I wasn’t going to say “no” to a three-day stopover in Cancún, even though I knew I was going to feel I was still in Canada or in the US—with better weather.

The Yucatán Peninsula was once home to a thriving Maya civilization but these days, you’re more likely to bump into influencers and drunk North American tourists than modern Maya people. Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum are packed with foreigners. The entire area is a bit of a Mayan Disneyland with attraction parks, resorts, tours and more mixing Maya God names with 21st-century design and Made-in-China souvenirs.

And that’s for tourists who kind of want to step into local history. Many don’t care and just come down to drink, party, and buy cheap over-the-counter drugs (Viagra and Xanax are reportedly the most popular choices). I chatted with two women from Ohio (Americans are never “Americans”; they always introduce themselves as “from North Carolina,” “Michigan” or “Oregon” as if the entire world was familiar with the 50 states) who had spent the weekend blissfully unaware that they were paying in Mexican pesos—“I thought they had the dollar too, down there!”

So, how did we spend three days in Cancún?

Stunning beaches and the Zona Hotelera

There are actually two Cancún—the town, “Centro,” and the “Zona Hotelera,” a long and narrow strip of land entirely built for the tourism industry. “Centro” is mostly Mexican, while the “Zona Hotelera” features resorts and all the North American franchises. The former has no beach access; the latter was built along the beach. Once you’re on the beach, it’s very, very hard to get out because it’s lined with exclusive resorts. I begged a Mexican security guard to open a construction site gate for us, or else we were stuck on the beach for kilometres!

The funny thing is, once you do make it to the endless Boulevard Kukulcan, just behind the resorts and parallel to them, you’re back in Mexico—this is the “behind the scenes” version of the Zona Hotelera, a non-stop ballet of city buses spitting out hospitality workers and other minimum-wage employees slaving to clean and cook for tourists.

Of course, the beach is stunning. And this alone is worth a stop in Cancún. Playa Caracol is easily accessible, this is where Mexicans (apparently) come to get drunk after their shift on Sunday.

Festive, Mexican Centro (and a food rant!)

We stayed in an Airbnb in Centro, where it’s best to speak Spanish and know what the local currency is.

Centro is a bit messy and definitely not built for pedestrians—so little options to cross the road, and so much traffic! However, it was quite festive with an impressive Christmas light display in front of the city hall, and a lively, informal street food park almost right across, on the other side of the road.

I must admit I did not enjoy the food in Mexico. I get bored of tacos, burritos, sopes, etc.—basically a combination of meat and cheese wrapped in a tortilla—pretty fast. I never know whether it’s a snack or a full dinner! Other street food stalls and eateries revolved around either tortilla+filling or some fried food—fries, burgers, hot dogs, etc.

I decided to cook but I quickly realized I was facing the same problem as in Canada—shitty, tasteless ingredients. Even bakery products look good but they don’t taste that great. Most brands and foods are the same as in Canada and the United States, and I’m not a big fan.

I ended up cooking with Philly cream cheese (the butter tasted awful) and making hippy millennial sandwiches with eggs and avocados because yes, Mexican avocados are awesome (phew!).

On a side note, this part of Mexico isn’t cheap. Food prices are slightly lower than in Canada but pretty high for what you get, and American customs apply, including tipping everyone, everywhere.

A day in Playa del Carmen

We spent our last full day in Mexico at Playa del Carmen, a 60-minute drive from Cancún. Playa is much more walkable so it was relaxing, even though I just can’t get used to Americans getting stupidly drunk at 11 a.m… “because they can.”