A Trip to Mexico

Our trip began at Zagreb Airport in the morning and included a transfer at Frankfurt Airport. We arrived in Cancun after short 15 hours of travel. It’s a touristy and Americanised city, but it offers the first genuine contact with a new world continent and especially with the beautiful turquoise sea.

We used buses (the connections are really well established!) and small vans known as “colectivos” that are considerably cheaper to travel around. Leaving the coast, we continued towards Valladolid, a small idyllic city where you can get a genuine experience with the Maya culture. There were wonderful colourful houses and a lively main square full of people and, to the delight of all travellers, tourists.

Rio Lagartos, our next stop, was definitely worth a visit. It’s a fishing town which was heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the number of tourists that dropped to zero. We were able to enjoy some freshly caught sea food and took a boat ride to explore the river and observe its animal residents. Crocodiles were a special kind of attraction and quite an experience in their natural environment. Flocks of flamingos also nest there.

After a longer bus journey, we arrived in Merida, a more metropolitan city with a large number of restaurants, a wide avenue and huge villas. It’s a perfect city for evening walks, good food and live music. The only disappointment for us were the waiters who secretly took tips for themselves.

Merida is a perfect starting point for day trips to the most beautiful caves in Yucatan, namely in Cuzamá where we headed the next morning. As soon as we stepped into the van, we met a nice French couple, Marie and Sam, with whom we shared our entire experience with cenotes (natural sinkholes filled with water). The locals were already waiting for us with special motorbikes at the bus station and they were going to give us a ride to the entry point to the sinkholes. And then we were transported the rest of the way to the sinkholes in a rail cart that was drawn by small cute horses. We descended to the sinkhole down a steep ladder or steps and into the darkness, which was then followed by a wonderful view of the blue natural “pool” that was lit from above by the sun. Fantastic. Skipping a jump in the magical blue water would be a sin. It’s unforgettable.

We returned to Merida in the afternoon to enjoy another pleasant evening in the city. And continued our journey in the morning when we headed to what is probably the most iconic landmark – Chitzen Itza, a Maya settlement, a world-famous pyramid and part of the seven wonders of the world. Luckily, we arrived early and avoided masses of tourists that were becoming more and more frequent by the hour.

We continued through Valladolid in the afternoon and transferred to a bus to Bacalar. A lagoon with seven shades of blue. The water temperature was perfect and we had a wonderful opportunity to rent a kayak and explore the 42-kilometre-wide lake. It was nice to get some recreation. Swimming in the shallows with white sand underneath, though, was what we needed after a few days of travelling around. We concluded our evening by visiting a nice restaurant called Barbanegra, which offers traditional Mexican food with modern touch. It was definitely worth a visit.

Our journey then took us north, to Tulum – another touristy city with endless stretches of white sandy beaches and vibrant night life. Since the distance from the city to the beach was quite large, we rented a scooter. It was fun. In addition to the beaches and great clubs with live music, there are other things worth visiting in Tulum, such as the small Maya temple that proudly juts from the top of a cliff above the Caribbean Sea.

Our journey was coming to an end and we had to go back to Cancun. We spent some time relaxing on white sandy beaches and enjoying the night life, and then flew back to Europe the next day.

We spent two wonderful weeks there and every moment was worth it. As far as organisation goes, it was all pretty simple because the connections are excellent and this part of Mexico is quite safe. The prices of food and drinks are comparable to the ones at home and the accommodation found inland is even cheaper. I would’ve definitely liked to spend a few more days at the beach, but that was enough, too. As already mentioned, it was simple and wonderful. We definitely recommend.

Žiga and Suzana