Mexico

The Riviera Maya is one of the most popular destinations in Mexico, and it’s easy to see why: crystal clear Caribbean waters, pristine beaches, beautiful beach towns and Maya ruins …

Two shiny new Ford transporter vans stop along the side of a white cement road and nearly 30 passengers pile out and reformulate into the small groups everyone came with. Dani and I stand off to the side and observe with some shock the other tourists in the group. A group of Brazilians (both female and male) in tank-tops, short-shorts and movie-star sunglasses and several girls in short-ish skirts. Before you start thinking Dani and I to be very prude (standing there in our long pants, closed toe shoes and jackets), we should explain that our tour was taking place in traditional Mayan villages outside of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico. The agency had mentioned that we should wear appropriate clothes out of respect to the villagers – advice apparently very few of us chose to heed.

Isla Mujeres – this little Caribbean island near Cancun is my little Mexican paradise, complete with picture-perfect palm-fringed sandy beaches and crystal clear turquoise water!

Without fail, every single person we told warned us against a trip to Mexico. Don’t you know how dangerous it is there, they would warn, speaking of killings, kidnappings and drug crime. Don’t believe the hype – Go to Mexico!!!

This year has been a total beach for the two of us. Having spent over five months on the coast around the world, we share our top five beaches of the year in this post.

October 30th marked our 6-month travel anniversary, and the six-month marker seemed the right time to take a look at our expenses so far – including how much we have spent, where the money went, and what our average per day spend has been in each country.

This week’s Polaroid features some colorful calacas in Mexico – decorated skeletons which are used to celebrate the dead and can be found all over the country.

After 11 wonderful weeks, we Globetrottergirls are finally moving on from Mexico. On the bus on our way to Belize, we were already reminiscing about our time here, and came up with 33 things we love about Mexico…

The German car company Volkswagen produced its famous Beetle in Puebla, Mexico, from 1967 until 2003, where it held its classic 50s look until the very end. The Beetle reached cult status in Mexico and can be seen everywhere.

Celebrations start every year on 15 September when the President of Mexico rings the bell at the National Palace in Mexico City, waves the Mexican flag and shouts ¡Viva Mexico! from the balcony of the palace to the crowds in the Plaza de la Constitución (the Zócalo).