Mexico: 3 Towns in 3 Weeks

     Flying into Mexico was an experience like no other for me. I had never been out of the United States before and doing it for the first time at 18, without my family, was pretty intimidating. Luckily, I have a (very) basic level of Spanish speaking ability which actually ended up being a lot more helpful than I had expected. The immigration process when entering a foreign country was not that big of a hassle, surprisingly. Once I found the man who had the English-translated forms, it became a faster and more possible task for me to complete on my own (as you can imagine). 

     In Mexico, and pretty much everywhere else, I definitely recommend using Airbnb. There were so many really nice options for super affordable prices. I was renting a week in private apartments for the price of two nights in a hotel.

     I definitely recommend doing some research on your options once landing in a new place. We flew into Cancún and didn’t have any plans for transportation to our Airbnb - rookie mistake. I had very little experience with planning for travel at this point so every trip continues to be a major learning experience. Definitely make arrangements for a car or shuttle in advance if possible or at least be aware of the options once getting there. Mexico doesn't really have Uber and our phones didn't work in a foreign country so it took a bit of effort to figure things out initially. In this case, we took the public bus down to our first destination: Playa del Carmen.

     -Walk Around the Shops: La Playa is a very popular vacation destination, many of the streets are lined with shops that sell a variety of things. There are lots of little stands with locally made decor, jewelry, clothing, etc. It is impossible to leave this place without successfully finding a souvenir for your family or friends that stayed home.

     -Watch the Street Performers: People dressed in different costumes doing different things parade up and down these roads everyday looking to interact with travelers from all over the world. This often seems to be fun for kids but people of all ages will get a kick out of it. 

     -Go to the Beach: Pretty much any road that is in the direction of the ocean will get you to a publicly accessible part of the beach. The water is beautiful here and there is plenty of sand for everyone to enjoy some sunshine on.  

     -Eat!: There are probably hundreds of restaurants in La Playa. Prices in Mexico generally tend to be much cheaper, especially compared to CT. It is essential to try some of the local food. You will definitely recognize some restaurants that can be found here like iHop and Subway but make sure you try something new!

     -Take the Ferry to Cozumel: Cozumel is an island off of the Yucatán Peninsula that’s very popular for snorkeling because of the coral reef that can be seen in its waters. (More info to come about Cozumel). 

Restaurant: iHop

Restaurant: UNO Japanese Noodles

Restaurant: 100% Natural 

It's really easy to take the ferry across to Cozumel from La Playa. The ride is about 45 minutes and tickets are only 135 pesos per adult which ends up being about $5.60. I recommend getting the tickets online in advance because it usually ends up being cheaper. 

For the majority of the time we spent in Cozumel we were ankle deep in rain water. We didn't have a car so we walked everywhere and it happened to rain for the whole week we were there. Islands don't tend to have the most impressive drainage systems, usually because they are so close to sea level that it is impossible to dig sewer systems into the ground. We had a crummy week weather wise BUT we still had lots of fun!

The parts we visited in Cozumel really didn't have much for sandy beaches which was surprising to me. We were really close to San Miguel the whole time, our Airbnb was probably a 25 minute walk from the ferry port. 

There are two things you HAVE to do in Cozumel. The first is snorkeling / scuba diving, the second is trying the local food at as many restaurants you possibly can.

     -Snorkeling: Cozumel is most known for its coral reef, therefore it is a very popular place for snorkeling and scuba diving. They have plenty of group tours for both activities where they take you out on a boat and allow you to dive offshore. We were trying to do things as cheap as possible since we were both teenagers and funding our 7 week trip completely by ourselves so we chose to rent snorkeling gear and take our own tour. Maple Leaf Scuba was the only place we could find that rented gear out by the day without having to take a guided tour. We paid $10/set which included a snorkel, mask, and fins - all of which was in great conditions and (seemed) very clean. Then we just searched on Google to find the best snorkeling spots nearby. This worked great for us. One tip would be to not bring a bag with any valuables in it and leave it unattended on the land while you're in the water, it's important to keep your belongings safe! Bring your own snorkeling gear if you can and if you're into scuba diving definitely give that a shot here, it's beautiful!

     -Restaurants: There are so many restaurants here with authentic Mexican food that is unbelievably delicious. Everywhere we went I was able to make my meal completely vegetarian. It's so important to venture out of your comfort zone and try some new foods especially when traveling. One of the most common questions I get is what my favorite foods were at the places I have visited. 

Restaurant: La Cuisine

Puerto Morelos was our last stop in Mexico. We didn't want to be in Cancún because it's so big for tourists and resorts but we wanted to get a little closer to the airport than La Playa Del Carmen was so this was a perfect in between. This quiet little town has beautiful beaches and shops that are not nearly as crowded as the ones in Cancún or La Playa. These things are of course necessities when in the Caribbean but it just adds to the experience if you can find something different or less common to do on your trip!

     -Botanical Gardens: Puerto Morelos has a beautiful botanical gardens. Tickets are 120 pesos per person ($4.93). It took us about 45 minutes to walk through the gardens but we stopped a lot to take photos and enjoy views. There is an easy path to follow that leads you to everything very simply. It's pretty much flat through the whole walk, easy for everyone. Eventually, you will come to a ladder that leads you up to a bridge with a great view and a perfect spot for pictures. You can also see the remains of Mayan ruins. Lots to see here and a lot of information about the history of the land.