Culture Shock in Cancun, Mexico

Arrival in Mexico

We took a flight from Orlando straight to Cancun. Orlando was slightly on the chilly side and it was with immense delight that we waked out into the hot, hot sun. I could feel my tan returning!

We organized a shuttle van to take us to our hotel. After we sat around for about ten minutes with no more people wanting to purchase a ride they offered us a direct taxi for the same price. 

Ambiance Suites

Ambiance Suites is located in downtown Cancun. There is a street on the beach where every hotel under the sun is located for a hefty tourist price tag. As we were only staying one night and wanted a more authentic Mexican experience we were recommended this hotel. 

The hotel was beautiful. The room was large and we were pleasantly surprised. It had double beds, a seperate living room, dining table and a small kitchenette. There was a restaurant attached and a pool out back. The staff were super helpful too, often coming to our rescue running out to our cab to speak to them in English.

After a rest from our travel we decided to head to lunch. That’s when the culture shock set in. The streets of Mexico are not well cared for, not after our stay in the US first world. The cars were old (like ancient rust buckets), the streets dirty and absolutely everyone spoke Spanish, a language we are not familiar with at all.

Talk about a step out of our comfort zone.

You see Asia to us is our backyard. We had travelled extensively through Asia for years. My first trip was in 1999 and no matter the language barriers or differences it is so close to Australia it doesn’t feel that foreign. 

I have never heard much about Central America or been interested it. When we met the lovely Kings back in Bali who told us about Belize we knew it sounded like somewhere we should go. And then a few people mentioned how cheap a holiday in Mexico was & that our experience in Tijuana back in 2007 was not really Mexico. So we decided on the way to Belize we had to go South East Mexico.

Mexico may be America’s Bali, but it was super-foreign to us. And isn’t that the point of travel? To step out of your comfort zone and experience someone else’s way of life?

We felt so safe and normal in the US and it really was a big step to move South, especially considering the language barrier. We were not impressed with what we saw in Cancun in the 1 day we spent there (other then our time at Wet 'n Wild, so fun!) and very happily left for Playa Del Carmen the next day. It's safe to say that Playa Del Carmen was a saving grace for our stay in Mexico and we are glad to have picked that as our month base.

They say you either hate Cancun or you love it. The small part we saw? No thank you. But take me back to Playa any day, it was magnificent. I'm sure there would have to be some beautiful spots in Cancun that we missed. Can you tell me what they were? I'd love to know.