Tarmarc diva: Riviera Maya

You know that scene in Apocalypto, where the Maya are sacrificing humans to Kukulkan by cutting out the still-beating heart and throwing the body down the step? Yeah that scene was replaying in my mind as I stood at the bottom of the pyramid. I could imagine the festive atmosphere. Maybe I have an overactive imagination, but seeing places where history has been made is exciting! (FYI a lot of that movie is grossly incorrect historically. The sacrifice depicted is more Aztec/Mexica than Maya)
But I digress.
I have always wanted to visit Riviera Maya. Mexico on a whole is a history nerd's (aka me) dream, and the Yucatan peninsula is a fantasy come to life. It's like walking into a history book-ruins, cenotes, native people (real life Maya!) Though I didn't get to go everywhere I wanted to, nor see everything I wanted to see (damn you food poisoning!) it was still a fantastic trip. We went to Chichen Itza, Valladolid, and Isla Mujeres. Look, video and pics! (and budget tips after the pics)

Riviera Maya (Spring 2016) from thisiskimber on Vimeo.

We joined an all-inclusive tour that included a trip to a Mayan craft market, a cenote, Chichen Itza and Valladolid. Pick up at the hotel was 7 am and we never got back until around 9pm. When they say "inclusive", they mean it. For about $95 we got breakfast, lunch, snack, beer, and all park taxes and tickets. (Mexico has different prices for visitors and foreigners for national museums and monuments, and a fee for taking pictures). You can definitely find cheaper tours online from sites like viator but they were nowhere as inclusive. The tours were included in our hotel package though.

In front of the Temple of Kukulcan, contemplating human sacrifice and stuff.

Chichen Itza was everything I expected and more. We had an allotted tour time so that when we arrived it was not overly crowded. They split our group into Spanish and English speakers and gave us an in-depth history lesson. (yay! or boo, depending in your nerd level)

Temple of a thousand warriors.

The ball court where they played poc-a -tok..the precursor to modern tennis and football (soccer)..maybe

Catedral de San Gervasio, Valladolid. My camera died here so no more pics for this day

The next day we set out for Isla mujeres. The tour included hotel pick up, boat trip, snorkeling, drink including alcoholic drinks, and lunch. To be honest, this was not what i expected at all. It was basically a party boat, which if you're from the caribbean, isn't anything that special. I could do this at home. Isla mujeres honestly felt like a tourist trap. The reef isn't anything spectacular. but at least the beach on the island is pretty? oh and the water is an UNREAL shade of blue.

Port of Departure for Isla Mujeres

the colour of the water is insane

My "i'm on a boat" face. Meh,

The boat docked at Playa Norte and let us off for 2 hours to explore the island. There really wasn't much to do at Isla Mujeres besides buy crap you don't need and go to the beach. Since I'm on a budget I avoided the temptation to shop and headed to the beach. When i was looking up this island they mentioned Garrafon Park - where you can do water sports etc. That's what I thought we had signed up for. Oh well...spending a day drinking tequila on a boat and a few hours bumming at the beach isn't a bad way to spend time though.

Playa Norte at Isla Mujeres. No, I don't know why there's a kid lying in the water either.

The next day I wanted to go to Tulum but woke up with food poisoning at 6am. I was out for the count. Moctezuma's revenge strikes again. I spent the day in bed with the remote in hand. :Which is how i spend most weekends so i didn't mind too much. On last day i went to the resort beach wtth my mom and then we had brunch.

Walking the jetties at the resort.

BUDGET FRIENDLY CANCUN? (it can be done...sorta)

Full disclosure: Cancun is absurdly expensive compared to the rest of Mexico. It was designed for tourists, Hell the prices are even in USD! This was not my usual budget trip. It was essentially a family vacation ( my mom and her friend flew over from Trinidad) and we stayed at a resort. If you know anything about me, or have read anything on this blog then you'd know that I tend to avoid those places like the plague because BUDGET.  That said, I can't lie. I feel guilty in admitting that the resort was indeed fantastic. And I despite the luxurious resort, I did manage to bring in some budget behaviours:
1. Shop local: We went to a supermarket in downtown Cancun and bought perishable groceries like meat and vegetables. Definitely cheaper than going to the on-site supermarket at the resort.
2. Bring food: My mom brought some other food items  for me from Trinidad (YASSSS!)
3. Cook: - We cooked most meals at the hotel since the suite had a kitchenette. Besides. who wants to eat hotel food all week? Not me. And the hotel wasn't exactly near downtown so it was either hotel food or cook. I vote cook.
4. Take public transportation: Cancun is basically a tourist trap. Compared to where i live in Mexico City, Transportation costs were exorbitant. So what if the majority American tourists can afford it. It's still expensive compared to elsewhere Mexico. To get to downtown from our hotel we walked out of the resort and hailed a mini bus ( camion, pesero.. whatever you call it.) for 30 pesos. Still more than the 5 pesos for public transport in the CDMX but definitely cheaper than taking a taxi.
4b. Airport hack: When you exit the airport you will be bombarded by touts looking to get you to pay $20 for a ride to your hotel (that is, if you haven't arranged airport pick up). They are pretty eager and can get in your face. Get around this by heading to the tourist desk and ask about the ADO bus. This bus will cost less than $5 and will take you to downtown Cancun bus station. From there you can get a regular taxi ( as opposed to airport taxi)

Although it IS a bit of a tourist trap, it really is worth the trip. It's an incredibly beautiful place so much to offer. I plan to head back as I still haven't been to Tulum and Cozumel. Actually my roommate is headed down tomorrow...I should try to hide in her suitcase. Sounds  a lot more funt han going to work next week.