On the 10th July, my family and I ventured across to Riviera Maya on the Caribbean coast of Mexico and I can safely say I have fallen in love with the place. The Grand Bahia Principe was absolute luxury; the friendly staff and gorgeous views would make it difficult for anyone to not enjoy themselves.
The hotel was full of wildlife such as iguanas, coatis, racoons and the staff even have said to see monkeys swinging through the trees and baby pumas running around the jungle areas.
I was lucky enough to take part in many excursions available so as you can probably guess, it took a while to be able to narrow them down. Getting into the adventurous mood, we went to the natural aquarium called Xel-Há. I was in complete awe; snorkeling between stingrays, caves and hundreds of fish. The same amazement happened when snorkeling in a coral reef I plunged into on a boat trip and having sea turtles around 10cm from me. A day spent on a catamaran was a day of utter relaxation, being surrounded by open water and gentle waves bobbing us up and down in rhythm.
Being voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, I was not leaving Mexico until I had been to Chichen Itza. Learning about how intricate the detail of building it was and how the Mayans lived many years ago was so interesting - although a bit worrying how much attention people payed to the human sacrifice section! To cool down from all that excitement (and of course the scolding heat) we were taken to my favourite part of the trip, swimming in the Ik Kil sinkhole. If looking up and seeing a natural spotlight coming down onto me in this stunning cave wasn't enough already, it also allowed me to swim surrounded by hundreds of black catfish.
To finish off the trip, I got to visit Mexican towns such as Valladolid and Playa Del Carmen. These people in the photos you see above were carrying out a religious ceremony outside their church. People crowded around them to try get photos and listen to the chanting and singing of the group. I was surprised later on to see men swinging upside down around a pole. Like every person in that square, I was curious to ask around and see what it was for. Apparently the act they performed in my video is repeated everyday!
Swimming with dolphins was one thing I have wanted to do so when I had the opportunity to, I grabbed it. The dolphins were so gentle and graceful swimming around us performing their leaps and tricks. We all even got a cheeky kiss off them too.
Mexico is definitely a country I would love to return to. I think for me the people I came into contact with was a highlight as they were so friendly and relaxed all the time. This Mexican experience is definitely one I will aim to repeat later in my life but for now I can say it is one I will never forget.
