First Hours in CDMX

San Jerónimo Street in Mexico City.

Just after 8 am we left our hotel on Calle San Jerónimo and entered the narrow old street. The morning sun glistened on the upper level of the brown brick buildings that seemed to bend with the contour of the street.

Most of the rolling security shutters on the shops were still down. I didn't know if that meant they were not yet open for the day or were closed permanently.

We walked along a busy road toward Mercado de La Merced, a bustling market in the center of Mexico City. Many were just now setting up shop while others pulled vending carts along the side of the road, still unassembled.

Across the street I noted the dome and bell towers of an old church. It was boxed in on both sides by so-called modern buildings, now tarnished and falling apart themselves.

Templo de San Pablo el Nuevo.

At the end of the street we arrived at the market and along the outer extremities crowds began to gather and vendors displayed their wares. On the corner a vendor had already prepared a line of taco meat that filled the air with aroma.

We entered inside the market, but to our disappointment, only a few vendors had set up shop. Looking for breakfast, we returned to the taco stand on the corner.

My mouth watered as I eyed the selection of stewed meats. I chose the alambre since I had never seen that option in the States.

He scooped the warm meat onto four corn tortillas and sprinkled them with onion and cilantro. Two tacos for me and two for Jordan. I drizzled a mystery red sauce over the meat, then we ate them standing up, using a nearby unused vending cart as a table.

The flavorful food hit the spot. The meat practically melted in my mouth. Tacos for breakfast in Mexico City. What else could we ask for ?!

Tacos de alambre.

We walked our way closer to the historic center. I was still amazed that since we had left the airport the night before, we had not seen another tourist. That still held true. Now as we ambled about the streets, they became more full and chaotic with locals on their way to work or wherever they might be going.

We passed by a plaza with yet more street vendors beginning their day. Most of them had large parasols above their booths to protect from sun and rain. They sat casually with their goods, like they had for the last thousand days, completely unaware of two gringo tourists infringing on their world.

I was amazed at how many old churches we saw dotted along the way. Most of them appeared to be from the earlier Colonial Period in the 15― or 1600's, built with gray bricks and rocks, perhaps looted from the old Aztec city.

Street market at Pino Suárez.

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel. 

Detail on historic building in Mexico City.

I decided to take a closer look at one of these old churches. Like the others, it too was built with gray brick. I noticed the bell tower silhouetted against the blue sky.

Then I saw the plaque on the outer wall. We moved closer and it confirmed that this was the church I had studied about. The plaque read: “Here are the remains of Hernán Cortés.”

Inside the church was simple and unpretentious. Old dim paintings hung on the wall and two lines of pews ran to the front.

At the front, behind a red plaque, embedded in the wall, were the remains of the Spanish Conquistador.⸻I've been to the graves of both Christopher Columbus and Francisco Pizarro, and Hernán Cortés certainly wins the award for the least prestigious memorial.

We returned outside, walking down José María Pino Suárez Street. As we walked I noticed the streets became cleaner and the cafes on the side became more geared toward the tourist. Buildings, it seemed, became older and more grand.⸻Then we saw it. We came to a massive plaza with the cathedral on the far side and a large Mexican flag in the center. This was the Zócalo. ♠

Church with the tomb of Hernán Cortés.

10 Pleasant Surprises in Mexico City

Have you ever spent a weekend in Mexico City?

We did just that (plus a couple days). Oh, what a fascinating city! This former capital of the Aztec Empire, and now the capital of Mexico, blew my mind with its vibrancy, pulse and breadth. We did our homework before we left, but there were still things that took us by surprise.

Parish Church of St. James the Apostle in Tlatelolco.

Interior of Parish Church of John the Baptist of Coyoacán.

1. Old churches. It seemed to me like there were old churches on every other block! And when I say old churches, I mean ones that were built in the 15― and 1600's. Most that I saw were built in either gray or off-white stone. Some were even built with stone acquired after dismantling Aztec pyramids. My favorite was San Juan Bautista in the Coyoacán neighborhood. It was completed in 1552. My favorite part about it were all the beautiful murals on the ceiling of the interior.

Old Aztec shrine on display at the Pino Suárez metro stop.

2. Pino Suárez Ruin. During our three days in Mexico City our hotel was just a block from the Pino Suárez metro stop which worked out pretty conveniently for us. On our second day, as we had already taken the escalators down to the underground, I was surprised to see an Aztec shrine displayed there. It was left in situ, with walls around it so we could look but not touch. It was discovered during the excavation and construction of the subway. While excavating the shrine they found offerings of parakeets, ducks, cranes, dogs and even infant humans. I am amazed to think of what has already been discovered beneath Mexico City, and what still remains hidden.

Street food in Mexico City. 

3. Street Food. I've been to Saigon, Phnom Penh, and Bangkok―and Mexico City might beat them all when it comes to street food and other vendors. There are carts everywhere! From tacos to tortas to tlayudas, there's a little bit of everything of the Mexican Cuisine. With the exception of one little neighborhood we visited, we found an abundance of food carts in every place we went.

Sky tram over a Mexico City neighborhood.

4. Riding a sky tram. We didn't even know that a sky tram existed in Mexico City until we were on a bus en route to Teotihuacan and saw these gondolas traveling on cables high above a densely-packed neighborhood on the outskirts of town. Right then we were determined to figure out how and where to ride them, and later that evening we did just that. Just before sunset we had the view of an eagle, which proved to be the best vista of the entire trip!

Inside the former convent of San Jerónimo.

5. Going inside a convent. Part of the plan was to walk around the former convent of San Jerónimo. It was founded in the 1,500's and was one of the first in Mexico City. I knew that it was now a university, so my plan was just to walk around and view it from the outside. Surprisingly we found a front desk with someone in it, and even more surprisingly, they let us enter the grounds as long as we stayed on the ground level. Inside we passed by gardens and courtyards, and stepped inside the old church. In one room, the coro bajo, they had years ago excavated the remains of nearly 200 nuns who used to live in the convent. The sepulchers had been placed below the floor. This was a very fascinating visit.

Leftover art from Day of the Dead.

6. Day of the Dead remnants. We visited Mexico City on November 6-8, less than a week after the country celebrated Día de Muertos. I don't know how much was left over from the holiday versus how much was part of the permanent scene, but there were artistic renditions of skeletons and skulls everywhere! We saw displays in old churches, on sidewalks, and on buildings.

Suadero tacos.

7. Suadero Tacos. Until this trip I had never heard of suadero tacos. The name refers to the meat that comes from the belly or flank of the cow, which is slowly cooked in oil and then crisped before putting into tortillas. When I bit into the meaty, crispy little chunks of beef and fat, it was pure heaven! They were my favorite tacos in Mexico City. If anyone is wondering, my second favorite taco was arranchera, and number three, al pastor.

The other side of the barricade is reserved only for women and children.

8. Women and children sections of the metro. The Mexico City metro system can be a very good option for getting from one place to another. Having said that, it can also be a little rough and crowded. Several times we were packed in cars like sardines. An environment like this is ripe for abuse. In an effort to protect against violence and sexual assault against women and children, the metro has reserved the first three carriages for them only. I think it's an excellent idea. We can also attest that it was well enforced because a few times we weren't paying attention and walked to the wrong side before getting kicked out.

Common street scene outside of the tourist area. 

9. How few tourists. I am very well aware that there has been push-back against the rise in tourism in Mexico City. And yes, we did see a fair amount around the Zócalo, Coyoacán, and especially at Teotihuacan. But for a large chunk of our stay, we saw no tourists. We used the subway to move around and didn't encounter any tourists there. We did quite a bit of walking in other parts of the city and saw very few gringos like ourselves.

Xochipilli, inside the National Museum of Anthropology. 

10. Anthropology Museum. Of course, we knew this museum would be good, but when we got there, we were pleasantly surprised with how good and big it really was, and how many artifacts it had on display. The museum has different rooms for different groups of ancient people, including the Aztec, Maya, Olmec, those at Teotihuacan, Northern Mexico, and even groups in the United States such as the Anasazi. The amount of artifacts from Mesoamerica astounded me. It wasn't just pieces of pottery and ancient tools; it was elaborate and large figurines. There was so much to see that the museum closed before we could see it all, and that was with us rushing through. I would rate this in the top five museums I've ever been to, coming behind only to places like The British Museum and The Prado.

Night market at Alameda Central.

Bonus: Night Market at Alameda Central. On our final evening (a Saturday) I was intent on finding a night market. Through our research we learned about the market at Plaza Garibaldi. It did not disappoint. We ate lots of tacos and were serenaded by mariachi bands. To return to our hotel we sought to catch the subway by walking five blocks to Alameda Central, the large park next to the Palace of Fine Arts. When we arrived, we were surprised to find another night market. I didn't see many other tourists tromping around. It was pretty much all locals. They sold food, clothing, accessories and a slew of other stuff. We didn't buy anything because we had already eaten, but we agreed that this was the perfect ending to our trip. ♠

Isla Mujeres

We boarded the ferry at Playa Caracol, and far across the turquoise water we could see the strip of land known as Island of the Women. Certainly, there were many women on the ferry on their way to this seductive island, most of them dressed in beach attire. Of course, men were on their way there, too.

Forty minutes later we pulled up to the port and locked up with the dock. With the exception of a few who brought their suitcases, most of the droves were, like ourselves, on a day trip from Cancún.

Corner of Avenida Juarez and Calle Abasolo.

Avenida Rueda Medina, the first street we encountered when off the ferry, was a thriving hub where everyone seemed to be. Hustlers thrust laminated brochures at our faces, trying to sell us tours. Every business along the far side of the street seemed to be renting golf carts. Surprisingly, two random Mexicans who just happened to work at the hotel where we were staying in Cancún recognized us! (We believed the first guy, but when the second one stopped us, we knew it was a ploy.)

We walked inland on a narrow street with shops opened up, all the owners trying to entice with their wonderful deals. Already annoyed, we kept our heads forward and pushed on.

The east coast of Isla Mujeres.

Isla Mujeres is not a big island. At this point it was only about 1,000 feet wide and soon we would come out on the other side before a beautiful blue panorama of Caribbean Sea and rocky coastline.

By now the hawkers had faded away and we were able to enjoy the serene vista. On this eastern coast we had a long view which stretched far to the south. 

First on our agenda, however, was to find a place to eat. For the moment we found ourselves in a quiet part of town. That played to our advantage.

I saw a sign on the outside of a wall advertising tacos for 35 pesos. We stepped inside to what looked like a family operation. Behind the counter a man and woman cooked the food. Four tables, all fairly close together, served as the dining area. A teenage boy, probably their son, came in with a bag of groceries.

We weren't terribly hungry. I ordered two tacos, a birria and barbacoa. A bottle of Coke on the side hit the spot. The birria taco was fall-apart tender and very flavorful.

A bottle of Coke and tacos.

A small taco shop on Isla Mujeres. 

Now it was time to rent those golf carts. I was worried about this because some of the hawkers we ran into earlier gave us quotes of 85 USD for two hours. From what I learned on the internet, it should have been much lower. There's nothing more irritable than getting swindled in Mexico!

We returned to Avenida Rueda Medina and the first two companies we encountered were currently out of carts. At that moment we lost hope and thought that perhaps we had waited too long. A lesson learned.

But then we came across a cranny of a building with a golf cart parked out by the sidewalk. I went inside and inquired and learned they still had one left. We rented it for two hours for 1,000 pesos, or roughly 50 USD. We were on our way!

A golf cart is the arguably the best option for the tourist to see the island. There are also taxis, scooters, and a rickety old bus. But the golf carts seem most practical.

I drove for the first half, getting used to our new means of conveyance. I had to watch out for the speed bumps. Dang speed bumps! Every time I it hit one too fast, Jenelle would let me know.

The golf carts didn't go as fast as the cars or scooters. I tried staying to the right so they could pass. Even while driving, the hawkers on the street tried soliciting us, usually offering beer. I'm sure they knew it  was strictly forbidden on our carts.

We took to the island in a counter-clockwise direction, making very few stops until we arrived at the southern point. Being good stewards, we shut off our carts and locked them up with a cable lock that wrapped around a bar and steering wheel.

Punta Sur.

Punta Sur was, in my opinion, was the most picturesque place on the island. Like a finger, it jutted into the ocean with steep jagged cliffs on both sides. The slender strip on top had a beautiful stretch of green growth, cactus and an array of statues.

What caught my attention were all the iguanas. They crawled everywhere, but mostly on the rocky ledges near the cliffs. They mostly stood still, but would sometimes move to the next rock and strut their head. Although I saw dozens of them, I took way too many pictures because they were such a novelty. I felt as if I had just discovered a lost species of dinosaur that was an ancestor to our modern lizards. Very fascinating.

One of many iguanas.

Now, to be sure, we weren't quite at the southern point. It cost 100 pesos per person to gain access to walk the additional half mile to the very end. I would have loved to, but we didn't have the time. We had to return the golf cart.

Isla Mujeres was given its name by the Spainards, who landed in 1517. They found figurines of females scattered throughout the island. At one time it had a temple dedicated to Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of the moon, love and fertility. Many women would make a pilgrimage to the island, which was symbolic of their transition into womanhood, hence the name.

Jenelle's turn to drive the golf cart.

Now it was Jenelle's turn to drive. She promised I wouldn't even feel the bumps! Now I was able to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

We made two stops. The first was at another overlook of the rocky eastern coast. This one had even more iguanas than Punta Sur. It was kind of creepy to see so many reptiles in one place. The place was infested with iguanas.

The second stop was for me. It was a cemetery. Although there was nothing of note or historical about this cemetery, its location was all it needed.⸺Next to the Caribbean Sea!

Iguanas everywhere!

Cemetery just off the coast.

A typical road on our circuit of the island. 

Our time with the golf cart now drew to an end.  After returning our cart we walked northwest on Avenida Rueda Medina, along an array of shops. Soon the main road petered out and then we came to a sandy one-car lane. We emerged onto a pristine beach with hundreds of people.

This beach, I believe, was public, but all the shaded lawn chairs belonged to the hotels. The white sand was smooth and perfect. No rocks. The water was the color of larimar. Friends, families and strangers all cooled off in the same shallow water.

I couldn't wait to change into my swimming suit and have my own adventure. With shirt off and bright red chest and thighs now exposed, I waded into the water, the fine white sand beneath my feet like a fluffy pillow. Once my swimming trunks were submerged I dove like a fish into the refreshing fluid. I swam underwater for several strokes before coming up for air. Everything was perfect.

For the next half hour I enjoyed the water. The waves were never too big and not once did I feel even a pebble beneath my feet. With goggles on I floated across the top, watching the murky green water and sand. The world beneath the surface was a dreamy one.

Playa El Cocal. 

On our way back to the ferry I walked barefoot and shirtless until I was dry. We stopped to buy Jenelle a sweatshirt, then at a 7-Eleven to get a drink. We both needed fluids.

Our last stop was at another cemetery. This one was only a couple blocks from the northern beaches. Jenelle even came in with me. Like a typical Mexican cemetery, the monuments were built above-ground. We saw an assortment of statues and crosses.

Cemetery #2 on Isla Mujeres.

Without much time to spare we hurried to the ferry terminal. We hoped to catch the 5:30 boat, the second-to-last one for the day. It was a madhouse, everyone trying to get back to their hotel.

When they scanned our tickets, the ticket lady admitted our entrance, but blocked the people behind us. We were the last ones allowed on the boat! The others must have been forced to take the 7 pm boat. What a sigh of relief for us!

Jenelle and I sat with hundreds of others on the ferry, listening to a stocky Mexican man serenade us with Cielito Lindo. We relished the moment. We couldn't have asked for a better day. We saw a heavenly landscape, ate at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, had an adventure on a golf cart, and swam in the greenish-blue beauty of the Caribbean Sea! ♠

Puerto Peñasco

The evening was perfect, just before sunset. The sweet smell of sea filled the air. Low tide left puddles of water reflecting orange hues. 

Shallow tide pools now revealed an array of small shells. As we walked gathering shells, tourist boats with mariachi bands sailed near the horizon. Somewhere behind us another band played their tunes. A couple tossed a softball back and forth, while a group of youth played volleyball. 

The four of us wandered away from the water and toward a sandy hill with food stands and shops. We found a small shack where we ordered four chalupas and a torta. The service was good, but slow, and we spent some time waiting in front. 

It was there, sitting in a red plastic chair, where I met Raul, a 78 year old Mexican from Las Cruces, New Mexico. We began our conversation in Spanish, but it flowed in and out of English. He spoke through a salt and pepper goatee and looked great for his age. He has a home in Puerto Peñasco, as well as Las Cruces. I learned all about his business ventures, including the restaurant he owns and the fact that until three years ago he had to make 800 burritos a day! He comes to Puerto Peñasco often to relax and enjoy his second home. 

The Point restaurant.

Port of Puerto Peñasco.

Thus was our first evening in this dusty Sonoran beach town on the Sea of Cortez. We had just driven over ten hours from our home, through four different states, passing mile after mile of Joshua trees, saguaro cactus and empty open desert. We had never done anything quite like this. 

Puerto Peñasco is known as a resort town on the edge of the sea. It is a lure to those from the United States, especially Arizona, as it lies just 60 miles below the Mexican border. From the internet I knew what the beach and water looked like. But it was the town that drew my curiosity. No one really talked about the town of Puerto Peñasco. I knew it wasn't ancient nor Colonial in architecture like many other Mexican villages, but still there had to be an inner heartbeat that made it move. That's what I set out to find. 

Photos at sunset.

The life-blood of the town is the Malecón, a popular street filled with shops and high-pressure shopkeepers trying to sell you things you don't need. This place was pure chaos. “Come in,” they would say, “because we have exactly what you're looking for!” 

Any kind of souvenir you might want, you could find it here: t-shirts, sunglasses, bracelets. We gave in and bought a chess set. There was also the aroma of fish and seafood, a reality given their proximity to the sea. If you needed to book a tour, this was the place to come. You couldn't walk down the street without an aggressive salesman shadowing you. 

The Malecón was even worse at night. Loud music blared everywhere from speakers. There were twice as many people and half of them, it seemed, were drunk. The smell of alcohol, cigarette smoke and fish filled the air. Just a block away were street vendors selling tacos and elotes. On the balcony overlooking the sea a mariachi band played for money. 

Puerto Peñasco hoped to become the next Cancún. So far, that hasn't happened. Venture capitalists have come in, but for many of them things haven't panned out. A drive around the beach area reveals many abandoned hotel projects or other buildings that are now skeletons attracting dust. I've got a friend who is buying rental property down here. He plans on fixing it up and hiring a third party to manage. 

The main street coming into town is busy. Parking stalls in the area are small and sometimes hard to find. Some areas of town are shadier than others. The streets are a combination of dirt or pavement. 

Dirt roads at Cholla Bay.

Mural at Cholla Bay.

On the north end of town is a peninsula called Cholla Bay. We drove there out of curiosity. Before arriving at the quiet settlement the pavement ended and all the roads became sand. Most of them seemed drivable in our car, but we were cautious. 

Most of the peninsula consists of what I assumed were houses. There were a handful of restaurants. Several times we saw trucks hauling a boat behind it with several men in the boat. I don't know what that was about. 

Completing a satisfying lunch at Cholla Bay.

There was no beach, but we saw a place or two where a boat could be launched in the water. There was no view either. Houses aligned the coastline and I am sure that many of them had wonderful views out their backyard. 

We chose to eat at one of the few restaurants. I made it a point to order fish. As a note, the prices here weren't too different from what you'd find in the States. I suppose it's too close to the border and too many rich Americans come and visit. 

Storefront at Cholla Mall.

On our way back into town we came across another unexpected find. Cholla Mall, as it is called, almost looked like a scene from the apocalypse. This long street with shops on both sides boasted no visitors other than those of our family. Shop doors were open with goods inside, but no customers to find. These were the days of Covid-19 and the effects of the pandemic, I'm sure, made customers more sparse than normal. 

We walked up and down the street, poking in and out of shops and surprisingly not getting hassled. We were still looking for a few final souvenirs to buy. As this little strip mall sat on the edge of town, I felt as if it were part of the expansion movement, a shopping complex built to accommodate future growth. If you build it, they will come. Kind of in the same vein as all the abandoned hotels. Perhaps the growth didn't happen or the economy tanked. Or maybe it was Covid. Who knows? But Cholla Mall was pathetically empty. 

I did, however, enjoy one of the murals on the side of a building. The painting consisted of two saguaro cacti and two Native warriors. One wore a headdress of a deer and looked like he was jumping in the air doing a karate move. 

Interesting mural at Cholla Mall.

Most of our time in Puerto Peñasco was spent with the water, not the town. The Sea of Cortez and the desert that comes to its edge is what attracts the people. The biosphere of the sea is unique and has over 1500 different kinds of species. We took a cruise out to an island and saw sea lions and dolphins. 

When back in town we drove around to find a place to eat. The food here is nothing special and was similar to what you'd find at a taco shop in the States. I enjoyed eating in outdoor settings with the din of the town at our ears. 

Puerto Peñasco cemetery.

We drove to a cemetery and took ten minutes to walk through. As expected the entire graveyard consisted of a dirt floor and shrines built above the ground. I found many figures of Jesus and his mother, Mary, and the cross. 

On our final evening we found ourselves again at the Malecón. We just couldn't get enough of the hustling, I guess. We arrived just before sunset and the golden light that comes at that time of day. The same mariachi band played at the sea's edge, serenading seagulls and all others walking past. 

Mariachi band playing on the Malecón.

In an amazing coincidence, we stumbled across some friends of ours who also made the ten-hour drive. We had a good visit and took a picture together. They pointed us in the direction of a taco stand that provided an evening snack. 

Just a block away from the Malecón is the facade of a church that appears colonial-like in it's exterior—the Sagrado Corazon de Jesus. The pastel-colored church is painted yellow with orange trimming and has two bell towers. I'm sure this recent construction is an attempt to make this modern town appear more like the stereotypical old Mexican village. I appreciated that. 

Back at the Malecón we once again found the chaos of the shops and the music and the smells that brought this village alive. You couldn't tell there was a pandemic. We rubbed shoulders with those we passed, smelt their breath and guarded our wallets. The street lamps came on and the sky overhead turned dark. I heard as much English as I did Spanish. The shopkeepers knew what they had. We had bought all our souvenirs by now so we kept our eyes forward and walked toward the car. ♠

Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Church.

 

First Impressions of Cancún

View from our hotel balcony.

Our first experience with Cancún was bizarre, but should have been expected considering we were in Mexico. 

As soon as we got off our plane and went through immigration and entered the outer rooms of the airport, there were solicitors . . . EVERYWHERE! The first ones tried to get us to pay for a taxi or shuttle, then they talked about rentals and tour packages. They tried committing us to round-trip service and it was all exorbitantly expensive considering our hotel was only fifteen minutes away! 

I'll bet there were over 200 people waiting for vulnerable passengers to leave the airport. (We were the first flight of the day.) 

Local man selling trinkets on the beach.

We paid way too much for a taxi to our hotel. Not five minutes after getting settled into our room we got a knock at the door. It was the “concierge,” a young Mexican lady named Zulema, who asked to come in our room. She spent the next thirty minutes trying to commit us to attend a “presentation” so we could get discounts on tours and food. I was tired of it all. I just wanted to nap and then pay for what I wanted. 

That was the Cancún we walked into. Not what we were expecting. But beyond that, Cancún was a paradise. 

Swimming with turtles.  Snorkeling is one of the many activities available in Cancun.

Our hotel was the biggest and best I have ever stayed in. And right on the beach—with turquoise-blue water and fine white sand. 

We stayed in the Hotel Zone, which is a long strip of land that straddles a lagoon and the Caribbean Sea. It is lined with huge hotels, all multiple stories and many shaped like pyramids. 

After getting past the promotions and salesmen, Cancún was wonderful. It wasn't as warm as we expected, but it was December after all. When the sun hid behind a cloud and the wind picked up, it became a bit chilly. 

Sunset in Cancun.

We spent hours relaxing on the beach watching the turquoise water and people walking past. Two storks flew in front of us, circling above in the wind, then plunging in a nose-dive into the water, resurfacing in a split second and casually floating on the water. 

Even though the beach was relaxing, it wasn't without its share of salesmen. Swarthy Mexicans walked back and forth selling handicrafts, cigars and Tequilla. Water sports galore could be found all up and down the coast. Jenelle paid 1,300 pesos to be pulled by a boat and lifted into the air on a parasail. 

Jenelle on her way parasailing.

I took note that almost all exchanges on the coast could be made in U.S. Dollars, or pesos. Almost everyone spoke some level of English. I can speak Spanish, which came in handy once in a while.

Are things expensive? Mostly, yes. But very much on par with American prices. One could eat on a budget if they knew where to go, or picked up food from a grocery store. But a dinner in most of the restaurants could lighten your wallet. 

And she's up in the air!

We spent two days in Cancún, which was only long enough to get a taste. Would I come again? Maybe one more time, but I would prefer to spend my time further away from the tourist-trap resorts. 

Pros: Absolutely beautiful. Great place to get pampered if you have the money. Warm. Fun atmosphere. Clean. 

Cons: Too many pushy salesmen. Too expensive. Too touristy. Lack of authentic culture (which is lost any time a place caters to the demands of tourism). ♠

. . . and now she's way up there!!!