When I first read about Raggamuffin’s 2 night/3 day sailing cruise from Caye Caulker to Placencia, I immediately knew it would have to be a non-negotiable part of our trip – the photos of the crystal blue Belizean waters and the tropical islands looked THAT amazing.
When I say Caye Caulker is the coolest place in the world, I mean it, and in a BIG way. Everyone there walks cool (“go slooooow man”); talks cool “yo brutha, welcome to Caye Caulker – paradise on earth”); acts cool (“no shoes, no shirt… no problem,”); and are pretty much the most genuinely happy people I have ever met.
Wowsers. I had not realised how much I was missing the beach until we arrived in Tulum, and immediately wished we were able to stay longer than our planned three nights!
After having such a great, chilled-out time in Merida, Valladolid – our next stop after Merida – had big shoes to fill. We had three nights at another really well-reviewed hostel called “La Candalaria”, and were staying in a private double room … with shared communal toilets and showers., the first shared facilities of our trip (I get the feeling it certainly won’t be the last)!
To me, Merida is the sparkling jewel of Mexico’s Yucatán region – vibrant, colourful, choc-full of culture and yet still maintaining the friendly, small town vibe that made it a worthwhile destination to visit in the first place.
The Chiapas Region in Mexico is particularly renowned for the ancient Mayan civilisations (or ruins) of Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampa and Chinkultik; as well as one of the highest proportions of indigenous populations in Mexico. We were fortunate enough to be able to visit three of these ruins in our four days in the region.
Alongside our two days spent exploring Mexico City, we also spent a day venturing to Teotihuacan about an hour outside of the city, as well as hitting the town on a Late Night Tacos and Mezcal Tour with Eat Mexico (our second tour with them, read about the first, our Street Food tour here).
With more than approximately 25 million residents, Mexico City has more people living in it than the WHOLE of Australia… just let that sink in for a minute. Surprisingly, Mexico City, or Distrito Federal (DF to the locals) as it is called, doesn’t feel like it is crazily overpopulated, nor does it feel like the concrete jungle with ghettos overrun by murderers and gangsters that we half expected.
Mexico, and particularly Mexico City, prides itself on being a foodie destination, full of fresh flavours and regionally diverse dishes. But the country that brought tacos, salsa and enchiladas to mainstream diners around the world has a lot more to offer than these well known dishes.
On our last full day in Vegas, Vegas won, and Vegas won big time. And no, I am not talking about the gambling, I am talking about sleep. Or perhaps, jet lag. After a bit of a boozy but not toooo late night on Saturday, I woke up on Sunday around 8am, and with a bit of a headache and a woozy stomach, popped an electrolyte and some painkillers, and went back to bed for what I was hoping would be an hour or so. Dave barely stirred.