Backpacking in Mexico
I hadn’t initially factored Mexico in for this trip, aside from flying in and out of Cancun. Due to its size, one could easily spend three months exploring Mexico alone. And so I felt my three months in Central America would be best spent exploring its smaller neighbours. After changing plans, though, I spent two weeks getting a taste for the wonders Mexico offers – before flying home.
Mexico stood out from its smaller neighbours, being more developed, slightly more expensive and – perhaps owing to its proximity to the United States, had a more Western feel to it. I had less interactions with locals – perhaps as I visited densely populated towns and cities rather than rural areas. And if I were to go back again, I would like to explore the untouched, natural beauty of Mexico, having only had a sample. Having said that, the Mexican leg of my tour was full of discoveries – varied in nature – and an eventful way to end my tour.
The man with a gun
The trip from coastal Honduras to Oaxaca was the single longest journey on my tour of Central America. It consisted of four legs. Firstly, the hour ferry back to the mainland. Followed by two bus journeys to the border with Guatemala, and onto Puerto Barrios. I need to stop here to describe the most frightening moment I had.
On the bus from the Guatemalan border, I sat on the front seat, next to the driver and the guy who collected the bus fares. The young driver seemed intent on weaving in and out of traffic to make good time. And in one manoeuvre, our bus came quite close to a motorbike in front, who signalled his displeasure. Our driver wasn’t deterred and made a gesture in return. This prompted the motorcyclist to reveal, for our benefit, a large handgun tucked into the back of his jeans. At this point I froze and, at least internally, begged our driver would back down immediately. The driver and his friend found the sight of the handgun hilarious. Fortunately, at least, they didn’t provoke the driver any further.
The most rewarding leg of this journey came next, taking a small boat from Livingston – a Spanish-speaking Caribbean town – on an 80-minute ride up the river, past narrow canyons with jungle to either side. The boat tour was in stark contrast to the bus journeys I had after, along the endless highways, first to Guatemala City with a short stopover, then an overnight coach trip to San Cristóbal de las Casas. Then, finally, another overnight coach to Oaxaca. I’ll be honest – I’m not sure I could manage the overnight journeys, with a day wandering a city, in my advancing years.
Oaxaca
Wandering the streets of Oaxaca City didn’t feel dissimilar to wandering a European city, due to the style of the architecture here. Yet it remained distinctly Mexican, particularly in the evenings, largely because of the street markets, for food and clothing, and both live and pre-recorded music blaring on the streets, that were enjoyed by dancing locals.
Without hiring a car on this trip, and relying on public transport, I joined several arranged tours. One of which took me to the nearby Unesco heritage site of Monte Alban, well-maintained ruins of a centre for the Zapotec civilisation. The remains are superbly preserved given their age of over a thousand years. They are set elevated in the mountainous region, providing panoramic views around.
Further into the mountains is Hierve el Agua, a natural rock formation on a cliff edge, that creates a remarkable impression of a waterfall. Walking around this area was my first and only real taste of the Mexican wilderness. The hills and mountains, covered in forests and bush, stretched to the horizon – highlighting the vastness of this country.
Mexico City
Approaching the capital made me appreciate another aspect of Mexico, the population size. Including the surrounding area, the population is over 21 million people. This was demonstrated by the endless homes built for miles, on hills outside the city centre. Not surprisingly, Mexico City is known to be slowly sinking further into the ground – which is having a noticeable effect on the buildings there.
I found the city fascinating, even if I wasn’t enamoured with it – as much down to my preference for the quieter life over busy cities (so, it’s nothing personal, Mexico!). The queues for the metro were the most competitive I have ever seen – and they have thoughtfully created separate zones for women and children to board the subway. I had the impression, from my few days, life in Mexico City would not be short of excitement.
Again, I took up the offer of tours within and outside of the city. The cathedral and central square are domineering sights when next to largely low-lying structures. And outside the city lies a must-see exhibit of pre-colonial history – Teotihuacan – a remarkable creation that is almost 2,000 years old.
Teotihuacan
The two opposing pyramids – the sun and the moon – both stand impressively over the grounds on which they are built. The design of the city, with two large temples either side of a long flat stretch between them – known cheerfully as the Avenue of the Dead – creates a dramatic effect when standing atop either pyramid. As well as the sight of the grand pyramid opposite, you can see for miles around, truly appreciating the grandiosity of the structures in relation to the terrain. The age and condition of the pyramids is just as remarkable.
I am happy to accept I am not best placed to lecture readers on the history, so I won’t attempt to here. While there, our tour guide brought the history to life with stories behind the pyramids, describing the culture of the inhabitants at the time, and I would highly recommend taking one if you visit.
My final week – without photos
My amateur status as a traveller on this trip is typified by my final and lasting mistake. I actually made it after my return to the UK. When uploading photos from my trip, from my USB drive to my hard drive, I inexplicably deleted the photos before transferring them. I still remember that moment to this day. It might be partly why I no longer delete photos from the original source and instead purely create backups.
That said, as I mentioned in Nicaragua, experiences you don’t photograph can be some of the most visually engrained in your memory. And my days in Playa del Carmen and Tulum remain robustly in my mind. Granted, that may not make it as appealing on website that is supposed to advertise these moments. I’ll do my best to describe the time, regardless.
Firstly, snorkelling with sea turtles. Another unplanned and unforgettable excursion. That half hour in the water, coming close to these giants calmly gliding through the sea, blew my mind. I do pride myself on capturing photos of magnificent wildlife I encounter. Situations like these, where I didn’t even have a camera to take in the water, remind me the encounter itself is the true marvel.
The cenotes around Tulum are very popular destinations for tourists – and I can attest to why that is. The caves are magical formations, largely hidden from sunlight, filled with water. One downside is the large crowds that come, and the noise they bring. You could be forgiven for being disappointed if you were expecting a tranquil oasis, if you had seen the advertising material suggesting you could be alone in these caves, floating peacefully in the water. A far cry from the reality. Our tour did take a small group of us for a swim around the caves, into quieter areas, exploring the nooks and crevices, between rays of light and shadows of dark. And I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.
My last stop before flying from Cancun was the popular resort town of Playa del Carmen. A smaller, low-key alternative to Cancun, but full of bars and parties regardless. For the past few years, my social life in my hometown and at university, regularly featured nights out with alcohol. Strangely, on this trip, I rarely had the urge. The most memorable moments here were swimming in the warm sea and a run along the beach. After three months primarily walking and sitting or standing on buses, the run was unusually tough. Although I could also blame the heat.
My lasting memory was discovering the ruins of the temple nearby. Bordered by green foliage, the small ruins had been conquered by invaders – iguanas. Dozens of them were climbing over and around the site, creating a scene of an apocalypse in which lizards survived to rule. The largest look somewhat intimidating, but even the largest left us tourists alone, so far as we were given them a wide berth while traipsing through their adopted home.