On the way to the capital of Canada, we passed Kingston – a quite little town at the idyllic lake Ontario.
Not being the biggest city in Canada, Ottawa is still the country’s capital and the place where all federal government buildings are located. Thus, I visited the Parliament, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Confederation Building and many more on a bright, sunny day. 🙂
My couchsurfing host Michel, a very lovely elderly French-speaking Canadian, took his time to go to Omega Park with me in order to introduce me to the Canadian wildlife. What a fun adventure when deers, buffalos, and many more animals peeked into the car and we were able to walk around in between them. I totally recommend visiting this amazing part of nature!
Next to the city of Montreal, there is the Oka National Park – most beautiful in autumn, when the leaves are colored yellow, orange, and red, and you can feel the cold, clear air all around. A wonderful day with other travelers!
Montréal is one of the biggest, most populous cities in Canada. A lot of people love it for its charm and wit but to me, it was not such a beautiful place on earth. It’s nice to be there for a few days in order to climb Mount Royal (That’s where the name Montréal originates from.), to promenade through the Old Quarter, and to take a look at the Old Port.
About 1 hour North of Montréal, one of the best known ski areas of all Quebec is located. Although, it was not Winter yet, we did have an awesome time in this little paradise on earth. One of the cutest little towns ever at the foot of a mountain which you can either hike up or take the cable car to the top where you find numerous hiking and walking trails.
Before reaching the city of Québec, I went on a hike in the next magnificent national park – Parque de Jacques-Cartier. It features a river and beautifully colored trees in Autumn. What an unforgettable day in the magnificent Canadian nature again!
Québec City is to me one of the loveliest, most beautiful cities I’ve seen in Canada so far. It has this very French atmosphere (well, also because its people speak French, I guess), the narrow cobblestone streets, the impressive buildings, and so much more. The most romantic street you can walk in at night is the Petit-Champlain with its little cafes and bars, and the colorful souvenir stores. What a nice little city to spend a couple of days in!
As lovely as the city itself are its people. I stayed with Hugo – one of the nicest Canadians I’ve ever met. He is an amazing host and even went to the cute little town of Baie-Saint-Paul and the nearby national park Charlevoix with me. We had a great time enjoying this hike together! Thank you, my dear new friend! 🙂
During my time in Québec, I also got two know two cool French guys who were spending their holidays in this region. They gave me a ride to Tadoussac and we had a blast spending the day there together. You have to go on a ferry in order to reach this little town and the river here is populated by whales! This is such a typically Canadian place with the infinite vastness of its landscapes and calm waters.
I arrived to Cancún in the afternoon, dropped my bags at Venado Hostel, chilled a bit, and then went out to discover that this place is very americanized with Walmarts, fast food-chains, and American bars everywhere. The next day, I checked out the beaches (the seaweed was not thaaat bad!) and got my first Mexican food.
A Variety of Mexican Dishes
In the morning, I met Asis – a Méxican traveler – and we took the ferry to Isla Mujeres. What a beautiful island with long white sandy beaches and turquoise water – we had a blast there! After having had a huge pizza for dinner, we went back to Cancún and took a bus to Playa del Carmen.
There, in Playa del Carmen, I had the privilege of living in a house with Asis and Mariana who are locals and the nicest Mexicans ever (You can thank me later for this compliment if you’re reading this! 😉 ). I was shown around town, especially 5th Avenue which is the main pedestrian road where tons of shops, bars, and clubs are located, and taken to restaurants to try all kinds of Mexican dishes.
5th Avenue
Maya Show
Colorful Playa del Carmen at Night
Best Dinner: Pizza at the Pool
Ruins
One day, we got on the ferry to Cozumel, which is a very big island with clear waters due to the rocks and coral reefs surrounding it. The town of San Miguel where the ferry drops you, is also nice to just stroll around, have some ice cream, and enjoy your time. For beaches you’ll have to take a van to the other side of the island. Oh, and don’t forget to be back in time for sunset which you’ll have to watch at the Starbucks near the ferry terminal for an incredible view!
México is full of ancient ruins and it’s hard to decide which ones to visit. In the following, I will show three very different ones in Yucatán that are definitely worth stopping by.
From Playa del Carmen you can take a collective van to the ruins in Tulum. This ancient walled city perched on the edge of a cliff in Quintana Roo overlooking the Caribbean ocean is quite a sight. Definitely worth a visit when you’re in Yucatán! And beware the little reptiles and animals there! :-p In case you’d like to spend the night in the center of Tulum, check out Indajani Hostel that is kinda like a little oasis with pool and palm trees in the middle of town.
Impressions of Tulum
From Tulum there are hourly buses in the direction of Cobá where the next ruins are located. Because Coba doesn’t see as much tourism, you can actually still climb some of the structures for a totally different and unique perspective (Though I’ve heard that 2019 is supposed to be the last year for this). Furthermore, it isn’t as excavated as other sites, so you feel like you’re wandering through a forest, with many of the ruins still covered in trees.
Impressions of Cobá
Now holding the title as one of the new seven wonders of the world, Chichén Itzá was one of the largest Mayan cities in former times. And when we thought, we were already too late for a visit (it closes at 5pm), we got lucky and just had to pay half the entrance fee to get in and enjoy the views with almost no other visitors and without street vendors! What a great deal! Totally recommended!
Valladolid is DEFINITELY worth a visit! The nicest town I’ve seen in Mexico so far. Hostel Casa Chauac Ha is ok but not the best – the dorms are way too cold (f***ing ACs), and of some people, valuables have been stolen out of the lockers! :-/ A great thing was that they have bicycles for free and thus, I rode my pink one around town, went to Cenote Zaki with it, and just enjoyed the way passing these colorful houses. Oh, and when you’re there, take the free walking tour in the evening at 7pm. It ends at the monastery where they show light projections each night at 9:25 pm. Definitely worth going!
The colorful houses
My pink bicycle 🙂
Cenote Zaki
The Cathedral
Traditional Dances
The Light Show at Night
The following day, I was picked up by friends from Germany (Wht a cool incident, that they were here on holidays at the same time!) with a rental car and we went up North to Rio Lagartos. What a nice, peaceful place with white shiny boats, swings, and cute cafés.
In the Streets of Rio Lagartos
Swinging with my Friends from Germany
Flamingo Time
From this quite little paradise, we went on to the pink lakes called Las Coloradas – an incredible natural sight! Salty ocean water from the mangroves nearby floods onto hard flat salt plains, creating shallow lagoons. The sun then slowly evaporates this water, leaving fresh sea salt behind. The vibrant pink color of these lakes is due to red-colored algae, plankton, and shrimp that thrive in the salty environment. As the water evaporates, these organisms become more concentrated, glimmering pink in the bright sunlight. I guess, these pictures speak for themselves:
I arrived in Mérida in the evening since I had spent the first half of the day swimming in the cenote again… Thus, I started to explore the city at night and continued the next day. Together with Cesar – a local who kindly showed me around – I discovered some nice parks, colorful houses, pretty churches, and colonial style buildings. Oh, and for shopping-lovers maaaany shops! I stayed in Hostal La Ermita which is quite nice equipped with a pool, a kitchen, small dorm rooms, and a delicious breakfast BUFFET (Love it! 🙂 ). And don’t forget to visit the cemetery while there (even more spectacular at night and with a free concert!).
Night Stroll through the City
City Tour with Cesar
Chiling at the Pool
Concert at the Cemetery
From Merida, it is possible to go by Collectivo to Homun – a tiny village and home of hundreds of cenotes (underground waterholes which were used by the Maya as places to sacrifice to mother earth and their gods) but which are not all accessible of course. So I went with some people from the hostel to the cenote Tza Ujun Kat – a really nice one with a hole in the middle in which plants such as papaya tree grow. Afterwards, we went to the cenote Santa Maria where you enter a cave system – if you are adventurous, you squeeze yourself through, get soaked in mud and water a couple of times, and get some scratches – and end up in a very nice lagoon all by yourself. This one was the best cenote I’ve been to!
Entering the cenote Tza Ujun Kat
Entering the cenote Santa Maria
Back to Merida, I had some Tacos al Pastor (with a kind of Kebap-meat), chilled at the hostel, and then took the night bus to Bacalar where I arrived at 4 in the morning. I went to the stunning Lake of the Seven Colors and stayed there until the early afternoon. What a chilled day in a beautiful place:
Impressions of the Lagoon in Bacalar
From Bacalar, I took a Collectivo to Chetumal where I spent the night in the Downtown Hostel – very recommendable with a great chillout-social-area, a nice rooftop overlooking the city, and a breakfast buffet! 🙂 There is not too much to see in Chetumal other than the ocean promenade… Thus, I left the next morning for the border in order to cross over to Belize.
Having arrived in San Cristóbal, I checked in at Wanderlust Hostel – it is a very nice, brand new and clean hostel but the employees are not the brightest and beware of the snorers! :-/ This town itself is definitely one of the nicest and coolest places in México! 🙂 It is full of colorful houses, Ford Beatles, and nice churches. Oh, and I was deeply introduced to all this culture and tradition when I went on a free walking tour with Marina who took us around town, gave us free samples of coffee, chocolate, and mezcal, and showed us how the traditional clothes are made for more than four hours.
Taking a Stroll at Night
At the Market
A Walk through Town
Art Galleries
Mezcal Tasting
Doors of San Cristóbal
Ford Beatles everywhere
Amber Jewelery
View from above
Surrounding San Cristóbal, you can find some very special villages that are still full of cultural and religious traditions. In San Juan Chamula, the people are wearing clothes made out of sheep wool and they pray and sacrifice in a church without any bench or chair – just sitting on the floor on pine needles surrounded by a sea of candles. In Zinacantán, the inhabitants wear purple clothes that are full of flowers. When I was there, a lot of festivities were going on – in the church, on the streets, and in front of the town hall because the inhabitants were celebrating their patron saint.
San Juan Chamula
Zinacantán
And since the state of Chiapas is not only known for its lively culture and traditions but also for its stunning natural wonders, I visited the Sumidero Canyon the following day. At first, I went on a boat ride through the canyon, starring in awe at this majestic sight. After having taken a look at the pretty little village of Chiapa de Corzo, I was taken up to the viewpoints in order to see the canyon from there.
In Oaxaca I met Asis again who became my travel buddy throughout Mexico. We stayed in an Airbnb here and discovered the city in order to find some cool spots for celebrating my birthday. 🙂 It actually is an awesome place to be with lots of art galleries, colonial buildings, and street music. Thus, I spent my 32nd birthday eating cake, marveling at art, and listening to street musicians in this part of México. Big thanks to Asis, who did everything possible in order to give me a great birthday here far away from family and friends.
Mexican Cuisine
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me 🙂
Mezcal
Cheesecake from Asis
In the Food Market
Colorful Streets
Yay, I’m the Birthday Girl
The next day, we went on a pretty cool tour around this region. First, we were taken to Santa Maria del Tule where the tree with the widest trunk in the world is to be found (el árbol del Tule). Then, we were able to watch people make rugs in the old-fashioned way and discover the process of making mezcal. The second last stop was at some ruins again (another day, another ruin…) before we finally ended up at the Hierve el Aqua – petrified waterfalls. An incredible natural wonder! 🙂
Having arrived in Tlacotalpan with a night bus, we strolled through this super cute and colorful little town before having breakfast in one of the nicest cafés ever here in México! Although this place is beautiful and full of colors, there is not too much to do there. Thus, we decided to go on to Veracruz the same day.
Impressions of Tlacotalpan
In Veracruz, we stayed in the Oyster Hostel and explored the city in the late afternoon / evening. To tell you the truth, there is nothing special about this harbor city. The only thing that caught our interest was a dance show at the main plaza…
Impressions of Veracruz
Thus, we went on the next morning and arrived in Orizaba in the afternoon. Having discovered the city center, we stayed at Silmar Hotel in the outskirts and discovered the rest of this town the next day. What a beautiful place – and very playful and kids-friendly! We strolled along the river, checked out the dinosaur park, went to a lake, and paid a visit to the poliforum (this castle-like building contains several museums and exhibitions) before getting on a bus to Puebla.
