“More magical than I could have ever imagined”
Letter from Mexico! Pink flamingos on deserted beaches and a steam bath under a full moon: Estefanía González is enjoying her trip through the countryside.
Jan 14, 2016
Estefanía and her friend Laura front of the ruins of Ek Balam on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.
Image Credit: Private
The beach in Tulum attracts many tourists – too many for the taste of our author Estefanía.
Image Credit: Private
Estefanía González says the city of San Cristobal de las Casas has a spiritual character.
Image Credit: Private
Mexicans like to say “Como México no hay dos” or “Mexico is unique” – and after a month of touring the country, I can only agree. My journey began in Chiapas, a state in southeastern Mexico. Its capital city of San Cristobal de Las Casas enchanted me at first sight.
San Cristobal de Las Casas
It is much cooler here than in Mexico City, and my first impression is of many small colorful streets under a clear blue sky. Many Europeans and Argentinians have settled here and enjoy the spiritual character of the city, which I also like.
Pure nature and wild waterfalls
We continue our journey on to Palenque in the jungle, which is much more magical than I could have ever imagined. We are living in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by pure nature and wild waterfalls. We join the locals under the full moon in a temazcal, a ahousand-year-old sauna from the pre-Hispanic period of Mexico.
The Caribbean beach? Unfortunately, very touristy
From there, we continue our journey toward the Caribbean, where we anticipate turquoise water and white sand beaches. Unfortunately, it is very touristy and often makes the impression of being in the United States rather than in Mexico. We spend New Year's Eve in Playa del Carmen and quickly have enough of it. We move on to the island of Holbox, which is much quieter, and where we have fun observing pink flamingos on deserted beaches.
Our next destination: Cuba!
Everywhere I was fortunate in meeting wonderful people who I expect to see again in Europe or somewhere else in the world. But now we are on our way to Cuba! I can hardly wait to go to a traditional bar in Havanna, listen to live music, and learn how to dance the Cuban way!