Playa Caracol

The three amigos, Julie, Jason and Ricky, were set to travel to Cancun to spend a week on the Riviera Maya. We arrived at the airport early and, at this point, our flight did not have an assigned gate. Go budget airline! We kept a vigilant eye on the information screens waiting for a gate number to be assigned but it didn't seem forthcoming. Then, all of a sudden it changed to T. We all looked puzzled at each other, trying to work out what this meant. Was it to be announced or was there some other (hidden) code to all of it? Then, 20 minutes prior to the flight, we saw a sign in the distance with a T on it and we figured this was the correct direction to board our plane. Two hours later, we landed in Cancun and were taken to our Airbnb by a pick-up service, which was actually cheaper than a taxi. Über had been operating in the area, but due to some violent incidences with taxi drivers, this was no longer an option.

The first afternoon, we took a bus for 12 pesos (less than AU$1) to go to La Isla Shopping Centre in the Hotel Zone. We were staying in between the Hotel Zone and Downtown so it took only about ten minutes to get there. Amazingly, or maybe not, the price of food (and everything) was about three to four times more in the Hotel Zone compared to Downtown, where tourists rarely go. On the way home from the Hotel Zone, the bus seemed to be converted into a nightclub as the music blared from the speakers and the coloured lights flashed throughout the bus. It seemed that the bus driver was on commission as he stopped for anyone who might look like they needed a ride home. This meant that the ten minute journey took about half an hour to forty minutes. It felt like a lifetime as some of the passengers yelled at the bus driver, rather aggressively, to hurry up while others started to busk on the bus.

The next day, we headed to el Rey, a Mayan ruin in the Hotel Zone, but little known by most tourists who visit Cancun. El Rey is a site that includes 47 structures from various phases of the occupation from 200 CE until the Spanish invasion, when it was abandoned. After a brief tour of the ruins, we crossed the road to one of the beaches along the Hotel Zone, Playa Defín to check out the crystal blue water and fine, white sand. Playa Defín was one of the very few beaches that we have visited that could actually rival an Australian beach.

For the remainder of our stay, the heavens opened up and flooded most of the area, which meant we were largely house-bound, except for a quick outing to get food or a short tour of the downtown area. On one occasion, we headed to the Downtown area to indulge in some cocktails and Mexican food. The prices were a quarter of the tourist area so why not have four times the amount and become gluttons. Bart, not Bart Simpson, was the owner of the restaurant and dressed us up in traditional Mexican costume, as we sat back and sipped (sculled) on our cocktails before stumbling home.

The rain, however, wasn't confined to Cancun. Many areas of the country were affected by flooding caused by two hurricanes off both coasts of the country. But fortunately, the sky held out for our day trip to Chichen Itzá and the flooding had receded at our next destination.

Next stop: Mexico City.Read more