The Disneyland of Mexican destinations

COZUMEL, MEXICO

San Francisco Beach

I was really looking forward to going to Cozumel. When we were planning our trip, one of the places that I suggested we look for a house to rent was Cozumel. It was decided that Playa del Carmen would be more convenient because it was on the mainland. It would thus be easier to travel to different places like Tulum and Chichen Itza. But part of me was sad that we wouldn't be staying on this island, renowned for their scuba diving.

It takes a ferry ride to get to Cozumel, one that I was pumping myself up for. The Playa del Carmen ferry terminal is where the sellers are the worst. Last time I was walking in that area, I got so pissed off that I couldn't just go and walk by them to sit on the beach without them yelling at me for me to buy something. I was so pissed, in fact that it showed on my face -- on my way back, a shopkeeping actually tried apologizing to me. But now I was ready to let their attempts at my money to just wash over me. It would just background noise. They would be ruthless though, and I would have to just keep my cool. And sure enough, they tried to sell my mother, Marc and me everything from snorkel tours to all around packages to car rentals. Even in line for the ferry, they were selling. Even on the boat!

Band on the ferry

The ferry ride to Cozumel was surprisingly entertaining. There is a band that plays there. The same guys were on the ferry back, playing the same songs, so I'm sure that they really only have 5 - 10 songs in their repertoire, but I have to give it to them -- it makes the boat ride something more than a bumpy ride. I was actually happy sitting there in the sun, listening to the music. I think the singer was actually pretty entertained at the fact that my mother and I were into the music. Everyone else on the boat seemed to be Mexican. And there we were, the tourists with the video cameras, watching the Latino boys.

Although I did know that Cozumel is a cruise port (you can see the cruise ships on the horizon from Playa del Carmen), I didn't know what that meant for the island. I mean, I get that you have to cater to the cruise ships, but it would be great if I could buy something in the countries currency. But no. Everything is in US dollars. And I mean everything. I had been looking for an embroidered shirt. You know, the stereotypical Mexican kind with the hand stitched flowers on white linen. I found a store that sold Mexican clothing and was excited to go in. I found a shirt that I liked and asked how much. "$30" was the response. I stared at the guy blankly because that really didn't mean anything to me. "How much in Pesos?" I ask. He guy had to go and check with someone.

I felt like it was a bit of a watered down experience. It is beautiful there. Sandy beaches, clean streets and pretty architecture surround you. And my mother, Marc and I had a really nice time at the beach and while snorkeling. But again, when we wanted to eat, the menu was in US dollars and comprised mainly of burgers and burritos. At that point, we gave in and ordered a bucket of beers and burgers. My father would have been horrified had he been there. But that really is the way that things work in Cozumel. People go there for the weather, beaches and the prices. There really isn't that much interest in learning about Mexico, the Mayans or even just the culinary culture. I guess for that, it's back to the mainland.

In hindsight, I'm really glad that we aren't staying in Cozumel. Although everyone speaking English is very convenient, I felt like I was in a bit of an amusement park. It's beautiful for sure, and I would not complain at all at the suggestion at going back, especially to go diving, as that's something we didn't do. But to me, Cozumel that has crossed the line of touristy-ness.

At the touristy San Francisco beach

Bad weather and turtles

ISLA MUJERES, MEXICO

Isla Mujeres from a distance

Off the coast of Cancun, there lies the little island of Isla Mujeres. The main goal in our trip there was to go snorkeling. The Yucatan peninsula has some of the worlds best underwater sceneries and, of course, I was planning on taking full advantage. I even purchased a snorkel! (Of course, as a diver, I own a mask, but I find snorkels totally useless for that sport and so have refused to own one.) Sadly, the weather didn't agree with us. It was so cold! The tropics lie! The islanders gave us the "oh tourists" look as we wrapped our tank top, shorts and flip-flop clad bodies with towels, while they themselves wore thick wooled sweaters and, in some cases, hats. While I thought the full-on winter gear was a bit excessive, I would have been quiet happy with some of my San Francisco clothing at that moment.

Weather still holding up on the ferry ride

Nevertheless, we weren't going to let the weather totally thwart our trip, especially since it had taken a 45min car ride and a subsequent 15min ferry ride to get there. We were going to make the most of it.

Isla Mujeres is a cute town. The streets are smaller than their mainland counterparts of Cancun and Playa del Carmen. And I have to say that the people are a bit more laid back. Not as selly-selly as they are elsewhere. I'm not saying that they don't come at you every second, wanting you to take a look at their wares, but I didn't feel like punching anyone all day!

When you get off the ferry, you are right downtown. I have learned that usually, this is not the case. The locations in which ferries (and cruises, although I have never been on one) drop you off, is usually some place where there was space on the island. In other words, there isn't much there. But I guess Isla Mujeres is small enough that the ferry terminal could be placed right downtown. A quick stroll and you will be finished with the shopping district, which sells the same trinkets that you can find anywhere else. I wonder where they come from. Sometimes you see people cutting the Mayan masks out of wood. But truthfully, they all still look the same. Is it a paint-by-numbers kind of thing?

As usual, we were looking to get off the tourist track. We hailed a cab to head to the Tortugranja, the turtle farm. The idea of the turtle farm is to replenish the diminishing turtle population in the area. I, of course, was all about it. First, I was excited to see that the cabbie didn't even try to rip us off. I'm so used to pulling the "you can't be serious" face, that when he said $50 pesos, the price that I had wanted to pay, up front, I kind of just went "oh..." and was a bit stunned. I later found out that the prices are set, and you pay according to how many zones you want to travel between.

Amazingly cute baby turtles

For another $30 pesos each, we were in the turtle farm. The place is tiny, and if you want,  you can get through it in about 15min. But the turtles are so cute!!! There are different bins for different species as well as different ages. And once the turtles are old enough to not get plucked up by bigger fish or birds, they are released into the wild. It's the kind of place that I'm happy to put a few more pesos towards, and so I bought a t-shirt :) I have to say that from our group, I was probably the most enthusiastic about the turtle farm. Emmy and my mother soon started wandering around the surrounding beaches, my mother is search for Margaritas. And Marc stood by my side, mainly I think in support of my obsession. But for anyone who loves turtles, I would highly recommend the Tortugranja.

Although I would have loved to explore the island a bit more, the weather really wasn't treating us well. We were all cold and soon to be wet, as the clouds opened up. We huddled up in a crepe shop for coffee and crepes while we waited for the ferry back to Cancun.

On the ferry, a whole new adventure started. That of the crying baby. I have always wondered what it must be like to be the keepers of "that" baby. The one who is screaming as if someone is trying to rob them of their livelihood. Yes, that was us. Mattheus decided the the world was just too much for him to bare and went at it. I wonder if a full grown human can scream like a 5-month-old can. It's like a whistle, blow horn and person on a mega-phone are going off at the same time. And there is just about nothing that you can do about it. In the end, he calmed down enough to be put on the boob but wow. That was a painful time, especially for my sister. I wonder if next time I'm on a plane, I will roll my eyes at the baby making it impossible for me to fly in silence or wince in sympathy.

Visiting the ancient (and brutal) world

CHITZEN ITZA, MEXICO

 I don't think you are allowed to visit the Mayan Riviera without visiting the Mayans themselves. Or at least, what little is left of them. On a hot sunny day, my family and I headed to Chichén Itzá, the famous Mayan ruins. Or as Marc nicknamed them, much to my father's amusement (thank God): "Chicken Pizza".

There really isn't much that surrounds Chichén Itzá. Even the town directly beside it, Piste, is really only barely there. You drive and drive and drive and just as you think the nothing-ness can't go on, you are there.

As this is Mexico, there is always someone trying to sell you something. Right when you get off the toll rode, there is a guy under a sign that says "we are not a timeshare vendor", trying to sell you timeshare, as well as other packaged deals. And these people downright lie to you. Something I soon came to learn was the norm. The guy there told us that parking at Chichén Itzá would be about $120 pesos. For the dirt cheap price of something insane, he would give us parking and entrance into the park for 5 people. Not only that, we would get an all-you-can-eat buffet. We shrugged and moved along, and it's great that we did. First, parking at Chichén Itzá is $22 pesos. That's right... $22... But, we parked for free on the street about 20m from the front gate. And everyone else did that same thing, it seemed. Also, we got lunch in Piste (for 5 people) for $250 pesos.

Inside the entrance, the first thing you see and encounter for the first 100m are people yelling and screaming at you to buy something. "You, which you like?" "Best price! Which you want?" And my absolute favourite: "One dollar! Ten Pesos!" I have to hand it to them that the last one threw me for a loop. They were after all, selling masks that, in some cases, these people had carved themselves. My mother, Emmy and I looked at each other and decided to test this. But as soon as you approach them with US$1 or $10 pesos, they will tell you that that's actually the price per ounce (in the case of silver), or that's the price in Mayan dollars, or simply walk away. Really? And it's amazing. Everyone did it! Everywhere you walked it was "Only $1! Almost free!" Everywhere! It really drove me nuts. I was actually interested in a little trinket but after all that, I didn't buy anything from them. All their insane selling actually put me off spending the money that I'm sure they could have used. One person did get my money that day. A little old shriveled lady who was resting in the same shady area as we were was selling cloths that she had stitched. Emmy and I each bought a napkin for our tortillas for $20 pesos each. A total rip off, I'm sure, but I really didn't care.

 It took me a good 30min to get over the insanity of the scene at Chichén Itzá. The tourists and the merchants all too ready to rip those tourists off really made my head spin a bit. But once you get past all that, Chichén Itzá is incredible. The structures are beautiful and you can only imagine the work that it took to build them. It's sad to think that so much of the history of the Mayans has been lost because no one thought to preserve it.

If you are there, I would really recommend a guide of some sort. There are men there that you can hire, but just printing something from the inter-tubes would be helpful and adequate. There are very few plaques there, and so if you are just roaming around, you 1) probably won't understand what you are seeing and 2) won't find everything. Not to mention you will blankly stare at the people clapping like their life depended on it, and wonder what they are doing. Hint.

Our own sacrifice to Kukulkan

Carvings in stone

As much as I try to see things from the Natives point of view, I have to admit that I found myself siding with the early Spanish opinion while walking through Chichén Itzá. The stories of human sacrifices are bone-chilling. Let's see -- people's hearts were cut out and those were, while preferably still beating, thrown into the fire as a sacrifice. Or how about humans, apparently around 70% of them women, thrown into Cenote Sagrado as a sacrifice. I have to say that if I, as a Spanish colonist, came across a place where there was evidence of this, I would be shocked as well. Even as a Mayan, would I really like the idea of sacrifice? I mean, as a woman, I would be more likely to be the actual sacrifice, right? Then again, maybe the Mayans weren't any more brutal than say the early Catholics -- Crusades/Inquisition anyone? Maybe they were just more upfront about it.

The dust, heat and walking that are involved to see Chichén Itzá made for a tiring day. Not a mention it took a 3 hour drive to get there, and of course a 3 hour drive to get back. Back in Playa del Carmen, we all crashed out into our beds and dreamt happy dreams of not being thrown into caves as human sacrifices.

Diving with the turtles

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO

When I was 10 years old, my family moved to Barbados. Tough life, I know. There, my father, bored with his life above water decided to take a different look at the world -- the world underwater. And he took me with him. At the time, the lower age limit to scuba dive was 12, and so I usually hung off my father's octopus or snorkeled around. But way before the day after my 12th birthday (the day I got my junior open water scuba diving certification) I was hooked. So whenever I'm in a location that involves warm water (call me spoiled but I'm a fair-weather diver) I am curious to see what lies beneath. Through the years I have gone through what is sometimes thought of as an excessive amount of certification courses -- today, I sit here a PADI Divemaster. But you know what, diving has brought me much joy in my life, in fact, that is how I met Marc, so you won't find me very apologetic. So it was no surprise that when packing my bags to come to Playa del Carmen, my dive gear came with me.

The thing to dive in the Mayan Riviera are the Cenotes. It's basically cave diving. But, as this was going to be everyone's first dive in at least a year (I'm a fair weather diver and live in San Francisco, remember?) a check-out dive was needed. We decided on Tortuga Reef, or turtle reef.

Another thing to know about me is that I'm totally obsessed with turtles. I'm not really sure how it started, but I'm sure it was during my time underwater in Barbados. Shortly before my college graduation, I even had myself inked with the image of a Hawksbill Turtle. Although they are now critically endangered, it was the turtle that I saw most often while diving in Barbados. Their strength and grace always took my breath away.

The idea of going to a reef named "turtle reef" got me incredibly excited. So much so that, before I knew what "tortuga" meant (about 30min before the dive), I was close to devastated that we wouldn't be going to see the turtles. I should really brush up on my Spanish.

And the name is true to its word. I have often seen turtles on a dive, but I don't think ever more than 2. I saw at least 10 turtles on this dive! There were so many that by the time I had "finished"with one turtle, another had popped up, gracefully dancing through the water alongside me. Some were so incredibly big and old that barnacles and other marine creatures had attached themselves to their shells. They seemed so unfazed by the world around them -- they just went about their business and let us do the same. Every time I see these creatures, I have to remind myself to breath. Either that, or I think of Crush from Finding Nemo, and have to giggle.

During this dive, we were not only visited by turtle after turtle, but also what I would consider a slightly less welcome guest: a Bull Shark. I know -- sharks are cool and you know what, when there is a family of White Tip Reef Sharks hanging out, I'll be there on the front lines checking them out. But for some reason -- I don't know, maybe it's because along with the Great White and the Tiger Shark, they make for the most brutal/deadly shark attacks -- I'm not one to go swimming after one. So when a large dark shadow slowly comes in my general direction, I don't make too many sudden movements. I quickly saw that it was a shark but when I saw those teeth I stayed exactly where I was. Unlike some of the other people in my group who, with leg cramping speed, kicked their way towards the shark, camera-hand clicking away. My first though? Better him than me. At least the shark will find him more interesting. People don't go swimming towards a Great White, right? In fact, you sit in a cage with those guys. I very often doubt the life preservation skills of my fellow man.

And you know... he didn't even get a good picture...

Parental homelessness

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO

My parents have chosen to be homeless for a while. They sold their house and bought a new one. Except they tore that house down. It's going to take some time for a new one to stand in it's place, so until that time comes, my parents are going to play the part of the vagabond. They have decided that the first stop in their vagabonding will be Playa del Carmen in the Mayan Riviera. I couldn't let my parents go on this beach adventure by themselves, so my boyfriend, Marc, and I decided to go south for the winter. While my parents, little sister and her son would be in Playa del Carmen for a bit more than a month, Marc and I would join for, what I considered a measly 2 weeks.

I love the warmth. People always talk about how great it must be to live in San Francisco because the weather is so nice, but truthfully, it's a bit cold for me. I like the tropics. And I believe that Mexican winters are the way winters should be: 80+ degrees. Landing in Cancun Airport, I was immediately struck by the humidity and warmth. Not to mention the swarm of taxi and hotel salesmen waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting tourist. It really is a bit of a nightmare to walk in to. You are coming off a plane into a country that you probably aren't familiar with and before you even step outside, before you even fully clear the secure area, there are 50 people yelling at you to "come this way!" I looked straight ahead saying "no, thank you," "no, no, no" and still they kept coming. One tour bus driver even jumped in front of Marc and started flipped the tags on our suitcases, asking "where is your voucher?" I had no idea what he was talking about but the aggressive nature of these salesmen really made me stop and look shocked for a second. After collecting myself and fighting through the salesmen/tour people, we finally made it outside where my parents were waiting. The person waiting area is tiny compared to the sales area!

I love the small, torn up, hectic and chaotic streets that make up Playa del Carmen. A 40min drive south of Cancun, Playa del Carmen is a town of about 100,000 people. Although founded many years before Cancun, it is now smaller, probably because Cancun has gotten to famous thanks to Spring Break. But because it's smaller, it has managed to hang on to it's roots a little more. I'm not saying that it's untouched, because it's definitely not. You can, in fact, get away with not speaking a word of Spanish during your entire stay, and if you stay in the touristy area of 5th Ave, you can even get away with using only US dollars.

Of course, that is not what my parents had in mind. My father, having been born and raised in Mexico City, will almost scoff at my suggestion to go shopping on 5th Ave. Don't even mention going to Coco Bongo (although I secretly want to). My parents rented an apartment about 15min from 5th Ave, as well as a car, so that they could get around and really just live here.