Map of the United States of Mexico

Before I go much further into the blog I thought it might be a good idea to insert a couple of maps to give you an idea of where we have been. The map below shows its 32 states in different colours. 

FULL MAP OF MEXICO



We are situated on the Yucatan Pensinsular  - bottom turned up tip of the country.  The west side of the Peninsular faces onto the Gulf of Mexico and the east side faces onto the Caribbean Sea.

As you can see, Mexico is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the right hand side of  Belize.

 

YUCATAN PENINSULAR

 

This  zoomed in view shows the location of the cities we have visited so far on this trip.  CANCUN at top right, ISLA MUJERES just above Cancun both in Quintana Roo State,  then  inland to VALLADOLID and MERIDA in Yucatan State.

 

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We have been travelling for a few weeks now and apart from Cancun,  where we spent just a few days at the beginning of the journey, we have stayed nearly three weeks in each of the other locations. 

 

This trip has completely rewritten our understanding of Mexico which we had mistakenly thought to be very 'third world' - but it is buzzy, busy, vibrant and colourful with a keen commercial edge.

 

 





City of VALLADOLID

It would have been so easy to stop put on Isla Mujeres but there is a lot of Mexico to see on the Yucatan Peninsular and we should move on.

Buses are the main form of travel in Mexico so from Isla Mujeres we ferried back to Cancun and connected with the ADO bus system.  We found ourselves in a modern, clean and efficiently run bus station looking somewhat like a mini airport terminal.

Our luxury bus had comfortable seating, rest rooms and ran a film show for our three hour journey which took us  through low lying jungle terrain to Vallalodid, inland of Cancun, and a great place to escape the tourist packed beach towns and to see some authentic Mexican life.

So many Churches and Cathedrals around the City - the most photogenic of which is probably this one - Santo Domingo Church - which was beautiful inside and out

What a great place to shop.  This is just one of many busy markets offering fresh fruit and vegetables mostly grown by local farmers.

There were always the street vendors selling anything from fans to hammocks.  The ladies looked great in traditional Mexican dress with long lace underskirt. 

Every corner we turned was another explosion of colour 



Warm pastel shades gave the city a welcoming feel as we strolled through the streets.

Our Hotel in Valladolid - The Quinta Regia
Our room was  just 600 pesos/ night (approx. 27 GBP) which included breakfast -  from full English or just fruit and cereals....great value..   Here aree some views from around the hotel . 

Hotel Quinta Regia exterior

Hotel Quinta Regia pool

Our bedroom - it all seemed just too luxurious for the money.  Each day the cleaning team would leave fresh towels on the beds folded into shapes of flowers, birds or shells.

ISLA MUJERES

 With bags packed we take a taxi to the ferry port buy our tickets and jump aboard the Ultramar fast ferry to Isla Mujeres just five miles off the coast.

Ultramar has a fleet of very modern passenger catamarans out of Cancun port.  There is one departing  every 30 minutes and they are always full.

Isla Mujeres is delightful - a small island just seven miles long.  The north end sees the most tourist action whilst the south side is host to mostly private homes and guest houses.  Our hotel is just off the main town square dominated by a large church and within easy walk of absolutely everything.

Without Alexia we need to get out and do some exercise and our location is perfect for that.  Here are some pics of the town.


Many of the buildings look as if they are about to crumble away but inside they open up into well kept homes



Golf carts and motor cycles are available for rent at many locations in town - this view is the road which runs just outside the ferry port where the majority of people arrive.  Unless you fly in by private aircraft or have your own boat there is no other way to reach the island. 

Isla Mujeres is laid back and friendly, no-one is too busy to say 'Hola' . Endless places to eat or find a snack - street vendors produce excellent food, there are small family run restaurants or large upscale hotels - the choice is yours and it's fun.  William was delighted to find an Italian restaurant advertising its gluten free pasta specials !!

Streets bustle with activity all day - locals and tourists alike beetle along at high speed!  The great thing is that all roads are one-way and drivers will just stop for you to cross the road at any time - a lost courtesy in most countries!

The beaches are much less congested here on the island and the safe shallow waters are good  for swimming or just wallowing. 

This is where we took our evening strolls along the 'Malecon' or Pier.  This paved lit walkway is just a hundred yards from the back of our hotel and runs along a stretch of beach that is rocky but with great views..   It's usually bustling with life and often there were family groups BBQing dinner.  Always live music somewhere in the background. 








Away from the hotel area there are stretches of the beach which are fairly deserted but you are never more than a short walk from all the activity in town  - the foot prints in the sand let you know a lot of people have walked by today -  you can see Cancun in the distance.f

We took our golf cart and toured the island in a day - finding wonderful places to stop and enjoy the view
 

Our Hotel in Isla Mujeres - The Francis Arlene
The hotel sections will give you an idea of what to expect if you ever visit this area.
A modest 550 pesos per night (approx 24.50 GBP) we stayed here for just over two weeks

 

The interior courtyard of our hotel at the Frances Arlene - very comfortable and each room had a small 'cocina' or kitchen so we could cook in the room if we wanted to and dining  tables outside where you could sit and enjoy the views..



 

 

 

 

4C to 26C in Five Hours!

A smooth flight from Baltimore to Cancun took only 5 hours including a short transit stop in Miami.

As the aircraft doors opened the heat wave hit us but we weren't complaining - just a desperate need to strip off and get back into shorts and Tshirts.   We had left Baltimore wearing our winter woollies in a temperature of 4 degs C and here in Cancun it was 26 degs C.

Mexico is one of the of the top 10 places in the world for winter holidays, being washed on three sides by the Gulf of Mexico, The Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.   Here in Cancun the white sand beaches open up onto the Caribbean Sea on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsular in Quintana Roo State.    

The coastline here much resembles that of Florida, being flat and decorated  with high rise apartment blocks and hotels.  In addition, hostelries, B&B's and beach resorts abound - there is something to fit everyone's budget.

From our hotel we took a drive around - there are still narrow streets lined with brightly painted houses to be found outside of the main town but for the most part Cancun is a jungle of hotels, apartments, shopping malls, restaurants, street vendors and traffic jams.  There are also a couple of golf courses, marinas and casinos.


This small cross section of Cancun shows the long thin strip connected to the mainland at each end by bridges, and known as the  'hotel zone'.   Enter at your peril.....!

Each hotel has its own way of dominating its particular section of beach 





There are quieter areas to be found - here local fishing boats put stern anchors onto the sand

 We will return to Cancun at the end of our journey but after just a few days we found ourselves longing for the peace and quiet of island life.

Liquid Gold and Sad Goodbyes....

Maryland was cold wet and miserable when we departed at the end of November, saying goodbye to Alexia propped up on her chocks, wearing her winter coat but otherwise exposed to the chills.

The preceding six weeks had been hard work.  The boat was stripped, cleaned, polished, serviced, greased and wrapped up.   Big decisions had to be made about what to keep and what to dispose of - 8 years of 'things'  -  in the end we took a small storage unit at the marina and packed it to capacity.

The worst part had been the winterizing of all the pipes, filters and tanks - gallon after gallon of pink winterizing fluid disappeared into the engine, generator, aircon, holding tanks, water heater, taps you name it, wherever a fluid could flow it went. 

This particular job took us two days to complete - one of us pouring liquid in at one end and the other making sure it was coming out the other  - amazing how just how much was needed - 35 gallons was our final total.

Here it is - liquid gold!  Bright pink dye ensures that you can see it pumping out over board.  Its make up is eco-friendly and apparently harmless to creatures/plant life in the water..... it will remain in the pipework and systems until Alexia is refloated and with the promise that it remains liquid in temperatures as low  -50F we felt secure nothing would freeze and cause damage whilst she was laid up.

  
Here's the Girl!   A friend on another boat sent us this picture a few weeks after we had left the States - it reminded us just how much we missed her but the grey sky looked as grim as ever.

Most boatowners had opted to shrink wrap their boats - it's big business here at the marina.  There was row after row of  large white hulks all preparing to sit out the winter.  Shrinkwrapping is a great service : 3 guys arrive + roll of shrink wrap + heat gun + whistling & singing whilst they work  = Job Done! but it is expensive and can take up to two days fiddling around sealing tiny areas.

However, Alexia already had a custom made cover which we were determined to fit  except  the formula was slightly different :   2  elderly guys (us) + roll of heavy damp canvas + no heat anywhere + lips too frozen to whistle = Job not quite finished..........we had to depart and the Yard completed the job for us!!