I enjoy travelling and seeing new
places so you can imagine my delight when I realized I was going to be on a
plane to Me-Hi-Co! We (my husband and I) had done our research and we had two
cities in mind- Cancun vs Consumel. Based on talk and generic perception,
Mexico is usually used in the same sentence with drugs and all, yet this did
not deter me because as a Nigerian, judging the whole country because of some miscreant
is the summary of ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ and it is something I am all too familiar with.
From Miami, we had a two hours
plane ride to Mexico and on our landing, it was Hola (Eng: Hi/Hello) all the
way. The customs process was pretty much done without saying much. We didn’t understand
the barrier of language yet. Our excitement over the warm weather was cool
enough to compensate for every lack of comprehension.
As soon as we got out of the
customs sliding doors, we see an array of car rental booths and their
representatives catcalling but one of them got our attention. Why? He spoke English!
Yes!
Asking where we were from and he
mentioned he used to live in Atlanta as well! We spoke for a while about
general things which is pretty much weird to be honest as he is expected to
really try hard to make us get one of his cars. He gave us a map, showed us
places to go to (Nigerians and reading maps are not mutually exclusive parties
to be honest), told us to visit certain banks for currency exchange to the
Mexican currency (Peso) but the most interesting part was after all the chit
chat, he did try to sell us his car rental services and then directed us to his
competitor who he said would offer us cheaper prices on the same deal! I know
right?! We also noticed this to be the trend in some of the business people
here in Mexico and very odd, it was highly valuable. Something tells me that in
a matter of time, this method of referral would have a business terminology assigned
to it.
Moving on, my first impression of
Cancun Mexico was a place of friendliness, warmth and all things sunny.
Majority of the people we met were hardworking. Everywhere we went to, someone yes, is trying to sell
something but they are not pushy like those in Vegas. We decided to walk down
to the shopping mall and we loved it! It is the biggest mall in the downtown of
Cancun, filled with numerous shops and a lot of floors. I found it interesting that
the song they kept playing over the speakers were in English (probably because
it has been figured that majority of their visitors are English speaking). The popular
brand stores were very well represented- Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton
etc but one store had me squealing like a baby- Sally beauty supply store! Yes!
We went it, looked around, tried to read the name of some of the products as my
husband tried to find makeup wipes for me and at the end we gave up.
We visited Playa Tortugas, a
beach that inspired some poem lines as we walked in the cool of the night; we couldn’t
see much because it was literally pitch black, we saw body movements on the
sand as we walked by, the ship was visible on the sea because the architecture
has been decorated with lights, we hear voices created in delight, the source
we have no idea of and all we cared for at that moment is the cool breeze, the
silence and the fantasy that time has stood still.
I found a way to bring some of
Atlanta into Me-Hi-Co and this always happened during breakfast. The hotel
provided breakfast and I had the uncanny gift of putting together the yogurt
and granola in a bowl and having an absolute blast as I devour it every
morning. The road side restaurants have this Caribbean feel to them, open
counters, odd wall paints, menu written with coloured chalk, wooden floors and
music playing for all to hear. Their food is pretty good, burritos, tacos, and
all the awesomeness that come inside of it.
So far so good here in Me-Hi-Co!
The weather is weight-friendly (weight-friendly weather is the weather that has
the ability to burn fat through your skin), I also noticed a similar physique
among the men and women, most especially the men and during this visit, I also
learnt that Nigerians have a similar physique as well. The people are very polite,
speaking for those who we encountered; they keep speaking Spanish to you even
if you do not understand a word, thanks to the representatives at Supreme,
which is a Walmart subsidiary here in Cancun.
For the days I have spent here so
far, four things you should note when visiting Cancun:
- Spanish is key! Just know some part of it and be ready to be be animated with your hands (body language)
- They were able to turn a small city into a tourist attraction. It should give you an idea of the kind of people you would meet here. Yes, there are reservations for foreigners as some establishments have made provision for English speaking customers.
-You can drive here with your American driving license. If you are observant you would be able to deduce the driving signs, like the below, its not rocket science to know it means STOP
-In some major stores, you can use your American credit card for shopping
- The below picture reminded me of some of the works of our Governor Fashola, what do you think?
-Their currency is the Mexican Peso and the symbol is $ (Not exactly sure how or why) . Go to the banks to change to the Pesos if you want a great rate. We did but they kept redirecting us somewhere else. After much walking, we succumbed to the currency exchange shops and late realised there was a bank right next to our hotel that was offering better rates! Information is power! Their currency has an uncanny resemblance to the Nigerian Naira I must say.
-Their food is not strange. What I mean is, (depending on where you are from) their food were pretty understandable. It didn't feel like we were eating anything from Octopuses or Pigeons lol but actual food we understood.
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I could not resist myself from taking the below picture. Paloma is a name that we heard a lot when growing up with those soap operas! So here I have found Paloma Weddings!
Clearly, I am having a blast. It sure is a place to visit and there are lots of sites, beaches, and attractions to keep you occupied in a great way. Just the fact that you are in a environment with its own unique cultural behavior is mind enlightening,
There is also the perception of spring breakers pitching their tent over here and we know what that connotes, but for the most part of our stay, it has been calm and most things are within arms' reach.
Stay tuned for more pictures but until then adiós
