Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Cancun

I'm progressively losing awareness of linear time and space, but some where in the not too distance past, I once again found myself in Mexico after a brief sojourn back to my beloved NOLA.  This time, I decided to spend a week(ish) in Cancun and a day or two in Playa del Carmen before tying up loose ends in Tulum.  The only information I had about Cancun is the general knowledge that it is tourist central/spring break special and the helpful input of my father--"Don't go there. Why? Why??" which is relevant and on the whole pretty good advice.  Of all the places I could go, which is largely anywhere, why would I go to the high-rise capital of Central America?

Convenience and morbid curiosity.

I've definitely been spoiled in my previous travels with pristine, authentic and enriching experiences.  But there was apparently a part of me that was ready to get down and dirty, and have some fun in the sun, with corporate plastic trash and flash, strobe lights and jet skis.

I got precisely what I wanted.  To sum up a crazy week(ish) in a couple breaths with some useful travel tips: The City is the best club, there is something dangerous in the foam at the foam parties (think the water at Sochi...also don't wear make up), Isla Mujeres is beautiful--rent golf carts to zoom around and fish food for snorkeling, stay in a hostel not a hotel, BELIEVE the hostel if it advertises itself as a party hostel, don't take cabs to or from the airport and go to one of the many local on-going festivals randomly thrown in town squares (not in the hotel district).

That about covers it.

Isle Mujeres


The real bonus about this trip for me was that it was the first time traveling I wasn't going to meet a friend or family. Not that that isn't a wonderful thing.  But what was so great about it, was that I got to meet and get to know some really chill people from all over the world.  In particular, I met badass chicks doing as badass chicks do; trotting the globe alone or in pairs and having an absolute blast.  The thing about women going out and traveling on their own is that by necessity, these women find each other and automatically have each other's backs.  It's like a giant sisterhood; partying, traveling, doing community service and making sure they stay hydrated between shots or on the beach and keeping up a creeper radar.  Coming from a culture that so often pits women against other women--whether it be over men, careers, looks, what have you--I found this really revitalizing.  It was a revelation to see how many women, of all ages, were a part of this.  At one point I was sitting next to a group of individuals from Korea, Russia, Wales, France, Germany, Israel and Brazil all at the same table.  It seems to be a tradition in other cultures to take a few years to travel and explore, not just between school and university, but throughout life, which in turn engenders a maturity, confidence and open-mindedness that not only benefits the individual, but the society they bring it back to as well.



And it's some of the most fun you'll ever have.