Mexico was an odd choice for the first big stop on my trip around the world. Tourists go there for the sun, the heat and the beaches.

Playa del Carmen

I am pale as a ghost, prone to heat exhaustion and get bored lying around. Mexico would not have been on the itinerary if not for a friend in Mexico City who encouraged (i.e. hassled) me to come visit.

Thank goodness he did! Although beyond the beaches and the sunshine, there were hints of the dangers in Mexico such as army patrols, guards armed with machine guns and drug trafficking checkpoints, there was also a world of ancient civilizations, out of this world food, and parties until dawn.

My first day was dedicated to a tour of Chichen Itza, which is on the dubious list of the 7 new wonders of the world (this list is NOT affiliated with UNESCO).

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza was fascinating. I learned so much about the Maya civilization that it will take a separate post to cover everything. Another post after that will be just for Mexico City, which was eventful, to say the least.

I could go on about the food for ages. Mexico was worth the trip if only for the tacos. I devoured food there until I was bursting at the seams. My favourite discovery was Tacos al Pastor (gyro style pork with pineapple, onion, parsley, and salsa verde.

Tacos al Pastor by william.neuheisel (flickr creative commons)

Go to Mexico just to have one!

The beach won me over in the end. I slathered on the SPF 30 sunscreen and set myself up in some shade to snooze on the sand in the afternoon sun. These siestas were needed to recover from consuming palomas and dancing the hours away by night to the beats of DJ Marvin, Latin America’s self-proclaimed greatest hip hop DJ. I will not contest his claim. His playlists were wicked.

With my liver worn out from too much tequila, I was relieved to stumble upon the treasure that is Tulum, a wide white sand beach with better swimming than Playa del Carmen and far smaller crowds. There were beach hut bars serving cheap beers and take-away tacos, Australians playing cricket, and regular shuttles to Playa del Carmen and Cancun.

It was a hard place to leave.

Tulum