Chapter 1: Playa del Carmen

After a 20-hour journey with a seven-hour time difference from Zurich to Playa del Carmen, we arrived completely exhausted at Hostel Enjoy Playa. The hostel was colorful and friendly, with great attention to detail. We met other interesting travelers at the hostel and were able to connect and exchange with them.

However, we were only moderately or not at all impressed with the town of Playa del Carmen. The overpriced '5th Avenue', which is the main street of Playa del Carmen, makes you feel like you're in Mallorca at Ballermann. Constantly, salespeople were aggressively urging you to enter their overpriced store, which had the same products as the one next door. The Mexican flair we expected was nowhere to be found. However, we were able to acclimate to the climate and time difference on the snow-white beach and plan our further journey.