Mexico Part 1

Mexico...a place where there is no rules, the cops are corrupt, the cartel are you friends and tequilla is drunk like water.

I arrived into Cancun early in the morning. I was advised prior to my arrival by a girl in Vancouver to prearrange a a shuttle/taxi to my first destination - which I am very grateful for. Walking out of the airport doors, with hundreds of Mexican sales people flaunting their services in front of you. I remained confident and walked promptly to my described shuttle/taxi guide.

After arriving at my hostel I had two plans that I had set myself for that day:

1. Get cash out - because cash is king in Mexico

2. Purchase a phone SIM card - not a necessity just would rather be looking at it than looking for it!

I found an OXXO (basically like a Mexican version of a Seven Eleven and attempted to get cash out...whilst already being anxious...am I gonna get mugged? Will the machine eat my card? Why is the entire ATM machine in Spanish? Trust my luck my card was not recognised and I was left back at square one. Nervously I looked around and spotted a young lady browsing in the OXXO, I gave it a crack and sussed out if she could speak English - ta da! Myrthe was a lovely Dutch pal that I had no idea I was about to meet and spend my time in Tulum and Bacalar with! Myrthe had taken some Spanish lessons prior to commencing her backpacking travels and was able to help me complete my tasks for that day!

Cancun

I only had one night in Cancun as my delayed flight meant I arrived a day later than anticipated. I was not phased. Cancun was a big city, hard to get around by foot, stinking hot and did not have much of a relaxed vibe.

I joined up with some fellow roomies at my hostel in Cancun and decided to join forces and travel to Tulum together. Saun, a gentleman from Texas was renting a car and said he would be keen to do a road trip with us all! I was stoked. No taxi and the luxury of chucking on your own tunes on Aux!

The fun was over 10 minutes into the trip...my first encounter with the Mexican Police. Sirens and voices over the megaphone I quickly went into flight and fight mode. I slapped Saun on the shoulder and told him to pull over whilst frantically getting everyone to hide anything valuable. All of us putting majority of our cash down our bras, hiding our phones underneath the car seats and reassuring each other that we are in this together. The cop abruptly asked in the direction of the driver 'English or Spanish', the driver, Saun replied with English. The cop began repeatedly recalling that he had seen us all without seatbelts on (this was BS by the way). He requested that Saun show his driver licence and he took it from him. The cop began to get defensive when we politely and calmly stated that we were all wearing the seatbelts. He began outlining that we would need to collect the license in 3 days time from a police station. Saun stated that he would be happy to drive there now and collect. The police officer was getting frustrated with out determination and fortunately gave the license back. When handing the license back the police man began to fan out the licenses he had collected that morning (I am not kidding, maybe 15 foreign licenses!) JEEEE WIZ! I knew the police were corrupt but I did not realise they were going to be that much of an asshole. We continued on our journey, grateful to have had each other in that situation and agreed that we were no longer allowed to talk about the event. We did not want to ruin out time. I think we all can agree that our stomachs dropped when seeing a police car from that moment onwards.

Tulum

A beautiful place, touristy, lots of police, coconuts and pretty beaches. I stayed at the Oryx Hostel in Tulum. I enjoyed in there. I felt safe. I woke up on the days that I was there and did an hour yoga class, followed by cooking myself something to eat and then heading out for the day to see the cenotes.

The Grand Cenote was by far my favourite. This Cenote (I will attach pictures of) was situated about 14km from the hostel I was in. Myrthe, Lily and myself rented bicycles and headed to the cenote for the day. Tiny turtles filled the crystal clear water. Bats outlined the cave whilst little birds built their nests along the face of the cave.

It is a requirement before getting into a cenote to wash your body to keep the water pure. The water was so refreshing and an absolute delight to immerse myself in. The Grand Cenote - a must do in Tulum.

I met some more incredible people - exchanged stories. Mostly about close encounters with the police, being held at knife and gun point and getting money/valuable stolen. It scared me, but most of all made me the most vigilant I have ever been.