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Road trip in Mexico #7: Ruins of Palenque, Misol-Ha and Agua Azul Waterfalls
If you want to visit Calakmul, you might as well push the trip to Palenque. We are no longer within 300km. Thus we found ourselves in the only bus of the day at 3:30 am, leaving Xpujil for Palenque. Note: this article is part of the 17-day roadtrip series in Mexico. Go to previous articles: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Day 11 (December 29th) Xpujil – Palenque by bus The small village of Xpujil is so badly served that all buses pass by at impossible hours. At 3:30 am, there is…
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How to go by Bus / Shuttle to Calakmul from Xpujil, Campeche, Palenque or Bacalar (Mexico)
The archeological site of Calakmul is considered one of the most beautiful in Mexico, but not so visited – because of its off-center location compared to other tourist sites (we are in the middle of nowhere). These ruins in the middle of the jungle seduce tourists with time and patience, but all these efforts will be largely rewarded. To go there, you have to really want to. The bus schedules aren’t well adapted. Basically, you have to spend an afternoon drive to the nearest town, Xpujil 1 day to go to the site and visit the ruins and the whole morning to leave Here are the transportation options available to…
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Road trip in Mexico #6: the Ruins of Calakmul, at the end of the jungle
Calakmul, once the most powerful Mayan city in the area and constantly in rivalry with Tikal in Guatemala (as the crow flies, we are only 30km from Guatemala), had at its peak 50,000 inhabitants and covered more than 70m². Covered by trees and buried in the protected reserve of Calakmul, this ancient city is now little frequented by tourists. The capricious transport schedules make that everyone sulks these absolutely splendid ruins. By taking the bus, it is necessary 1/2 day to go there, 1 day of visit and 1/2 day to leave. The visit of the Calakmul ruins is one of the most awaited of this roadtrip, as I took…
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One-way flight more expensive than round trip: myth or reality?
While the vast majority of travelers book a round-trip airline ticket, there are cases where only a one-way ticket is required. This is our case as a digital nomad, we are constantly traveling around the world taking only one way trips. There is a myth that one-way tickets are more expensive than round trips, which seems surprising. Let’s take the example of a one-way Paris – New York, non-stop, on February 15, 2020. Search for a one-way ticket with a price comparator By using a flight comparator such as Skyscanner and sorting the results by increasing price, we’ll get there. The cheapest result offers the low cost airline Norwegian with…
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Travel outside the Euro zone: Money exchange & withdrawal
When traveling outside the euro zone, the question regularly arises: how will I pay on the spot? Where to change money to get local currency. Small article to introduce you to the different options and traps to avoid. Install an exchange rate application on your phone This is an indispensable practice, to be able to convert prices in local currency into euros. Exchange rates are set according to supply and demand on the financial markets and fluctuate 7 days / 7 24 hours a day. On an Android phone, the “Exchange Rate” application is fine. On iOS, you can use “XE Currency”. It will be useful for you, as much…
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Road trip in Mexico #5: Bacalar, Los Rapidos, les Cenotes & Cocalitos
To celebrate Christmas with dignity, we granted ourselves 3 full days of rest in Bacalar, near its beautiful lagoon of the 7 colors. Surprise! We are joined by two other digital nomads we met in Istanbul: Ar. and Am. (for a question of privacy, their first names will be written in abbreviation). Note: this article is part of the series of articles of our roadtrip in Mexico. Click here to access previous articles: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Day 7 (December 25th) Our nomadic friends have just spent a horrible vacation in Cuba being plucked in…
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How to visit the Sian Ka’an Reserve without a guide (2020): by Car or Bus / Colectivo (Mexico)
Most tourists visit Sian Ka’an with an agency (minimum 100$/person from Tulum). But what to do when you don’t have a lot of money? Here are two methods to visit this reserve. First ofall, you have to know that the reserve is very, very big, so depending on where you start, you will visit completely different things. The agencies also propose 2 different starting points, so make sure you are well informed before you choose. If you leave from the archeological site Muyil, like most bloggers visiting Sian Ka’an independently, the access is easier, you float on the canals dug by the Maya, carried away by the current but in…
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Road trip in Mexico #4: Sian Ka’an, Dream Beach, Dolphins & Turtles
Starting today, we leave the ultra tourist places and discover real treasures of the Yucatan Peninsula. Today’s visit to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve has been thought out and researched for weeks. Because I hesitated a lot between visiting it myself and going through an agency. Finally, we decided to trust a French-speaking agency for a dream day in this extraordinary reserve. Note: this article is part of the series of articles about our 17 days of roadtrip in Mexico. Read the previous notebooks here: part 1, part 2, part 3 Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Day 6 (December 24th): Excursion to Sian Ka’an…
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The Sargasso invade the coasts of Mexico: Beaches spared, Tips (2020)
During our trip to Florida, we were shocked by the massive presence of stinking sargasso (algae) on the beaches of Florida. Not only is it visually unpleasant, but also the stench is such that we were not able to swim at some of the beaches. This phenomenon, particularly affecting the Caribbean zone, is due to the excessive use of fertilizers in areas near the Gulf of Mexico and the Amazon Basin. These fertilizers end up in the ocean, feeding algae. Studies have shown that after a first wave in 2015, the phenomenon exploded in Mexico in 2018 with the arrival of 24 million cubic meters, the equivalent of 3,000 soccer…
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How to buy Playa del Carmen – Cozumel and Cancún – Isla Mujeres ferry tickets online with Ultramar Ferry? (Mexico)
The question deserves to be asked because, apart from the homepage, the rest of this site must date back to the 2000s. There are so many ferries to Cozumel and Isla Mujeres that most people just show up at the port and ask “which boat leaves first”. The rates are the same for all companies. No stress! However, I have to be on Cozumel Island at a specific time and since it’s Christmas time, I prefer not to miss my ferry and have to cancel my trip. Contrary to what the Internet says, it is possible to buy tickets online, and even from abroad. However, I had to tear my…
