Stopover in Cancun in Mexico

We fly to Cancun, the tourist capital of Mexico. We feel pinched like in a sardine can and there is no entertainment program integrated in the seats on this 20 hour flight. After endless hours later we reach Cancun in the morning, where the owner of the booked apartment in the hotel zone chauffeured us.

During the trip we talked to the two Mexican women we met at the terminal and they explained the things to do in Cancun and which were not worth it. They also tell us that it is not a good year for the tourism industry in Yucatan. Many Americans and Canadians spend their holidays elsewhere because they are worried about violence and drugs in Mexico.

Through the window I saw that we were approaching the center of Cancun, which was horrible. There were concrete buildings without any charm. The shared van left us at our hostel. The hostel, for the prices that we then paid during the trip, turned out to be very basic and a tad expensive.

The room was clean, but it was a bit seedy. Unfortunately, our bedroom is located exactly on the four-lane highway, so we must first get used to the noise. The cockroaches on the toilet and dripping water from the ceiling greet us. This is all very normal here, welcome to Mexico!

In the apartment, a small highlight already wait for us. We are allowed to carry the baby turtles hatched today through the day into the sea. This is possible only at night, because otherwise they are eaten by hungry birds. Together with an area guard, we go down to the sandy beach. We wet our hands with sea water, grab few of the cute babies and release them with our best wishes in the ocean waves. Only one in a thousand babies will survive the youth and one day return to the beach as an adult turtle.

The warm temperatures demand a cool down. In the swimming trunks, we pass the spacious pool area to the private beach area, where we deposit our things on the sun loungers and treat us to a long wave pool in the salty sea. The water is wonderfully clear, but we cannot swim here because of the wide sandbar and further out there are dangerous currents. On the beach, various traders compete for the few guests. They want to sell Cuban cigars, shells or cheap jewelry.

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Our walks along the beach are limited. There are practically no bars or restaurants to be found, except the hotel's own all inclusive bars, where foreign guests are not welcome. When we got tired legs from running sand, we realize that we can not get up onto the road anywhere because everything is closed. In front of most hotels there are guards so that strangers cannot go inside. We still sneak in and get lost in a spacious hotel complex. Three times we have to ask ourselves, until we finally find the exit to the street!

The Mexicans celebrate today the Dia de los Muertos, the day of the dead. This is a colorful folk festival in honor of the dead. The streets are decorated with flowers and symbols of death, skeletons and skulls are in the shop windows.

In Cancun Downtown, some celebrations should take place. We walk to the Parque las Palapas. There are countless food stalls and some tents. Candles are lit. Pictures of the deceased are hung up and decorated with colored skulls and other offerings.

We move through the food stalls and various treats land on our table. We have somehow missed the announced parade, but on the main stage various performances are presented. The dancers are creepy. There are also artistic ballet and acrobatics. Of course, the accompanying music sounds in a loud volume that makes our ears wobble.

Later we plunge into the nightlife of the hotel zone. In front of the hottest club, about 20 ticket vendors are quite aggressively waiting for customers! Although we do not like it in this loud party zone, we allow ourselves a cool drink.

A culinary highlight awaits us at the resort, where we dine in the restaurant. Dressed in black we are led to the entrance where the rules are explained to us. No pictures may be taken and the mobile phones must be switched off.

We get used to the coming darkness. In the restaurant there is a dark night! We are seated at our table. We do not see ourselves or the table in front of us. Two dark purple neon lights on the ceiling are enough for the waiter to help us with the night vision equipment.

You can only see the white napkin with which we can wipe our hands after each course. 25 different small bites are presented to us. Of course we try to find out what we are currently eating. We do not always succeed, but the strawberry is easy to taste. There are apple chips with goose cheese mousse, citrus spaghetti with ginger soy sauce, salmon confit with saffron or Soursop daiquiri. Recognizing such dishes on the palate is more difficult!

Animators in white masks massage our backs to make us relaxed. During the dinner, they surprise with some tricks, give us roses or serenade us. We are excited about this unforgettable experience in the dark!

We go to the car rental agency, where we want to receive our car for the next three weeks. We are told that today, unfortunately, no vehicle in the booked class is available. After the intervention on our part, the telephone wires glow and already 10 minutes later, a practically new one is at the door. We take it back to the hotel.

After more than 20 hours of travel we went to bed very tired. The next day we will leave the horrible and expensive Cancun to get into the state of Yucatan. I know that this post is a bit decaffeinated, but soon the action will begin.

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2 Comments
  • Jeevan
    Jeevan March 14, 2012 at 12:01 AM

    The details and images are astonishing!

  • anthony stemke
    anthony stemke March 14, 2012 at 7:23 PM

    Beautiful pictures and interesting information about the railway.I enjoyed reading it.

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