An easy bus ride south and we arrived in Campeche, a beautifully restored walled city on the coast of the gulf of Mexico. Our plan was to chill out in a nice hotel with a swimming pool etc, this was our last few days of our holiday and we were going to enjoy it We had a lovely time in the Ocean View hotel, we enjoyed lazing around the pool and even had a couple of workouts, which my body continually reminded me about. The Mexican bicentennial holiday period was in full swing now, lots of free festivals and a great party atmosphere, things were going well then…. As we were catching an overnight bus to Mexico City Sharon checked online for any government warnings, I didn’t mention it in previous blogs but a few night ... read more

We got the super fast ferry from Isla Mujeres to Puerto Juraz and got a cab directly to Gaby Suites which is in downtown Cancun. Very nice hotel with fantastic modern bathrooms and large LCD tv on the wall…. sweet People had told us how Cancun was very Americanised but as we wandered around the downtown area it wasn’t really like that. The next day we got the free hotel minibus to Isla Cancun, the main hotel zone and found the luxury resorts, modern shopping malls, nightclubs and bars. We spent the day at a beach club (50MXN each includes towel, sunlounge, pool, etc) it was like a night club during the day, extra loud music, people sipping glamorous cocktails and drinking ice cold beers, we felt pressured to join in!! In the evening we checked ... read more

Within 15 seconds of arriving in Playa del Carmen I was offered drugs on the street, over the years this has happened many times but I have never taken up the offer. Ok, once, many years ago at the Notting Hill carnival, but that was a special occasion and the dealer accidentally dropped another bag which I ‘accidentally’ covered with my foot, in a flash he had merged into the crowd and his inflated price became a bargain! those were the days ….. Anyway, back to Playa Del Carmen… We had 4 days here and I was offered drugs constantly, people would use an excuse of selling something to me, like a hat or a tattoo, then when in close, reel off a list of drugs that would make a chemist proud, Playa del Carmen is ... read more

We arrived at Chetumal in the wee small hours of the morning and shared a taxi into the town centre with a French girl who was travelling on her own. She had not booked anything and didn’t have any idea where to go, in my opinion she was pretty lucky we were there as no-one else got off the bus and the place was deserted, I must be getting old and sensible . We ended up at a very cheap hotel which had no air con and was a real sweat box to us air conditioned snobs!!! Needless to say, we moved out very early the next morning to a hotel over the road (Hotel Ghandi (400MXN) air con etc). Chetumal is the capital of Quintana Roo state and our reason for stopping here was to ... read more

San Cristobal de las Casas is an old colonial town nestled in the mountains of the state of Chiapas. The Maya, who are descended from an ancient and indigenious civilization, have a strong presence here. It is a market town where many indigenous people come from their villages to sell their wares. Sharon is not always keen on pottering around the narrow markets but although they can be a bit chaotic and strange smelling, we saw some absolutely amazing handmade crafts. Most of our time in San Cristobal was spent within a ½hr walking radius of our hotel. My need to flee to the throne was affecting my desire to explore this beautiful town. However, my desire for a hot water bottle and a good chick flick increased with every bout of stomach cramps! Maybe swapping ... read more