Let me preface this post by saying that I really struggled to think of anything bad about Mexico travel, which is why you’ll find that section below looking very sparse indeed.
Honestly, I even asked Scott to rack his brains and think of anything that really bugged us and got under our skin about the country during the three months we were there and he could think of nothing. That’s pretty unusual.
If you want a country that has it all, then Mexico should definitely be top of your list. It ticked every box for us in terms of cost, accommodation, beaches, history, food and weather. At times I would find myself annoyed by the heat, the smells, the noise…but then I left and I now miss it all. A lot.
I particularly miss the amazing markets and availability of fresh, delicious food. Sure, everywhere has markets and fresh produce, but they don’t have it at Mexico’s prices or offer the spiciness and complexity of Mexico’s street food. I now find myself wandering the supermarket aisles and balking at the price of vegetables. Such is life in Europe.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s my The Good The Bad and The Ugly Mexico Edition. FYI – I’m not mentioning the food in the “good” category because I think it goes without saying that the food is great. You don’t need me to tell you that.
Good
Bus Travel
This came as a big surprise. I didn’t expect bus travel in Mexico to be any better than Asian standards but boy, was I wrong. Most of the buses for travel between towns and cities are first class buses, meaning that they come fitted with toilets, DVD players and comfy seats as standard. And the standard only goes up from there. For some overnight buses (and depending on company) you will get large leather reclining seats, a goodie bag filled with drink and snacks and in-bus entertainment. I kid you not. There was only once we had to take a second class bus when we were heading from Holbox to Valladolid and even then, it wasn’t a totally bad experience. But overall, for the majority of journeys you will need to take around the country, you’ll be travelling in style and comfort.
Friendliness
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Mexican people are extremely friendly. The first day we were in the country, the chain on Scott’s bike broke and a guy came running across the street immediately to help us. Locals would stop and offer us directions (not always with great results – see below) and even offer tips or recommendations on what foods to eat at certain food stalls.
Beaches
Who needs the Caribbean or Central America when there are so many amazing beaches in Mexico? Particularly in the Yucatan, the waters are blue and the sand is picture-postcard white. Every beach is Mexico is public, meaning that even if there is a hotel built on it, you can still take full advantage of it without being a guest. I love how Mexico allows everyone to be a part of its country and culture like this, just like they do with their music, fiestas and wedding processions. Nothing is withheld from anybody and everyone can join in the fun.
Mayan Ruins
The history of Mexico has fascinated me ever since I studied the Aztecs and the Mayans at primary school. To see several of the ruin complexes in person was an amazing experience and just added to the allure and appeal of Mexico as a whole. The fact that the ruins at Tulum are also built next to a stunning beach doesn’t hurt, either.
Mezcal
Many people think of tequila when they think of Mexico, but mezcal’s really where it’s at. Also a distilled alcohol made from the agave plant, mezcal has a much smokier flavour than tequila and although I’m not a huge fan of it neat, I love it in margaritas where it adds a different savoury aspect to the cocktail. Most mezcal is made in Oaxaca, where you’ll find several cantina bars dedicated to it, but you can find it almost everywhere in the country.
Bad
Lengthy Journeys
I’m really scraping the barrel here, and technically this isn’t Mexico’s fault because it’s such a big country, but it takes a loooong time to get anywhere. Before we arrived in Mexico, we naively assumed we could get from A to B to C within a certain period of time. How wrong we were. There are only certain bus routes and often the journeys are a minimum of four to five hours (this is a short journey). We took more overnight buses in Mexico than we have done anywhere else, although the upside was that our route forced us to discover some places we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Before you go, make sure to leave yourself enough time to get to every place you want to visit and if possible, research routes and times beforehand, especially if, like us, you want to travel from one side of the country to the other.
Ugly
Propinas
“Propinas” means “tips” in Spanish and actually became a big bug bear during our time there. Not in restaurants or for services, but just the expected tips that were for nothing at all. Like the time in Zihuatanejo when there was a guy juggling fire on the street. He set up behind us (we hadn’t seen him) and suddenly felt a hot flame near us. When Scott turned round to see what it was, the performance artist’s “assistant” ran over with a tray demanding a tip. Just for looking at the guy.
This kind of thing happens regularly in Mexico. Singers and street performers will set up next to you at your table while you’re eating and then come around collecting money. I know it happens in many tourist places and I also understand that some people are just trying to make a living, but it happens a LOT in Mexico. You just have to get used to it.
Asking Directions
This is a strange one, and one that we have discussed with many expats who live in Mexico to get their take on it. The theory behind it seems to be this – Mexican people don’t want to let you down. They never want to give you bad news or see your crestfallen face. So instead, if you ask them directions to somewhere and they don’t have a clue where it is, they won’t tell you that they don’t have a clue. Instead, they will give you the totally wrong directions (and even sometimes walk with you) to where they THINK the place is, just so that they can feel as though they have helped you. As noble as this is, and even though their hearts are in the right place, when you find yourself walking around in circles for an hour, with a heavy backpack on, getting conflicting directions from every person you ask, it can get very frustrating.
Also, according to our expat friends, most local Mexican people will tell you that something is “two blocks” or “three blocks” away, when really this means that it’s close by, but not exactly two or three blocks. Just take the directions with a big grain of salt and you’ll be fine.
Thin Meat
I fell silly putting this in here, but it was definitely a weird one. For some reason, Mexicans seem to like to have their meat thin. Really thin. Like it’s been bashed with a meat cleaver and pulverised. I’m not sure whether this is because it cooks faster this way, or whether they just don’t like thick cuts of meat, but whether it’s chicken or beef, it will usually always be served butterfly-style. Even in the meat markets, you have to get to them fast if you want to buy a whole chicken breast, before they cut it in half and beat it to death (again). It certainly makes barbequeing an interesting experience.
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