I could easily say that I went on this trip by chance and without any major plans. Bearing in mind that only five months before this journey I had returned from India where I spent a month, the idea to go again to a far-away destination and again for a month was not normal or usual at all. Moreover, this was the only time in my life that I did two distant and long travels over such a short period of time.
The main reason for such an event lies in the fact that at the beginning of 2008 I received an offer from a travel agency for the plane tickets to some exotic destinations. There were 3 or 4 of them and the prices were really good, while my eye was caught by Cancun in Mexico. Still, I said to myself that I should forget about it. On the other hand, I had always reproached myself for not taking advantage of opportunities when they came my way, primarily in the shape of plane tickets at a discount. But, this idea of going to Cancun kept lingering on my mind. Eventually, at some point, I just took the decision and said to myself that I should seize this favourable opportunity. And so I did. I bought a round-trip ticket to Cancun in Mexico.
But, I also thought that this would be a good opportunity to visit some of the countries in Central America and this decision was supported by the fact that I already had a collective guidebook for Central America, although I had nothing for Mexico. Admittedly, when I wrote these stories (at the beginning of 2021), I found some pages on the visited sites tucked into my travel diary obviously photocopied from a guidebook and I even came across a note that I photocopied them in Belgrade, but I have absolutely no idea when and where I did it. As a matter of fact, to this very day I have no guidebook for Mexico. On the other hand, this was good, because I had at least some general information with me and in addition to being significantly lighter than a guidebook, a few sheets of paper also fold easily, making them suitable to carry in a waist purse.
In the spring of 2008 when I did this journey, I had certainly already been using internet, but at a basic level and the internet itself was not as developed as today, so I did not get any information from there. I even bothered my friend Velislav from New York to help me with accommodation in Cancun for the first days after my arrival and that certainly meant a great deal. So, In addition to the round-trip ticket and the accommodation in a small hotel for the first two nights, I literally had nothing else organised or booked. I also had, I believed, sufficient, albeit very, very limited budget. Well, ok. I least I took advantage of the favourably priced plane ticket.
Since I’m mentioning my budget, let me say that a journey like this does require money, but it can cost more or it can cost less. For me it was important that it cost as little as possible. I knew I could not save on the tickets to different sites and excursions or the coach transportation from one place to another. I also knew that I would have to pay for taxi from time to time since I took a big backpack with me (that’s a whole other story) and obviously I did not know the places that I would visit in order to use public transportation. So, first I had to save on accommodation and I can say that during that month I stayed at a proper hotel only once. The rest of the time I stayed at places that were sometimes locally called hotels, but they were something between hostels and B&B, not necessarily with the breakfast.
The other thing where I had to save was food, but that was the least of my problems. I like the Mexican and Central American cuisines, there are numerous places where one can eat well, the quickly and comparatively cheap food, either on the street or in small restaurants often called the comedor (the eatery). Only from time to time would I give myself a treat by going to a proper restaurant and I also often bought food in supermarkets and fruits on green markets. It is important for one to have balanced diet, isn’t it?
Both financially and in terms of the organisation I was greatly helped by the fact that I have dual citizenship. Since I have an Italian passport, I did not have to get or pay for the visas to some of the countries I visited. I don’t know what the situation is like now, but in 2008 I would have to get and pay for numerous visas.
Also important for this journey is the fact that I speak Spanish. Not as well as English, but well enough that I could be relaxed and without fear to travel on my own in Mexico and Central America.
And, finally, in the end I came up with the general route, but without any detailed planning about the length of stay in each individual place. For this reason, during the entire trip I often calculated how many days I had left and what I still wanted to see and then I tried to figure out how much time I could afford to stay in different places.
But, the very beginning of this journey was at Belgrade airport, so let me start from there.
While I was waiting to board the plane, our crew going ahead of us was passing through that last room before the final hallway leading to the plane and there was – Vesa! That was my childhood friend. In fact, he was a friend of my brother, they are the same age and even went to the same class together, he used to live with his family in a flat that was exactly four floors above ours, our moms were friends and, of course, I was a part of these overall friendly relations. In the meantime he became a pilot and apparently a plane captain and it was him who flew the plane I was leaving Belgrade in. Although we hadn’t seen each other for a number of years, I got up to say hello and that was a fine and cordial encounter of two childhood friends. The crew then went to the plane and I continued waiting with the rest of the passengers. Soon we were all on board. The plane had still not started when a flight attendant came to me, asked me for my name and then invited me to move to the business class. My God, was I pleased!
And then... Then the flight attendant soon came to me again, the plane had still not left its post, and invited me to move to the cockpit! I cannot begin to describe how happy I felt.
Needless to say, the flight went on perfectly, but how much wonderful laughter there was in that cockpit and how many memories of our childhood, different anecdotes, adventures and joint games were brought up to the surface. For instance, neither he nor I could fathom how together with my brother and Sneža, another childhood friend, we never broke anything in our flat since one of our favourite games during winter when we could not go out, while our moms were unsuspectingly having coffee either at aunt Slavica’s or aunt Anđa’s, was to throw some semi-plastic, semi-rubbery ornamental pieces of fruit at one another while hiding in the dark behind different pieces of furniture. But now, together with the co-pilot to whom we retold all our adventures, we rejoiced again while remembering our careless childhood.
And thus, a couple of hours flew by during which I sat in the cockpit during the take-off, the entire flight and during the landing, and it was only when the plane started to approach the airport building that I went back to the business class again. This journey could not have started better!
Another good thing was that the plane for Cancun at the European airport where I had the connection was only a couple of gates away from the one I used when getting there. Since I made sure where my next gate would be, I walked around the airport a little, but I did not have to wait for too long. Namely, in addition to the plane ticket being well priced, the connection was also exceptional. Both going to Cancun and coming back I had only 2-3 hours of connecting time which is ideal to my mind.
The flight to Cancun was around 10 hours, while the landing was at a very reasonable time, so I managed to transfer to the centre of the city and my hotel there in daylight. After I had settled at the hotel where I planned to spend two nights, I went out to buy some water and some snacks from the supermarket and then I returned to my room in order to go to sleep. The day was partially tiring, but certainly full of excitement.
When one goes left and right around the globe, i.e., along the general direction of east-west, that is, when one changes time zones quickly, especially, several of them, there is a phenomenon called the jet lag which is reflected in a disturbed day and night rhythm of the person, i.e., in the disturbance of the sleep pattern. When one travels westwards, this means that you start waking up, for instance, around 4 am, although back at home you sleep until, let’s say, 8. It is usually the westbound flights that people overcome better (within a couple of days) than the eastbound ones. Still, very proudly I can say that over time I have found a system of my own and practically I manage to switch to the local time almost immediately when flying eastwards. However, when flying westwards, I am not particularly successful and simply have to wait for my body to stabilise on its own.
Thus, my first morning in Cancun I woke up at dawn, but I continued to lie in bed and keep my eyes closed for a couple of hours more, after which I got up, got dressed and went out. And yet, I was still in the street before the shops opened, so I had to wait for a little while and walk around.
I walked through an avenue close to my hotel where there were a lot of restaurants and cafés, and I immediately thought of going there for dinner. For the time being I stopped for a morning coffee, since I came across a very pleasant place that was already open.
Early morning in Cancun
Then I went to a local green market where I bought freshly squeezed orange juice in order to complement my “breakfast” after which I went to a supermarket. This was important as I had to buy a suntan lotion. Along the way I also stopped at a coach terminal and asked about the continuation of my journey, since it was my plan to start with my travel around Yucatan the following day. An excellent thing about the small hotel in which I was staying was that it was only some 50 metres away from the main coach terminal. I also took the opportunity to ask about how to get to the beach in Cancun.
Namely, Cancun is a city in the far northeast of the Yucatán Peninsula. Its residential part, i.e., the normally functional city called the Centre (El Centro) is located on the mainland, but nowadays Cancun is primarily known for its tourist or hotel zone that extends along a narrow, but long island in the shape of number 7 that is located beside the mainland. The island is around 20 km long and it is connected with the mainland by bridges. Between the mainland and the island there is the Nichupté Lagoon (Laguna Nichupté) that covers the area of around 3000 hectares and this includes several lakes and numerous segments covered in mangroves.
Although there is a natural reserve within the lagoon that is visited by numerous excursions, while different sport activities are organised on the lakes, it is still the tourist zone, i.e., the long island with its beach that is the main reason why people come to Cancun most often.
So, after buying a suntan spray and some water, I caught a bus and headed from the centre of Cancun towards the hotel zone.
During the 1970’s, a project was initiated aimed at constructing hotels and developing tourism, and that was indeed a very successful project. Today, Cancun is one of the most famous tropical destinations not only in Mexico, but in the entire world.
It should be emphasised that all the beaches in Mexico are owned by the state and therefore they are public, but here, essentially along the entire island on the side facing the Caribbean Sea, there is an almost incessant line of hotels, resorts, holiday apartment buildings, etc. This practically means that there are very few places where one can pass from the main street and reach the beach and the sea.
When I got off the bus at a stop I could not get to the beach, while the security at a couple of hotels I entered asked me, admittedly, kindly to get out, since it was only their guests who were permitted to go through the hotel.
After more than a kilometre I finally got to a place where there was not a single hotel. This was the Dolphin Beach (Playa Delfines). There is also a platform from which it is possible to watch the beach and the sea. And the sight was marvellous, while the colours were incredible.
Beach in Cancun
Beach in Cancun
I have already said that the island is around 20 km long and although there are some parts that are considered prettier than some other, and there are segments with different names, this is basically all one and the same beach and my plan was to walk there for a while.
So, I got down to the beach and started to walk over the soft sand while the waters of the Caribbean Sea wetted my feet. I found it conspicuous that there were no people in the water. The water certainly had a most gorgeous colour, although it did seem a little murky, as in “not transparent,” because as the waves reached the shore they lifted the sand off the bottom and the water appeared “milky.” Still, the main reason for the small number of bathers was that there was a strong wind on this day and along the way I could notice some flags beside the hotels, which suggested that the swimming in the sea at that moment in time was considered dangerous.
Caribbean Sea by Cancun
Caribbean Sea by Cancun
Still, irrespective of this, the general impression was spectacular.
Beach in Cancun
I walked for a while along the beach enjoying the beauty of the intensive colours I was surrounded with, but since at some point came the noon I thought I may sit down and drink something refreshing. On the one hand, I was in no hurry, since walking along the beach of Cancun was the only item on my day’s agenda. On the other hand, I thought it could be wise to move away from the scorching sun, for although I applied the suntan spray to my arms and legs and face, plus I wore a baseball cap, I did come here completely white.
But, there was a problem linked to the getting to the main street, for I did not feel like paying a lot for a simple coffee or a juice in a restaurant of some expensive hotel. Since Cancun is so famous, all companies that are something in the hospitality industry have their hotel here.
As I already had the experience with the security staff in the hotels at the very beginning of my stroll, where I politely asked for a permission to pass through, after which they sent me back, I realised I would have to apply some other tactics here. It was simple: I headed through a hotel as if I owned it. To start with, there were not so many ramps and guards on duty on the beach side, as there were on the street side. Then I found a side door and since I have a general idea of hotel architecture and the distribution of premises within hotels, I walked nicely and casually wherever I wanted and then I guess the staff must have thought I was indeed one of their guests and they did not ask me anything. Although strongly advisable, it is not always practical to be nice and polite, and this time around I got out to the main street without any problems.