Guide to Travel to Mexico
I flew to Mexico on the eve of Thanksgiving, November 22, 2023. Holding an Indian passport with a valid H1B visa stamped, I was eligible for visa-free entry to Mexico, as the country accepts travelers with a valid U.S. visa with at least six months validity. This made my travel plans smoother, requiring only that my passport be valid for the duration of my stay in Mexico.
Immigration
Landing at Cancun airport, I was pleasantly surprised by the efficient immigration process, which took less than 10 minutes - a perk of traveling during the off-season, it seemed. The immigration officer's sole inquiry was about the length of my stay, to which I replied "siete días" (seven days).
ATM
Post-immigration, I navigated to the 'Salida' (exit) where conveniently located ATMs offered a seamless cash withdrawal experience. Utilizing my Bank of America debit card at an HSBC ATM, I obtained the necessary local currency without a hitch.
ADO Bus
My next step was locating the ADO bus service. Just outside the airport, I found an ADO booth where I secured a ticket to Merida, roughly a 5-hour journey from Cancun. The buses were stationed just across the road, making the transition smooth. The ride from Cancun to Merida is five hours.
Merida
First thing I did in Merida, was to enroll in table tennis training at Club Estyga de Tenis de Mesa. The price for 2 hours classes was 200 pesos. In US, an hour table tennis class would be at least 50 bucks.
For lunch, I tried Miyabi restaurant in Merida. It had kaisenjiru soup with avacado which was delicous.
Another nifty trick is to use ChatGPT to upload images and it will help you translate Spanish labels on products. Like I uploaded this picture of detergent on ChatGPT, here's the response I got
Tulum
Next, my travels took me to Tulum, where I indulged in an adventurous tour featuring a cenote visit, ATV rides, and zip-lining. The natural beauty of the cenote was a highlight of this excursion.
Playa del carmen
In Playa del carmen (PDC), I took an airbnb experience for volleyball. The beach is beautiful, I wished I had more time in PDC than Tulum.
I skipped Cancun for this trip. Also missed islands like Cozumel and Isla Mujeres. May be next time these places will be on my radard.
Caveats
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Uber is not available in playa del carmen, cancun or tulum due to taxi drivers1. However it was available in Merida.
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Buy mosquito repellant everytime you go outside as I had awful mosquitoes bites
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Buy only REEF sunscreen which is biodegradable. Biodegradable sunscreens use mineral-based ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to protect against the sun's harmful rays. They are different from traditional sunscreens, which often contain harmful chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate.
Footnotes
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