Hola from Cancún, Mexico where our trip has finally started and I have the feeling that this 6-month adventure is going to be adventurously aventurous with many adventures! 

After almost missing my bus (no surprise here), I boarded my plane to Munich. Surprisingly, I didn’t have any issue while dropping my bag off for not being a proud owner of an onward ticket from Mexico. There was literally no question asked about my intention to leave Mexico at the time of boarding. The Mexican customs were even satisfied with my ‘I’ll leave Mexico in 6 days’ answer. I had come prepared though and had printed my flight tickets from São Paulo to Barcelona (I am going home in August for one of my beautiful friend’s wedding) and my flight tickets to and back from Jakarta, Indonesia (which will be our September adventure). I guess this was another traveling legend, a troll on Internet decided to stress travelers spreading such rumors. Good one, troll. 

My stop over in Munich was eventless. The airport was clean, offered many possibilities to charge your phone and a decent wifi. It does help when you realized you forgot to send a few important emails. The flights with Condor were worth the money. I didn’t pay much to fly to Cancun so my expectations were low. However the flight attendants were nice, asked many times if we needed something to drink and were helpful when I wanted to find a new seat as the flight wasn’t full. Imagine my satisfaction when I realized I could have two seats for myself (luxury!). Food and entertainment were indeed not the greatest, the latter was only available against a fee but again, you get what you pay for and Condor did a great job for what I paid for: taking me from Zurich to Cancun! I would recommend this airline if you are able to remember that plane food doesn’t have to be a five star meal (read: pack some healthy snacks) and know how to entertain yourself with music, reading, writing or drawing. 

At the Cancun airport, I easily found the bus to downtown (thanks to M’s instructions. He is a gem, I tell you), bought myself a ticket and happily sat back and relaxed. Before we could head out of the airport, we picked up many passengers from different terminals and when we reached the third terminal, I discovered that M was there, hoping to surprise me. Bless him! Of course, since our adventure is not a romcom, it didn’t work as well as it would have if Ryan Reynolds was waiting for Rachel McAdams. They would have looked at each other, running towards each other, Rachel would have jumped in Ryan’s arms, kissing him passionately. It might have been raining for the dramatic effect. Well we smiled at each other, I stepped out of the bus and … the driver started shouting at me. Ah! I wasn’t allowed to take my luggage out and had to go back on my bus while M was left behind to wait for the next bus. Well that was a successful romantic reunion, want it?! Hahaha typical us, love it! I had to wait for M at the bus terminal for a while (read: a long while) but I didn’t care: I was in Mexico, baby and ready to start our adventurous adventure! Our Latin American adventure is excitingly ambitious: 6 months, 10 to 12 countries, with hostel overnights, numerous miles walked and many bus trips. We will try to avoid flying as much as we can, preferring riding a bike, a donkey, a boat or a bus. 

I’m super highly motivated and enthusiastic but somehow, yesterday, my body shut down. Not enough water or food, too much of sun, million of thoughts (Will I survive on a budget? Can I handle lack of privacy in hostels? Why does this expensive food smell so good? Have I paid all my bills? Did I forget to inform any Swiss authorities? And so on…) or all of the above forced me to lay down, hit by one the most violent migraines I have had in a very long time. Luckily, M took care of me and I woke up feeling much better! Apparently it is common for many travelers to suffer from a post-stressful life syndrome. You go from being super busy to having nothing to do and your body makes you pay for what you did to him over the years. Fair enough! 

After recording from this migraine, I’m really looking forward to hitting the road as lazing on the beach is not exactly my favorite (let’s talk about it in a few months when I’m exhausted and only want to lay on a beach!). I cannot wait to visit ruins, eat some street food (already had my first taco from a dusty looking stall), speak some Spanish (I still feel hesitant to do so at the moment) and create memories that will last a lifetime. On the plus plus plus side, I found some almond milk and chia seeds. Happy me! Even though we are on a tight budget, I am not ready to only feed on junk food  and any healthy option is welcomed. This was definitely my highlight yesterday. It will take me a while not to worry about money as I need to adjust to this ’30 dollars a day’ lifestyle but thanks to M’s support, I’ll get there! Now if you will excuse me, I need to have some pool time before we start our journey to the Belizian border. 

Bye bye Cancun, hello Tulum! 

Happy trails and remember: Carpe Diem!

Travelling adventure cancun concor mexico traveling