Mexico

Said a sad goodbye to Nadeane (don't know when I'm ever going to see her again!) and flew to Cancun. Spanish speaking country for the first time since Spain.. I was hopeless again. Discovered McDonalds has a burger with guacamole and Doritos corn chips in it!

Photo: Hostel in Cancun

Our hostel was hidden behind big security gates in a jungly garden. The guy working there was so chilled out, he said the computer was down and he didn't know how much we owed him, to deal with it later. We had a "6 bed" dorm to the 4 of us; it was just 2 sets of bunks, the 5th and 6th beds were air mattresses on the floor. It was really hot in there, the fan didn't really hit the top bunks very well, and when it rained hard the floor flooded and Jake's pack kept getting soaked! But it was a nice chilled hostel with hardly anyone staying there, we made friends with three English girls who are on a year-long RTW trip.

Photo: Cancun dorm

Cancun beach
Cancun stormy beach

Cancun beach blinded me. It was the first glimpse of a Mexican beach and it was spectacular! Dazzling white sand, and fluorescent turquoise water. My photos look like I've changed the colours on Photoshop but I promise I haven't. It was a dramatic scene our first afternoon on the beach when a storm was coming over the horizon... black clouds with the white sand and glowing water.

The Cancun nightlife was crazy! Our first night was $20 each for the boys to have unlimited bar tab, and free for me all night. There are definite perks to being a girl in Mexico! We went to Coco Bongo another night which is huge and the most amazing clubbing experience of my life! It's a cross between Cirque de Soleil/ concert/ theatre/ nightclub with dance teams, trapeze artists, scenes from The Matrix, The Dark Night, Pirates of the Caribbean etc played out on a multi-level stage. There's Spiderman flying over your head, Austin Powers dancing on the stairs, a Robbie Williams impersonator performing. Balloons, confetti, glowsticks falling from the ceiling. Mucho tequila. Jake took some awesome photos and videos, you've got to see it to believe it!

Coco Bongo club

We persuaded the English girls (Cat, Kat and Lauren) to bus down to Playa del Carmen with us. I loved this place heaps more than Cancun. Makes such a difference when you can walk between hostel, beach, shops and clubs (in Cancun we had to bus and taxi around.) It was so so beautiful. Free guacamole on the table at every restaurant. Nachos don't really exist in Mexico, but we learnt the difference between tacos, burritos, fajitas, tortas, flautas, quesedillas, tostadas and more! Also learnt the hard way that the green salsa is always hotter than the red ones. Chris wanted two tongue transplants (he didn't think that one would be enough!) and then practically sprinted to the mini mart to buy some milk after eating tacos from a street stall.

Scott, Chris, Jake, Cat, Lauren, Kat arriving at Playa del Carmen

The fateful plan was to head back to Cancun and ferry across to Isla Mujeres for a few days. Unfortunately I was feeling pretty relaxed on this bus, with Scott beside me and Chris and Jake in the seats behind, and forgot to lock my daypack which was at my feet. Someone had asked to swap seats with Chris and Jake (and they politely said OK, thinking the person couldn't see the TV or something) but then he must have spent the whole trip foraging in my bag under the seat. I lost my iPhone, passport, ATM card, and paper plane tickets. It was such a hassle. I knew I had to get a police report so I could claim stuff on insurance, but it was so weird in Cancun. The taxi drivers refused to drive us to a police station or even tell us an address. The police on the street were evasive and wouldn't answer any questions or tell us where a police station was. We seemed to have a huge crowd around us and then they all vanished. Weird. So headed back to our old hostel and got an address from the helpful manager there.

That was one of the most frustrating mornings of my life. I'd written 'I had things stolen and would like to lodge a police report for insurance purposes' in Spanish on a piece of paper which I showed anyone who'd look. We were told to wait outside this door, then someone took us to another building, then someone else took us back to the first place, etc. No-one spoke English. There seemed to be no system. Wasn't in the best mood but finally got it done.

Realised how much I rely on my iPhone for everything. Not only for phone things like messaging, Skype, and calling, but it was my watch, alarm clock, calendar, notebook, camera, ipod, internet access, calculator, and currency converter! I had photos and videos on there from moments when I couldn't use a proper camera! I'd saved peoples contact details, reminders of things to write about, and important lists in there! It's the sentimental stuff that's most annoying. And my passport was getting quite an impressive collection of stamps and visas that I was fond of.

Anyway spoke to the Embassy in Mexico City and realised I had to fly there to get an emergency passport, but they weren't open over the Halloween/ Dia de los Muertos long weekend, so we kept to our plan of Isla Mujeres for a few days and then I'd go.

Isla Mujeres Evolution of Dog

Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) was beautiful too. The same white beaches, colourful houses, street food, felt safe walking everywhere. Really chilled out. On Halloween all the island kids dressed up and Trick or Treated their way up the roads, and the day after is Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) when people honour shrines of lost family and friends, leaving special cakes and fruits out for them. Our hostel was one of my favourites ever! The grounds were full of palm trees and hammocks and stretched onto the beach, and they offered free daily Spanish lessons. Ate the best burritos of my life. We made friends with an awesome dog on the beach who was Abi's soul-brother.

Halloween Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres beach
Hostel grounds Isla Mujeres

Scott and I flew to Mexico City to sort stuff out while Chris and Jake stuck to the original plan of Tulum. Very jealous of the stuff they got to do there like swim in a ceynote and see the Mayan ruins on the beach, and sorry Scott had to miss it to accompany me. Not much exciting to report about Mexico City, I didn't want to be there so wasn't in the mood to do touristy things. The Embassy made me a little homesick, it had a rainforest garden and digeridoos, posters of Jillard and Krudd, the first Aussie things I'd seen in ages! We saw Paranormal Activity 2 at the movies which was terrifying and actually gave me nightmares!

Met the boys in Tulum after heaps of travelling to catch up with them and continued on the bus across the border to Belize. There's so much more I want to see in Mexico, I'll definitely return one day.