After Thailand, it was already time to head to the next journey, which was Mexico from September through August. Little did I know it was the trip that would inspire me to document my travels, create this series and provide me with the best experiences I could ever have.

This is #4 in the Lets Goto X series and my documentation for a trip to Mexico.

Mexico really did feel like home.

A true framework of what a country like India would actually feel like, what it has to offer, and what it’s all about. I highly recommend reading the Broke Backpacker’s Mexico guide. As I was writing this blog, an excerpt from their blog really touched a chord with me, which I am including below:

“Spread over a swathe of latitudes, encompassing a myriad of climates and cultures, lies Mexico. It’s the land of taquitos, carnitas, frijoles, y pico de gallo. Mexico is home to peyote, mountain retreats, margaritas by the beach… and drug smuggling, body-disappearing cartel lords.

Backpacking Mexico satisfies the traveler’s trifecta of needs: it’s cheap, the food is to die for, and both the culture and landscape are suitably removed from your own that you feel you’re being let in on a secret. The secret being this is how life should be.

Mexico has jungles, mountains, Mayan ruins, cenotes, beaches, rivers, canyons, and deserts. There are volcanoes to climb, waves to catch, and even oodles of spiritual retreats. Backpacking Mexico also allows you to truly sink your teeth into the vibrant culture, learn the language, explore the streets with the highest number of museums in the world, and listen to the locals about the blend of mestizo, Indigenous, and Afro-Latino cultures that come together in the big, the bold, the beautiful United Mexican States.”

Intro edited From The Broke Backpacker

Context: Mexico, how did that happen?

Balena’s first offsite in two years was set to happen in Mexico. The urge to meet everyone with whom I worked for the past three years was my prime motivation. It also led to one way 28 hours-long flights to Cancun, Mexico, which had me spending three days of my life in the air.

The silver lining: I got upgraded to First Class totally out of the blue. Thanks Lufthansa!

The plan then?

If I take a 28-hour flight for the company, the least I could do is take time off to explore the country.

I am glad I did because the flights to Mexico were expensive. The company had booked an all-inclusive resort in Cancun for the team at the offsite called The Summit. My itinerary involved visiting several cities three weeks before the Summit. I was surprised to find out how much of an arduous task it was to plan for Mexico.

On my first time reading backpacking blogs, I shortlisted some 30 locations and cities with varying altitudes and travel needs, all of which were immensely populated with attractions. After a lot of pro/conning and getting advice from @havesecondbreakfast, I whittled the list down to what I should visit, how I can visit it and the cost of hopping in and around Mexico. I spent 24 days traveling to the following cities, with a week in Cancun meeting the team. Here’s a breakdown.

What was your route?

Many people begin their Mexico journey from Cancun, ending it in Mexico City, Baja California, or even going south into Guatemala. I recommend skipping Cancun, Tulum, and the entire East Coast of Mexico. And there is a good reason for that. They are too touristy.

No matter what you do, your travel path will be a sine curve through the country. I flew from Cancun to Mexico City and then returned to Cancun in the next 22 days that I had left. I started my trip in September 2022 and was due to be in Cancun for the first week of October for the company retreat. I was able to cover quite a bit of ground with the following flights:

1. New Delhi to Cancun with a layover in Frankfurt: The craziest thing happened. I got a first class upgrade.
2. Cancun to Mexico City: Using Volaris, I wouldn’t say I liked the flying experience with this carrier.
3. Mexico City to Tuxtla Guttierz: Onboard VivaAerobus, the better of the three low-cost carriers in Mexico
4. Tuxtla Guttierz to Merida: My last flight to Yucatan after which I took the bus + collectivo (shared vans). Landed here to cover Chichen Itza.
5. Cancun to New Delhi with a double layover in NYC + Dubai: A very long flight back home. Customs and the covid testing desk at Indira Gandhi International Airport checked me.

Overall, I recommend starting your trip from Mexico City no matter how and what you want to see. Mexico City has a well-connected airport to nearly every destination in the country. Mexico City is cheap, vibrant, and safe, which sets the tone accurately for your backpacking journey. The city is brimming with hostels, activities, and museums to visit.
Conversely, Cancun is an expensive party town that has expanded rapidly to cater to the Americans coming to Mexico for a good time. On my trip, I missed Oaxaca, which I sorely wanted to see. But, with not enough time that is the life of a traveller. With the route set, what did I carry for this long journey?

Surviving on only backpacks: 1st time backpacking.

I made this and all else work with only the bags shown below. These were why I saved a small fortune in checked-in baggage costs when taking domestic flights.

The black 45L backpack is a versatile item I picked up from Thailand for only 25 USD. An absolute unit that served me well through all the abuse it takes during my trips. I carefully weighed and packed each item to avoid paying for checked-in luggage anywhere on domestic flights. Anything else I need? I bought it locally.

The PyCon India bag is a survivor that has seen me through thick and thin. Witchcraft’s incredible craftsmanship was a gift to volunteers at PyCon India 2018. It has survived 5 years of travelling to conferences, day trips, hikes, and being my go-to bag for emergencies. Made of plastic, it weighs nothing, and with the rucksack-like design, it can store just about anything.

Actual backpacking experience

If you stop me in the middle of the street in Mexico and ask me how much my jeans weigh. I could tell you accurately. That’s how meticiously I packed for 30 days of backpacking.

I still carried a kilo or two extra, and no one weighed my bags…

I lived comfortably on bare essentials while my shoulders thanked me for carrying less weight. I got my clothes laundered by the kilo in San Cristobal by this nice couple running a laundry shop. Cons included being unable to buy any heavy souvenirs or extra clothes. My Instagram photos feature the same t-shirt about a dozen times. But other than that, I really liked that. I also brought a suitcase with me that I stowed away at the Summit resort.

Visa

When writing this post, the Mexican embassy in India wasn’t providing appointment slots for tourist visas. However, anyone with valid US or Schengen visas is eligible for a single entry 180-day tourist visa to Mexico. It’s extremely flexible and very happily utilized by American and European tourists. Even hopping out of Mexico for a week to Cuba or Guatemala and returning will renew your visa for an additional 180 days.

My B1/B2 visa was still active from HackMIT 2018 so it was smooth sailing at the immigration desk. The immigration officer didn’t even look at my hotel booking, company invitation letter, or the tourist card I filled out online beforehand. As part of Mexico prep, I recommend filling out the online tourist card and getting travel insurance, and you should be ready to go.

Sim

I bought a Telcel sim when I landed in Cancun. The scam to avoid is not buying sims from the airport but directly from an authorized dealer or, even more trustworthy, any 7-Eleven store selling it. The high influx of tourists from the US/Europe into Mexico has resulted in dealers at the airport fear-mongering to sell you sim plans for as much as 100 dollars.

But, a month’s plan I bought directly from a Telcel dealer at the bank set me back only 350-400 pesos. That’s quite the difference. Act smart, research your options and don’t fall prey to the gouging prices. And, most importantly, always bargain even if you have to use Google Translate.

Mexico City – Public wifi everywhere

Sidenote: If you are in Mexico briefly, bigger cities like Mexico City have public wifi everywhere. I could connect to WhatsApp video calls, check messages, and send emails without issues. Your mileage with speeds and connectivity may vary from serviceable areas, but overall, it proved very helpful. I already buy either a roaming plan or a local sim.

Money

Mexico accepts cash throughout. Cards are also widely accepted, albeit in some places. I traveled the country carrying the now-defunct Niyo Global debit card. I loved this product until RBI decided to kill it. I loaded it with a hundred thousand rupees or 25000 pesos (1 peso = 4 INR). Like my usual drill, I head to the nearest bank in a new country and directly withdraw some cash from the ATM. Nothing is more convenient or cheaper than getting cash using your bank debit card. (conditions applied)

Once I settled in Mexico, I checked my card against multiple company ATMs to see who charged the least commission. That was Santander for me, with the lowest commission of 20-30 pesos, no matter the transaction amount. This commission, combined with the 118 rupees I paid on each withdrawal to Niyo, was the only fee I paid for the 4 huge withdrawals I made on the trip.

Contrary to good advice, I still carry thick cash on my travels. Especially in Mexico, where cash is widely accepted and cheaper than credit/debit cards. When using the card, the merchant might ask you to add an extra 3% processing fee to your transaction, which I can easily avoid when paying with cash. The con with spending cash is you get a different tracking than you would get with transactions on a card.

Paying with cash also provides you bargaining power and helps give tips directly to the server or staff. Mexico, apart from the East Coast cities, is medium inflation with medium purchasing power.

A daily expense of 100-150 pesos in food, transport, activities, and hostels in cities like Mexico City, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Oaxaxca, and San Cristobal. Double or triple this daily allowance when traveling to Playa Del Carmen, Tulum, Cancun, or Halifax. Hence, my advice would be to spend less time there.

Insurance

I kept it super simple and got my insurance again from Care Insurance. I usually don’t buy travel insurance while booking flight tickets as I like to keep those two things separate. Getting insurance from Care is extremely fast & cheap. I greatly prioritize peace of mind in my decision-making for travel insurance.

Touchwood, I have never been in a situation to file a claim with Care Insurance. That would be the true test of how good Care insurance promises to be. Hopefully, I never do. Their support is also good. This time my company also allowed us to get Safetywing travel insurance.

Your transport: Bikes, cabs, subway, collectivos, and buses

The sheer diversity and flexibility in transport was a dream come true in traveling cheaply around the states of Mexico. Like Asian countries, Mexico provides a range of transport options from going A to B but also to A’s villages, attractions, and local towns. Mexico being a conspicuously large country means the variety of options comes in handy when you are backpacking, no matter the budget.

Surprisingly, no trains are prevalent in the Mexican states I visited. So interstate travel is limited to collectivos (minivans), buses, or flights. You can always rent a car and take that road trip, but stick with public transport to be safe in the short term. Examples:

1. I took a collectivo from Tuxtla Gutierrez to San Cristobal for only 80 pesos. Finding collectivos to the location of your choice is incredibly easy. Search for collectivo and your destination on Google Maps, and you can head to the collectivo station leaving for that destination. Tickets can be purchased for collectivos leaving for under an hour or as soon as the vehicle gets full. Most collectivos I took had AC and were minivans with a capacity for 10-12 other people. I tried to sit at the front, and it was incredibly comfortable + faster compared to buses.
   
2. I took a 2nd class bus from Valladolid to Cancun. The ride was 3 hours long but took 5 hours instead, with a myriad of unscheduled stops. I was warned about this before, but this was the last bus I would be taking in daylight and should have been fine for the most part. I recommend paying the premium rather than with your comfort/life and always going with Ado Autobus. Ado buses are AC nonstop services that offer several connections between cities. They aren’t cheaper than flights with only carry-on luggage (check spending below).
   
3. I took several DiDi rides (Uber alternative) at odd times throughout my week in Mexico City. My limited experience and the language barrier never created issues with the Didi rides I took. I recommend it, but it doesn’t work anywhere else.

The Food: Can we skip to the best part?

The food is soooooo freaking good. This is not an influencer take; this is not some random American getting a taste of flavor for the first time. This an “honest-to-god just please get me back to Mexico for the food” take. The variety, the flavours, and the spice level is next level. From tacos to quesadilla to flautas to gorditas to enchiladas to tostados. Served with fresh salsa, guacamole, pickled onions, and lemon squeezed on top. Oh my god, it’s all just :chef-kiss: I am practically drooling while writing this paragraph. Your life remains incomplete if you never had fresh Toritta chips with a bowl of fresh guacamole on the street just randomly walking around.

All this and more and even food from every other cuisine in the world is readily available. There is no shortage of vegetarian options; even most dishes can be requested to convert into vegetarian counterparts. They replace the meat/chicken/beef/pork with mushrooms.

The best part I liked about the food in Mexico is what it reminded me of. India has a strong connection to food, one of the key parts of its identity. It’s soul. You think, India. You get colorful lands and a lot of diverse cultures, and you get flavorful dishes that explode all over your tastebuds. That’s what I experienced in Mexico every day. I even got back some dried habanero off the Mercado Municipal in Valladolid.

Strange trivia: I only had burritos twice in 30 days of traveling all over Mexico. Surprisingly, burritos are not actually Mexican but rather part of Tex-Mex cuisine. Hence, folks don’t offer it, and some aren’t even aware of it. Even though the dish is trendy.

The stays

With a minimal currency conversion (only 4x), I chose to stay at the best hostel I could find in each city I stayed in. The best accommodation often provides central locations, useful facilities, clean sheets, a hearty, preferably vegetarian breakfast, and ideally, group activities for a chance to meet new people. Irrespective of the cost, the vibe is an essential element I look out for since I travel solo.

1. The Wanderlust District in Mexico City: Centered in between Roma-Condessa, metros, parks, Zocalo, and plenty of museums to keep busy. Free breakfasts that were so good that they can beat 4-star hotels’ lukewarm continental sludges. This place has my highest recommendation for the amazing time I had. I loved the owner couple that runs the place. Will return.

1. 13 Cielos Hostel & Coworking in San Cristobal: 500 meters away from the city center, this newly built property served great breakfast, fast internet, lovely solo rooms, and fast internet.
2. Hostel Tres Central in Tuxtla Guttierz: Stayed here for one night. Powerful AC, very comfortable, and 24-hour check-in was very helpful for me when I landed here at 2 am.
3. Hotel & Hostal Boutique Casa Garza in Merida: Stayed here for two nights; good breakfast, spacious rooms with AC, and a good place overall for short stays.
4. Casa Xtakay in Valladolid: It was tough to find a decent enough place in this amazing city but after a friend’s recommendation. I found this dentist couple running this place at the center of the Zocalo square. Welcoming, cool and incredibly easy to access. This place is one of the loveliest times I had in Mexico.
5. Dreams Riviera Hotel and Spa: This exquisite all-inclusive resort in Cancun held our team retreat attended by almost 100 people. The number of things unlimited in the resort on the coast of Puerto Morelos is quite overwhelming. Five bars, 12 restaurants, three pools, and several buildings worth of rooms make it quite the experience.

7 Wonders of the World’s Progress: Chichén Itzá

Another milestone that was set to be completed on my visit to Mexico was the wonder of the world set in the Yucatan plateau called Chichén Itzá. I highly recommend checking out the place from Valladolid since it saves you a lot of distance if you come back from Merida. Hire a guide with a group to save costs. Many people will say Chichén Itzá is overrated, but don’t listen to them. It’s amazing with the right people and the right guide. My time there was worthwhile, and I bought many souvenirs with some hard bargaining. Thorughout your journey in Mexico, you will come across several Mayan ruins, but nothing comes close to Chichén Itzá. Go early for better photos and less crowd, apply sunscreen, take your water, bargain hard, and enjoy the wonder of the world.

Freediving in Cenotes

Apart from the Wikipedia definition, cenotes are clear, mystical bodies of water with mostly an open cave design. The Mayans believed cenotes to be a gateway to Xibalba. The Mayans performed rituals and ceremonies at sacred cenotes to ask for rain and good crops. They also found dead bodies, jewelry, and weapons at the bottom of these 100-foot-deep cenotes, but sure, freediving into one of these will be enough for a lifetime experience. There are hundreds of cenotes scattered all over the Yucatan plateau. One long bike ride from the city of Valladolid was all that I needed, and we were able to catch all of these cenotes. I posted a lot of photos and videos of diving into cenotes using my water proof cover on Instagram. Here are a few shots!

Tips

• Try to sneak in some water past security for your flights in Mexico. Surprisingly, the airports in Mexico have no water refill stations, and you get really parched while traveling. I am thankful I have the resources to buy water, no matter the cost. Only some have this privilege, and Mexico should do better for its citizens and tourists.
• Don’t pay the tourist tax at the Cancun International Airport. The boards are old; no one checks or asks for them.
• Mexico caters to tourists from the United States. Period. Hence, cities like Cancun, Tulum, and Playa Del Carmen are uber-expensive, with the actual Mexican culture, values, and even the prices fading away. Giving way to exorbitant prices being charged, tourists being cheated and rapid, unsustainable growth of tourist towns. My absolute recommendation is to skip these places.
• Water quality in Chiapas can be quite poor since soft drink companies operating in the region take up most of the freshwater. Save yourself the Typhoid and exercise caution.
• Learn some Spanish to bargain effectively everywhere.
• I went during monsoon season, and carrying a small umbrella, came in the clutch more times than I could count. The weather in Mexico changes freakishly quickly. Don’t carry large amounts of cash, your passport or snacks in your go bag. Always have emergency numbers memorized or written down somewhere easy to access.

Bonus: The Summit 2023

Cancun offers many all-inclusive resorts on the coastline, which is where our resort was. It was so nice to meet, talk and check how tall all my colleagues were. Refreshing is the word. The landscape has changed since then, and a lot of folks don’t work with me or in the company anymore. However, I still wanted to have a section for all the good vibes we collectively created at the Summit. It was really my first office gathering or office party. So I want to keep this party of the documentation.

Apps I used

1. Selina for booking hostels: Selina has some of the best hostels in Mexico
2. GPSmyCity: Offline tours with step-by-step directions
3. SmartGuide: Contains great audio tour of Teotihuacan
4. Viva Aerobus: To track flights, check-in and review baggage rules
5. ADO Boletos de Autobus: Booking app for ADO buses, wouldn’t recommend since the app is in Spanish mostly.
6. Happy Cow – For vegan restaurants
7. GetYourGuide – for booking tours (Alternative Viator, Tripadvisor tours, Airbnb experiences)
8. Rappi – Food delivery
9. Didi Cabs – Alternative to already active Uber.
10. App CDMX – City services app for Mexico City.
11. Google Translate – For not embarrassing myself with broken Spanish
12. Niyo Global – App to manage my Forex debit card and review transactions.

Expenses

Mexico was one of those trips I was fortuitously pulled into. A company retreat, great weather, and amazing people I met on the road made the trip worth the money being spent.

As usual, my estimates are the best effort since I don’t do strict budgeting for these trips yet. I look at my credit card statements to calculate figures as accurately as possible. This trip included 23 days of personal vacation and a week of all expenses paid for the company retreat. The following items were already paid for and not included below.

1. Safetywing travel insurance for 7 days
2. Round trip flights: Delhi to Cancun to Delhi
3. Four ways transportation from home – airport – hotel – airport – home
4. Accommodation for 7 days in Cancun
5. All food and drinks covered for seven days
6. Tours & special activities covered during retreat
7. US visa

Excluding all this, the total expenditure was 1.17 lakh rupees, for which you can see the breakdown down below. The chart below provides my complete trip expenses regardless of who paid.

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The conclusion: I had a blast

Definitely go. It’s safe, as amazing as you have heard, and incredibly cheap for the country’s offerings. Be sure to spend all your holidays there. Mexico was spellbinding for me for several reasons. For one, I had the opportunity to visit Mexico City during the Día de la Independencia. I got to be a part of an authentic Mexican fiesta; someone taught me salsa on the streets; I used to walk to my favorite bakery and cook flautas with strangers turned friends on the rooftop of the hostel in Mexico City. What could be better?

The hostel hosted a dinner party where we prepared a 5-course meal together, and it was such a core memory of the time I spent in the country. Experiences like these come a dime a dozen in Mexico. Instead, you find them; adventures in Mexico will make it a habit for them to find you. The best part? Even after a month in Mexico, I have only begun to scratch the surface of what is out there. I look forward to going again and enjoying it even more!

More trip documentation: Daily logs

I click a lot of pictures and keep a daily log of my travel using a tool called Instagram. Uploading 80 pictures on WordPress can be a hassle. Hence, I recommend checking out my highlights on Instagram about Mexico as I document my travels in detail with no influencer BS. Feel free to mute me as I post a lot of pictures. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope another edition of this trip documentation helped you out.

Till then, live in the mix.