The History of Journey

The country is a household name, thanks to Mr. Trump and Netflix. Well, sadly both of them highlight the place in not a positive way,  marred by a reputation for dangerous immigrants and drug wars. We get to see what the western media prints and not the ground reality.Don’t believe the hype.  Of course, Mexico has its problems, but not usually in places frequented by backpackers or tourists, so the risk for visitors to Mexico is minimal.While backpacking in Mexico I found the people to be friendly and kind, the food to be delicious, and the scenery, culture and history utterly mind-blowing. Backpacking Mexico  is an adventure, so hold on to your hats! Americans, Australians, Canadians, European and British nationals as well as other country nationals holding valid US/Canada/Euro Visa  do not require a visa to enter Mexico as tourists, visitors in transit or business visitors. Tourists and business visitors can stay in Mexico for up to 180 days.  Be ...

The major attractions for the day was Tulum Ruins and Coba tour. Tulum’s original Maya name, Zamá translates as “place of the dawning sun  as it has a perfect view of the rising sun. It is an ancient walled city perched on the edge of a cliff in Quintana Roo overlooking the Caribbean ocean in Mexico and is located along the popular Mayan Riveria. We left Cancun and drove south towards Playa Del Carmen to reach Tulum. The old stone structures that make up this archaeological site are surrounded by leaning palm trees, delicate cactus flowers, steep rocky cliffs, and a population of large sun-tanning iguanas. Some of the important ruins include, El Castillo (the Castle) is Tulum’s main pyramid, and was used as an ancient lighthouse. Two small windows at the top allowed sailors to navigate the bay at dusk.If merchant boat captains could see daylight through both windows as they sailed in, they wouldn’t crash into the reef hiding just below the water. The Temple of...

It was a packed day today as the travel was to the other state, Yucatan. We were picked up early from the stay and first pit stop was near the state border. The tour had visit to Cenotes too and first stop was a visit to Cenote.  The cenotes are fascinating to see – formed by sinkholes in the limestone formations. They played a pivotal point in the existence of the city and the reason that the Maya tribe settled there. The name comes from Chi, meaning ‘mouths’ in Mayan, and Chen, meaning ‘wells’. Itza is the name of the Maya tribe that settled there. You could swim in the Cenotes and water there was pristine and you could see the well bed. Post that, there was lunch. Our next stop was Chichen Itza.  Chichen Itza was an ancient Mayan city, which  is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and one of the most incredible places you can go in Mexico. The highlight is the impressive Temple of Kukulkan, which was built to honor a Mayan feathered serpent god. ...

From Mexico City, you could either take a bus (around 20 hours) or can fly. I did latter and used Cancun Transport Service to reach my stay. Like in Mexico City, I had not booked any tours. I used travel desk at Selina to book day trips to Chichen Itza and Tulum. I dumped the luggage and strolled around the property. Had self prepared dinner and went out to see check the night life.  There was loud music, upscale restaurants and night clubs. I did a cursory walk and returned to my temporary nest.

One cannot leave Mexico City, by not visiting the Teotihuacan. It is massive, one of the first great cities of the Western Hemisphere but its origins are still a mystery. Construction at Teotihuacan began around 200 BC. Since the ethnic group and the language spoken by the inhabitants of Teotihuacan is unknown, they are referred to simply as "Teotihuacanos." At its peak between 300 and 600 CE, this was one of the biggest cities in the world. It was  abandoned around the year 800, which is considered the end of the Classic period in Mesoamerica. The causes of the fall are not known, but it's possible there was a prolonged drought or an epidemic. It's also possible that there was a conflict with another group or an internal conflict: some of the buildings show evidence of destruction by fire, as opposed to merely being abandoned, like many of the Mayan archaeological sites. The Aztecs considered Teotihuacan a sacred site even though it had been abandoned long b...

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt is home to the best mountaineering available in the country. There are dozens of inactive and dormant volcanoes, some of which are the tallest mountains in Mexico and are only few hours drive away from its capital, Mexico City. Most of them are fairly simple expeditions that only requires hiking or gear up with ice axes and crampons for a bona fide mountaineering experience. Regardless of the path you choose, excellent views are bound to be the reward as the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt stretches through a variety of different terrains from arid highlands to semi-tropical forests. Some of the volcano hike destinations include Pico de Orizaba, La Malinche, Iztaccihuatl, Ajusco and many more. I decide to hike Iztaccihuatl as it was near to the capital city and a day tour could be done. Iztaccihuatl, also known as “Sleeping Woman” is Mexico’s third highest mountain and a dormant volcano. Due to its close proximity to the capital, it is ...