Cancun, Isla Mujeres & Isla Holbox: The Island Life

Sunset on Isla Holbox

We started our latest adventure after a couple of week's roadtripping from New York state to Texas after another summer at camp. We were well overdue for a return to the days of (backpacking) old and unfortunately that meant selling our beloved and loyal steed, Rodge the Dodge. He'd taken us as far as his recently replaced ball joint bearings would take us, knowing it was probably not a wise idea to take an American-licenced car with Canadian insurance, driven by two Australians, into Mexico. So in Austin, our last US destination, we sold him to a dude we found on Craigslist, Roberto, who we were later told by friends that he was probably going to drive Rodge over the border and sell him for a lot more than we did. Rodge was going to Mexico after all. Go figure.

Before any of this, though, we had to downsize the three years (almost to the day) of junk we'd accumulated (probably the reason Rodge needed his ball joints replaced) back into four bags we could carry between us. Back to double-bagging it! Hard decisions were made, (and we are still probably carrying about 3kgs each too much), but we got the job done. 

Our flight from Austin, Texas, landed us in Cancun, and this is going to sound incredibly ungrateful, but for three days, we did almost nothing. Sure, we found our local lunch spot (which you'll learn we do in pretty much every place, creatures of habit that we are) which had fish tacos and ceviche tostadas for 17 pesos (just over AU$1) and cold Coronas for 25 pesos (about AU$1.75). Not bad at all. Note to self though: before you top your taco with the myriad of salsas and vegetables on offer, taste a small amount of everything first. My idea of spicy and that of a Mexicans is obviously very different, and yes, those little capsicum-looking things mixed in with the onions are habaneros, and they certainly pack a punch! The restaurant, Las Tostadillas Del Mar, was right next to Mezcal Hostel, where we stayed for four nights. Both are in downtown Cancun and are highly recommended. Mezcal provided tasty breakfasts and dinners, evening activities, and had a cute little pool in the courtyard by the bar, so we really didn't need to leave. After camp and being on the go for a several weeks without much down time, it was nice to just relax. 

Just to clarify, this was the first time we'd stayed in a hostel since Halifax in eastern Canada over a year ago, and that had only been for a couple of nights. I had been psyching myself up for sleeping in a dorm for a while now, but nothing prepared me for the usual dorm life antics, which all happened in the first four nights!  I endured late night male-female top bunk shenanigans (which Callum, as always to his disappointment, slept through), the snorer to end all snorers (oh earplugs, how I've missed you), and finally, the 4:30am 'lights on to pack' scenario. How Callum enjoyed my bitching and moaning about all of these pleasant experiences! Turns out, I got the worst out of the way early. My only gripes nowadays are usually the climb onto the top bunk ("It's like being back at camp") or the fact that it's goddamn humid, which is not the fault of the hostel, but I always wish I had've booked the dorm with the air conditioner. 

We did venture out to the Zona Hotelera (Hotel Zone) one day to check out Playa Delphines, reportedly the nicest beach in the area. Again, not to sound ungrateful, but we Australians are truly spoilt by our own beaches. Delfines had nice, white sand and the blue water characteristic of Caribbean beaches, albeit with a lot of seaweed and lukewarm water. The R1 colectivo took us from Centro Cancun to the Hotel Zone for 25 pesos. I was glad we got out of the hostel for a look but if you're Australian, don't expect it to blow your mind!

Playa Delfines

Cancun is a great jumping off point for Isla Mujeres ("Women Island", the island was known to be sacred to the Mayan goddess of childbirth and medicine, and hence a popular place for female pilgrims to visit), and we took one of the UltraMar ferries from Puerto Juárez in Cancun to Isla Mujeres for 300 pesos roundtrip (about AU$10 each way). On the island, we stayed at Poc-Na hostel, which has basic dorms but a nice setting by the water with a couple of on-site bars (one right by the beach) and live music every night. They had a guy who put on an Argentinian BBQ each night for 130 pesos which we could easily share, the portion was so big - and we did that every one of the four nights we were there. Playa Norte is the public swimming beach which is nice for a refreshing dip. You don't need four nights on Isla Mujeres to get a feel for it, but it was again nice to relax. 

Isla Mujeres

From there, we caught the ferry back to the mainland and caught a Oriente bus out to Chiquila. Another ferry (140 pesos each way) took us over to Isla Holbox. It's similar to Isla Mujeres in it's an island town, but being further from the hub of Cancun, it has a much slower vibe. The roads are all dirt (and when it rained, which it did, most of the roads turned into rivers) and the only mode of transport is by golf-cart or bicycle. We stayed at Tribu Hostel, which was another basic dorm, but the hostel has a  "tree-house" feel to it. 

When we arrived in Holbox we discovered that the main attraction for us going there had been cancelled for the three days before, owing to the unpredictable nature of Hurricane Irma. With only a few days left until the season ended (not opening again until May), we were fortunate that we got the go ahead: we were going to swim with the whale shark. I say "whale shark", because we only saw one. We left early from the town dock and drove out into the ocean for about an hour and a half. The guide told us to help her look, so dutifully the boatful of gringos watched the waves, with no idea what we were really looking for. It was starting to look like we were going to be disappointed, but almost out of no-where, a fin appeared and we were able to start jumping in with the big guy, two by two, our guide escorting us. It was such an amazing experience to be in the water with such a huge creature who seemed completely unfazed by us kicking like crazy trying to keep up with him. Water clarity wasn't fabulous and like I said, we only saw one, but it was worth it. We also saw a manta ray completely breach out of the water and a pod of dolphins playing nearby, so that was a bonus. You just don't know what you're going to get, but we were happy with our experience.

Swimming with whale sharks

Also highly recommended is, between the sun setting and the moon rising, to walk out of town, heading south-west along the beach, until there is little or no artifical light around you, and go for a swim. You'll be rewarded with seeing the bioluminescence that Isla Holbox is known for. When you move in the water, it agitates microalgae which has floated to the surface, and it causes the algae to emit a blue light which is visible to the human eye. Agitate a lot of them at once, and the water around you glows! It wasn't as immediately obvious as we had expected, but with some vigorous splashing you got the effect. 

A quick note that sunscreen and bugspray should be taken everywhere you go. Wear more sunscreen than you think you'll need, and reapply more often than you normally would. That sun is harsh. And bugspray is absolutely essential, especially on Isla Holbox!

After a lot of relaxing and working on our very rusty Spanish, it was time to head back to Cancun, where El Bombero & La Enfermera were waiting for us!

Isla Pasión & Isla Pájaros