Getting to know my neighbors

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Hi everyone,!
I survived my first week in the yucatan and i must admit i love it! I spent 2 days in Cancun and then 4 nights in Playa del carmen. When I first got off the bus in cancun, i met this nice argentine girl. we were both traveling solo and had similar interests, so I have been traveling with her. Its great, i have to use my spanish to communicate with her and she corrects my grammar. so in advance, i apoligize for a not so well written blog becuase for the past week i have been thinking so much in spanish, that my head is going to explode. Anyways, cancun is just what I imagined. We stayed in a hostel in the center, which is probably about a 10 minute bus ride to the beach, the hotel zone where all the hotels are located. there are not a lot of public beaches and the ones that are are small. But either way a beach is a beach. The sand is pure white and smooth and the water crystal clear. I did not enjoy cancun much just because it is not what I wanted to see. High rise hotels and every corny mexican souviener imaginable being sold at every street cornerand very drunk teenage americans running drinking as much as they can in the streets.
after one day of looking for beaches and walking along the hotels, we had enough of it and spent the next on the isla mujures. Its a small island located off the coast of cancun that is much more tranqui and relaxed. the water is cleaner and the atmosphere nicer. there are no starbucks or whatever american corporation. instead, local shops and nice people. we did a boat tour that took us to different locations to snorkel. we saw plenty of fish and then ended up at a beach with turtles eating fresh fish caught earlier that day. The sunset was precious and we ended up watching the sunset on a yatch with cute spainards that we meet on the beach. very nice!!!
the following day we took the bus to playa del carmen and have been sleeping here ever since. playa del carmen is such a great place. there are great resorts here like in cancun but its better developed. It has a good vibe and the main street has some mexican flavor to remind us that we are in mexico. also, its less popular with americans and more popular with italian s and europeans, so there are not many american businesses here. the main street is next to the beach and the hotels and locals and backpa ckers are connected. its fun to people watch and i also am starting to enjoy the comments the vendors make trying to catch people´s attention. At the beach you can do any watersport imaginable. I went waterskiing and on the 4th of july went sailing with a couple argentines. as well, there are many deserted beaches within 10 minutes. its easy to take a bus and spend the day with locals aT the beach- playing soccer with them and then eating freshly made guacamole.
My favorite day so far was a day trip to the island of conzumel. Its the biggest island in mexico 30 minutes by boat from playa del carmen. it s famous for its reefs. I went with jimena and two other argentine girls. we rented scooters and rode around the island, stopping at different beaches or rest stops around the way. the beaches, of course, are incredible. we saw sooo many different fishes and shades of blue. One of the girls had portable speakers, so when we rode we blasted music and caught the attention of many. we basically ate for free becuase everyone was interested in talking with us. at night, in the main plaza there was live music of salsa, merangue, and latin music. being the celebrities of the day, the band made sure that we dance d with them. the argentines had no problem, but me being white and gringo, i had no idea how to dance salsa or whatever and of course i was probably the joke of the night..l but whatever.. we had tons of fun and meet awesome people.

so far, the locals here have been sooooooooooooo nice. everyone wants to talk to us and give us advice. as well, everyone has a story to tell. if i say i m from california, they say th ey have family there and then precede in telling me a story about their family members. becuase i talk to the locals and try to speak spanish, they are polite and help me. to find good jobs here, its necessary to know english.

another thing i have noticed is the amount of free live music. in cancun and playa del carmen everynight we go to the main square or road and there are tons of families and couples out and about, enjoying the night, and listening to live bands. music is big here. i love it.

so im enjoying my time here. i havent seen much of the interior of mexico.. just the vacation spot. the people are so nice and i can feel the mayan influence. the food is great. ive mainly been eating the street food and have not had a problem so far. the only one was when you ask the locals if the food is hot- really spicy ( picante) and they say no not really, that means, for non mexicans, its spicy.

going to tulum tomorrow for 2 days and then after no idea. free spirit

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