Blogs from Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

With a year or more ahead of us, we're in no hurry to race to the local tourist attractions, temples, beaches or must see sites. In fact we found ourselves in the heart of Cancun's Hotel Strip inside a Starbuck's not so much for the drinks but for the Wifi. And on our inaugral day the first crisis struck. Coming out of her backpack, Amei's Air Book was hotter than a habenero chili. Worse, the screen was blank and pushing the power button did nothing. Could it be that her brand new Apple computer was now fried before our trip got going. Utilizing my IPad searching for Apple stores in Cancun, there are none, but there is an I Store that is similar, we had hope. In the meantime, the computer had cooled, restarted and seemed ... read more

This morning, we had a lie in. Breakfast – toast – was a little disappointing. We caught the bus to the hotel zone and decided to stay on it a little longer to see if we could find a different beach to the one we’d been to before – variety is the spice of life after all! We got off by a load of very exclusive looking hotels and a shopping development. We spent some time looking for a bikini top for me as it disappeared in the mess that was the girls’ dorm room but everything was really expensive - £40-50 just for a bikini! We gave up and walked to where we thought the beach was. The only way to get to it would be through the lobby one of the huge hotels, so ... read more

Just before leaving Tulum I visited the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, not far from where I am staying. The Reserve covers 1.5 million acres and is a protected UNESCO World Heritage site. I went with an organisation called Cesiak who do eco-tourism and environmental education, for the afternoon canal tour . We went through the mangroves, floated down the canals looking at bird life and flora and fauna, and enjoyed a delicious dinner afterwards. My birdwatching days from Ecuador came back! I loved it. It was highly educational, and sadly not all that I've learned is good news. Our guide, Hugo, is passionate about people and the environment learning to live together in a sustainable way, and he was scathing about the all-inclusive resorts in Cancun and Playa del Carmen and how they are impacting the ... read more

A few more days were spent on the beach before we decided to take a day trip to a nearby island called Isla Mujeres, from where we are staying in the hotel zone the port where you get the boat is only 5mins away and the trip to the island is only around 30mins. When I arrived to the port it seemed a bit familiar and after a while I realised that I have been to the island before although last time it was in the night and also for a booze cruise so slightly different circumstances this time. As soon as we set foot on the island after listening to a Mexican bloke with a guitar during the crossing we were immediately pounced upon by different tour people trying to sell their tours to us. ... read more