Mexico: Cancun

Just a few minutes after arriving in Cancun (or Cääncuuun, as the Americans call it), it was clear to us: this was not our world. Not at any time of the year, especially not over New Year's. Nevertheless, we endured the few days as planned and made the best of it. So close to the holiday and considering the incredible crowds of tourists, it would have been nothing but a nerve-wracking experience to organize a last-minute trip.

So we spent the first two days hanging out at the beach, strolling around, enjoying drinks and Mexican food (to be honest, after these two days, I had already had enough. No, I definitely don't travel for the food.). The weather wasn't particularly great, it was very cloudy and quite cold, especially by the sea due to the strong winds. So the desire to swim was somewhat limited.

On New Year's Eve, we went to the center of the Zona Hotelera in Cääncuuun. We had asked at our hotel if there would be any celebration happening somewhere. But apparently there was no public event organized by the city, only the parties in the clubs. We didn't feel like going to a club, and our desire diminished completely when we arrived in the center. I remember saying to Jörg: Come on, let's go back to the room and sleep through the New Year.
It was completely crowded with party-hungry people, sorry if I put it in such a casual way. It was loud, full, uncomfortable, and absolutely not our thing. Out of curiosity, we passed by Coco Bongo, the most famous club in Cääncuuun. Immediately, we were offered entry tickets (the last 10 pieces): USD 170 each! Umm, thanks... but no thanks...
Another problem: we were hungry. Well, if someone thinks that you can simply walk into a restaurant and have something to eat, they are mistaken. It was comforting to see that we were not the only naive people without a reservation. Nevertheless, this comfort was limited considering the fact that we found ourselves in a line in front of a Mexican restaurant (Mextreme), where we waited for a whole hour for a table. When we finally got a small table around half past nine, we decided not to leave for the rest of the evening. And that turned out to be a good idea, as the evening turned out to be quite nice. The atmosphere was more traditional and cozy than elsewhere. There was a large buffet, a traditional mariachi band playing, and dance and other performances.
We also learned about typical New Year's customs on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico: firstly, the Mexicans eat grapes a few minutes before midnight. Bags of grapes were distributed and we were told that for every grape we ate, we could make a wish for the new year. Secondly, the Yucatecans celebrate twice. Why is that? Well, there is a time difference within Mexico. Midnight in Mexico City is one hour later than in Cääncuuun. So, at midnight, we raised our glasses, hugged each other, greeted our table neighbors, and wished each other a Happy New Year. At exactly one o'clock, we did the same again. The New Year's spectacle from Mexico City was broadcast live on TV. It was really fun to experience. After one o'clock, the restaurant emptied rapidly, and we also slowly made our way back.

On January 1st, we took the ferry to Isla Mujeres. From Playa Garrafon, snorkeling was supposed to be wonderful. It wasn't. There were some colorful fish in the rather murky water, but that was about it.

The rest of the supposedly magical island consists of hotels, ruins of buildings, restaurants, and souvenir shops. It's funny that the tourists all drive around in golf carts, which can be rented everywhere. We strolled around a bit, but soon made our way back, as we were afraid of not being able to catch the ferry anymore. After all, there was only one ferry every about 75 minutes, and hundreds of other tourists who also wanted to catch a ferry. On the way there, we had already experienced that other tourists who had been waiting at the ferry port for a long time were not allowed on the boat anymore because it was full, and they had to wait for another 75 minutes.
In the evening, we had dinner at the HardRock Café in Cääncuuun, where there was also a pretty good live band playing.

The next day, we made a hasty escape. Off to Valladolid!