Hungry Bugs in Cancun

---

Okay, here it is...the first blog entry. I have been in Cancun since Sunday and it has been great! I have met people from all over the world and it has been quite a treat to hear their stories and tips about traveling. Just to calm some of your nerves (Mom) I have met two other girls my age traveling alone; one girl is from Scotland and the other is from New Zealand. Tash, from New Zealand just arrived from Washington D.C. and it is really funny to hear her take on American currency and politics. She said she was very frustrated with all the coins and the fact that our bills are all the same color, this is not the case in many other countries. 😊

I will be staying in Cancun for the rest of the week at the same hostel. Meson de Tulum Hostal is the best deal in Cancun. The room is only 90 pesos a night ($9 USD) and they washed my stinky laundry for only 25 pesos ($2.50). It is awesome! I will be moving onto Isla Mujeres on Saturday. This is a little island off the coast of Mexico where I will have a chance to watch the waves and relax in hammocks for a day or two.

Today has been a very interesting day to say the least. I learned a lot that I did not know before came to this incredible city.

Cancun has taught me that my Spanish is not a good as I thought because I was under the impression that the word "alto" meant "stop". It seems it means "hurry up and try to get through to keep that gringa from crossing" since that is what everyone did when they approached the red octagon signs with the word "alto" written on them. Well, now I know.

I also learned that cheap flip-flops are not walking shoes. The little, unpadded, part that goes between your toes will give you a blister if you try to walk several miles. I decided that instead of getting lost again by taking the wrong bus, I would walk to Walmart to get some things. HA! I ended up walking for over and hour to get there! This taught me that downtown Cancun is much bigger than downtown Flagstaff; I should not expect to walk from one end of town to the other in 15 minutes.

After wandering around like a fool, checking my map every few blocks, I finally found Walmart. It did not get any better here though. I needed to get sunscreen, bug repellent, and anti-itch cream, but the labels were so hard to understand. Looking for the anti-itch cream took FOREVER!!! There were no brands that I recognized, I just started picking things up in the pharmacy looking for the word "insectos." That was very fun and it only took me a few isles to find it. You may be thinking, why didn't she ask for help? I could not find anyone near the area and the pharmacy counter was packed.

Speaking of bug cream...total bug bites (as of this morning)...68! Now perhaps you can understand my determination to find the calamine lotion. I think most of the ones on my thighs are from spiders (or one very hungry spider) because they have started to look like bruises and have very clear rings around them. Don't worry, I am watching them and I have not started to show any weird symptoms like vomiting or anything. I cannnot help that all the creatures want a piece of me. I keep telling everyone it is because I am a vegetarian and the bugs know I am not full of growth hormones, so I taste better.

Well I was a vegetarian until two days ago. I had a delicious chicken taco plate at a restaurant across the street from the hostel. Tonight I had spaghetti bolognese. I would not have eaten the spaghetti normally, but I did not want to seem rude since Paula, from Scotland, served me a bowl and told me to sit down. That was also fantastic!

Things are going pretty well except that I am spending way too much money! Walmart was a fortune and the gang here wants me to go out again tonight. Not sure if I will, but I several of the other travelers are leaving tomorrow and I think it might be worth the money. Everyone has been so great and it would be a shame to miss out on a good time. I am in Cancun, right? This is supposed to be a vacation!

Today I also went to the beach. The water was perfect temperature; however, it was a little crowded. I was forced to move by a little hotel security guard and told that the beach was only for people staying in the hotel. He waited, stood over me, and didn't leave until I got up and left. I just moved to the other end of the beach. There are so many hotels along the beach, it takes away from the whole thing a little. I took some pictures, of the water. I have never seen such blue water; some people pay thousands of dollars to get their pools to look like that and I got the real thing. If you did not go out far enough into the water, then there was too much seaweed. The whole area smelled like seafood and it made me hungry. Since I am too poor to afford a lobster dinner in the Hotel Zone of Cancun, I settled for the peanut butter and banana sandwich I brought.

Now that I have had a sample of the Caribbean sea, I cannot wait to get to Belice where the beaches are world-renowned. While there, I plan to snorkel and watch sea turtles. I will tell you all about it when I get there.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and feel free to pass this website on to anyone that does not know about it. Love you all and missing you tons! 😊

---

Comments

[Marlene]

Mom's fears
Ha! If you decided to travel with these two other lone travelers so you were no longer traveling alone - then my fears would be lessened (not completely gone though). Someday you will understand when you have a daughter. Moms always say this, I know, but it's true. Mom - Marlene

[Emily!]

i dunno that I like idea. whih idea? the idea a quitting vegetarianism sout of the border. i hear too many stories im sure. best of luck with our new venture of chicken and bologne! and our trip too!