Cancun has been a wild ride since I arrived... actually, from the time I left my place in GDL it's been a wild ride....in both good and bad ways... and in many ways a learning experience about myself which isn't always easy.
My trip started off with my Uber driver extremely excited my Birthday was in a few days and he played me Happy Birthday in Spanish and sang as well. It was definitely a ride to remember....however my check-in wasn't as great.
I was unable to fit my bottle of tequila and honey agave in my backpack....I was worried about the weight and I couldn't zip it up so I just put them in a bag and was going to take them on the plane. Why not right? I am flying internally, but nope, the bottles were too big (even though sealed). They said I could pay to check an extra bag... $70!!!! I didn't even spend that much on the tequila, so now the check-in desk has a nice bottle of tequila and some agave honey...ughhh. I was annoyed but much worse has happened on this trip so I wasn't about to cry over spilled milk. Besides, there was a Starbucks at my gate which made everything better.
The flight wasn't bad except I had a window seat which is not something I like for take-off. We all know I don't fly well and I usually take an isle seat so I was very stressed out during take-off. However, once we got up and over the clouds it was like a different world. A world of clouds, it was quite beautiful. It literally looked like something out of a fairy tale. Mountains, snow, caves....I couldn't stop taking pictures. So yes, I did enjoy my window seat.
Cancun!!! It definitely welcomed me, maybe a little too much lol...my first night was crazy meaning my second day was a hangover but I had made a new friend so I wasn't really fussed over it.
We did a day trip to the beach with the hostel which was quite nice. The water is really blue here however it's been the worst year for seaweed and it is quite gross so going for a nice swim wasn't really an option (for me anyways). I wanted to work on my tan considering my burn from Sayulita had finally gone away so I quite enjoyed just sitting in the sun. There was a group of us and we had beer and music so it was a nice relaxing afternoon. There was a family off to the right of us who had buried their young sun to look like a mermaid, he had breasts and a penis sticking straight up... I thought it was hilarious and asked if I could take a picture. A few minutes later they called me back over as they had taken some seaweed to give him hair as well as pubic hair. The father jokingly told me to sit on "it" I laughed and so no thank you so he did instead....I know it sounds rude but omg it was so funny.
Birthday plans were already in the works. Tuesday (the day before my birthday) we were going on paddle boarding and then there was gonna be a pool party as it was mine and my dorm-mates birthday - they are not allowed to throw pool parties anymore but I had become friends with the staff quite quickly so they made it happen. Then the next day we were going on a catamaran tour with lunch, open bar and snorkeling on Isla Mujeres at the Underwater Museum. It was gonna be great!
The paddle boarding was nice, it was really chill and we got to hang out at a lagoon which was really
The pool party was a lot of fun, we played beer pong and had the craziest game of Jenga I have ever seen. They made mini-cakes for Jordan (my roommate) and I out of whip cream and the candle was a straw and a napkin sticking out of the top. I threw the whole plate in Jordan's face and then he got thrown in the pool but so did I. Unfortunately there was a complaint about the party which I feel bad about but I am very grateful they risked it for us.
The plan was to go to Senor Frogs (wanted to relive my college days hahaha) but the guys met girls and decided very last minute that they were gonna bail on me. I wasn't too pleased to be honest, we had been planning this for two days but, Jordan was going out with his buddy Chris and they were more than happy to have me join. It was insane!
You pay a cover charge at the clubs but it's open bar so the drinks are endless. Every time the waiter brought over our drinks and shots Jordan would say "uno mas." We were giving shots away. We then of course ended up at a strip club.... I touched some boobies hahahaha and that is all I will say as we were pretty wasted by then and just remember waking up and realizing we were already supposed to leave for the tour. Actually, front desk had woken me up but I was still pretty drunk and I thought they were waking me up to go to another bar so I rolled over and went back to sleep. So when I did wake up and realized I was late, a big turn of events began to take place.
The first thing was my credit card and debit card....gone! I couldn't find them, everything was in my purse except my credit cards. Then I found my friends and freaked out asking why they hadn't woken me up as we were supposed to be gone already and basically just lost it - hungover and stressed out are not a great mix.
Well after this it really changed things, it completely put a damper on things and to top it off...we were given the wrong bus stop so we actually missed the tour so the decision was to go to the beach...however it wasn't my decision...nobody even asked me if I wanted to go... not even "hey we were doing this for your birthday what are you up for?" it was "your a big girl you can find your way back!" So we went to the beach and I slept in the chair for a few hours. We were there most of the day, it wasn't much fun for me to be honest and no one even wished me Happy Birthday until I mentioned it. I had never felt so alone on my birthday.
When we got back to the hostel I just wanted to cry, I felt like shit, I was sad and I had no idea where my cards were so I had no access to money. I had a bit of a break down with Lara.
Lara is this wonderful woman who does not even look close to her age but I called her Mama Lara and every time we went somewhere she always made sure we had sunscreen, money and that we stayed with the group and said she would see us when we got home.
We had a long talk that night. She really made me see some thins that I hadn't really acknowledged about myself and other things that I push to the side. When coming to a personal realization it is not always easy but it was needed and this is when I decided to have Emmie down time. Stop being so go, go, go ... when I'm like that I can be a have a very strong and intense personality and some times it is too much for others....and honestly...this is something I didn't realize before but as soon as she mentioned it I could totally see it...we talked about more and I cried more but by the next day I was feeling so much better. However, after our talk finding my cards was still at the top of my list.
My anxiety was pretty high at this point, it was 10pm, I had to work in the morning and I still had to go downtown back to the strip club to see if my card was there. One of the event staff was gonna take me down but couldn't go with me because he could get in trouble so my roommate and his friend offered to take me down and get everything sorted.
Have you ever seen the movie "Dude Where's My Car?" when they go back to the strip club the next day and everyone knows them by name...ya well I experienced that when we walked back in that night. Every one stopped and looked at us. The dancer who's boobies I touched was like "hi baby" I was like OMG get me out of here. We were talking to the manager and he said to my buddy "you weren't here last night." I said "yes he was." The manager turned and looked at me and said "oh ya, you were definitely here last night." Great, I make a name for myself at a strip club...no more alcohol for this lady. Unfortunately my cards were not there.
The next day after my classes I canceled my cards and then got new ones sent to me but was now stuck in Cancun....so I did exactly what I needed to do. I relaxed. I grabbed my music, my Kindle, my favourite couch and just sad poolside for a few days and sat poolside and caught some rays. The kicker... ten minutes after I canceled my cards I went to my room and started cleaning my area and out pops both my cards!!! Yup!!! They were in between the mattress and the wall down by my feet! I'm such a dumb ass sometimes. I called the bank back but once you have canceled them it can't be reversed. So frustrating.
I was still however without cash. I still had my tour paid for that I missed, I could re-book it for another day or get a 50% refund. I said that I want to do the tour but at the moment I needed the cash and I wanted a full refund as it wasn't my fault that I missed the tour. A few hours later I was notified that I was getting a full cash refund - not something they usually do but due to my situation they agreed to it.
On the weekend two of the staff and I were going surfing but one decided not to go so just two of us went. It was a beautiful beach day...it is so hot in Cancun...the humid X is about 68% and it just seems to get hotter every day...but the seaweed in the water is awful. This year is the worst it has been. We found a spot in the water that wasn't too bad but it was still gross and was in my hair when we got out. We didn't surf as it wasn't a good surfing day but it was perfect to hang out in the water and get some beer from a beach bar and a few shots of mezcal - which I am not a fan of.Then I randomly ended up in Playa (del Carmen) del Carmen for the night. A great town, much better than Cancun as here it is all night clubs and everyone speaks English, I've gotten so lazy with speaking Spanish. It's so touristy here and not Mexico...it's the Las Vegas of Mexico. Anyways, Playa was great but the beach was shitty, the water looked black because of all the seaweed. The town is great, it has such a great vibe and its got open bars with live music. We had dinner at this one place that was playing all 90's music so I had a blast singing and rapping all the songs....yes, I know, big dork hahaha.
One thing I have really realized the past week is the people you expect you are gonna be your friends are the ones you clash with and the ones you least expect, maybe even someone you wanted to avoid becomes a little shining light for you and they are the ones you connect with. This whole trip (not just Cancun) has been full of surprises, bad and good and each one is making me see things in a different way.
A few days ago I made a new friend named Virginia a woman from France with lots of energy and love to give. She was going for a massage and offered for me to go with her...I said I didn't have access to my money and she said she would pay, she would love the company and if anything consider it a birthday present. I accepted - however we are meeting up this weekend so I will be paying her back.
We walked about 10 minutes from the hostel to the Palapas, a big open play area for kids, food vendors and a massage tent. Okay I thought. I was looking to see if it looked clean and how professional it was. Then on of the masseuses came up to where I was sitting and he walked into me and then he felt bad....I realized he was blind. In fact, all of them were, except one (who ended up being mine) who needed walking canes with the arm holders...this is the only way he can walk. These guys studied for two years and give the best massages and they charge next to nothing. 1 hour for about $17.50...money well spent and great people to give your money to. When we were finished there were people from the hostel waiting for their turn. I'm definitely going to head back there before I leave this weekend.
My bank card finally came in the other day. It was a big deal for everyone lol. One of the guys from the front desk came up with his hands behind his back with a huge smile on his face...I jumped for joy and gave him a big hug and a kiss and I promised the front desk drinks after their shift and ended up getting drunk.
I stayed at a friends that night so I had to take the bus back but of course I get off at the wrong stop...a 20 minute walk from where I needed and running out of time as I had a tour and was determined not to miss it. I called the hostel and found out where I had to go but was confused because my Google Maps was showing for me to turn right and I thought I was supposed to go straight. I called them back and they told me to get a cab and then they had to give the driver directions.... I was literally around the corner. Then Justine, the one running the tour is messaging me "where are you?" "I"m coming!" I made it :)
I was going to a Cenote and was really looking forward to it as I hadn't been to one yet since I have been in Mexico. It was about an hour out and I was hungover and wasn't in the mood for a tour but knew a swim in the fresh water of the Cenote would help.
As soon as we got out of the van there was a monkey...there were actually three of them. The mother, the older sister and the baby. This older sister came right up to us and even climbed right up on Justine. We could pet them and take pictures with them...they were so cute and they also wanted our snacks in the cooler hahaha.
The Cenote was beautiful. A round natural fresh water pool surround on all sides by a rock wall and lots of green trees with a clear as day reflection in it.
I was a little hesitant to get in at first, I don't know why I guess I find them a little eerie, but that all changed once I got in. I was the only one from my hostel (they own three) but the people from the other hostel were quite friendly and I had a great time. I even went on the zip line that drops you into the Cenote. It of course took me awhile as we all know me with heights is challenging but I ended up doing it twice. You drop quite deep into the Cenote and I got water up my nose and in my ear and had to pull my bathing suit top back into place lol. The guys from the hostel were jumping of the edge doing all sorts of different jumps and dives making everyone laugh.
One thing you don't realize with the zip line is it only goes so far and once you get to the length it pulls back quite abruptly so one of the guys was gonna try and hold on but it literally has so much for he was thrown into a back flip off... it was very entertaining.
Now it is Thursday and I have a few more days here before I take off to a new spot. I am excited to leave but sad as well. I have become friends with the staff and feel like I am home, I could stay here and volunteer but I do need to come home soon and would like to see a few more places before I leave.
I am feeling really great these days and am so glad I took a week of down time ... I had no choice but as always, things happen for a reason. To be honest this is the first time on a trip I have spent so much time alone and I am okay with it..if feels good just to relax and take a breath.
I am still waiting for my credit card but they will hold it here for me until I come back - for two days before I fly home. It's hot, and beautiful and I have never had such an amazing tan in my life. My hair is barely straight anymore and it is sun bleached but I'm happy and that is all that matters. Until next time....besos x
- Mi Vida Hermosa -
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