We were greeted in Cancun by lots of security. So long for low standards. After baggage checks, How long will you be in the country? And travelers visas , we got to the main stretch of the airport.
TIMESHARES. You will be greeted by young Mexican men who will give you tourist information. The information itself can be quite helpful, however they will mention that you will be offered a chance to see the new hotel in wherever. (Playa del Carmen in our case.) As a price for your time you will receive (insert amount of money here). At the end, it isn’t worth it, because at the hotel, you will see a timeshares seminar. The money is real, but not worth the day that you will waste if you accept the offer. You will most definitely see that in hotel zone, or any other tourismo place.
Now, to get to your hotel, (if it’s on the strip) I recommend a shuttle over a private taxi. The taxi… it is…a… just for you. However, it is expensive because the taxis from the airport are government regulated, for safety. The shuttle… it for other… you know… as a well. It is cheaper and as efficient.
The people at GREEN LINE shuttles, were pleasant and funny. (The shuttle will be back in cinco minutos Mexicanos. Five Mexican minutes, is quite longer than five American or Canadian minutes. They take things slow in Mexico. Don’t complain.)
Once getting to our hotel, (See “AquamarinaBeach Hotel”) we were bombardied by a man named Roberto giving us perfume and trying to pedal…
TIMESHARES. And to be clear, the exact same offer, to Playa del Carmen with a $100 reward. Except for some reason he also pedaled Xel-Ha waterpark, and the Mayan ruins at Tulum. Both sound pretty cool, but we already knew somewhat our plans. Sorry, Roberto. Maybe next time.
Checked into the hotel, went in the pool, went to the beach, (the beaches of Cancun and Cozumel have a flag system, look at those before you swim.) and seeing that we did not buy the all inclusive package, the food at AquamarinaBeach required money and was not extremely appealing.
We therefore caught our self a bus, with Squirt in hands, (very good drink) and it only cost us 65 cents to go to Ciudad Cancun. The bus was crowded but on-board entertainment was fun and the bus trip was worth the price.
Once we got downtown, it was hard to get around but that was because the maps we had were not extremely helpful. Most things are within walking distance once you get to the main stretch of town.
Aah… americanized pestilence has taken over Cancun, McDonalds, Wal-Mart, eww. We received a very nice meal at ‘El Pescador’ downtown. (see “El Pescador”) While walking around we purchased souvenirs and went back to our hotel. For some reason, the bus trip was more expensive on the way back, maybe the price differs from driver to driver.
We had a long day after that and packed it in. Meals in Mexico are at 8-11, 2-5, 7-10 therefore most restaurants are not open until 7 at night. Plan accordingly.
