another golden memory. It was so nice to sail around and we were able to get some good speed. Lots of fun, this is my kinda living. After our sailing efforts it was time for some more brilliant Mexican food, so good. More walking around the town and the shops. All interspersed with periodic swims in the clear bluey green ocean. Every night is one helluva party here in Playa. So tonight would be no exception. This was also my last night in Mexico so we increased the tempo a little higher. In evening there was also a lightning storm over the ocean which provided some great views and atmosphere. Everyone at the hostel got on so well and we all had plenty of drinks and laughs before kicking on at another great beach club.
Day 71
Up early once again (not really getting any sleep but that was ok). Straight for a hangover curing swim in the ocean. Packed my bag and said goodbye and headed off to Cancun airport.
Got on my flights from Cancun to Miami to New York with no trouble at all. Mexico certainly was great appeal to me. Hearing all the tales of other places to visit in Mexico (especially the great surf on the Pacific Ocean side) will certainly lure me back again. So who wants to join me in Mexico?
