bye bye usa - hello mexico

..ah, how delightful it is to feel the warm summer temperatures at the beach and cool off in the water from time to time. Flip-flops, swim trunks, and a sweater on the shoulders and all is well.

After a little rain for 2 days (I've experienced about 10 rain showers since June), I knew it was time to move on. I got to spend a good last day in Carlsbad and on the last Wednesday, equipped only with carry-on luggage, I flew from San Diego to Cancun via Dallas at 7am. Without any problems, I got a 180-day visa and it was already time to say hello Mexico. The feeling of being a tourist is fully present again with all the Mexicans offering the best price (special price for u my friend) for their transportation. Well, I know that I can find a cheap bus to get to my 'Señor Frog' hostel. Cancun, apart from the intense tourism and flashy resorts, is indeed a beautiful place. The Caribbean Sea is incredibly beautiful, warm, and the sand is quite white. Exploring by bike is not the most optimal, so I'll book a tour on another day. Some tours are a bit of a hassle, but sometimes they are the easiest, like at the 'Chichén Itzá' ruins. This historic Mayan city is one of the 7 wonders of the world and therefore an ultimate tourist destination. After enduring the pushy people, I try to make the best of it, make friends with someone and have a good day with a shaman ceremony, a classic lunch buffet (anyone who has been to Central/South America and has done such a tour knows what I'm talking about), a guided tour of the pyramid, a swim in a 'cenote' and a short visit to the colonial town of Valladolid. Since the main street there is quite well-known, a nice person wants to accompany me and it's been a while since I've danced, it's going to be a long night. Oh my, it's quite lively here. The next day, my well-deserved rest day, I spend on the beach and take a nap to relax my back after an uncomfortable long nap. The next day we rent a car (10 dollars per day, gasoline 18 dollars) and visit Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. A charming little beach village, a fairly overcrowded tourist destination, and Tulum is known for its ruins in a beautiful national park with a view of a super beautiful beach. See photos.

After the first couple of days, I'm almost back in the backpacker rhythm, getting used to either going to bed very late or using earplugs to sleep, and it occurred to me that I might hear questions like 'how long are you in Mexico? where have you been? how long are you traveling? where are you from?'. I already miss traveling with my van a bit.

I can well imagine that I will find Mexico to be very great. It's funny to be in a country where stop signs don't really mean stop, where most things are cheap for us, where you can use your blue eyes to your advantage (for example, you can use a 100 peso note instead of paying 140 in a pharmacy) and where the locals sweat when it's 27°.

Happy greetings and I wish you a great week :)