A Tour of Mexico

Trip made in the company of a friend from the Sorrento Peninsula. Arrived by plane from Rome (via Amsterdam) in Cancun, after an overnight stay in the centre we set off the next morning by bus towards Valladolid. A brief visit to the Zocalo where a carnival celebration was under way, lunch in a nice little restaurant with a charming patio, and off towards the ruins of Chichen Itza to admire the light and sound show at the famous pyramid of El Castillo. After sleeping in a spartan guesthouse in Piste near the ruins, the next day a visit to Merida where we even manage to attend the ash ceremony in the Cathedral overlooking the Zocalo. Lunch and transfer to the ruins of Uxmal which we visit under a scorching sun. Besides the majesty of the archaeological structures we notice some iguanas perched in the sun.

Evening in Campeche for dinner in a fast food place, a stroll on the Zocalo and along the seafront. Night on a bus to transfer to Chiapas, to Palenque where I arrive in the early morning. Here we visit the pre-Columbian ruins immersed in a lush forest, have lunch in the centre and set off for San Cristobal de las Casas. During the transfer a stop at the wonderful Agua Azul waterfalls where we immerse ourselves in the clear waters of the river flowing through lush vegetation, and a change of vehicle at Ocosingo, the town that is the seat of the movement claiming the rights of the Indians with Subcomandante Marcos. San Cristobal de las Casas welcomes us with an elegant historic centre with a rich colonial past and a nice hotel. The next morning an excursion to the Sumidero Canyon which we travel by boat along the Rio Grande.

Return to San Cristobal, lunch and excursion to the Indian village of San Juan Chamula, famous for its market and for the Church inside which religious syncretism gives rise to strange manifestations such as burping to the sound of Coke and Pepsi to release sins. The Church floor is covered with pine needles and the natives invoke the saints in a particular way: they kneel before small stone altars where they drink alcohol, light candles and, naturally, burp. Back in San Cristobal we visit the colourful Indian market, dinner based on tacos and the omnipresent dark bean paste, and overnight stay. The next morning an early departure for Comitan where we change to a collective bus for the very crowded and colourful border with Guatemala, practically a market. After visiting Guatemala and Belize, to which I refer you to the relevant itineraries, we re-enter Mexico by bus at Chetumal.

From there to Tulum where we sleep in a good hotel. The following day a visit and a Caribbean swim at the ruins of Tulum. In the afternoon another swim, this time in the pretty cove of Yal Ku among rocks, clear water and tropical fish, where we arrive by walking across the beaches of Akumal. Evening in Playa del Carmen with a quick dinner on the touristy fifth avenue among hordes of tourists from all over the world, then overnight stay. The next day a bit of beach and transfer to Cancun where we go to see the nightlife of the Hotel Zone, a Caribbean Disneyland, and an overnight stay in the same little hotel as the first day. Our tour ended early so we decide on a quick trip to Cuba (see the relevant Tour). On our return to Cancun we go for a swim in the Hotel Zone, the sea is turquoise, the beach light but the horizon is closed off by sad, soulless hotel buildings, a real squalor.

We sleep once more in the little hotel in Cancun after having lunch in a recently opened Italian restaurant. The following day we return to Playa del Carmen to take the fast ferry to the island of Cozumel. From there by a small boat we reach the reef where at three different points for the first time in my life I try my hand at pleasant snorkelling. After the lovely experience we go to get some sun on the crowded beach of Cozumel then take the ferry back to Playa del Carmen from where we set off again for Cancun. Overnight stay in the usual little hotel. The last day of Mexico we spend on Tortuga beach between the Cancun lagoon and the Caribbean Sea and in front of Isla Mujeres. In the late afternoon we reach the airport where we take the plane to Rome via Amsterdam.

The trip overall was very interesting, we tried to touch all the aspects the area offered: Maya remains, Caribbean beaches, coral reefs, waterfalls, colonial cities, Indian villages and traditions. We never felt in danger even though in Palenque we avoided a scam: they wanted to sell us an excursion where they would probably have ambushed us to rob us. We didn't have any preventive vaccination but we were careful about eating (no fruit, no raw vegetables, only bottled water, sealed, even for brushing our teeth) avoiding diarrhoea too. The overland transfers were made by bus in Yucatan and Quintana Roo; by collective taxi in Chiapas. For the record we touched the states of Quintana Roo, Chiapas, Tabasco and Yucatan. The expense was relatively low, bearing in mind that Chiapas is very cheap while the area between Tulum and Cancun is fairly expensive.