In the north-west corner of the state Yucatan on the Gulf of Mexico lies the fishing village of Celestún. This village is known for its Reserva de la Biosfera Celestún, that is home to a large flamingo colony.
I took a beach-and-bird day trip from Mérida to Celestún. During a one-hour boat trip we saw the flamingos in their natural habitat. After that we went to the beach for a seafood lunch and some hours of beachtime.
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When visiting the Yucatan peninsula, it is almost a must to visit one of the ancient Maya cities. The impressive set of ruins of Uxmal are found 80 kilometres south from Mérida.
The archealogical site is in good condition and the presence of Chac (the raingod) can be found on most of its structures. The largest structure is the Casa del Adivino (Magician's House), an oval temple. Other sights are Cuadrangulo de las Monjas (Nuns'Quadrangle), Juego de Plota (Ball Court), Palacio del Gobernador (Governor's Palace) and the Gran Piramide (Great Pyramid). The Great Pyramid can be climbed upon to have an amazing view on the Uxmal sight. Disappointed by the beach in Playa del Carmen, I decided to visit some nearby beaches between PDC and Tulum. I visited the beach of Akumal, known for snorkeling with turtles. This beach seemed to have become a crowded tourist beach with an entrance fee and a lot of organised snorkeling.
The next day I decided to take the collectivo to Xpu Ha, looking for a more pristine beach. Although the access roads to the beach still asked for a (50 pesos) entrance fee, I was happy to spend the day in the bay of Xpu Ha. In the centre of the bay there are some beach clubs and a few shops. To the sides of the bay there are a few luxury resorts and the remains of some resorts that had been destroyed by hurricanes in 2005. I walked the bay to both sides and enjoyed reading a book in the sun on the more remote parts of the beach. It had been six years since I visited Playa del Carmen for the first time. I remembered this resort town as a place with amazing white sand beaches and still a relaxt touristy vibe.
After being at the low-key Isla Holbox for a few days, I was a bit shocked by what I saw when I arrived in Playa del Carmen. The main tourist street "Quinta Avenida" was now even more filled with big tourist shops and big nightlife clubs. The beach was way smaller due to erosion. The wharf with ferries to Cozumel had gotten a large terminal with adjecent shopping mall. And the centre of Playa del Carmen was just packed with tourist (ok, I know it was high season...). Somehow I thought Playa del Carmen has become worse then Cancún regarding it being To find good stretches of white sand beach I had to walk 2 kilometres to the beach of Playacar that is backed up by luxury resorts. The rest of my days in PDC I took advantage of the central location on the Riviera Maya to visit the beaches of Akumal and Xpu Ha (located between PDC and Tulum). Holbox is an island located on the north coast of the Yucatan Peninsula where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean. The island is accessed by ferry from Chiquila and has virtually no cars. Most transport on the island is by golf cart or by moped. Since there are no paved streets the island is perfect to walk around barefooted. Like the welcoming card in my appartment said: "No shoes, no problem!".
Although Chiquila is just three hours by bus from Cancún, mass tourism hasn't arrived yet on Isla Holbox. The village Holbox is a great destination for street art. Most houses are painted in bright colours and amazing murals can be found. From the village you can walk on stretches of sandbar to the north-western tip of the island called Punta Mosquitos. It took me a few hours (and a few hours to get back) to reach. But the walk was amazing and felt like being Jesus walking on water with the blue sea on both sides of the sandbar. The other day I walked to the most western tip of the island, called Punta Coco. This time I had to cross a Laguna to reach the empty and isolated beaches. After 4 nights I regretted that I didn't book more nights on Holbox. Because when the sun is out, the island really feels like paradise! Cancún was a tourist project started in 1970 by the Mexican federal government in an inhabited, pristine area. Since then the city has grown to become one of the best-known beach resort destinations in the world. The Cancún hotel zone (all-inclusive resorts) is built on 21 kilometers of pristine white beaches shaped like a number "7". Downtown Cancún is where most residents live.
Six years ago I went directly from the international Cancún airport to Playa del Carmen. This time I wanted to see what the fuzz about Cancún was really about. Since accomodation in downtown Cancún is more reasonably priced, I booked a room in a hostel close to the ADO bus station. For lunch and diner, the Parque de las Palapas had numerous typical Mexican eateries. And in the evenings the park was filled with locals strolling around. The downtown area has no beach access. But local busses leave every five minutes to the beaches. One day I spend on the Playa del Delfines, the beach with the "Cancún sign" that is not backed up by massive hotels. It is a beautiful white-sand beach. But the sea is rough. The other day I went to Playa Gaviota Azul and Playa Chac-Mool, both located near Punta Cancún where the famous nightlife of the city is.
I started and ended my 3 weeks of Mexican holiday in Mexico City (Ciudad de México or DF). This capital of Mexico is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley at the center of Mexico at an altitude of 2,240 meters. The Greater Mexico City population is about 25 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area of the western hemisphere.
On the first day I walked from Zona Rosa (where I was staying) along the Paseo de la Reforma (the elegant and immense main avenue with the icon of the golden Angel of Independence) to the Historic Center. Along the way I went to the 44th floor observation deck of the LatinoAmericana tower to have an overview on the endless city. Next day I took a metro and a bus to the ancient city of Teotihuacan, 50 kilometers north from Mexico City. On the third day I wandered the neighborhoods of Condesa and Colonia Roma before I visited the Museo Nacional de Historia in the Castle of Chapultepec. This castle is on a hill in the beautiful Chapultepec Park. In the evening I went to Arena Mexico where I witnessed some Lucha Libre. This Mexican style of wresting show is a popular sport throughout the country and to me it was very entertaining. When I returned from the Oaxacan Coast I had one more day to spend in Mexico City. I decided to go back to the Historic Center to see some of the murals in the Palacio de Bellas Artes. I was surprised to see an ice-skating rink in front of the Cathedral on the main square (Zócalo). Together with the Christmas tree it got me into the Christmas vibe before returning home.
To avoid a seven-hours bus ride over the hairpin turns of the Sierra del Sur mountain range I took a 13-seat Cessna from Oaxaca de Juárez to Puerto Escondido. This “Hidden Port” is a small port and beachtown on the Oaxacan coast. It is not as well known as other beach resorts like Cancun or Acapulco because there are only domestic flights going to it. It caters mostly to surfers, backpackers and Mexican families.
The main attractions of Puerto Escondido are its beaches. For 3 days I walked the several bays and beaches enjoying the beachlife (and fish tacos!). Most famous beach is 3-km-long Zicatela Beach. It hosts major surfing competitions and the large waves make the sea here not suitable for swimming. I stayed in a hostel in the west side of town near the beaches Playa Carrizalillo, Puerto Angelito and Playa Bacocho. The first one was my favorite because it’s on a small bay (perfect for swimming) and there are no vehicular roads leading to the beach (so less crowded and few vendors). On Playa Bacoche I enjoyed watching the baby seaturtles finding their way to the sea. From Puerto Escondido it was about 1,5 hours to the remote beach of Zipolite. There I stayed for a week before coming back to Puerto Escondido and taking a flight back to Mexico City.
After spending some days in Puerto Escondido I wanted to get to an even more remote area of the Oaxaca coast. 70 km further to the east I ended up in Playa Zipolite. This beach community is located in San Pedro Pochutla municipality and is known as being one of Mexico’s very few clothing optional beaches and for retaining much of the hippie culture that made it notable in the 1960s and 1970s.
For a week I enjoyed the nearly pristine beach that stretches almost 2 km with medium grain gold colored sand. This was one of the beaches featured in the Mexican blockbuster movie “Y tu mamá ambién.” It stretches from a small isolate cove called Playa del Amor on the east side to the new age Shambala retreat on the west end which is partially sheltered by rocks. I really spoiled myself by booking a room in a beautiful resort with an infinity-pool overlooking the Roca Blanca, a large rock just off the shore which is white due to bird guano. This place was definitely a highlight of my holiday!
It took me 7 hours by bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca de Juárez. The bus ride was scenic with views on the Mexican landscape, including the Popocatepetl volcano. The city of Oaxaca is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name. It is located on the foothills of the Sierra Madre.
In Oaxaca I met my friend Simone, who I know since we were on the same journey in Southern Africa in 2008. Since she was teaching English in Oaxaca she showed me the city that she was living in for over a month now. Most of the days we just strolled the colonial downtown to soak up the atmosphere. Around the beautiful church Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo we saw some traditional parades and we enjoyed the local bars and restaurants. We also visited Monte Alban, a pre-Hispanic city that was an ancient capital of the Zapotecs. The Zapotec people built this site atop some of the highest mountains in the area. It gave a beautiful view on the current city of Oaxaca. The city of Oaxaca has long been considered Mexico's culinary capital. The most notable aspect of Oaxacan cuisine is its variety of moles, a type of complex sauce. Also chocolate and Mezcal (spirit made from agave) are typical Oaxacan. On my last day in Oaxaca, I took Simone for dinner to one of the best restaurants in the city. It was great to spend four days in Oaxaca. Thou after being a week in Mexico it was about time to hit the beaches. So I got on a small plane to Puerto Escondido to enjoy the rest of my holiday on the Oaxacan Pacific coast. |
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