I left Job and Oaxaca and headed north to the city of Puebla, another town oozing with character. Throughout the city center buildings are painted colorfully or have tile veneers. The large town square sits next to one of the oldest and largest churches in Mexico and is bustling with activity day and night. One afternoon I walked through as the city symphony was playing a free concert, playing a medley of Queen songs.
Food wise Arabes (tacos with meat similar to shawarmas) and Molotes (similar to empanadas, stuffed with tinga y quesillo – shredded chicken in tomato sauce and string cheese) were the winners but everything I ate was fantastic, even the churros stood out.
After Puebla I made a quick trip up to Mexico City (CDMX) to catch a flight down to the Yucatán Península. I realized after Puerto I needed more scuba diving and beach time so I changed my plans some. I spent a little time in Cancun and Playa del Carmen and although not my favorite, I loved a couple other places nearby that travelers had recommended, Holbox and Puerto Morelos.
I went to Cancun because initially I was going to dive for a few days there. However, while in the airport waiting for my flight I found out that because of high winds, all ocean diving was cancelled for the next six days. So I came up with a new plan and after a day in Cancun, headed out to Holbox, a small town north that is built not on an island (although it is), but a sand bar. There are no cars on the island but ATVs scramble up and down the roads that are just compacted sand.
About ten of us from the hostel bonded pretty well and I had a couple great days with the group. Both nights we went to the Hot Corner. An aptly named intersection where at night a band plays outside a bar, and most everyone in town congregates on the street in front to mingle and salsa dance (I just mingled). Gotta love partying on a sandbar.
One day we all hiked to Mosquito Point where we hung out on the beach. Just like me, most everyone quickly got bored sitting around so we came up with all sorts of competitions. Besides an improvised game of rounders (what Brits call something similar to baseball) we challenged each other to long jumps (running and standing), cartwheels, head and hand stands (I did a cartwheel and headstand), and other childish behavior.
Mosquito Point was just the far end of the island (i.e. sand bar) and when we walked out to it, we walked across a path of sand and some water where the sand wasn’t as high. Our walk back was at high tide and as soon as we started we realized the sand path we had taken was covered in water. However, it wasn’t too bad as we could still figure out the way and the water and waves were almost never above thigh high.
From Holbox I went to Playa del Carmen where I was picked up the following morning by my dive master and we drove out to Dos Ojos, a reserve where several cenotes are. Cenotes are sinkholes caused by networks of underground caves and caverns, filled usually with fresh water and often connected to other cenotes via underground rivers. I went scuba diving in two cenotes.
“The Pit” is a deep hole that starts as fresh water but at 30 meters becomes salt water. We dove down to about 35 meters so I hit both. The highlight of the Pit are the light beams that shine down from the surface into the clear water. The second dive was in another cenote that was a massive cavern and we snaked from room to room, ultimately navigating around in a complete circle.
After the cenotes I went to Puerto Morelos for some ocean diving. The reefs had some color but it wasn’t as much as I hoped. There was a tremendous amount of fish and sea life though so that was great to see. During the dives I saw some nurse sharks and a huge ray.
Puerto Morelos sits between Cancun and Playa del Carmen but isn’t nearly as touristy as its big brothers. Although it’s certainly heading in that direction the beach front area still has a little charm. The town (where I stayed) is a short colectivo ride away and is still a full on Mexican town filled with cheap taquerias where the locals eat.
After flying back to Mexico City (CDMX) I’m spending my last week exploring the city. I did a walking tour in the historical center and a taco tour where I not only learned the correct way to eat a taco (I am going to look so cool at Taco Bell) but also amazingly, that there are several flavors that I have never tried, and love. I rode a ride share bike 20 miles during the Sunday morning Ciclovia and am wandering around multiple sections of the city (it’s huge), it will amount to over 150,000 steps through the streets, parks, museums, and historical sights of CDMX. The city, for being as big as it is (22MM) is much different than I expected. I realize the sections I visited are probably not representative of most of the city but in those areas, instead of constant chaos and hyperactivity which you would find throughout in places like NYC, these districts, with trees and parks integrated within that city feel, have a peacefulness to them.
Mexico has been amazing. People have been great, food fantastic (probably gained 10 pounds), and the towns are very interesting. It’s definitely been one of the highlights of the trip. A nice bookend.
And finally, with that, this year’s travel comes to an end as I will soon be flying home.
Thanks for listening.
Bubbles Up!!