Mexico is a beautiful country that has so much to offer. Below are some of my personal favorites:

CABO:

What better way to experience Cabo and Puerto Vallarta than a cruise? I personally went on the Carnival Cruise and it was a blast! On one trip, you’re able to see multiple locations. It actually appears to be the safest way to see Mexico. You hear all these nightmare stories of tourists that were drugged, robbed or threatened by the policeman. I know someone who went to Mexico and the cops told them if they do not give them money, then they will be arrested. If a cop ever approaches you in this situation, give them whatever they are asking for. You never know what they are capable of and your wellbeing is more important than any materialistic things. Another thing to be aware of in Mexico is that they do not regulate the amount of alcohol that is in their drinks. You also may not know if it is really the alcohol on the label being sold. BE CAREFUL and make sure that you are watching your drink the whole entire time someone is making it. Do not leave drinks unattended whatsoever.

Now that we got the whole run down out of the way, what is the best way to do Mexico? Unless you know somebody that lives there or you are staying at an all-inclusive resort, then it really isn’t that safe. Mexico has one of the highest crime rates in the world. As much as I love a good tequila shot, sandy beaches and all that Mexico has to offer, it is important to do it the right way.

Carnival Cruises have some really inexpensive routes to Mexico. We paid $400 for the four-day cruise. Cruises are great because all of your food is included. One of the biggest expenses I come across while traveling is eating out, so take advantage of the buffet that cruises provide. They also have a lot of fun events. On ours, they had a nightclub called Frankenstein, where they hosted a bell bottom night. Before you go on a cruise, check the events for any fun dress up days so that you are prepared. We failed to do this, but we ironically ended up having bell bottoms for a themed day. There was also a really entertaining comedy show. My friend and I sat up front and ended up getting roasted. I’ll leave out what the comedian actually did say to me because it was pretty raunchy.

Our first stop was Cabo. Cabo is one of the cities where so many people are walking around trying to sell you stuff. When we first got off the ship, we were greeted by a Hispanic woman that offered us tequila shots. Before I could even think about it, she poured a shot down my throat from the bottle, rubbed her boobs in my face and spun me around then said “You owe me $10”. What in the world. I didn’t even ask for a shot but I was now obligated to pay this lady. She won that time around but I will not let that happen again.

My friend and I decided we would go see El Arco de Cabo San Lucas aka Land’s End, which is a famous formation of rocks. Near the cruise port, there are soooo many people offering boat trips and any excursion you can think of. We went with a package that included snorkeling and gave you the opportunity to see Land’s end. Ok, I’ll be honest, we actually got this package because they offered free drinks… Whoops. Despite the water being freezing cold and the water being so murky that you couldn’t really see anything while snorkeling, we still had fun riding the boat and looking out over the water. When we got off the boat, there were sea lions near the dock. For $1, we could feed them a fish. I fed a sea lion for the first time that day and I have to say my heart was beating so fast. The sea lion literally walked up the dock a bit and approached me. I didn’t know whether that bad boy was going to take my hand off in the process but I ended up coming out with two hands so we’re all good.

After our excursion, we met up with the rest of our group at the Cabo Wabo bar. It is a wild place where you can order food and have some drinks. It is right on the ocean so your feet are literally in the sand. They also had fun games on the stage. After a couple drinks in me, I entered the musical chairs competition. I lost that one but signed up for the twerking competition. Let’s be honest. I can twerk like nobody’s business but it was a tad awkward that my friend’s dad was in the audience. Guess what though? I won the twerking contest! We all had a blast but had to rush back to the ship before it departed at 6:00 p.m.

PUERTO VALLARTA

Next stop, Puerto Vallarta, my favorite part of Mexico. A lot of people say that they don’t like cruises because you’re in and then you’re out but I don’t mind that. I’m the kind of traveler that I’m perfectly satisfied with seeing the sites, crossing it off the list in my phone and moving on to the next. As we approached Puerto Vallarta, I realized how much more beautiful it was than Cabo. Cabo seemed more like a party town, while Puerto Vallarta gave me an island vibe. The water was crystal clear and absolutely breathtaking. Some of my cruise mates were not feeling well and decided to just lay by the beach or stay on the cruise. I was not about that life, so I departed the ship and went for a solo mission. I went to (take a wild guess…) the nearest bar and had my usual house chardonnay. I saw some people parasailing and decided this was the time to do it. I had never been before and what better place than to do it in Mexico! It was $75 but well worth it. As the guy strapped me up, I couldn’t help the nerves. As the boat pulled forward, I got higher and higher in the air. Tears of joy streamed down my face. I’m a very emotional person and I usually cry when beautiful moments happen. I felt so grateful in that moment. Everything was beautiful.

We had two days in Puerto Vallarta. The second day, we just relaxed and worked on our tans by the beach. We thought about ordering jet skis or doing something fun but decided that we’ve already spent enough and we might as well take in the pool and ocean. Even though we had two days on this stop, we still had to be back to the ship by 6:00 pm. That night we decided to be boujee and have a fancy dinner. The food on the cruise is included but they do have a steakhouse that is not. We all got dressed up and had our photos taken. We may have pre-gamed a bit too hard because my friend’s uncle fell backwards and the backdrop came tumbling down. Looking back, it was hilarious. We indulged in escargot and fresh fish. The meal was exquisite. I highly recommend Carnival Cruises! We were entertained, wined and dined from start to finish. The ship headed back to Long Beach the next day and that was a wrap for our weekend getaway to Meh He Co (do you like what I did there?)

We walked down the strip see if there were any other prospects. All of a sudden, I hear some Sonny Fodera playing and my friend and I start dancing. OK, OK we have to go wherever is playing that song! It happened to be Club Iggys. Club Iggys was great. It was $20 for entry and all you can drink. Can you think of a better deal than that? I had the most amazing quesadilla there. I got my hair braided for $15. (Ok when I say dollars, I mean pesos but I am converting it. So really that would have been 281 pesos) The drinks were flowing and we all were LIT. I can do this cartwheel move into the pool and decided to give it a go. Little did I know that the ground was so slippery that my arm slipped from underneath me and I fell onto the side of the pool. Have you ever been in so much pain that you lose your vision? Yeah, it was one of those times. I came out from under the water not ready to see the eyes of everyone that saw me eat shit. As I came up, everyone asked if I was okay. I shouted out I was fine and it was no big deal but on the inside I was in excruciating pain. I had to have my friend’s dad pull me out of the pool. I immediately went in to shock. I asked for a tequila shot and some ice stat. I took two shots of tequila back to back to numb the pain. My arm was screwed. I literally thought it was broken but there was no way in hell I was going to go to a hospital in Mexico so I toughed it out. I walked around holding my arm for the rest of the day. Turns out that only the bone was bruised and I had a fat bump, which I assume was scar tissue. Anyhoo, note to self: DO NOT DO CARTWHEELS INTO THE POOL AFTER TEQUILA.

The next day we walked around Rosarito and enjoyed the shops. We stopped at this restaurant where we had a full on seafood feast. I was literally about burst. After taking a nap on the beach to recover from the amount of food I ate, we went to a karaoke bar by our Airbnb. Karaoke is such a hidden gem. It is such a great time and you know it is too. On Sunday, we left early in the morning. We got scammed at the border (please see border scam post for the full deets). Basically, if you know what is right then you should leave plenty of time to cross the border. The line is much faster into Mexico than it is to get out. We paid our dues to get through and that was a wrap for Rosarito. Overall, I’d say Rosarito is a fun getaway but not somewhere to stay for a long period of time.

CANCUN

I recommend taking advantage of the packages that the hotel offers because they also include transportation to and from the events. That night we booked a Pirate Boat Show. Dinner and drinks were included. It was a very entertaining show!

The next day we booked an all day excursion to first check out Chichen Itza, which is a complex of Mayan ruins. It is also one of the 7 wonders of the world! These ancient stone carvings are fascinating to see. The geometry is so sophisticated that the sound travels up and down the pyramid. It is a sight to see! You can walk around the complex with a guide or freely walk around at your leisure. We went in January and it was blazing hot. We did a quick loop and then were in desperate need of a cold beverage. After that, we drove to a canote, which is an underground waterhole. There are over 7,000 discovered connotes in Mexico. These secret underground caves have gorgeous turquoise water and are covered in limestone. We went to Zaci, which is a 260 ft. hike underground. There are small little blackfish swimming. Supposively, if you swim in the water, it is a “fountain of youth” and can keep you looking younger. I opted out of swimming but spent time admiring the beautiful cave. Cancun is a dream destination to travel to with friends, family or even solo with the all inclusive resorts.

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