Sounds like fun, I'll bring the beer...

The government of Canada has travel warnings for Canadians going to Mexico posted relating to scams, violence against tourists, theft and kidnappings. Sounds good and all, but how is that knowledge supposed to keep anyone safe? Is it meant to deter a person from traveling to a foreign country? I faced worse in India, trust me. Theft, violence, scams and kidnappings in Mexico? Hmm... I went through terrorist bomb threats, maoist insurgence and anti-north american sentiment (and violence I might add) in India. Not to sound indifferent, but a travel advisory that contains nothing different than I might face in my own country? No, I am not worried at all. Obviously, I will be taking precautions for my own safety, but what the government is saying doesn't worry me in the slightest, nor what we read in the media. A few isolated events do not a trend make...

Last Hostel Booked - Mundo Joven, Cancun

Finally booked my final night in Mexico, in Cancun, at the Mundo Joven. Shared accomodations, but for the price, it can't be beat; especially for it's location. Its near the bus terminal and some zocolos - and who doesn't like last minute souvenir shopping? Seems like a rather nice place, from the reviews and photos. Rooftop bar, hottubs, hammocks, you name it - its a backpacker's heaven. All of that isn't the main reason to take it though - it's the proximity to the buses that's the big sell for me. Easy to get to after arriving from Tulum and easy to get to the airport the next morning.

Everything is booked now, aside from my inital bus to Valladolid, which according to my hosts at La Candelaria, won't be an issue - tonnes of buses leave Cancun going to either Valladolid or Merida, and no matter which, they all stop in Valladolid. So... no worries, om shanti shanti! LoL! Been a long time since I've had the need to say that!

SKROSS World USB Charger

So I went and bought my SKRoss USB charger today - only $26 which is quite good consider it is a multi-plug adapter that works in over 150+ countries. I tried it out on my camcorder and it happily charged away! So that's great! No more three hour waits in cyber-cafes waiting for my devices to charge. And, it has two usb ports, so that a plus too - ipod and camera charging at the same time. Yup, not bad at all for $26!

SKROSS - World USB Charger

Now, to Dukoral or not to Dukoral... that is the question...

Finally got my tickets

Air Transat is a strange carrier. I paid for my tickets almost two weeks ago and only now did I get my ticket. I'm sure this may be normal, but I'm one of those people; when I pay for something and the money has changed hands so-to-speak, I want something tangible in return. Ah well, alls well that ends well - I've got them now.

So that means, all I need to do is figure out how to book a bus ticket for Cancun to Valladolid, which to my research is pretty much impossible. Sure hope I can get a seat on a bus as soon as I land... would hate to lose a few hours in Cancun waiting for a bus with seats...

Just about a month left until departure - jazzed as all hell! Tamales, Chilaquiles, Tinga, hmmm... not to mention Modelo, Dos Equis and Tequilla Blanco chico! :)

That's a relief!

My flight insurance finally went through ~ I guess there was a problem, internally, with RBC insurance, so my cancellation and baggage insurance hadn't been processed. Got word yesterday from my agent that it finally processed and got the paperwork via email. Load of stress off my mind... now if only Air Transat would send me my bloody tickets. I gotta ask myself, what kind of airline takes your money immediately on booking, but doesn't send you your e-tickets until a few weeks before your flight leaves? Mental...

On another note: Finally gathered all of the gear from the India excursion that I'll be taking into the Yucatan this year. Of note, the mosquito net! LoL! Feels weird to look at all of that gear and remember it's use or non-use at this time last year. Nostalgia, from a mosquito net - incredible! :)

A few items left to purchase and I can call it a done deal. Of note, the USB charger that plugs into the wall. $50, but oh so worth it! My camera can charge overnight now instead of me having to sit in an internet cafe for three hours waiting for it to charge, like I had to do pretty much every day while in India...

Dear Family Members...

Do me favour will you? Keep Nana calm - she's all stressed out about me getting shot or beheaded in Mexico. No amount of me telling her this won't happen is making her feel any different or any better.

Thanks! :)

I must be crazy!

No really. I haven't even left on this trip to Mexico yet; I haven't even put all of the money into it that I will by the time it concludes - and what am I doing now? Thinking about the next trip afterwards. And where might that be, you ask? Beijing, China. Another Wonder of the World, the Forbidden City, Xi-an... and all of that amazing chinese food! Too much to do in life, not enough life to do it all in! LoL!

And then of course, there is a *very* up in the air trip to somewhere in the Caribbean in the winter next year too. My poor bank account and passport...

Posada los Mapaches - Tulum

Booked my stay in Tulum this morning. Going to be staying at a place called Posada los Mapaches, which has a 96% overall rating from backpackers the world over on pretty much every travel site I've looked into. What sold me was that its a 5 minute bike ride from the ruins and the beach (bikes are free at the hostel). Also included is free wifi, breakfast and computers for internet use. $70 Canadian for four nights too ~ not shabby. Did I mention the rooms are huts on the sand?

Yes, thrilled indeed! Might be a little far (10-15 minute walk) out of main Tulum, but then, who wants to be dropped into the middle of the madness that is a tourist town? I can get to where I need to go without any hassle at this place. And the adventure continues... one last night to book in Cancun before coming home and all will be set ~ aside from the transit between destinations, since I cannot book them online.

India was awesome and everything...

... but I gotta tell you, the more I dig into the things I can do, see and eat while in Yucatan and Quintana Roo is blowing my mind! I've found a few little things today that I just *have* to do. Vague, yes, and I won't be spoiling it now! These are gonna make some amazing shots for the 2012 video! The only thing I am not liking so much is the Bull Shark they caught off the coast of Tulum (look below):

Holy fucking creepy ~ and I wanna go diving???

Bull sharks aside, the chance to encounter manta rays, moray eels and sea turtles in the wild is just too much to turn away from - and hell, there's a one in a million chance of seeing a whale shark??? Sign me up!

As Winnie the Pooh would say...

...there's a rumbly in my tumbly. Just been thinking about all of the amazing street foods I am going to get to chow down on soon, and I gotta tell you, I'm completely stoked! All those roadside taquerias serving all of my favourite crunchy, munchy morsels of beefy goodness. Oh my... I'm almost starting to think the Wonder is second to the food on this one, although Chichen Itza is something in and of itself.

Speaking of pyramids - found out yesterday that aside from Coba, you can climb the pyramids at Ek Balam as well. Should make for some amazing photo and video opportunities. And thinking about it, I might just add a 3rd night at Valladolid to fully appreciate the town and it's environs before heading south to Tulum. It won't change much of my plan, just make arrival in Tulum the next morning, rather than the night before ~ and who wants to check in at night and not see anything anyway?

India One Anniversay

One year ago today I was arriving in New Delhi India on that most excellent adventure of 2011! Looking forward to re-reading my travel journal over the course of the next few months, day for day. Namaste!

La Candelaria - Valladolid

I had noticed when I booked the room at La Candelaria that there was a notice to advise them if you would be arriving after 16:00, so without a clear arrival time in mind, I dropped them an email. I have to say, the rapidity of their response was quite refreshing, considering the budget level I am traveling at - I can't say you'd get faster response from a chain hotel on the Mayan Riviera, that's for certain. And I was equally impressed that there will be a small package of travel options for me when I get there on how best to see the sights I want to see in the area! Now that is service!

Booked into Valladolid!

Well, I've booked two nights in tranquil Valladolid at La Candelaria. Opted to take a private room rather than do the dorm thing. Seems like a better idea for the initial leg of the trip, considering the amount of running around I am going to be doing in the area. I'm going to be exhausted by days end, and I don't think sharing a room with 13 other people will afford me much sleep. Downside is that in order to have that private room, you have to pay for two people's stay. Still... $40 Canadian for a private double bed room for two nights is something I can more than live with. Now all that remains is figuring out how to get to Valladolid from Cancun ~ LoL! It is easy enough really, its just that I can't book bus tickets online, so have to go to the main terminal and buy them direct.

Chichen Itza, here I come!

I've also found the place I want to stay at in Tulum as well ~ seems nice enough and it's a 10 minute walk to the ruins and the beaches. So, on the Sunday, I'll have to figure out how to get to Tulum from Valladolid and that gives me like, 4 days there to explore Coba, Punta Laguna, Tulum, etc...

And as cool as all of that sounds, and it is, but I'm really jazzed for all of the food! :)

New Snorkeling Gear

Just to be prepared for Tulum and because it was still available to purchase at MEC, I went and grabbed my snorkeling gear today. The flipper design is kind of radical ~ love it!

With this is hand, I cannot wait to hit the beaches down south! Six weeks to go today! Yahoo!

To get in the mood...

Been feeling slightly ambivalent the last few days; life just seems to go that way sometimes. Up, down, up, down, ad naseum. Plotting the route I want to take has been like sitting on a fence not knowing which way to tumble. Finally I am just going to go with my gut and head into Valladolid (pronounced Vaya-doh-leed) and do the ruins as I said I would. Thought about going to Tulum first, but really, I want the chill stuff at the end of the run, not the start.

Changed the banner for the blog today to one of Tulum - India was great when it was about India, but now it's on to other things and other places. Wish I could change the joer2india thing... gonna look into it.

Decided on my first guest house in Valladolid today, called La Candelaria - the image below will tell you all you need to know on why I want this for days one and two.

Hammocks at La Candelaria, Valladolid, Mexico

Its about $10 a night for a room which is alright - its not India, but it'll do! There's showers (hot), laundry, free internet, breakfast included (please, please, please include churros). Looking forward to it!

It's on!

Got approved for my time off today and came right home and bought my tickets! I'll only be there for 8 days but the distances between sites I want to visit are so small, it'll be nothing like India was. Basing myself out of Valladolid for the first few days will chop more than half of my desired site visits from the list. From there, I can access Ek Balam, Chichen Itza and the surrounding cenotes. I'm super pumped about visiting the local markets too ~ grasshopper pizzas with cheese, here I come (quesadillas de chapulines con queso)!!!

From Valladolid, it's a simple bus ride south to Coba, Punta Laguna Monkey Sanctuary, which is like a day's visit and then south again to Tulum for a day or two at the ruins, the beaches and diving the reefs.

Time permitting, Isla Mujeres off the coast of Cancun. My goal is to stay far away from Cancun though, as its not the sort of place I want to be at. Too commercialized.

Anyways, more to follow... gotta do some digging bus routes, hostels, etc...

Quintana Roo, Mexico 2012

Put in my request for time off today for the end of February to go backpacking the ruins of the Yucatan. Found a couple lesser known places that I'm really keen on seeing, based around the town of Valladolid, namely El Bakam, Chichen Itza (obviously) and a few cenotes around Valladolid like Dzitnup, which really has my goat at the moment.

Dzitnup Cenote - 10 minutes outside Valladolid

From Valladolid, I'll make my way southeast towards Coba and Tulum where I'll spend a few days being Indiana Joe in the Jungle and of course soaking up some rays on the playas in Tulum. From there, back up to Cancun to head over to Isla Mujeres to do some reef diving and visit a sea turtle sanctuary.

Pretty excited! Hope I get the time off ~ flights are fairly reasonable at the moment and would hate to wait and have them climb too high. More to follow...