tequila sunrises.
My first trip beyond the European borders. I was in desperate need of some sun, beach, tequila and tacos, and ofcourse spending time with my best friend again. Who was waiting for me at our accomodation in Puerto Escondido. Here we spent our days baking in the sun and our nights partying. And after a week we had loosely planned our trip through the south of Mexico, making our way from Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Calakmul, Merida, Isla Holbox, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Tulum and Bacalar.
In Puerto Escondido we enjoyed some much needed sun, sea, beach and ofcourse the vibrant nightlife, but we were so excited to immerse ourselves in the real Mexican culture. Oaxaca offered tours to explore the beautiful surrounding mountains, local villages and gorgeous petrified waterfalls, allowing you to swim right up to the edge and enjoy the breath taking view.
Ciudad del Carmen was a short stopover on our way to Campeche, but did not dissapoint! A small quiet city with a stunning boulevard lined with palmtrees right next to the beach, reminded us of a small Miami. As gorgeous as the city was, the locals were just as heartwarming.
We were surprised to find that Campeche also was not as touristy as we thought. This city was just like Ciudad del Carmen, only bigger. At night the locals came together to all dance salsa in the street, with a live band. We gave it our best shot, and before almost giving up an expert invited us to dance and taught us some basics. Afterwards, we talked and he agreed to take us along with his journey through the jungle of Calakmul.
Calakmul, only a couple hours drive from Campeche. Armin, our new friend/tourguide knew exactly how to take us to the most beautiful Mayan temples in the jungle. We even got to climb them! The monkeys kept us company and I was waiting for Aslan to appear, I felt like we were in Narnia. We even went to cuerva de murcielago, aka Bat cave, where you could see millions of bats tornado out of their cave into the night.
Not only was Armin kind enough to take us with him to Calakmul, he also offered to bring us to our next destination, as he was going there anyway, Merida! We stayed for only thee nights, but got a private tour of the city from our local friend and we enjoyed our first day going from cafe to bar, coffee to beer and waffles to burgers. The next day we learned some more advanced salsa moves, enjoyed beers with unlimited food from Yucatan and said goodbye to our new friends. Our last day here we went to a nearby town called Homun, which is surrounded by gorgeous cenotes! A must see in Mexico, and 100% worth it!
Isla Holbox, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Tulum and Bacalar can be described in one sentence: Touristy areas to party and get drunk. Which we were ready for again. We enjoyed our crazy nights out and chill days in the sun. We got wasted in Isla Holbox We ziplined upside down, and into cenotes and rode ATVs in Cancun. We went snorkeling through clear blue waters in Isla Mujeres. We got stressed about our visas in Cancun again. We met up with old friends in Tulum and Bacalar and we cried knowing it was our last day together.
Our trip through Mexico I made dumb decisions but they made for great stories and a lot of laughter. The amazing times we had and the unique experiences every hostel brought us, inspired and motivated me to start a hostel or bar of my own one day. In Mexico I found my spark again, thanks to my best friend. I guess that just shows not to underestimate a good friendship, which is probably why we always found our way back to eachother after a night out seperately.
