Travel review MEXICO 
The navel of Moon
Distrecto Federal, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Yucatan
22 millions of inhabitants!!!
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Ciudad de Mexico - Distrecto Federal
We arrive in Mexico City at 6:00 am, change money, ask how to make phone calls charged to the recipient (use the 090 call and works for you).. and leave assaulted by hot and taxi drivers. The Lonely Planet suggests to us a hotel in the center (behind the Zocalo) called...... (170 pesos per night, common bathroom).. so we ask the taxi driver who takes us for just 70 pesos (take only the yellow taxi with the symbol of the airport. Mexico City is deserted early in the morning, we placed at the recetion where you have just to write in a register names and nationality) and we do a sleep of a couple of hours. We wake up deafened by the noise from the road ..... as we look outside we face a tangle of machines, green beetle cars without license plates, jeeps.... all gigantic and broken! The sound of the horns are continuous... incredible! We leave to buy something to eat and we realize soon what it means to live in a city of 22 million inhabitants! In the Zocalo (the appalling magnitude of the square and the enormity of the Mexican flag!) we walk in the streets nearby, in the direction of Latin-American tower... around there are millions of people, street vendors everywhere, women and children cooking on the sidewalk, shops stuck in every corner, scents and smells of all the crazy kind...... The weather is not so good, indeed... the program was going to Teothiuacan tomorrow, but we defeated because of the grey sky upon the city in the afternoon ... so we take the bus tickets for Oaxaca (6 hours... 279 pesos) at Tapoa station... to get there you have to take two lines of the underground, you just can't imagine how much crowded it is! We arerecommended to travel with the ADO First class (there is even a Deluxe class.. never proved, the primera will be enough)... the most comfortable and modern coaches.... The evening we eat in an hotel at El Popular, a place opened 24 hours on 24 ... very beautiful and very good. We do a very short walk and then we go again to bed. Ah, until today we have not been able to drink even a Cerveza in Mexico ... to drink is forbidden during ELECTIONS PERIOD!
Oaxaca - Oaxaca
We wake up early, make breakfast in the same place last night and go to the Tapoa station, do the baggage check-in and then enjoy a good American coffee... The time is adjusting a little, so now we start. We learn just what it means to travel by bus in this country: BLOWING roads, artificial bumps every 100 meters (called TOPE)... and especially air conditioning at full throttle! Leaving Mexico City (after seeing all the slums) we deal a fabulous passage! Mountains and valleys covered with huge enchanting green zones, and the thing that leaves us astonished is the fact we don't see any other city for 6 hours, only very few villages consisting of buildings, some kind children around and nature, nature, nature! We arrive to Oaxaca at 14:00, the first impression is not the best, the station lies onto a road filled with hundreds and hundreds of bad kept cars, and what a tropical warm... we take a taxi and go to Hotel Pasaje.. nice building in the center (the only one we tested with TV, double room with bath at Ps 180 per night), however reception tells us that today our room is booked but by tomorrow it will be free.. We accept another one and we finally have a shower! It is hot, the weather is good and the shower has given us back the forces. We leave and head towards the Zocalo... we arrive in colorful streets, markets and stalls everywhere.. and colors and fragrances... As known this is the poorest state of Mexico, but the people, the atmosphere, the smells teach us that the real MEXICO is this. It is the first Mexican Zocalo we see, and the structure is equal to what we will see in the future: quadrangular square in the center with a garden with square wharves (full of shiny - shoes) and in the middle of it a circular gallery (imagine the usual stage in city parks where the band plays on Sunday). The square is surrounded in 3 sides by low buildings and arcades filled with restaurants, and one side with the cathedral (typical with 2 towers). Dinner at a restaurant under the arcades and it starts to drizzle (learn that every day it rains at least once, but unfortunately for short). Under the arcades begin real mexican music concerts.. Choirs with guitars and... we end to eat and come back to the hotel.
Oaxaca - Oaxaca
We wake up preparing backpacks not knowing if we have to leave the room. We make breakfast buying brioches at market in front of the hotel (20 de November) and then we go. After 10 meters we notice a very very nice posada (Posada del Rosario) who asks us 269 pesos a night... we like it so we book. The room is not so much, there are two beds, one normal and a half square. Outside the door there are two workmen operating with a pneumatic hammer! We decide to devote the day to sightseeing, as usual.. casually! Starting from the Zocalo we take one by one the streets that start from it... the pedestrian street is something fabulous! We reach the cultural area of Oaxaca, rich in libraries, museums, exhibitions. The road leads to the church.... we stay in that area for a couple of hours until the drizzle begins, so going back we stop to eat a hambuger.. and finally a beer (the elections are finished, and the left won celebrating in the square last night!). We decide to stay other two days in Oaxaca to do a couple of escursions. We go to tourist office (opposite the only hostel in the square) that recommends us two main goals: Monte Alban and Hierve el Agua. So, let's go to Rivera Hotel (where trips are even organized) and book the next day for Monte Alban (180 pesos each for 6 hours). At night we eat in the Zocalo, the restaurants are very beautiful and the crowd distracts us with its thousands habits. We eat there and come back to the hotel.
Oaxaca - going around
We wake up at 11:00 at Rivera Hotel where we are loaded on a jeep heading to Monte Alban! The journey is short and we find out how in future travel with them will be very... typical! Monte Alban is on a hill in the middle of the Sierra Madre attending a breathtaking spectacle: two valleys with dozens of colorful shades of green! The guide takes us inside the site, the most important part of central Mexico. From him we learn that the word MEXICO stands for "navel of the moon" (to repeat here the explanation would be a too difficult task) and with this visit we learn that in Mexico burns to the skin could happen with very few sun! Climbing the temples, we wander in the stadium of pelota, and meet ten hundred sellers seeking to place a Mayan stone, which soon become very tiring... After the visit our beloved driver takes us to a craft shop, very nice even if this visit seemed us a little prepared bah!..... Let's go back in the early afternoon in Oaxaca where are we going to eat enough "asada" meat to satisfy us. There comes to our mind to try to go to Agua Hierve with our small handy guide of the Lonely Planet. So we direct to 2 class station where the legend tells that there is a bus that brings you early in the morning (at 9:00) And returns to pick people at 12:00. Now, the second station is not exactly an idyllic spot, and then going to the ticket office we have been confirmed that this service is expensive. Anyway we decide to return in the center. We connect to Internet to communicate with the rest of the world so we go in our room.. We prepeare again the backpacks because tomorrow evening, after the trip, we will leave for Puerto Escondido and we end the day eating a couple of soups to combat ailments.
Oaxaca - Little trips and departure
Obviously we haven't wake up in time to be able to take our fateful bus! So we run to Rivera and take the package which includes 4 stages in a one-day trip. The girl remembers very well of us and provide us a sistemation on a 12 seats minibus where a funny and happy Mexican accompanied by a freckled lady welcome us with a cheerful "welcome"! Let's start. The first stop, is at El tulee, where there is the biggest tree in the world. We do not know if really is the biggest tree in the world, but you have to see it! The church at his side seems a small mushroom, its diameter and its height are unproportioned to any logic! We need to make a small offer to view it closely because they need to keep bringing water from anywhere, its roots destroy houses' walls and the entire village is built according to the size of this plant... fabulous. The "head off" guide (who speaks Spanish / English) there invites us back in the van to head for Agua Hierve. The travel is long (about 2 hours) and ends with a climb on the mountains (where children take huge loads of handicrafts on the top for selling them ). Arriving on the top (about 3200 meters) we are driven towards a path that leads to the pool! In simple terms: on top of the mountain there is a tiny hole big as a coin from which water exits. Water is channeled toward the depressions thus creating natural pools. Then the water falling designs limestone waterfalls (that seem rocks) which remain attached to the side of the mountain. We are ready to wear swimsuits, and immersed in water we do not realize to be 3000 meters high! After about 15 minutes of soaking, the Red-pepper-girl guide recalls us, so we re-dress quickly (ready to deal with the breeze which could kill you after exiting the water..). We get on the bus at early afternoon. Let's go to the 3rd stage: Mitla. The site is not very interesting and our fatigue leads us to rest under an oak. Hunger rises and begins to curse the holy woman driving.. that smart as a fox brings us to the next stage: a restaurant! As we have already understood guides should have some kind of accord with the various managers... so we eat. Finished eating we do not have enough money to pay the bill (15 Ps) so we request loan to the guide that suddenly becomes the nicest of all! Obviously with the promise that when we come back in town we'll returned to the stolen money...!! After all we arrive to the fourth and final stage: TEOTITLAN! This is a village included in a huge valley, where carpets, textiles and various products, derived only from natural goods, are produced. We speak with a Mexican that explains us how to extract the color from the leaves of cactus, how to produce the threads in cotton, how to dye them, and finally how to weave the carpets! We would like to buy all the products of the shop, all the colors ... but how do we bring them back with us?... we abandon the valley and begin the return journey, without avoiding to visit the factory of Mezcal! A good half hour devoted to taste a dozen of different Mezcal, our beloved guide offers to all our comrades to celebrate in great style. We are a little hurry because we have a coach to be taken, and a travel of 11 hours at night! Back to Oaxaca, we should give back the money to the guide but that makes us nod; A la Magnana, a la Magnana, Hasta l'huego! We avoid to say that tomorrow magnana we will be 400 km from him (if she is reading now: Forgive us!!!!) and then run to make the photos at Zocalo, to retrieve suitcases, to make a sandwich for the trip, to take a taxi (ah, traffic in Oaxaca ... a visit is worth only to view it) and fly to the station. We get on the bus to Puerto Escondido (also stops at Huatulco and Potchula), sit down and start to freeze.
Puerto Escondido - Oaxaca
The travel is terrifying. Absurd roads, uncomfortable seats (San Cristobal Colon, first Class... 188 pesos) and conditioner at full speed! After a few hours of travel we feel droplets falling on our head. I wake up. Lift my head. THE CEILING seepage CONDENSATE! We suffer an extreme cold, Linda began to sneeze. I have the hallucinations. Quarreling, we tighten, we want to cut the respective legs. As arrived to Puerto Escondido, we kiss the ground. We are abandoned in a semi-station (6 am!). As usual we don't speak, only disputing about the decision of housing. We decide to be taken to Playa ZIcatela that is 'the best beach' in Puerto and left at Rockaway, a complex of Cabane around a swimming pool. Ps 180 per night. AND WHAT A CABANA! It seems a luxury spa, and after having lived in the poorest part of Mexico this looks like a paradise! (apart from the mosquitoes) We have breakfast in one of a hundred bar scattered along the beach, telephone at home (probably they think we are scattered among the mountains) and go back to fix some of our stuffs. And we end making a sleep. When we wake up we make a splash in the swimming pool, we're just not so fine, the journey has warped our immune system and our desire to make something is dropped to 0. In the late afternoon we give a wash (ah, that cabana, what a shower...) and finally we sit down on the Pacific beach! We see that the sea is too rough to make the bath and only the surfers are present. Walking again we arrive at the port where dozens of families thrown into the sea fully dressed (probably a strange Mexican habit..), stray dogs everywhere, boats launched near beach at extreme speed.. We sit a while trying to understand that kind of life, feeling the smell of that place. They can tell that Puerto Escondido is a place only praised by the movies, a bit "combed"... We experienced a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. Let's do a lap in the small pedestrian street, plenty of little shops and restaurants (at Claudio's every night they play a movie). So we come back to eat in Playa Zicatela, in a restaurant run by an Italian, and we go for a drink at home Babylon (where Tiberio, from Bologna, will entertain you with his accent)... We go back in Cabana, through the little market of a village, to blend some rum with Coca Cola to celebrate landing on the Pacific.
Zipolite - Oaxaca Pacific Coast
We go on the road just above the beach where there's a sort of coach terminal. Coaches following the cost line return to Potchula, toward Puerto Angel. We finally get on a Mexican coach, including chickens and traditional music! In a couple of hours we arrive in Pochula, where you must take a taxi to be lead to Zipolite. Anyone knows what CUMULATIVE means? 7 passengers in the same taxi! We suggest you to withheld cash at Pochula, at beachside there are no ATMs! The taxi leaves us at Zipolite, the first glance is a little of disappointment, there's no one that walks on the beach and we are kept in the grip of sadness. We ask some fun but any cabana seems decent, until we stop at Choza, a building on the beach where a double can be booked for only 100 ps at night. We stop exhausted, we return to Pochula to withdraw some cash and return back. We eat in the same restaurant. Here we are introduced to a very very funny raccoon (it was a raccoon) that was going around kissing with taste a good dog. We finish to eat and we sit on deck chairs. Even there the sea is quite rough but slowly a good mood takes us on the beach. Walk and walk, probably we overcome the pitfalls or we finished in paradise! A complex of rustic cabanas, very elegant indeed, is placed on that strip of beach, someone also on the mountain. We see a little local with kerosene torches hosting very few people. To be out of curiosity we go among cabins on the beach, and we immediatly fall in love with them! Huge hammocks inside a dream room. We ask th price. Ps 350 per night. We think 3 seconds. YES! Tomorrow we will book here! Coming back we make a shower and exit to see the main street of the place (also the only street). There are some locals, very sorry, only some TVs tuned on the Copa America soccer matches. We enter into a little one (the Buonvento) and Tiziano and Cinzia, the owners, welcome us all with the usual Italian spirit! Let's go back in the bedroom (a bit drunk...) to sleep and we begin fighting against mosquitoes nets, heat, and a number of undefined insects as ever.
San Cristobal de Las Casas - Chiapas
San Cristobal de Las Casas welcomes us with its beauty, color and activities. We arrive at the station and as usual rely on the Lonely Planet guide. We take then a taxi that brings us to Martins Hotel (behind Plaza de Marzo, 220 Ps a double with bathroom). we have breakfast just opposite the hotel and we go around, as usual randomly. we like the city that we are now, and we see how it differs from the rest of Chiapas. The climate is more wet and everywhere we look we see more wildlife. Here reign the Indians which sell dolls of Sub-Commander Marcos and all other Zapatist manufactures. Near the central square (overcrowded and surrounded by arcades of shops and stalls of used books) there is the Cathedral. Magnificent. The glance of this yellow is fascinating. We compare San Cristobal in Oaxaca, at aspect of beauty to a colonial city, but here everything seems to us a little more cleaned, less chaotic. We arrive in a textile market where the colors explode on carpets, clothes and any garment of clothing. We study the various travel agencies that divide the trip proposes: the lakes of Montebello and Canyon of Sumidero. The Agency opposite the hotel offers the best price so we choose to visit the lakes (which are also on the Mexico-Guatemala border, but if we can give you a suggestion, go to the Canyon, as we are said it's more quoted).
San Cristobal de Las Casas - Tours
In the morning we wake up and usually take a 12 seats minibus with a small and stocky Mexican at the wheel. We head towards the lakes and admire all the green of Chiapas (and a flood of soldiers everywhere, we see that even if we were not able to see it, the Zapatis front is always up in arms) When we are entering the lakes area, groups of Indians pull ropes from sides trough the road to block us and try to sell us the usual handicraft objects. Bah. Going on, the driver leaves us wander in the early lakes, then stops on a bridge that crosses one and invites us to join him on the other side using some rafts. Some of us go, others not (we... no! But sorrowly). So the van takes us on the other side to recover survivors and make us buy something from local stalls. We Lead then into biggest lake in the area where you can stop to eat something (but now we have become wiser and before every trip we prepare sandwiches). So we eat and walk around until we wake up the small driver who was slightly sleeping in the van. During return we stop at the site of Comitán, with the usual enormous interest we climb pyramids, dig in the history of ancient age, and, after all this activity, stop under a tree to rest. On the way back we live the most beautiful adventure in Mexico: we are all on the bus, the driver with his music and we in relax, when a police patrol (seriously threatening) stops our funny group. The face of our driver suddenly changes. He gets down and after cheats with policemen. After he comes back with the documents reassuring us that all was ok... But after a long discussion back with his new friend, the policeman, he is ordered to sit back and put him at the drive. The intrepid driver studied the dashboard, gears, and then turns around saying that perhaps it is better that the driver makes for the last time his duty. So we resume the journey back with this new friend among us. We stop at a warehouse of vans. Our driver comes down for the last time, but now his face betray all his depression, because he must leave his van there and about its future... he probably does not know much. We are transferred to another van (really very full of people) and, after having eventually warmly thanked our previous driver, we depart. Even today we wonder what he did and especially why... Back to San Cristobal we go to some smaller Zocalos, where we visit some municipal marketplaces and we get ourselves wet because of a little rain. We buy tickets for Palenque for the morning after and return back to the hotel. At evening, after eating, we go out in search of a room (after being flooded with calls), but come back at the hotel fairly soon. Mexico has not the same timetables of Italy, and at evening we have never gone to bed very late.
Palenque - Chiapas
At morning we wake up, take some photos of the streets and go to the station. At 10:00 we have the coach to Palenque (4 hours, 70 pesos, the company is new - TRF) We arrive in Palenque at 14:00 after an all curves journey. As usual we dispute at the bus station to decide what to do, until the Lonely Planet guide saves us as usual, and we find a inn (Posada Kin, 170 Ps) at the side of the main street. We must underline now that the city of Palenque is really awful: there' s just a roadwith a bunch of shops and a small road crossing. The road ends in a special square (where of course there's market of handicrafts!). This city actually serves only as a dormitory for visitors of the famous ruins of Palenque, our main goal for this stage apart from Agua Azul. In the hotel we organize the trip that will take us to the ruins and the famous series of waterfalls that both have praised. We end the day going up and down the main road about a dozen times, Linda bought a couple of hammocks of Yuta (under advice of the shopkeeper are the best and lightest, not as the heavy one of Ale!). Then we eat something and go back to the hotel.
Palenque - The ruins
Wake, breakfast and departure on one of the buses that usually acts as a shuttle for the main hotels and leads us to the ruins of Palenque, which is not far from the city. We noticed, for those who want to go there, that there are many houses before the ruins, maybe they are nicer places to rent because they are all immersed in a huge forest. We make a very long queue to buy tickets (37 ps) and book a guide (lonely again) to enter. We are not a couple particularly fascinated from the archeology and the mystery of history.. but when you see these ruins! The most beautiful thing is to be there in the middle of nature,where these pyramids and these buildings rise, but also tobe able to hear toucans singing in the distance! We begin to study the buildings and reading the inscriptions, turning around, and trying not to loose ourselves. The Palace, the Temple of Inscriptions, the Temple of the Sun and all imposing buildings and well maintained. Our visit takes us down the paths that go into the rainforest. The humidity is very high and the place is infested by mosquitoes, but we can hear the extraordinary music of the birds (a guide of a nice roman group near us, says that they are tucanoes). We continue to walk the streets which lead us to smaller ruins, a group of smaller buildings, a natural waterfall , to switch among giant trees. The road then takes us outside and so we have a quick snack, waiting for our adventure companions and the van (which comes with a monstrous delay) that will lead us to the Misol-Ha waterfalls. Here we have 30 minutes of time, just to follow the path and end up in 35 meters of water falling into a little watersplash where dozens of Mexicans (as usual dressed) have the bath, launching themselves like kamikaze. The road leads us just under the waterfall, to admire this natural beauty from the back (see photo). Drizzle began to wet us and so we get back in the van. We direct us to Agua Azul, a series of waterfalls through the whole forest area in the north of Chiapas. They are called "blue waters" for their particular turquoise color. When we arrive we discover that our driver is also a waiter at the restaurant (see reference to the double work of the guide). We eat and direct toward the waterfalls. Practically there is a road that goes up on the left of this river, from where you can admire the landscape created by these beautiful waters. On my opinion these waters seem a little more greyish than blue and this particular suggest that their color can be seen only during the beautiful spring. we continue to climb, there are dozens of stalls on the street, some selling strange pancakes that we taste soon. Waterfalls in the usual Mexican style(ah, at Sunday, waterfalls are overcrowded, so avoid to go there on Sunday). Ending the climb we come to the very top, where there are some lakes, but begins to rain. So we return back to the van waiting for departure. Back at the hotel we retrieve our backpacks (now became much bigger for us), change dresses in the "hall" and walk to the station. Here we are wait for the bus that will take us to Campeche at 21:45, (168 ps) that should arrive at 6 am. The stage of Campeche was added sacrificing a few days in San Cristobal and the next leg on Caribbean Sea, for the sake of saying that we were also in the sea upon the Gulf of Mexico.
Campeche - Campeche
At 4:00 am bus stops and the driver gets up from his seat to the cry of CAMPECHE! We wake up, look forward and descend to download backpacks. We enter the station half asleep, we do not even have the strength to play our usual quarrel. We check the hand guide, drink a coffee and a coke. A French girl asks us if we know some hostel and to lend her our guide. Then goes away. Meanwhile we telephone at home (in Italy is late morning). We decide what hotel to book and after we call it. So we take a taxi outside the hotel. when we arrive, we are placed in a fairly poor room (Colonial Hotel, 175 PS), where there is a fan that is much loud. We wake up in complete darkness and we see that power was gone. We dress up with the intention to change room because receptionist tells us that power can't be provided anymore, so we leave backpacks there and go away looking for a place to sleep, and to give a first look at this Campeche. We have breakfast in a very familiar place. The power is even gone here so we must arrange. We end up in the Zocalo, very beautiful and well kept (Campeche was rewarded in 1999 with the Heritage Award) and we find a hostel in a corner of the square. We like it. Double room (110 Ps at night), Internet, cooking and laundry! we already feel the call of the washing machine, so we run to take our stuff and go back in this hostel (ah, it is called Monkey Hostel). Someone is in the hall reading on an hammock, someone playing cards and someone goes on the roof who knows what to do. We provided for ourselves emptying bags full of dirty stuff, monopolizing the entire laundry (also causing a couple of floods) and continue our day going around in hostel. We go out in the late afternoon and find a Campeche with two faces: one very far from the Mexican coast, with its typical streets, buildings and the Zocalo, then we move on the coast (a long promenade where there are no points where people can swim) where we face a somewhat wrong modern style. Glass window palaces, shopping centers, a road contoured by palm trees. We dine in the evening, and after make a walk, but wheater is not fine, so we return to hostel's multinational accommodation, in the hall, to eat pop corn from the balcony and watch what happens in the Zocalo.
Campeche - The hostel
In the morning we wake up with a warm sun, so we decide to rent bicycles to drive all over the waterfront. Before we go to the bus station (beautiful bike with no brakes to drive among markets). Here we discover that there are no direct buses from Campeche to Tulum (our next step, CARRIBBEAAAAAANS) and that we must change in Merida, and then take the tickets for the first coach at 8:00am. Pedal to the sea and from here we are heading north, running up a little part of Mexico Gulf. Then sky begins to darken, saying it is going to rain. We repair in a bar, drink something and when rain stops, we do some other kilometers by bike. When we are going back in hostel we decide to use the kitchen. So we do a little shopping and come back discussing with an english girl arguing about who was or not allowed to use the kitchen table. Bah. It's late afternoon, we wash, collect our dry clothes and leave for dinner, but we decide to eat in a little park a takeaway pizza. We make a brief walk in the center and return to the Hostel.
Departure for Tulum
We leave early, catch a taxi on the fly and go to the station. Coach for Merida, (2 hours, 86 Ps) and then at 13:00 from Merida to Tulum (5 hours, 126 Ps). Here happens us a beautiful adventure. After a couple of stops the fearless driver leaves the bus, hacking with something again. At Valladolid stop the driver finally decides to get us down, and calls a mechanic. We understand that air conditioning doesn't work. Given this was not a problem for us, we call and ask the driver if we can go forward without it working. He smiles, saying "Mucho Calor", so we wait to change the coach. After this break (we lost a good hour waiting) we resume our journey. Arrival at Tulum Puebla in the late afternoon and take a taxi to get us in the area Hotelera, where there are all the cabanas on the beach. The taxi (which takes 20 minutes) takes us on this road and leaves us in the cabanas area about that we read in the guide. But they are sold out, it's August and it begins to get scarce accomodation possibilities. We pick another taxi to go back where we felt that there were more. After trying and trying we stop at Diamond K village, where there are few warned cabanas, a tiny dog and two kids who are eating grilled fish. Linda falls in love with the dog, the boys speak with Alessio, contracting for 100 Ps at night and give us their welcome with the Caca de Molo (we can not tell you what it is, Ask it..). Even after all, Ale and Lille are introduced to Juancarlos and Fidel. Fidel is the owner of these cabanas, Juancarlos is his partner in business, charged to lead people around on the beach for snorkeling. The cabanas are somewhat ruins, without light and water, the bathroom is also not well kept, but they are nice, and then we are tired. We talk a little with Juancarlos who knows Italian and we do a walk on the beach. Sun sets down and we come back, trying to make a shower but the bathroom is too sick and we pass over. Luckily we appreciate being completely in the dark, without anyone around. We see a light on the beach and fortunately for us it is a restaurant. They only cook fish, but we choose as usual Huevo revuelto. Let's go back to the cabins, in the dark, to discover that there are unpleasant animals running between our things. We play a little with the dog, which also knocks to our cabana, and we are ready to go to bed, leaving a lighted candle and trying not to think of dirt/unpleasant animals.
Tulum - The Mexican Carribean !!!!
The next day we wake up. The sun is high and only now we see where we are: MEXICAN CARIBBEAN! Descending on the beach, we stop in a little village (run by an Italian, of course) to make breakfast. We wear only swimsuit, shirt and our unfailing backpacks. We didn't comeback. During lunch, our eyes opened, we have then a wash in the bathroom of the village and we immediately thrown us into the water! We would like to say, to whomsoever has never been there, what a sand and water! The sand is like handling das, white and heavy. Water has so many colors that you can not count them. So we walk away meeting very few people, and after a while we arrive at the end of the beach (15 kilometers ca. by feet) where the famous ruins of Tulum start. We always stayed on the beach, a little into water, a little time rolling in the sand. We find a restaurant where we eat something. It's 3:00pm in the afternoon, we feel that the sun is causing a strange effect on the skin and we head towards the cabins. Around 5:00pm we come back. Burned, dehydrated and tired. Here we know Stella and Stefano, two boys of Bari, who will be our companions in this part of trip. Chatteing with them, we know reach a Mexican who sells hammocks. He is very kind and very meticulous in his work. We are in Merida (home of Mexican hammocks) and this explains some of everything. Linda exhibits him its purchase of Palenque, and he exchanged them for another one intrue true true Yuta. Now, do you remember hammock purchased by Alessio in Puerto Escondido? He pulls it out and the seller starts to laugh. The hammock is made of plastic, heavy and too expensive. The seller exchange his one with one of equal size but made of Yuta (100 times more light and strong). We are explained that Yuta well as having properties of resistance and lightness also allows those who use it to get in with shoes and belts without breaks. The real Yuta is rough to the touch, mind it when you buy one. Then we greet our friend and prepare for the evening. Taken a taxi to Tulum Puebla, we stop to eat in an Italian restaurant, wishing to order some pasta, we do a trip around the city, which is not special, but at least there's lighting! Returned into the cabins, with sunny day fever, we greet all the dogs in the area and there we go to sleep after fighting all the insects away.
Tulum - The Mexican Carribean !!!!
At 10.00 am we are woken up by strange noises outside the cabana. We leave out and find Fidel and Juancarlos. They are doing breakfast based on grilled fish, beer and caca de pier! We are told that "Esta, is the breakfast of champions!" and we have offered some. Stefano Stella wake up like us and after having enjoyed the party make us compliments for our burns. We are in pieces, the sun of yesterday has drawn us, so we decide to visit the ruins. Wetake a taxi that makes again the road to the coast and leaves us in front of the ruins. Now, the ruins are not so much, but their position on the sea is spectacular. We return in the afternoon to cabanas where everyone gathered to find their seats. We pass time cheating till late evening and then decide to go out with Stella and Stefano to eat something in Puebla. There we go into a very typical restaurant, where we watch the final of the Copa America during dinner. When we come back and all the dogs of Fidel welcome us (poor animals, they were alone and in the dark). We try to relight the fire that someone had left but with little results. Tomorrow morning we start to the final stage, Isla Mujeres, where Stella and Stefano will accompany us.
Departure to Isla mujeres
We wake up early heading for Cancun, where we will take the boats to reach the island. The buses leave every hour (2 hours, 44 Ps, going to Playa del Carmen). We come to Cancun (an ultra modern metropolis. Here the real Mexico is gone, you feel like to be in the United States...). We must take a bus to Puerto Juarez where the ferry starts (20 minutes, 35 Ps). We arrive at Isla Mujeres in the early afternoon. Descending from the ferry we are assaulted by a hundred Mexicans who invite us into their Posada. We understand now that the island is very very touristy. Stella and Stefano are convinced by a "shouter" which leads us to Posada Mujeres (180 Ps). Awesome, a building between the two main streets. This for us is the last stage, so we want to enjoy the sea, turning around the "Americanized" streets, full of shops, and pass the night around. We placed in the last room of holiday and we go around. We are on the tip of the island and the roads are interwoven with each other and lead all to the main beach (Playa North, full of umbrellas and people, not like Tulum, sigh!..) or on the two main streets. Around is full of people, you hear more English than Spanish. Let's havee a cocktail in one of the many places and go back to the hotel. Stefano and Stella join us for dinner and so for night to be passed around.
Isla Mujeres - Quintana Roo
Now you must know that this is our last day in Mexico. We underline this because we forgot we were there. So the day regularly passes by, beach, shops, and then all 5 of us organizing a boat trip for tomorrow... Returning to the hotel we have somewhat a chat, it's 6:00 of the afternoon when someone says that today is the 27th. No, we say, today is 26th .... then a lightning bolt through our two small brains, and knowledge comes up. No! TOMORROW WE HAVE THE PLANE from Cancun? Oh dear. Gifts? The photos in Isla Mujeres (photos here beside doesn't show anything about our presence in this island). We run desperately in the shops to buy all the presents, and finally leave to eat in total sadness. We still do not believe it.. Nooooo! However we end the evening closing backpacks, putting the stuffs necessary to return home, we expect an extreme trip tomorrow. Finally we go to bed sadly, after almost a month away from home, we discover that we do not want to return anymore.
Back to home.... :-((
We wake up early, trying to greet our friends but they are deeply sleeping. Let's take the first ferry that drives us back to Puerto Juarez, then we take a taxi to the airport, embarking baggages and walking a bit around. We expect a flight at 1:30pm for Miami. A 4-hour stopover then (what an incredible number of searches in that airport) in danger of losing the plane to Madrid. Other 8 hours of flight time on a Boeing overcrowded. Linda sleeps, Ale watches all the movies and 3 dusks flowing out of the window. We arrive in Madrid that we do not know either what day or where we are, but we have to pass there other 5 hours. We sleep standing up, the Time zone gave us a terrible hit. We lose into the airport, and saved by immigration office, we embark for Milan. Flight really empty, a few people. We sleep with the head pendant. We arrive to Milan that is early afternoon (should be 29/07/03). Descendinjg from the plane, our families await us, basically we are very happy to see them. However happens a very small incident, our backpacks have been left in Miami.
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