When I arrived in Cancun I first planned to travel the whole \u2018\u2019strip\u2019\u2019 from Mexico down to Colombia and see everything that Central America has to offer. For all of you who plan to go on a big trip: plan as little as necessary \u2013 you will change your mind anyway!<\/p>\n
So did I<\/p>\n
To make the most of my \u2013 almost-5 months I wanted to focus on three countries: Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia.<\/p>\n
Today I\u2019d like to give you an idea of my time in Mexico \u2013 my absolute favorite.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think I should inform you about the number of inhabitants, exact height, sizes etc.<\/p>\n
But what I want to make sure \u2013 from the start \u2013 is that Mexico is not a place you should be scared of.<\/p>\n
All my friends told me to leave my crop tops at home. \u2018\u2019Mexico is not Germany, Val!\u2019\u2019 they said.<\/p>\n
Of course it\u2019s not!<\/p>\n
But as well as in Germany as in Mexico, there was no moment when I felt unsafe or got into a weird situation. I made sure not to cross the streets by myself when it got dark and I always \u2018\u2019left my eyes open\u2019\u2019. I relied on my good sense of people and I never got into any trouble.<\/p>\n
Mexico is a huge country and it would take ages to see all of it. I stayed for \u2018\u2019mas o menos\u2019\u2019 3 months and saw most of the Caribbean coast, as well as the Pacific one, some parts of Chiapas and the two biggest cities Guadalajara and Mexico City.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with a throwback to my time in Yucatan, the peninsula towards the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n
Just as everyone else I arrived in Cancun. Not because of its stunning cultural attractions but because of the cheap flight I got!<\/p>\n
I was more than excited when I entered my first MEXICAN AIRPORT! There was surprisingly no difference between a European one and this one.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\nI stayed in a little hostel in Cancun downtown \u2013 the place where most of the locals stay.<\/p>\n
If someone asks me what Cancun is like I always answer \u2018\u2019Cancun for Americans is the same as Mallorca for Germans\u2019\u2019. Just to sum this up.<\/p>\n
Of course there are lots of daytrips you can do, such as visiting Citzchen Itza (Chicken Pizza!!) or the natural swimming pools aka cenotes.<\/p>\n
Ceno..what?<\/p>\n
It took me a while to understand what Cenotes are, what they are made of, where they come from, why they exist!<\/p>\n
A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath.<\/p>\n
Of course I copied and pasted this from Wikipedia but I really couldn\u2019t find words to explain it by myself.<\/p>\n
I think I\u2019ve never seen something like that before (maybe because they only exist on the Yucatan!)<\/p>\n
After visiting Citzchen Itza \u2013 which was more interesting than I thought, even though it was overcrowded and full of street sellers- I made my way down to Playa del Carmen.<\/p>\n
Playa turned out to be one of my favorite spots in the whole country!<\/p>\n
It might sound strange for other travellers who saw more of Mexico. Just as Cancun \u2013 \u2018\u2019Playa\u2019\u2019 \u2013 is a very touristic place. You will find lots of Argentinians, Italians, Venezuelans, Americans and Germans there but because Cancun is in most cases the start or end destination for everyone, it became a hotspot to start or end up your trip! Besides going shopping, partying, meeting people and hanging out on the beach you can also do daytrips to Tulum and see the stunning Maya Ruins by the coast, the nearby cenotes and its beautiful beaches.<\/p>\n
Most travellers stay in playa for at least 2 or 3 days. I ended up there for nearly 1.5 weeks and I came back for a couple of days before taking my flight from Cancun to Bogota.<\/p>\n
Why did I stay so long and what did I do if there\u2019s practically nothing to do besides shopping, partying and chilling on the beach?<\/p>\n
I went shopping, I partied a lot, I chilled on the beach and I did a Spanish course to feel at least a little bit productive !<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not always about seeing huge waterfalls and challenging oneself by doing an overnight volcano hike.<\/p>\n