Cancun, my first trip!

It all started back in 2013, when I was 24 years old. I had never been on a plane before, nor had I ever seen the ocean. I had only been working for three months at my first job as a software quality engineer, subcontracted to a major bank in Colombia. My salary back then was a bit under three minimum wages. Still, I had saved almost everything because I was living with my parents at the time and was planning to move to Uruguay or Canada (which I eventually did). In this first post, I’ll try to share what to see in Cancun.

Why did I travel?

At the time, I was working on my university thesis (at Distrital). I made a poster and submitted it to a contest. I won the opportunity to present at a conference that would take place in Cancun. I couldn’t believe it: I was going to leave the country for the first time and see the ocean—something almost everyone dreams of. The only problem was that the university wasn’t going to cover any costs, so I had to pay for everything myself.

The first step was getting a passport, a simple process at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fortunately, Mexico didn’t require a visa, so no additional paperwork was needed. I started looking for tickets using one of those sites that compares prices (we’ll talk about those later). I bought tickets with COPA Airlines. The route was Bogotá – Panama City – Cancun. I’ll never forget the excitement and anxiety I felt knowing I was about to travel abroad for the first time. I didn’t even have proper luggage, so a friend lent me a backpacking-style bag where I packed my few clothes and everything I needed for four days in Cancun.

Cancun

Cancun is a city made for tourism. From the airport, there are several ways to get to the hotels or downtown. The cheapest is by public bus (camiones), which costs around 70 Mexican pesos. You can also take a taxi or one of those private cars waiting outside every airport. Since I had no experience and was kind of nervous, I went with the private car, which took me to my hotel for a modest $25 USD. Twenty-five dollars! That was a lot of money given my tight budget. But I didn’t care much as I looked out the window and watched us drive down Kukulcán Boulevard, the main avenue that leads to downtown and where you can see all the hotels and beaches of Cancun—something I had never seen before.

The hotel was three stars, just enough for my four-day stay. It had access to a small beach and a buffet breakfast that I made the most of (having a buffet breakfast is always a good idea—you eat well and save on snacks later). I vividly remember the unbearable heat and the sea breeze that helped cool things down. The hotel was closer to the city than the airport, and about five kilometers away from the hotel hosting the conference (LACCEI 2013) where I was to present my work. I decided to walk to explore the area. I walked all along Kukulcán: on the right was the sea, and on the left, the Nichupté Lagoon. You can imagine the breathtaking view—surrounded by two majestic bodies of water, with hotels of every star rating lining the way.

I left the conference around 7 p.m. and experienced something wonderful for the first time: sunlight at that hour. Like in other countries, summer brings daylight saving time, so I had plenty of time to visit my first proper beach: Playa Delfines.

The Beaches of Cancun

It was August, so it wasn’t peak season. Plus, given the time of day, the setting was perfect: the beach was nearly empty. I took off my shoes and walked on the sand like I never had before. I stayed long enough to watch the sunset. It must have been 8:30 or even 9:00. I watched the sun set over the Caribbean Sea, then hopped on a bus to head back and find something to eat. I remember walking into a small restaurant called Las Quekas; I had what seemed to be the local specialty: beef and chorizo quesadillas, served on plastic plates lined with plastic bags to avoid washing them each time. A perfect way to end my first day abroad.

The second day, I went back to the beach—Tortugas and Langostas, both with white sand and just as calm as the first one. You can reach all these beaches using the circular R-3 route, which goes along the city’s main avenue. There are also a few others like Caracol, Marlín, and Gaviota Azul; all part of the same coastal stretch.

After spending some time at the conference hotel, I went out again that night for a walk down the boulevard. When looking for food, this time I went for American fast food, and here’s why: at McDonald’s, you could pay in US dollars (which was the currency I had), and they’d give you change in Mexican pesos. The exchange rate was way better than at any currency exchange house, so it seemed like a perfect option—grab some food and exchange money in one go. I ended up at a mall, probably one of the fanciest I’ve visited so far: La Isla Shopping Village. I even treated myself to a McDonald’s cone just to exchange a bit more money. What a hack! The vibe of the place is amazing—full of tourists and locals, all kinds of stores, a kind of artificial canal running through the building, and some quirky statues, including cartoon characters.

As I continued walking back to the hotel, something incredible happened—it started to drizzle. I tried to find shelter, but the rain was driven by the wind and I ended up soaked. After a while, realizing the rain wasn’t letting up, I kept walking. But it only got heavier, with lightning flashing on the horizon and me completely drenched. I ran into someone along the way and asked if this kind of rain was normal. They said it was a cyclone hitting Cancun that week. I couldn’t believe it—a cyclone! That’s when I decided that if I wanted to make it back alive, I’d better catch a bus to the hotel.

And that’s how I wrapped up the first part of my first trip: soaked, slightly freaked out by the thunder and lightning. The rain didn’t stop all night. I was amazed by everything I had seen, but above all, I felt happy and deeply satisfied that I had invested my small savings in this first journey—one where I discovered so many things I’d only ever seen on TV before.