En round-up af vores 2 måneders tur gennem det sydlige Mexico

“Mexico er intet andet end resorts, strande og speedos!” Det var det, vi plejede at tænke inden denne nylige tur til ”aztekerne”. Alt, hvad vi var nødt til at basere vores meninger om Mexico på, var vores en uge, alt inklusive resorttur i 2007. På den rejse forblev vi dybest set inden for rammerne af vores udvej og så lidt mere end bunden af ​​vores margarita-briller!

Et par skøre børn i Mexico, 2007. Vi havde det meget sjovt på den rejse!
Men det var for 7 år siden. Nu hvor vi har tilbragt over 2 måneder her og rejser i landet uafhængigt, ser vi, at Mexico har så meget mere at byde på end bare strandbarer og bikinier. Der er uendelige steder at besøge i Mexico.

Vi fandt vores egen vej her. En, der langsomt vævede gennem en dyb historie og rig kultur, der virkelig forbløffet os. Men vi må indrømme … vi forkæle os stadig med luksusens liv, mens vi var i Mexico.

Margaritas i poolen

I de sidste par år er vores rejser tilbragt på off-the-beaten-sti-steder. Vi har gjort nogle fremragende ting som at dykke med pukkelhvaler, krydse Pamir -motorvejen og vandre i steppen i Mongoliet. De fleste af vores rejseoplevelser har været i vanskelige destinationer, langt fra bekvemmelighederne ved gadeside pubber og 5-stjernede resorts.

Resorts & luksus i Cancun
Mexico har været anderledes for os. Det har været en tur fyldt med afslapning og overbærenhed. Vi har gjort meget her, og alligevel føler vi os som om vi har afslappet i store dele af tiden. Vores dage er blevet fyldt med sightseeing og eventyr, men også med komforten og lette rejsen, der gør Mexico så speciel.

Mens vi har haft frisk malet kaffe, overdådig mexicansk køkken og luksus resorts, fandt vi stadig vej væk fra skarer og ind i den rigtige Mexico. Vi omfavnede ikke bare kysterne og spillede det sikkert i denne undertiden ru og robuste republik.

2 måneder er fløjet forbi … Så hvad fik vi op til?

Cancun:

Vi startede i Cancun, hvor vi mødte vores gode rejseven Bernie fra Vancouver Island. Vi hang med ham i 5 dage og nød virkelig byen Cancun. På trods af manglen på ægte mexicansk eller mayakultur der, nød vi 2-for-1 margaritas i byen og lækre picnic på den fantastiske strand.

Stranden i Cancun … bare en anden dag i paradis.
Isla Holbox:

Efter Cancun gik vi mod Isla Holbox, hvor vi fortsatte vores intense afslapning. Denne ultra afslappede ø var lige stedet at hvile op og blive fanget af blogs og e-mails. Vi tilbragte de fleste af vores 8 dage der enten på stranden, på vores bærbare computere eller til fods, vandrede rundt i de støvede baner. Vi søgte efter den friske fangst af dagen en eftermiddag og byttede med fiskerne til vores aftenmåltid. Vi kogte op en lækker fiskemiddag tilbage på vandrerhjemmet den aften.

Tjek vores fangst af den dag fiskede video!

Afslappet Holbox Island
Valladolid:

Vi tilbragte 2 uger i Valladolid, og det er en af ​​vores foretrukne byer til dato. Vi arbejdede med nogle hoteller og rejsearrangører i byen og fik chancen for at møde en masse seje udstationerede, lokale og forretningsejere. Vi opholdt sig på nogle smukke pensionater (Casa Hamaca, Posada San Juan, Casa Quetzel) såvel som nogle funky hostels (Candelaria & Fraille). Vi lavede en cykeltur til en cenote- og Maya -landsby og en turné for at se flamingoer fra Ria Lagartos. Valladolid var stille, malerisk og farverig, og vi kunne bestemt se os selv bo der i et par måneder engang i fremtiden.

Farverig gade i Valladolid med katedralen i San Servacio O Gervasio
Tulum:

Vi gik faktisk til Tulum to gange og havde et fantastisk ophold begge gange. Første gang vi nød at cykle vores lyse røde cykler ned til den hvide sandstrand og blødgøre i solen. Vi vendte tilbage til Tulum efter vores pressetur med Riviera Maya Tourism, og jeg var meget glad for at kunne dykke i en cenote og i det Caribiske Hav med mexidivers, begge oplevelser, som jeg aldrig vil glemme!

Playa del Carmen & The Riviera Maya:

Between our two visits to Tulum, we were invited by Riviera Maya tourism to check out some of the adventures to be had along the Mayan Riviera. De satte os op i det smukke Hacienda Tres Rios Resort, hvor vi havde en fantastisk dag med eventyr omkring byen. We really felt like we were on a Mexican holiday here as we stayed in a stunning room and lived the all-inclusive lifestyle for a few days!

Our stunning room At Hacienda Tres Rios
Riviera Maya did a great job of hosting us and showed us some sites that were definite highlights of our trip so far. There are endless things to do in Playa del Carmen. (and around). We explored an undergroundriver system at Rio Secreto, watched an outstanding cultural performance at Xcaret, visited a local Maya village with Alltournative, floated in ecstasy through the canals at the beautiful Si’an Kaan Nature Reserve and checked out the ancient Tulum & Coba ruins.

This was a jam-packed and exciting 5 days and we’re very thankful that we were able to see and do so many things in this exciting tourism destination.

Tulum Ruins

Merida:

In Merida we partnered up with Yucatan tourism and they set us up with our friendly driver Pedro. Pedro took us to Progreso beach where we strolled the streets and lazed on the beach for a day. He also took us to the outstanding ruins of Dzibilchaltun, Chichen Itza, Uxmal & the colourful town of Izmal. We walked around the archeological sites in complete awe and although Chichen Itza is the wonder of the World, our favourite was Uxmal.

Uxmal Ruins, Our Favourite!

Merida itself actually feels a lot like a larger, busier Valladolid. The architecture is beautiful and there is plenty to see in and around the city, but the deafening sound of traffic really took away from the city’s ambiance.

During our time in Merida we stayed in Nomadas Hostel which is worth a visit to the city in itself. This is, hands down, the best hostel we’ve ever stayed in (that says a lot after 5 years on the road!)

Check out our video: Merida, Mexico: The perfect Base For trips around The Yucatan

☞ SEE more MEXICO ARTICLES:

Things To do in Puerto Vallarta – 20 cool things You Won’t want to Miss!

Things To do in La Paz, Mexico – A list of The top 21

Things To do in Cabo San Lucas – A list of The top 21

Things To do in Guanajuato – A list of The top 10

Things To do in San Pancho – A list of The top 15

Backpacking Mexico – 8 reasons To travel here Now

Manzanillo Colima – The ultimate travel Guide

Palenque:

We only spent 2 nights in Palenque and were there for the same reason that all of the other travellers stop here… the Mayan Ruins! set deep in the jungle and dating back to 226 BC, these were some of the best ruins we’ve seen. We actually can’t decide which ones we prefer, Uxmal or Palenque, they’re both spectacular.

Views from the temple of the cross at Palenque Ruins

San Cristobal de las Casas:

Our new favourite city in Mexico! San Cristobal is absolutely breathtaking. It seemed like every narrow lane we walked down was more brilliant than the last. We spent a week in San Cristobal and we’re already planning to come back and maybe even live here sometime in the near future. It has everything you could need and more. live music echos from pubs and cafes that line the quiet pedestrian streets, the local people are friendly, the surrounding mountain scenery is stunning and the temperature is cool and comfortable year-round.

A beautiful area to enjoy a cup of coffee

Our days in San Cristobal were spent sight-seeing, drinking wine, sipping on coffee, visiting numerous churches and hiking up to look-outs. We spent a day at the village of San Juan Chaula and were fascinated by the sobbing children being baptised, the chickens being sacrificed and the floor covered in pine needles!

We also did a tour out to the famous Sumidero Canyon canyon. We hopped in a boat and cruised through the canyon spotting crocodiles while gazing up at the 1000m high cliffs above us. We could have done more day trips around San Cristobal but we just didn’t have the time.

Now We’re Off To Belize!

After a wonderful two months, our time in Mexico has come to an end. As we sat and finished our last Coronas and our last quesidillas at a restaurant in the city of Chetumal, we actually felt very sad. Mexico was a great place to travel, with a perfect balance of comfort and culture. We had an absolute blast in this country and we’re sure we’ll be back one day soon to explore further north.

But now we’re about to hop on a boat and set off on a 2 hour journey to neighbouring Belize! We’re extremely excited to learn about Creole culture, dive in the clear seas and enjoy the island life of the cayes.

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