Notes from the Yucatán

After 6 months total spent in Mexico, including last year’s stint, I’ve now been back in Sydney for a month or two. Apparently I missed a terrible Winter here - I’m sorry about that - but if it helps we’re under no illusion that we’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a job and life-stage that’s allowed us to spend so much time overseas.

Anyone who’s read my previous blog posts will know that I am much enamoured with Mexico in general, and especially the areas in and around Mexico City (CDMX). But the final month was spent in the East of the country, around the Yucatán Península, so this blog post is about that. Apart from having the same language, it could be a different country - the food is different, the climate is a good 10-15ºc warmer (it’s literally a jungle, in contrast to high-altitude CDMX), and the sights and sounds are novel as well.

Yucatán photos can be seen on Flickr here.

I started in Mérida (West side of the Yucatán). Mostly made up of colourful 1-2 story buildings in a grid system, baking hot most of the time but you can find respite in some of the lovely parks and air-conditioned bars. Like CDMX, the food and music and colour was energising, but the cuisine unique to the region was particularly nice - several mouth-watering starters coming under the umbrella of Antojitos Yucatecos, including Panuchos / Cochinita Pibil (slow cooked pulled pork in spices, you can have these as a main too) as a stand out, but lots more besides.

You can use Mérida as a launchpad to see the region, and there’s a lot to see. The Mayan ruins are spectacular, including world famous Chichén-Itzá with it’s striking pyramid, but there’s also a loop you can do from Mérida called the Ruta Puuc which includes Mayan ruins that are perhaps a little less spectacular than Chichén-Itzá, but much more atmospheric due to the lack of crowds. Makes sense as Chichén-Itzá is within striking distance of the East Coast (Cancun, etc.) with all its cruise ships and holiday-makers. Mérida has a reputation for being more of a cultural centre than a holiday destination in its own right, which I think works in it’s favour here.

Also on the Ruta Puuc, and throughout all of the Yucatan, you can find Cenotes. I love Cenotes! They’re basically caves that you can swim in, but that only tells part of the story - the roofs of these caves are in various states, some completely collapsed, some partially collapsed, some with a small hole letting light in, some pitch black. Some small, some massive. Some draw big crowds, some you get to enjoy them by yourself. Nature finds its way into these caves, whether it’s jungle vines creeping in, birds coming in for a drink, bats roosting in the ceiling, fish noodling around under your feet. The water is always completely clear, and beautifully refreshing on a hot day. Every cenote is different, and there are 10,000 of them in the Yucatán created by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs turning the whole peninsula into boiling stone. Went to about 15 in total, all completely different. Simply wonderful!

Also from Mérida you can take a quick bus up to the North Coast and dip your toes in the Gulf of Mexico. Near where the asteroid actually hit, as it happens (Chicxulub). That excursion was nice too, but there are nicer beaches…and I did lose my credit card in a Cenote.

After about three weeks in Mérida, I made my way by bus over to the East Coast, to Tulum. That was nice, but definitely a lot more developed and attracting the lifestyle classes - big on yoga and healthy shakes. Lots and lots and lots of modern condos. Taxi cartel ripped me off the moment I arrived. MX$250 (US$13.50) for a six minute drive. Typically MX$30 for similar uber rides. No Uber or Didi in Tulum, got lots of luggage, so no choice. Bah.

Apart from that Tulum was ok. Went on a quick trip up to Playa del Carmen which was not nice at all. Massive piles of gross, smelly seaweed (sargassum) on the beach, and the main drag was very much aimed at the hoards of American tourists coming down here who, seemingly, just wanted to experience the United States with a warmer climate and a Spanish accent. It could easily be anywhere USA, with the usual mall shops and the curiously popular Senõr Frogs, when actually authentic Mexican food could be found just a few blocks away, being enjoyed just by the locals. I had heard that PDC is nicer than Cancun though, make of that what you will.

Meanwhile, on the way back to Tulum from PDC, I stopped at my favourite Cenote yet….Cenote Dos Oyos is a huge multiple-cave system, and you could see 15-20 metres straight down through clear, cool water into the depths where flashlight wearing scuba divers were making their way in and out of various tunnels. Birds were zipping along a few cms above the water, dipping down briefly to take cute little sips of water. Loads of fish and bats and up-close stalactites and stalagmites, above and below the water line. It made me very happy. And then getting back into Tulum itself, there are some cracking little Mayan ruins perched on the cliffs overlooking the sea. The beach was quite nice too, with a lot less sargassum than PDC.

And I left almost the best until last…right on the North East Coast of the Yucatán there’s an island called Isla Holbox (“Holbosh”). It is, I think, what many people would consider to be the ideal island destination. At least a three hour drive from any airports or resorts, only attracting committed travellers. The streets are made of sand, there are no cars. The water was beautiful (no sargassum on the pristine beach), sunrises and sunsets were breathtaking, charming little shops and bars and restaurants (one had a dog that lived on the bar itself, I liked that). Reasonable prices. You can swim in the sea at night and experience bioluminescence as you move through the warm water. Flamingos and other exotic birds. More Cenotes. But really it’s the vibe of the island that made it so attractive, it’s the kind of place that makes you sigh contented sighs, especially as you’re bobbing up and down in the gentle ocean. Highly recommended.

So that’s it for Mexico, for now. No travel plans for a bit, but I do hope it isn’t long before I’m back in the region. Maybe next year, with all that’s going on at work…exciting times, can’t talk about it, watch this space!