Mexico

My trip to Mexico was unplanned and spontaneous. My friend Rosalinda called me out of the blue and asked me to join her. I booked the flight that day, and two weeks later, we landed in Cancun. This was my first international flight with another person, so I was a little nervous about how things would go. I wondered, “What if our travel styles aren’t compatible?”. “What if she has annoying habits that are unbearable?” We’ve also had a few romantic dates. Things never got serious, but I wondered if this would play a role in our interactions while we were stuck together for almost a week. I ultimately decided I was overthinking, and this is simply two friends that love to travel having fun together, so I should make the best of it and not worry about anything else.

The first day of our trip was rough. It was time to pick up our rental car after making it through customs, which only took a few minutes. This was when the issues began. Our rental was initially supposed to be $15 a day. When we arrived, they asked us to put down a $4,000 security deposit. Neither one of us had that much available credit, so we implored for other options. We ended up booking a car for $30 a day with only a $350 security deposit. The car they gave us had a bit of a learning curve. To start it, you had to put it in Neutral with the emergency brake on while pressing down on the brakes and turning the ignition. It was confusing initially, but I had no issues thereafter.

The gas tank was on E, so we first needed to find a gas station. On the way to the gas station, we noticed the limitations and issues with the car. It was an automatic transmission, but the car jerked roughly after each gear shift. It was also incredibly slow. We went from 0-60 eventually. It seemed to take minutes rather than seconds. Also, there were large black ants crawling out of the vents and all over the inside and outside of the car. It felt like we were traveling in a bug infested go-cart. We finally arrived at a gas station and were greeted by one of the attendants. I handed him my card, and he told me in Spanish, “Cash only.” I walked inside to the ATM, and it wasn’t working. We instantly regretted not taking cash out while at the airport. We decided to try another gas station. We get to the second gas station, and thankfully they accept cards. My card gets declined, which I’m confused by because I have money on it. Seconds later, I received a text from Capital One confirming that I made the purchase. After confirmation, I tried the card again and filled up the tank. After filling up, we headed to the hotel while aggressively killing the ants crawling on us.

I missed the turn for the hotel and had to drive for another 10 minutes before I could make a U-turn. Dealing with this annoying road design would continue to be a common issue on this trip.

Once we checked into the hotel, we spent a few hours charging our phones and laughing about how crazy this was going so far, but optimistic that the rest of the week would be better. We were hungry, so we drove to Parque de las Palapas to find a spot to eat. Two full meals and four margaritas cost us a whopping $15 total. We were dumbfounded by how cheap it was. After lunch and margaritas, we took a walk around the park. It was so hot that day I started praying for forgiveness because I was sure this would kill me, and I wanted to make my heart right with the Lord before I died. Rosalinda is from Miami so she thought I was being dramatic. Anyway, as we walked around, street vendors yelled to get our attention, wanting us to purchase their products. We politely declined and avoided making eye contact with them.

Next, we devised a plan to find a public beach. This would prove to be more difficult than expected. Every beach we came across was controlled by a tourist or resort company. Repeatedly, we’d see a beach, miss the turn to drive in, drive for 15 minutes before we can make a u-turn, and upon arrival, realize that we don’t have access to it. We were exhausted and losing patience with the constant U-turns, so we decided to call it a day. The good news is the amount of ants in the car had begun to dissipate, so that was one less annoyance we had to deal with. Despite so much going wrong, we were having a good time relentlessly making fun of each other. We were laughing so hard all day, and people stared at us with confused looks on their faces. This continued well into the night before bedtime. I may have fallen asleep laughing.

The following morning, we boarded a boat to Isla Mujeres for the day. It’s a tiny island right off the coast of Cancun. Upon arrival, we rented a golf cart to help us explore more efficiently. The first stop was a turtle sanctuary. There were dozens of pools full of different species and colors. We were given pellets to feed them, and they hurriedly rushed over to us, some going so far as climbing on top of each other to get the food in our hands. As I feed them, Rosalinda loudly says, “Don’t feed the white turtles. That’s not our job.” I start laughing uncontrollably, failing miserably to control myself in public.

After spending some time feeding and playing with turtles, we drove to the south end of the island. There, we enjoyed views of the ocean from the top of the ruins of a Mayan temple. Small boats were scattered about the clear, turquoise water. As we walked along the shore, the sun relentlessly burnt our skin with no mercy. Iguanas ran about all around us, quickly retreating if we got too close. It was a paradise with the temperature of hellfire. We decided to find some shade and food and walked to a nearby restaurant. I enjoyed delicious shrimp and fish tacos with margaritas under an umbrella beside the ocean. I was the happiest I’ve been in a while at that moment. After lunch, we walked about the streets where street vendors aggressively attempted to convince us to purchase their products. They offered deals on tequila, cigars, clothing, weed, cocaine, etc. Most of them mentioned great deals for honeymooners.

Another common occurrence on this trip is everybody assumed we were married. Apparently, friends of the opposite sex traveling together isn’t normal, which was news to me. After making it through the sea of Mexican salesmen, we boarded a boat to transport us back to Cancun. We relaxed at the hotel for a few hours before walking to a nearby spot for dinner. I ordered the burnt octopus, which had a slimy, chewy texture with a salty taste. As Rosalinda and I ate, we reminisced on past travel and shared excitement over future travel. Nobody else in our lives is as passionate about seeing the planet as we are, so travel dominates most of our conversations.

The rest of the week was super chill for me. We planned on visiting Chichén Itzá during our stay, but it was closed because of COVID-19. That was supposed to be the highlight of our trip as it’s one of the seven wonders of the world, so we were obviously bummed about it. Rosalinda spent the next couple of days literally swimming with whale sharks, jumping over cliffs into the ocean, and zip lining. I can’t swim, and I’m afraid of heights so I opted out. Usually, when I travel, I’m constantly on the go, but I used this time alone to read, write, and catch up on emails. In between this, a sudden sadness hits me. It was the realization that soon I’d be back home alone in my apartment, dealing with the daily stresses of life.

Then, something happened the following morning to instantly snap me out of it. I was lying in bed playing on my phone when I made a sarcastic comment in response to something Rosalinda said. I don’t remember what it was but seconds later, she was on top of me, beating me with pillows at full speed. For a moment, I was terrified because of her unexpected aggression and strength. I’d never seen this side of her before. I fought back even harder with a WWE toss over the shoulder and hits to the face and body with two pillows at once. I thought I had won the battle, but then she resorted to pinching my inner thigh. The pain I felt instantly immobilized me. Suddenly, I was begging for mercy. I don’t know how long we fought, but our hotel room was in disarray. The beds were out of place. Sheets and pillows were strewn everywhere. We sat and stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, both of us panting for breath, wondering who would make the next move. I conceded defeat and hopped in the shower. My sadness was gone for a moment. It turns out all I needed was to get my blood pumping with an unsuspecting attack from a tiny woman.

It was our final full day in Mexico, so we decided to drive south to the city of Playa del Carmen. There was no clear plan, but we were on the move. We walked around the central area, looking for something to eat. As we did this, vendors yelled to get our attention by offering free tequila. I told each of them I would be back, which later turned out to be a mistake.

Before dinner, Rosalinda wanted to stop at a gift shop to buy souvenirs for her family. While she shopped, I sampled the free tequila shots in the store. I usually hate the taste of tequila, but these were incredible. If it weren’t for strict airport rules, I would’ve purchased a couple of bottles in an instant to take home with me. I opted to purchase a shot glass instead. After shopping, we found a spot to eat with outdoor seating and a mariachi band that personally serenaded us. We were both trying to become fluent in Spanish well before deciding to take this trip, so Rosa took the opportunity to practice what she knew with the restaurant employees. I was way too self conscious to attempt this, but I was proud of her progress. As we ate, the wait staff commented on what a beautiful couple we were. We didn’t bother correcting them but instead thanked them for the compliment.

When we were done eating, we walked back in the direction we came from. This is when all the vendors I promised to return to called me out on my words. I didn’t think they’d remember my face with the amount of people walking through this area. This is when Rosalinda points out that I’m a 6 foot tall black man with braids, so of course they did, and I should’ve known better. As we ignored them, they yelled, “You said you’d come back!”. We eventually got to the car and enjoyed a smooth drive back to the hotel.

As we were lying in bed, Rosalinda told me she was a little hungry but not super hungry. That’s when I decided I needed to do something about this. I get dressed and start walking through the neighborhood for light food to purchase. Locals filled the streets socializing. Bars were active and full of patrons. A band in bright red attire stood on the corner, preparing to play music from their stringed instruments. I spot a convenience store on my journey and walk inside to see what they had available. I purchased an armful of snacks, including ice cream, and headed back. Seeing the joy on her face gave me a feeling that’s hard to articulate. It was like an injection of euphoria into my veins. It forced me to confront my feelings and why this simple act of purchasing snacks elicited such strong emotions within me. I brushed it off and decided it was too late to be thinking about this. I had a flight in the morning. My time in Mexico was coming to an end.

Well, my first international trip with another person was a success. Rosalinda wasn’t as annoying as I expected. Despite things going wrong initially and the inability to see specific sites due to the coronavirus, it was an amazing trip. She’s way more of an adrenaline junkie, but we have a similar travel style otherwise. I plan on coming back to Mexico in the near future, hopefully as a moderately fluent Spanish speaker. The people, music, tequila, and TACOS made this trip memorable. ¡Adios! Hasta la proxima!