This is a No-No of traveling post, keep in mind I love to travel, and usually go to Mexico twice a year. It’s my most coveted vacation spot. My husband and I go to Mexico with my family for Xmas, and his family for fun. We are a lucky couple. However, traveling that much really makes you understand what will make and break a vacation. Two years ago we were planning to travel to Cozumel, Mexico with my husband, Jared’s, family. Jared has severe A.D.D, anything that we do or plan has to be schizophrenic. I like to do our normal routine, and know where I am going, how long I will be there, and then I know what to pack. I want to point out that in every day life when packing, airplanes and passports are not involved I am a little more fun and spontaneous. BUT when we are leaving the country, and treading unfamiliar territory I like to know what to expect. I know I can get a little side swiped, and get off topic, so back to the story. Two years ago and Cozumel. Jared had decided that this year he didn’t want to fly into Cozumel, he wanted to fly into Cancun. I think it may have head something to do with airfare, but I usually stay out of it.
About a week before we were supposed to leave, I ask Jared to print out the itinerary. This is the first time I was aware that we weren’t flying directly to Cozumel. I am a pretty “go with the flow” type of girl. I didn’t think much of it. Then the night before we left on the plane, Jared told me that he was planning to stay in Playa Del Carmen for the night, which is about 30 minutes away from the airport, but there is a ferry from Playa Del Carmen to Cozumel. I was fine with the whole idea, so I thought… Jared forgot to tell me that he didn’t book a hotel for the night he planned to stay in Playa Del Carmen. YES. We were on the plane for 5 1/2 hours, only to get off and have no idea where we were going. I was in plane clothes, which is usually clothes I can sleep in easily on a COLD plane. NOT walk around in and sight see in really really HOT Mexico.
We get off the plane, and I already had a bad attitude, because Jared had told me last minute that we had nowhere to stay. He thought it would be fun and spontaneous and everything that it was NOT! At this point we have a week and a half worth of packing in our big suitcases that we are holding, we are both in plane clothes and already hot and sweaty. When Jared decided that we should take a 45 minutes bus ride, instead of a cab into Playa Del Carmen. We stay on the bus with all our luggage, not understanding the language very well and picking apart what they’re saying on the loud speaker, to decide where we need to get off. The busses in Mexico are like tin boxes, I am pretty sure they don’t have suspension, because I felt like we were in a bounce house the whole ride. When we finally decide to get off, we are in a chain of really nice hotels. Like 7 that are beautiful. I start to feel a little relief like I could hurry and shower soon. We walk into the first hotel, and they are completely full. Then we walk into the next 6 which are each about half a mile apart, and… you guessed it… they are all FULL! At the last one Jared is practically begging and I am offering to pay to sleep in a janitors closet. The nice man finally caves and tells us that he has one suite available for $700 a night… WHAT!? I was joking when I said nice man. We bailed. Off into the heat with our plane clothes, and suit cases. Jared tries to find another bus stop to take us into downtown Playa, and I about chop off his head, and tell him we are taking a cab or I am ordering a divorce. (We werent even married at the time). I made a map below so you could see where our travels took us:
Another 20 minutes and back in the direction we came, probably another $50. The cab drops off into the Mexican abyss. I am not joking for another 5 HOURS we (totally probably 7 or 8 hours) now, we tote around a suitcases and we are knocking on doors. Seriously, like these “hotels” are so incredibly sketchy, but at this point I was more ornery then I have ever been in my entire life. To top the misery off it started to rain, I may have welcome a cold sprinkle. It was a warm rain. I was sweaty, it was already humid, I didn’t have a hair elastic, and now it was raining warm water. I was done with life. We continue walk down this horribly creepy alley way and find a gate into a “hotel”. This is the first hotel in downtown that was even using a computer, not just a person with a clipboard, and hallelujah they have rooms available! I am pretty sure I started crying when they told us we had a place to stay for the night. They led us up a bunch of stairs, into a room that was a cement box with only a bed. An incredibly uncomfortable bed, and we were both the most happy we had ever been, especially me. We even kissed in the pouring rain, after we had showered and calmed down and we were ready to see each other again. We even were able to walk along the “strip” and get dinner that night.
We stayed the night in the hotel. The next morning, we didn’t even enjoy Playa Del Carmen, we got on that Ferry and peaced out as fast as possible. This is Jared in front of the Ferry ready to put that adventure behind us.
The morals of my story:Always make plans when you’re leaving the country.Never make your significant other carry their suitcases around for over 8 hours in their plane clothes.Don’t trust a Mexican bus.Sketchy Alleys are where you’ll find vacant hotels.
I hope you enjoyed my story, and my "DONT DO THIS!" warning.
I miss all of you!!
