Cancun, the world as your oyster.

As I sit in the Guadalajara airport in Mexico on my ridiculously long layover I couldn’t help but think of how lucky I am. So many people around the world are being negatively affected by the current COVID-19 situation and here I am eating chicken flautas, guacamole (sin tomates for favor!) and consuming a homemade Tamarindo. (Soooo lucky) Although most countries are not allowing Americans entry, there are a few that are welcoming us as tourists still. Most of those places have economies that are heavily dependent upon tourism. And so as I pondered the short list of countries I eventually decided on Mexico, as they had the least restrictive entrance policies. I had been to Tijuana and Puerto Vallarta before but I had never been to party central- Cancun. So I booked my flight, packed my bags and was on my way. I originally thought I would be here for a few days but I ended up staying a couple of weeks and visited different locales on this part of the country. Next time is Playa Del Carmen, Tulum and Isla Mujeres!

For starters, I wasn’t sure how COVID-19 was affecting Cancun and after doing research it seemed as if it was a toss up. On one hand Mexico shut down their country to aid in preventing the spread of COVID-19. When they reopened they did so with tons of '“requirements” for businesses to operate whilst keeping safety first. On the other hand many of the locals thought mandatory masks, temperature recording and a hands off approach to basically everything was unnecessary. One of the locals I met at a hostel proclaimed that COVID-19 didn't exist in Mexico. He mentioned how as soon as your temperature is recorded, you are basically free to operate as usual. And he was correct in his statement, many people didn’t adhere to social distancing, or mask wearing as soon as they were cleared by whomever controlled the inflow of customers. Luckily for me (and anyone else visiting) it was smooth sailing. Most businesses in the touristy part of town definitely required masks, government/city controlled operations also required the same, so if I felt just as “safe” as I do in the good ol’ US of A.

Mexico, oh Mexico. Here's the thing about people from Mexico, they have that indigenous, tribe people chill about them. They are never in a rush even when you’re in a rush. So don’t expect things to be on time. Think of it as vacation time, which is very different from America and it’s “on time is late” mantra. Don’t bring that energy here or you will be frustrated and extremely disappointed. I don’t think any part of my trip in Mexico started on time, even my flight. The captain had to tell passengers to get a move on whilst boarding because otherwise everyone was just mulling around without a bit of urgency. But that was the beautiful thing about it. No deadlines, no clients to worry about, no commitments, just exploration. And explore I did.

If you are going to be in Cancun, do yourself a favor and contact a buddy I made on this trip. His name is Marco and his company is PA Cancun and he is on Instagram as pacancun. I highly recommend Marco as he can help you with every aspect of your trip, such as personalized transportation, booking excursions, finding any type of housing from budgets to high end place and more. He is also trustworthy, non-pushy and very good at what he does. Book with him and you can thank me later.

As I walked down the main strip in the Zona Hotelera, a street called Kukulkan, I couldn’t help but think that maybe Cancun was indeed on hiatus because of COVID-19. But what I realized was everyone was at the beach, (it was only about noon) later that day I definitely saw more people on the main strip. After speaking with locals, I realized that although the dance clubs were full of people drinking and partying at night, it was much more intense before the pandemic because of the sheer amount of people visiting at any given time. The weekend was much more of a party than the rest of the week, I would even say the week was a bit slow for clubs/parties as far as nightlife is concerned. Tourism indeed took a hit but there are still many people from around the world making their way to Cancun for vacation. So if you’re up for the party, then I highly recommend checking it out as the prices are not as high as they were prior to the pandemic and it is far less saturated at this time as well.

The Zona Hotelera in Cancun is great for those who don’t like to veer off the beaten path. It is full of locals and tourists alike. If you prefer to stay in non-tourist areas then I recommend finding a place downtown. (“Centro” in spanish) There are also many places to stay, eat, and party in “Zona Hotelera.” I stayed in a very cool hostel for the final leg of my trip. It was full of young people from around the world, but also has private rooms for those with family or those desiring more privacy. It is right on the Nichupte Lagoon and across the street from the beach. It was ridiculously affordable and in the middle of it all. They also had great resources for anyone unfamiliar with Cancun. It was a very clean place, and full of life with a bar, multiple chill sections with huge overstuffed beanbags, they also had lounge chairs and swinging chairs to chill at the lagoon and catch a glimpse of a crocodile or other marine wildlife. They also had free breakfast and many recreational programs to cultivate a social community-like atmosphere. Love hostels!

From Cancun there are many things you can do in regard to excursions and day trips. You can visit neighboring towns Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Isla Mujeres to name a few. Each of these places have their own vibes, so you’d have to do some research to decide which is best for you. There is a local Mayan ruin in the “Zona Arqueologica” called “El Rey” for the history and culture buffs. A colony of iguanas has taken over the ruins so it can be a cool site if you like wildlife, they are non aggressive and very much like to stay camouflaged in the background.. There are a multitude of boat trips to various cenotes, water sports such as para sailing, or traditional sailing on the ocean waters. There is also a bird reserve in an amusement park in Cancun called “Xenses,” but an even bigger sanctuary exists on Holbox Island which is a 3 hour bus ride and a ferry away. There are also various atv, horse back riding, and jet skiing opportunities in Cancun. There is also much shopping, eating and downright exploration to be done in this beautiful place. So with all of that said, I’d say Cancun has a little bit of everything for everyone. Check it out and see, if you have any questions for me, you can contact me on instagram at eddyandy13, I’d love to hear about YOUR experience in Cancun!