South of the Border…

It’s been a month since my other half and I Ieft the freezing fog of London for the sunnier climes of Mexico. We first planned the trip back in August last year, when London was in the full swing of summer and winter coats seemed a lifetime away. By the time March rolled around we were in sore need of a dose of vitamin D.

The quest for sunshine though came at a price. Our flights were long (11 and a half hours), cramped and because we hadn’t checked in online, we weren’t sitting together which meant we kept having to have short, shouty and neck-twistingly uncomfortable conversations about the films we were watching. The way back wasn’t much better given that the flight attendants had forgotten to lock one of the doors and only managed to remember once we were 37,000 feet up in the air. Totally relaxing…

It didn’t get any smoother on arrival. Customs at Cancun is an experience I’d quite like not to repeat. If you’re travelling to Cancun at some point in the near future, you should be prepared for some serious queuing for about two hours before your passport even gets stamped.

By the time we got to the hotel it was three and a half hours after we’d landed and I was in desperate need of a cocktail, which our hotel kindly provided upon check in. We stayed at the lovely Ocean Maya Royale, which is about 30 minutes from Cancun airport. They deserve extra thumbs up for surprising us with a room upgrade that included a jacuzzi on our terrace and a pillow menu.

Great place overall, and we saw a fair bit of wildlife in the resort which was an unexpected bonus. There were a lot of iguanas who were big fans of sleeping on our terrace. We naturally gave them nicknames (Gary Barlow, Liam Neeson, Jason Orange and Nicolas Cage).

We also saw a number of exotic birds whose names I couldn’t pronounce, a racoon (Roger) and a coati (Boris), which looked a bit like a racoon crossed with a cat. Watch out Attenborough. Oh and this little guy:

Every day pretty much consisted of the same routine – sunbathing by the sea, afternoon swimming in one of the three pools, and consuming as many mango margaritas as humanly possible.

When we got bored of lazing about, we ventured out on a trip to a Mayan village. There I learnt how to make a tortilla that successfully puffed up, which apparently means I’m ready for marriage. I have naturally been demanding a proposal from my other half ever since. It’s only fair.

We also went swimming in a ceynote (an underground swimming hole) which was so refreshing in 32 degree heat but quite spooky. You climb seventy or so steps down into a cavern and jump into a freezing pool surrounded by stalagmites and stalactites. I was a bit wary of eels but I’m so glad I did it.

Coming back to London, I am painfully aware we’ve only seen the very touristy side of Mexico. It may have been a little ‘SPRING BREAK YEAH’ at times, but it’s such a beautiful country and with such (rightly) proud people, we’re both dying to go back and explore more.

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