Did I blog yesterday? Yep. Mmm… don’t remember much about it. I was very cansada!

We woke up this morning dazed and confused. Why am I not cold? Who are these people singing drunkenly in Spanish? Why is this lady knocking at the door asking if we want la limpieza?

Oh right. Cancún.

After a cold shower and a quick desayuno, we took the bus to go to the beach. We are not staying on the waterfront, in one of the ubiquitous resorts with pseudo-Mayan names, but away from the hotel zone. At least, taking the bus is easy: Cancún is built along a long and narrow straight road.

Finding access to the beach was challenging: the beach is public but access to it isn’t. We tried to walk through a couple of resorts’ lobbies but we were stopped right away by security: propriedad privada. Eventually, we found a public access, a very narrow path leading to blinding white sand and amazing shades of blue. The sea is amazing here. I’ve rarely seen these kinds of colours anywhere else. Water isn’t all that clear (and there were a lot of waves) but the gradient is stunning.

Except for the beach, Cancún looks like Niagara Falls with sand and saltwater. The same corny attractions, lame signs and ubiquitous franchises, the same kinds of “made in China” souvenirs.

But where are the tourists? The beach was almost empty, certainly not as busy as I remembered. Tourists seem to be mostly Mexicans and we haven’t seen a lot of Americans. Granted, they may be enjoying their private beach but still, Cancún looks remarkably quiet for this time of the year.

Love these painted walls!
Cancun, One Straight Road
By The Shore
Lying on the Beach
Mall in Cancun
The Strip
Trying To Tan…
Different Shades of Blue
Cancun Beach
The Beach
The Beach

Get the latest story, cultural shock and travel pictures right in your inbox

I don't spam, promise.

I literally don't have the time to write ten stories a day.

Visited 39 times, 1 visit(s) today

27 Comments

  1. Nigel December 15, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    “THIS IS NOT HERE” – Heh, that made me laugh 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:20 pm

      It wasn´t! 😆

      Reply
  2. barbara December 15, 2011 at 11:18 pm

    I know that feeling…
    Those first mornings can be strong! Happily you are to have an empty beach and sunshine to work off the jet lag.

    Enjoy!

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:20 pm

      We are lucky, no jetlag this time!

      Reply
  3. khengsiong December 15, 2011 at 11:49 pm

    Hard Rock inside a mall… Mexicans like malls just like Malaysians?

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:21 pm

      Probably not as much, malls are aren´t as big but yes, they seem to like shopping too!

      Reply
  4. Isa December 16, 2011 at 5:43 am

    Oh jeez, I just read “La puta maya”

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:22 pm

      French are their dirty minds…! 😆

      Reply
  5. Jeruen December 16, 2011 at 6:07 am

    Wow. The beach is empty! Where is everybody? That is so different from the Cancun of March!

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:22 pm

      I wonder where are the people too! Weird, eh?

      Reply
  6. Cynthia December 16, 2011 at 8:19 am

    Ah wish I was there away from the rain and wind in Paris!

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:22 pm

      You bet!

      Reply
  7. Elisabeth Stewart December 16, 2011 at 9:40 am

    Snow is headed our way – that beach looks inviting and tempting!

    Reply
  8. Lily December 16, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    The sea looks fantastic! It’s too bad all these lovely beaches became tourist nests. Or, actually, I wouldn’t mind the tourists if it was not for these big ugly building all along the sea 🙁

    Can’t wait to see more photos of your trip! Enjoy!

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:11 pm

      I hear you… Although after a while, ignoring them becomes suprisingly easy. Which is good I guess!

      Reply
  9. expatraveler December 16, 2011 at 6:05 pm

    um you’ve done a ton of stuff in just 24 hrs, especially to make all of us up here in Canada jealous! How beautiful! Halfway wishing we were going on a trip before I get back to work.

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:11 pm

      Time goes back differently when traveling… and not having a watch helps!

      Reply
  10. kyh December 16, 2011 at 11:13 pm

    wow i love the beach! but the apartments behind kinda spoil the whole tropical paradise feel to it.

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:13 pm

      Yep, it more of a concrete paradise by the shore… but the beach is still nice.

      Reply
  11. Tulsa Gentleman December 17, 2011 at 4:23 am

    Whenever I go to a great tourist destination I am annoyed to see so many tourists. Wait, what am I saying? We see what we want to see. Look past the the little nuisances and marvel at the beauty of the sea. Do what Miss Zhu does. She always makes the best of everything.

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:15 pm

      You just can´t escape tourists! But really, there aren´t that many. Australia was annoying for that, tons of backpackers everywhere. Here it´s more locals traveling.

      Reply
  12. eduardo December 17, 2011 at 11:27 pm

    I find interesting that many Americans and Canadians like to see painted walls, I wonder…

    It seems you are having fun!

    Ottawa is freezing today (from my mexican point of view…)

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 18, 2011 at 4:17 pm

      Latin America is so colourful, I miss that in Canada or in Europe. But you´re right, it´s funny to take pictures of painted walls!
      I bet Ottawa is cold… even by my standards!

      Reply
  13. ristinw December 19, 2011 at 12:11 am

    Oh! There’s a huge guitar!!!! 😀 Love it!

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 19, 2011 at 1:00 pm

      The Hard Rock Cafe one!

      Reply
  14. shionge December 23, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    What a lovely day and the beaches and yes…where are all the people? I love the carefree look of you Zhu “D

    Reply
    1. Zhu December 25, 2011 at 5:43 pm

      Not very crowded, surprisingly!

      Reply

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *