Chicken Pizza (CHICEN ITZA) & Valladolid

I'm living in Cancun 5 months so finally I decided to go and see the 7th wonder of the world (CHICHEN ITZA) that honestly... for me wasn`t such a big wonder.... OK its big and stunning but after seeing Mayan ruins in Palenque... it didn`t suprised me. I expected something different. But... saying it it doesn't mean that it`s not worth to see. Of course it is.... After all, It`s a 7th wonder of the world. And it´s still hard to believe that these small Mayan people were able to build such a big construction!!

What was the funniest thing, on this trip, and always makes me laught are these funny common, normally chinese, corean turists that are trying to look like Mexicans and put the "traditional" mexican sombreros that believe me...the mexican people DO NOT wear :) I even took some pictures to show you how funny they look.

I was just walking around the ruins area and there were lots of mayans selling suvenirs, of course all of them were saying that their stuff have THE BEST quality and then they were trying to convince me to buy something.
I have prepared the best list of "sell shouts"
- descuentos para la guera que habla español! (discount for the blond girl that speaks spanish!)
- hola barbie!! para ti oferta especial! ( hey barbie....for you special offer)
-dios mio! se perdio angel

I have stayed one night in a "Magic village" that is called Valladolid, you can take a bus to Chinchen Itza and it takes only half an hour.

I was lucky because every sunday the local people from Valladolid meet in the main square of the city just to listen to the band, dance and watch the movies. The children were playing and dancing but what surprised me the most was that there were really old people dancing and just simply enjoying their time.
I eally recomend staying one night in Valladolid if someone is planning to see Chichan Itza

Isla Mujeres :)

As I always work 6 days a week I do not have a lot of time to travel but as I have changed a shift with my friend, I had "extremely long" mini vacacions (1 and a half day off) and I was able to go to Isla Mujeres that is actually really close to Cancun. It`s like a half an hour by a ferry.
the funny time has started already in a ferry where I was able to listen to life music by crazy Miguel Angel that was trying to make the best of him and I actually liked it so much that I tipped him. He was dancing, screaming, playing the guitar with a smile that never came out from his face. It was a good beggining of vacacions.

 Me and Miguel Angel in the background

Miguel Angel dancing

In isla mujeres I stayed in the only hostel that is in there and it`s called Poc-Na. I liked it a lot in there and as we are always sending the people from our hostel to them....I had accommodation for free. They have this crazy beach party in a hostel that everyone talk about and also every day they play the live music.
Once I got there, I met lots of people that were staying in my hostel in Cancun so I already had lots of friends. We just enjoyed our time in the hammocks, playing volleyball on the beach and listening to the music while drinking beers on the beach. Pure relax.... 
Next day we went to the beautiful Caribbean beach that was just 200 meters from the hostel (playa northe) and I have spend there the whole day swimming in the sea, admiring the sand that have a color of the gold and the beautiful coral reefs , looking for the shelves and of course lying under the palm tree. I think I just needed it after 4 months of pure party in Cancun. I have stayed there until the sun set that was just stunning.

During the whole day I had only short break of the beach and I went to eat one of my favorites Yucatan cuisine that is a lime soup with a tasty soft chicken inside. They have a great food in here but I think that I should write a post dedicated just for the Mexican food. You will be able to read it soon. I promise.

Lime soup

To be honest, my plan was to rent a bicycle and see the whole island but it was to hot to do it. Of course I could rent also the motorbike or golf cart but as I am really stubborn and I imagined myself on a bike in this island, I didn't change my plan and I decided to go and see it in the future on  the BICYCLE  :P:P I just have a strong character :):) But I couldn`t imagine more relaxing day.
I was planning to come back to Cancun with the last ferry that leaves at 11pm but as I met more great people I decided to stay one more night and wake up at 4.30 am and take the ferry at 5.30 am just to get to work at 7am. And I did, as I planned. It wasn`t so easy to wake up after one hour of sleep but I completed my mission and got to work at 7.

What can I tell you more about the island....
- it`s really calm island where the most popular communication  are the golf carts, bicycles and motor bikes. 
- They do not sell the alcohol after 9pm to help the local bars.
- The local bars close at about 12 am and most of them have this unique look that catch your attention and you want to enter every of theme
- ferries depart every half an hour,  it takes also about half an hour to get there and it cost 70 pesos one way ticket from Puerto Juarez, Cancun
- There is this really famous underwater Mayan museum so if you know how to dive... I really recommend it.
- If not.... you can just go for a snorkel trip.

So I would say that Isla mujeres is a pure relax with a crazy beach parties in the hostel :)

different cultures, different people, different lifes!

So there is this cleaning woman in my work that doesn`t know how to write. How to read she has learned from the bible when she was about 40 years old but she`s always so optimistic and has a really big heart. Once she told me that before she didn`t believe in god but then...she started to read the bible and it gave her strength to save a money for a house...to raise her children and gave them opportunity to study and learn stuff that she and her parents couldn`t afford.
It`s not even that her parents couldn`t afford it but her dad thought that education is not so important but the most important is to work and be able to have own house. Now...she told me that for her happiness and wealth means to have own car, house and that`s it. She can never understand me. She always asks me...what will I do later...I'm 24 and I should already have a husband, children and of course house and car and then I tell her that for me the happiness means different thing.... For me being wealth doesn't mean to have a car or house. For me wealth means to know the other languages and cultures... see different countries and landscapes, to discover, to see stars from different perspective. For me it means happiness. But I can not blame her for having different kind of view.... Thats her way of seeing the world and all of us are different. We were raised in different conditions and cultures and we need to respect decisions of other people.
So we all are different but as long as we are happy with our life.... we shouldn`t change the way we live :)

BUSSING

Bussing is the word that I have just invented. It`s a new kind of business. Here in Mexico it is really popular. Imagine... you`re sitting in the bus only with your thoughts or just chatting with your friends and then one guy enters and starts to talk, what I say....scream about God, Bible, addiction of drugs etc. And he keeps talking and talking about for like half an hour without stopping, then asks you for a money that no one give him because everyone hates him for disturbing their trip back home after the whole day of hard work.
It's amazing how this guy can scream for half an hour, super fast, spilling the words from his mouth. It always makes me think how this guy can catch the breath, don't he have a throat ache later?? how many times a day he needs to do it, does he really believe it or he just do it for money??

The other kind of "bussers" are guitar, accordion etc. players. These are better because at least you can relax a little bit listening to their music. Sometimes I even take a short nap in a bus chilling out and listening to them. But.....there is always but... here in Cancun there are also the players that do not know how to play and how to sing... and whats interesting...they know about it and before they start, they announce to the people that they have absolutely no idea about the music.... but they enjoy to playing/singing and they asks us (the people in a bus) to help them improve their skills and donate a little of money for some music classes. Believe me....after 5 minutes of listening to them you decide not to give them anything because you feel sorry for their "future" music teacher and you feel like making him a favor by not donating the money for this poor guy with a guitar.

The last kind of bussing that I was able to see is at night... How do you normally feel on your way back from disco?? exhausted no?? so imagine that you are so exhausted, the only thing that you think about is a shower and a bed but no.... then the clowns enter the bus.... yes CLOWNS and they start to scream stupid jokes and doing the stupid stuff. Believe me....they do it horrible but then you think....ok it's their job.... they know that they have to make idiots from themselves and then you are not mad any more.... you feel sorry for this poor guys that need to deal with bunch of drunk people.

My advice.... be prepared.... always bring your headphones and some music player with you.

Drug business in Cancun

Before coming here I knew that Mexico is one of these countries where are lots of cartels, narcotrafficants, drug business etc. but I always thought that it's in north of Mexico and as I'm one of these people who never even thought of trying drugs. I never even thought of finding out if it's easy to buy the drugs or not. So I was innocent and unaware of the amount of of people who drug. Of course I know that the people do drug but I'm surprised of the amount of people who drug and how easy they go over with it! I'm working in a hostel so for all of guests it is obvious that I can help them buying drugs so almost every night someone is asking me WHERE, HOW and HOW MUCH. They are so surprised when I answer that I have absolutely no idea.
Once, I took some guests to the disco and one guy is asking me if I can get him coke so I answer that no I can not so then he asks me if I can let him call to the drug dealer from my phone. Honestly??? call the drug dealer from MY phone??

Other story is that some guests from the hostel were coming back from the disco in a taxi and the driver asked them if they want some drugs. They answer that YES they want and he stops, calls the guy on the street, he enters the taxi and shows them tones of different kinds of drugs.... and then... lots of police come. They take all of the guys, including the dealer, and start to hit them. They finished in jale... the police took them pictures with all of these drugs but guys kept telling to the police that they didn't want these drugs so finally the story finished like that. The police told them that they will let them go BUT...they can not tell to anyone that the police hit them and then they also offered them some coke... IS THAT NORMAL?????

Next story is about the addicted of alcohol, drugs and porno idiot that have stayed in our hostel more than one month. He was having vodka with cranberry for a breakfast and was watching porno the whole days. He did not talk to anyone and all the people who were going out with him to parties were telling me later a reallly weird stories about him ( passing out in a bathroom/beach etc. vomiting at the girls and moreee). He was so stupid that obviously no one liked him. One day.... I was working at the bar on the rooftop and there came lots of guest telling me that someone is screaming in a hostel. Then I heard it, horrible screams at 11 pm. all the guest scared and he....screaming. No one was able to shut him up so finally we called police and the police took him. He was seeing some stuff because of the drugs and he was really dangerous.

I could tell you more stories but honestly.... I was unaware of amount of people who do drug and it makes me think how our population will finish... how will be the next generation??!!

Tulum and smelly bathrooms

To Tulum I got in the morning and went to the hostel that everyone was talking about. It was supposed to be a nice hostel but as soon as I got there I knew that something is wrong. they didn't have a places but as I know how the hostels work I asked if they will have some places after the check out. The girl just looked at me as she wanted to kill me and answered that MAYBE they will have something.... Normally I would leave that kind of hostel as soon as possible but I knew that there is one friend of mine sleeping in this hostel so it was really important for me to stay there. After the check out time I went to my room ( they found something for me) and I was welcomed by the horrible smell in my room. It was a mixed of the smell from the bathroom, hangover and vomits. I just left my stuff in there and left the room as soon as possible. If not I would also puke. I can't say anything bad about the atmosfhere that was outside because the people were all very nice, talking and laughting all the time but I tell you why....everyone was outside because the rooms were so horrible that no one could stay inside. Now probably you are thinking that I'm a really picky one but believe me.... I have been in lots of hostels and I can live in lots of kinds of conditions but this one was the dirtiest hostel that I have ever stayed in. The hostel is called "the weary traveler" and it`s alsways full just because you can find it in old lonley planet guidebook. But honestly....for sure you can find something cheaper and nicer in Tulum.

Anyway I went there to enjoy my time so I just decided not to think about the horrible room and went to the beach. I heard before that Tulum has the best beaches but honestly I didnt expect such a nice beaches. It was just amazing. I have spent there the whole day and didn't want to leave.

Next day... I decided to go and see the Mayan Ruins with some friends that I met in hostel. Ruins weren't big and for sure weren't better than the ones in Palenque but for sure are ones of the best situated ruins. Just at the beach... I can imagine how happy were the mayan people who were living there. How lucky they were. They also have the best beaches there..... Honestly.... it's just 57 pesos so I would fully recomend it to everyone just to go there and see the stunning views!!

I add you some pictures as you can imagine how it looks like!

Palenque and it's Magic mushrooms

As I liked it so much in San Cristobal, I was changing my arrival day to Palenque all the time but this day finally came and I have decided to take a bus early in the morning. Of course the bus was late (like always in Mexico, just get use to it) and arrived to Palenque too late to see the ruins so I just asked some people on the bus station if they don´t want to take a taxi with me (the result was that we took a 4 bed hut together as it was cheaper) to the “hostel” called Pan chan. It’s not a real hostel because it’s some kind of camping in the middle of a jungle.

Finally we have arrived to this “famous jungle” where they have this “famous” MAGIC mushrooms. I have no idea if they are honestly so magic but I know that lots of people are taking them and having this whole day/night trips throw the jungle looking for the monkeys, smelling the ground and hugging the trees. It could be interesting but after almost the whole week of partying in San Cristobal I decided just to relax, drink a couple of beers and talk to my new friends about the life, listening to the monkeys roaring, sound of the river and rustle of trees. It was a perfect time to clear my mind and have a rest of the nowadays world that if full of electronic, technology, cars and pollution. There was only me, my beer, nature and mosquitoes that were the only disadvantage of being in the jungle.  

Next day, as I had only one day to see the most important stuff in Palenque, I took a tour to see the Mayan ruins, and two waterfalls that are called Misol- Ha and Agua Azul (blue water). It wasn’t bad because it was not a real tour, they were just taking us to the places and later we were able to see everything by ourselves. We had 4 hours in mayan Ruins, one hour in Misol-Ha and about 3 hours in Agua Azul. For me there was quite enough time to see everything without being in rush.

I loved everything of these places.

The Mayan Ruins, in the middle of the jungle are amazing. I can´t imagine like the people in the past were able to create something that big without using the technology!! I´m still in a really big shock. I was just walking around, admiring the strength and perseverance of this tiny mayan people. They did things that we, nowadays people wouldn’t be able( or we would be too lazy) to do it with all the technology that we are able to use. GOOD JOB Mayans!! Even if you did mistake by predicting the end of the world, I still think that you are/were damn clever.

 

 

The next stop was a Misol-ha waterfall. Nice, small waterfall that you could skip but anyway it’s on a way to Agua Azul so you can take advantage and go to see it.

And the last stop was a waterfall called Agua Azul. From the first second that I saw it, I wanted to jump to a water and stay there forever. I went to the top of waterfalls where me and my one day room-hutmate have found a tree swing and we were jumping all the time, having fun because of that small thing that the most of the people didn’t even think to use.   

San Cristobal de las Casas and a wasted church

To San Cristobal I got couple of hours late because as the other people told me ( I was sleeping, like always) some people were robbing buses on a way from Palenque to San Cristobal. It happens a lot to night buses. Anyway we were lucky because the other buses let us know that something like that have a place so the bus driver decided to wait in Palenque until the sun goes up. For me there wasn’tany difference because I didn’t even wake up for a second. In a bus I met acouple of people and as soon as we got to San Cristobal, we decided to have a breakfast and then look for a hostel. From my first minutes in there I just felt in love with this city. It doesn’t matter which direction you look thereare mountains everywhere!! Everyone is playing on the street on every kind of instruments, the people are selling chocolates, bracelets, homemade food, marmalades and believe me…a lot more. But the most important there is music, the live music, it gets to your ears from everypart of the city. From every corner, house, bar and restaurant. People in there seem so happy and relaxed. For them there is no tomorrow. They live from day today. I met a lot of people who went there for a couple of nights and stayed acouple of years. The city is full of artists and it’s spirit is unique. I haven ever been to place like that.

If you ever go to Mexico, don’t miss San Cristobal de las Casas!!! Because it will be a really big mistake in your traveler life.

I went there for 3 nights, stayed 6 and wanted more and more.

There areso many places to visit.

The place that I liked the most in the city was a artesania Mercado called Santo Domingo market… this is a market with lots of homemade clothes, shoes, bracelets,shirst, leather bags and a lot more… Everything is homemade and unique. One dayin San Crsistobal I have spend only on this and the other, really big , greatfruit and vegetables market. I just loved this places. I wanted to buy everything...even the small insects htat THE PEOPLE IN THERE EAT. Finally I just bought so many colorfull vagetables that I could give it to all the people in the hostel. I just couldn't stop.

There are also many of other villages and places close to san Cristobal that the other  people need to visit.

-San Juan Chemula….small but interesting village where the people have their own culture that are trying to protect so they do not allow the people to take pictures.Outside…when you take a picture…they will just look at you as they want to kill you and for sure they will tell you not to take a pictures but be careful in a church. Their holly church , completely different one , with lots of candles inside and people sitting on the floor praying to a god and offering him a pox(their local alcohol that is made from corn) so basically they are drinking it for god and getting wasted in a church. This is not the only drink that they offer to god. They offer everything that they like so I also saw the people drinking beer and a really exclusive drink for them….coca cola. Would you ever offer to god coca cola or beer?? So If you will ever take a picture there and they will see it, you can go to THEIR jail for 2 nights and NO ONE can take you out from there. I didn’t take that risk.

When I arrived there, the first thing I did was taking a picture because I didn’t knowit’s not allowed and then one woman came and said “don’t take a picturesbecause they will KILL YOU”. It was a little bit dramatic, but she was American(sorry my American friends, not all of you are like that) so her reaction didn’tsurprised me.

-Canon deSumidero. Beautifull, stunning, full of crocodiles and different kinds ofanimals, green canon. You can go there from San Cristobal by a colectivo. It’sabout 45 pesos one way ticket and later, in there the boat that takes you tothe canon costs 190 pesos. It’s a price worth to pay to see it. The boat takesyou to the heart of canon, shows you the places where the crocodiles and otheranimals are and explain the natural lifeof the canon. I really recommend goingthere and taking the sunscream and water with you.

Theconclusion is…. San Cristobal de las Casa is a magic place with great architecture, bars, people and aroasted chicken that I was eating every day.

If you willgo there…I recommend 2 hostels. “Posada Mexico” good hostel with economicprices in the city center and “déjà vu” a small but really cozy hostel alsosituated in a heart of San Cristobal in which you’re always welcome . Thepeople in there are relaxed and theywill make you feel like home.

Merida and Campeche

As I didn't know anything other than Cancun I decided to go for a trip. Just two weeks but It's always something. I talked to my boss and he said: "it's ok but you need to leave in two days because we will need you on the last week of february". So I just packed my stuff, took my backpack and I'm on a trip right now. I have been two days in Merida, enjoying the beautiful colonial city, capital of yucatan and stunning cenotes. Forget about the cenotes that I was writing about before. It was nothing. I talked to some people from the hostel where I have stayed (Namdadas hostel, I really recomend it) I've created a group of 4 people and we went to see cenotes. It was cheap and good day trip. We took colectivo, where we were squased by cartons, smelling the pukes of small child throwing away in a seat back to me but anyway it was a good experience. Later we took a motobike that left us close to the horse wagons that were taking us to 3 cenotes. During the horse wagon trip I could feel the nature, I saw the people who were transporting pigs in a boxes mounted to the bicycles, guys on morotbikes who were taking horses for a walk....yes we are taking dogs for a walk but they are taking horses for a walk... Later we saw 3 cenotes each one better than the previous one, with a clear celest water. We were snorkling, climbing on rocks, jumping from the rock to a clear water and gettining eaten by the small fishes (spa... in Poland you pay a way to much for it). The trip took us about 6,7 hours and the total cost was 170 pesos!!! believe me... it's nothing. At night we went to see inauguration of carnival. There were lots of concerts but the real carnival have started next day. I couldn't see it but I had to choose. Stay on carnival or go to San Cristobal... Of course I have choosen San Cristobal... Everyone that have been there felt in love in this city.
Next day I went to Campeche, just to spend a couple of hours in there. It's a small colonial city with a houses painted in different colors. I would say it's a really good conserved city but a little bit boring. I'm not saying that it's not worth to see because it is, but just for couple of hours to see the beauty of this city but not too long as you can not get bored. I saw a parade that started the carnival in there. Lots of children, beautifull dressed woman throwing the sweets out of a cars. It looked like cabalgata de los reyes in Spain (three kings holiday) All the children were waiting with ther bags ready to fill them by different kind of sweets.

MY LIFE IN A HOSTEL

I was working in a hostel in Seville for 8 months, now I’m living in a hostel in Cancun. It’s already 1 month and I would like to illustrate you my present life as a hostel worker and resident. Now, the 10 bed dorm is my room and the whole hostel is my house. Almost the whole my life I had my own room, with my own bed and now… there is no privacy. And you know what?? I don’t care. I really like it!! I got a bed in a corner so I’m able to create my own small space (kanciapa J lots of you know what I mean). I always put the towel on both sides of the bunk bed and then I can say that I have my own 4 “walls” and a “ceiling” (it’s a upper bed). For 3 weeks I had a upper bed roommate that was an older woman that was like my mummy. She was always checking if I have eaten healthy, at what time I went to bed and woke up, washing my clothes and giving me advices about the boys, even if I didn’t want all this stuff. But I need to tell you that I really liked her even if sometimes  she was talking too much and told me that I should lost some weight ;)

The biggest adventure of living in a hostel is that you meet the people that have this same passion that you have. Their whole life is a journey and you can exchange your experiences with them, talk about the places that you have already seen and a places that you want and should see. They understand you perfectly and they never ask, why you travel, they know that there is no answer, this is the need, addiction, a drug that you cannot live without. Travel just open  your mind, you are able to see more and appreciate more. Every person that I talk to in a hostel makes me think to travel more, shows me that there are still so many places that I haven’t seen and that there is only one life so we should enjoy it in 100%.

Of course there are also disadvantages of living in a hostel. The biggest one is that sometimes, you feel like you have found your soul mate, the person that understands you perfectly and that there are still so many subjects to talk about, but there is such a few time to do it because later, this person leaves, and probably you will never see her/him again. You need to learn that you cannot attaché to someone because at the end, in one, two, three weeks, the other person will come and you will have to start again.

The next adventure of living in a hostel is that I have all the entrances to the discos for free!! And it’s a BIG adventure because the entrance is between 40-70 dollars, with an open bar that I have for free when I bring some people from a hostel, but anyway, after time, the only thing you want, is to bring the people to the disco, allocate them on their table and go back homeJJ Sometimes I just drink with them one gin tonic (it’s really hard to get it here so I always enjoy it), see a show and go home after one/two hours.

I could write more and more about my life as a hostel worker/resident but it would be hundreds of pages.

The last thing that I want to tell you is that I’M HAPPY, FREE and every day WISER, HAPPIER and STRONGER.