Cancún!
This was our second take on Cancún, this time with family on my dad’s side.
We flew in on Christmas after some plane delays and airport crowd and got to the Moon Palace Resort in the late afternoon. We met my kaka’s (dad’s brother) family and our kaki’s brother’s family, but were tired out from the trip so we just ate dinner and chilled in the lobby (side note, my dadi, dad’s mom, was also on this trip with us). The first thing I noticed was the amount of South Asian people at the resort—they even put out pav bhaji and other Indian food after the buffet closed. That’s what you get from booking with Costco.
The next day, we ordered room service for an early breakfast (had some really good chilaquiles!) and our whole group headed to Chichen Itza. It was really cool to see such a grand structure that is about 1500 years old and stand in the same place where ancient Mayans and others stood. Unfortunately, about 500 people wanted to stand in the same place too, so it got a little crowded. There’s an audial illusion that occurs when you clap in certain areas around the Ziggurat, but I won’t spoil the details for you. Our tour guide told us how to negotiate for knick-knacks and my skills were avverrraggeee (got from $35 to $10), but I’m a big believer in “they need it more than I do”. We then had a Yucatan buffet lunch (great soup and flan, rest was mid) and went to a cenote, a beautiful natural water-filled sinkhole with ancient Mayan significance. Lastly, we went to a local township and walked around the stores and parks for a bit before heading back for the night.
During the next couple of days, we took full advantage of the resort, including yoga on the beach, the swimming pools (again, if you’re new here, water and I go together like rum and coke), and swim-up bar, buffets, arcade games, an in-room hot tub, mini golf, cycling, and more. We saw a family of coatimundi, a small raccoon-like, mammal, while cycling and I was a little apprehensive. My fearless animal-loving mom got approximately 2 inches away from one and inspired me to check them out up close and personal.
On the last day, we went on an adventure outside the resort (ref. Cancun 2010 post). First, we went to another cenote, this one in an underground cavern, and swam in the natural groundwater. The water was a clear light blue and it was gorgeous, cold, and a little claustrophobic (AKA my heart rate was 130 but couldn’t show it or my less-adventurous mom and sister would freak out). We hopped in our van and our tour guide did some insane magic tricks using a deck of cards; call me a gas pedal because I was absolutely floored. Next, we went to a lagoon and got to snorkel with a bunch of tropical fish (first time snorkeling!). The fish were cool and I loved intruding on the fish highway system, but I couldn’t wear my glasses so about 50% of the fish were just blobs of color unfortunately. We got back and had dinner at an Asian restaurant at the resort, which was a yummy ending to a solid Cancún do-over trip.
This time, no pool water was drunk!
Takeaways
- Costco travels have some great deals, just expect a lot of South Asians to join you
- Cenotes are really cool marvels of the Yucatan peninsula and the vast number of them in the area were likely caused by the meteor that killed off the dinosaurs (the actual site, Chicxulub crater, is close-by, but is not visible anymore)
- Chichen Itza is definitely deserving of being one of the ancient wonders—the geometric perfection and illusions that they could create almost 2,000 years ago is wild
- Coatimundi will not bite your face off as long you maintain a friendly 2-inch buffer
- Don’t stress about getting your “money’s worth” out of an all-inclusive resort by stuffing yourself with every single meal or drinking all the time. Just enjoy yourself:)
Introducing a new section: Rose, Bud, Thorn!
Rose (what went well): Overall a good bonding experience with my sister and saw some really cool sites: Chichen Itza and cenotes
Bud (what was good but could be improved on/done more): Would have loved more nature-y activities like hiking/cycling/beach time and more authentic Mexican food (although Taco Bell would probably beat any Mexican food I get)
Thorn (what did not go well): Don’t travel on Christmas Day! Cancún airport was absolutely packed (but we pulled the senior citizen card thanks to my grandma and got through most of it!)
Rohan Chhaya 