Isla Mujeres/Cancún

8th - 23rd September

I've heard it said that one needs a holiday to recover from their holiday. I haven't ever fully bought in to it, but after 2 months of solid travelling and adventuring, with my elbow still in regular pain from my Death Road fall and my legs still very weary from climbing a frozen volcano, this seemed like the time to give it a try. We originally had a trip to Japan booked for September, however as the date loomed closer and Japan's borders remained closed to tourists, we realised we'd need to replan. So in Rurrenabaque (Bolivia) we phoned British Airways and with limited options available, we booked to Cancun and back.

Cancun is well known for its huge hotel zone, designed to attract (mostly) American tourists on all inclusive packages. With a bit of research though, we found a much better option nearby: Isla Mujeres. A small Caribbean island just off the coast of Cancun, it's still touristy but in a much more relaxed way. There are stunning beaches, small locally owned restaurants and most of the vehicles on the island are golf buggies. We needed to relax and after a lucky hotel room upgrade, we knew we were in the right place.

We climbed rocks, watched storms sitting on a jetty, explored in our own golf buggy, found loads of iguanas, drank cocktails and ate some delicious food, but the reason to be there was the beach. Playa Norte is not big, but it is truly beautiful. The sun was hot, the sand was white and the water was warm and completely transparent. We walked out around 30 metres and could still touch (and see) the seabed. I spent hours just floating, and Melissa was very entertained by the birds hunting fish and interacting with the nearby humans. We both enjoyed many micheladas (a spicy Mexican beer cocktail). After our recent experiences on Rapa Nui, Isla Mujeres really cemented our newfound love of island life.

Sadly, the time came to leave. While we were excited to see what Downtown Cancun had to offer, we'd underestimated how much we would enjoy being on such a beautiful beach and weren't at all ready to go. A picturesque ferry ride later though, we were in Downtown. We enjoyed some amazing fresh fish in Mercado 22, celebrated Mexican independence day in the main square, got stuck in extreme traffic visiting Chichén Itzá (well worth it when you get there though) and of course drank more micheladas. The real highlight for us though was Coco Bongo - a Las Vegas style nightclub with various cheesy, but very impressive, choreographed shows going on all night. After all the beautiful culture we'd seen throughout South America, this was the complete opposite and a welcome night of dancing, drinking, making friends and general madness.

The truth is that while we had a great time in Downtown Cancun, on our way home it was still Playa Norte and Isla Mujeres we were pining for. Time to start planning an island adventure.