Quintana Roo And Yucatan 

Now I am in Mexico for more than a month and my itinerary is a little difficult to follow. First I started in Mexico City. Then I flew to Cancun and continued to travel for 2 weeks in Cuba. After that, I toured Quintana Roo and Yucatan on a road trip. 2 states in the south of Mexico.

I would like to share with you here my experiences and how I felt about those touristy places.

Cancun – Quintana Roo

Cancun is the place that is often visited by rich Mexicans.
There are also tons of Americans flying to Cancun for their spring break.

I have not spent much time in Cancun. But from Cancun airport you can rent a car cheaply. For 9 days I paid a bit more than 3000 Mexican Pesos, which is the equivalent of 155 US Dollars. Of course, you still have to calculate the cost of gas.

Cancun has beautiful beaches, huge resorts, and big luxurious shopping malls. But I can’t write more about that either. If you are looking for an expensive beach vacation, then Cancun is the place for you. I do not write much in this blog post, but I’ll show you some photos. Hence you will get a taste of the places.

Playa Del Carmen – Quintana Roo

The real heart of the parties definitely takes place in Playa del Carmen. For the most part, I liked this little paradise. At least for a few days.

A long shopping and party promenade as you know from American films. Beautiful beaches and the party life to its very best. And if you do not know how to spend your money: There are easily more than 20 Sunglass Huts in Playa del Carmen. Everything the material heart desires can be found in this little town next to the Caribbean. I usually slept in the car and then took a shower in one of the spas in the morning to save money.
Security was not a worry. A very luxurious place for a few days is enough for me to realize what I don’t need and want in my life.

Tulum – Quintana Roo

Do you know the song Hotel California by the Eagles? There is a verse in which they sing “You can check out anytime you like. But you can never leave!”

This verse describes exactly my feelings and experiences for this little hippie bohemian place called Tulum. It has its fantastic charm that you can hardly describe. Beautiful old ruins, bohemian vibes, bars and you can bike everywhere. And the mesmerizing beaches invite you to swim at night.
A dream for everyone who feels lost in this world and are in need of a place called “home”.
I couldn’t leave this place, it has such a uniquely magical appeal. And that’s why I met many people there who came to Tulum with a dream, but never left the place. They have forgotten completely why they came to Tulum and in my opinion they are lost souls in this kind of paradise place.
For me, it was beautiful to be there for a few days.

I also had a great reunion in Tulum with Santiago and Camila, the Argentine couple with whom I had lived in Ushuaia for a few months.

The world is sometimes so small. But there are so many beautiful places I would like to travel to. And I love Bali and Taiwan too much to settle down there. Let yourself be enchanted by the pictures.

My highlights were the cenotes!
You must visit Cenote Grande, Cenote Casa, Cenote Calavera and Cenote Zacil-Ha.

Bacalar – Quintana Roo

Bacalar was actually not on my travel list, but somehow everyone spoke about it and its colorful lake with 7 colors.
I decided to hitchhike from Tulum to Bacalar, stay there for a few hours before I’d leave to Belize. I waited maybe 20 minutes in Tulum before this couple picked me up. And then… Yeah, my whole plans changed…

Hitchhiking in Mexico

I would say hitchhiking in Mexico (especially in Quintana Roo) is quite safe and easy. I wanted to hitchhike on every continent, therefore North America was the last continent and I did it.

As you know I love hitchhiking. In my opinion it is one of the best ways to get in touch with locals and their way of life.

And sure enough, I met this amazing couple and after talking to them, they were joking about me joining them and traveling to Chiapas with them.

My original plan was actually to go to Belize, then Guatemala and finally at the end, enter Chiapas, Mexico again. But impulsively, I agreed and I traveled to all those incredibly beautiful places in Chiapas with this couple. They were way too kind to me and didn’t let me pay for my accommodations and sometimes my food.

No worries, I paid it back later. But this example shows truly my personality and why I love to be flexible with my travels. Because you never know who you are going to meet and what will happen! And please if opportunities like that emerge on your travels, jump on it and don’t wait for better opportunities in life.
But use your common sense as well, please. Safe travels and happy hitchhiking everyone!

Reunions

So, I met Amanda almost 2 years ago in Taichung, Taiwan.
Then I got to know one of her best friends – Becs – this year in Taiwan in May on a pilgrimage. And I can assure you I am not the only crazy and spontaneous person here. Becs, who lives in the US, knew I was in Mexico and contacted me the same day and told me that she would come visit me that weekend.

I was so excited!! One of the best feelings when you are traveling is when you have reunions with people you love. This year I had tons of reunions.

Like with Felipe in Costa Rica, my friends and “families” in Taiwan and Bali,
Amanda and Carlos in New Zealand and Mau in Mexico.

It was a year full of reunions. Becs came and we went together to Akumal to swim with sea turtles and visited Chitchen-Itza and Valladolid in Yucatan.

My Travel Bucket List At 18

When I started to travel, I wrote on a list where I want to go during my world trip.
One of them was swimming with sea turtles in Akumal, Mexico. I paid more than 30 US Dollars to swim with them, but I can tell you it was not worth the money. In Indonesia, Maldives and at the Great Barrier Reef, I had better encounters with sea turtles.

But I just wanted to explain that all your dreams and goals in life can become true.
Especially, if you are motivated, patient and don’t give up! Four years later and I made it to Akumal to fulfill my last destination from my bucket list when I was only 18.

Even though it was not worth the money, I made it guys!!!

Chitchen- Itza and Valladolid – Yucatan

Valladolid is a beautiful town in Yucatan with delicious food. You can take a rest there before you drive on the next morning to Chichen-Itza.

Chichen Itza was one of the largest cities built by the Maya people.
One of the reasons why it is so famous is that it has a variety of architectural styles. Definitely it is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico, too.

And if you will ever travel to Mexico, this is one of the places you need to stop.

Next Stop : Chiapas

In my next blog post I will write about my favorite Mexican state – Chiapas.
The climate, the couple I traveled with, the nature, the food. Everything was right on the money. I hope I can inspire in the next blog post some travelers to visit Chiapas in the future. Happy Travels Everyone!