From Cobblestones to Cenotes: My Cancun Story

Want a full itinerary breakdown? Watch my TikTok here:

Legends have walked these streets

When they were mere cobble paths or dirt roads

That irrigated each Mayan footstep

And carved out civilizations 

Preserving the beauty of  waterfalls and cenotes

Coveted by dense rubber tree rainforests

And clearings for great pyramids.

Sunset over Xplor Park

Every journey begins at a port, and mine was Cancun International. The things I’ve heard about this particular port were that it would be the first test of our resilience against tourist traps. Our one sole mission: IGNORE EVERYONE. Make it to the end of this airport without being bombarded by time-share- money-gouging, sweet-talking locals ready to squeeze every cent out of you. I thought I prepared enough. I thought I knew everything.

But boy was I quickly humbled when I searched for our airport shuttle pick-up location and ended up exiting the airport prematurely. We were in the wrong place…

I had filled my head with the narrative that everyone in Mexico will try to scam you, so it is best to escape early. Alas, I learned that wasn't the case. Even locals who had their own transportation businesses kindly helped us find what we were looking for. My favorite dimension of this revelation was that after we got directions from a taxi driver, we tipped him 20 pesos in gratitude. When we got to the hotel, we realized this was the equivalent of one singular US dollar. There is no such thing as planning out all the unexpectedness of a journey.

What a beauty we stepped into when we finally got to the hotel. TRS Coral, a destination we picked because of its lure… And by lure I mean its feature on Season 2 of Love Is Blind. The balcony, the jacuzzi, the rain shower… My prerogative to savor every single moment started here. When it is time to go, reality will be okay, but not as alluring as this tropical oasis, the Yucatan Peninsula. 

We woke up the next morning and took to the sea. Isla Mujeres. I don't know how to explain the feeling I felt when I got off the ferry and stepped onto this island. It was as if a beach town was taken away from its continental home and fabricated into a separate universe. The beautiful side shops, narrow sidewalks, sandy walkways, and a beach you could see from almost any direction. I can see why people spend all of their time in Cancun on this one island. It feels like a retreat within a retreat. An addictive bliss you can only consume in your imagination. 

I wanted to see the sea from different angles, and so we went parasailing across the teal sea. But there are not enough lenses that you can see through to get enough of this sight. I got over parts of my fear of water when I went snorkeling in the Bahamas in 2023. Ever since then, I felt an affinity with water and, synonymously, associated it with vacation. 

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This wouldn't be a complete trip to Cancun if we didn't go back in history and explore Chichen Itza and the beautiful cenotes. So no matter the 4-hour drive, the rath of the sun, or the bloodthirsty mosquitoes, it was a must. Now, for whatever televised image you have of the ancient Mayans or civilizations that inhabited South and Central America, erase it for a second. Rebuild that perception again from scratch. This time, you transport yourself to the walkways that point towards their monuments of their gods, seeing the ball courts where they had spectacles in, their version of the Super Bowl. Think of yourself in a first-person shooter game, locked target on intricate carvings of mythical beasts, rubber-making trees, and nature's irrigation systems (cenotes).

You are now taking careful steps down pebbled stairs, each varying in length and height. “This stair is safe, this one, a little more daring”. As you close in to the bottom of the stairs, the light begins to dim, and you are now completely enclosed by the various rocky textures of the cave, some parts protruding out more than others. Visualize you are taking a walkway down to the center of a ceremonial cave where lies a 5ft round pedestal. You slowly look up against the clear water drops and catch the sun's light across your face. You see a human-sized hole in the cave that feels like a door to heaven. This is Cenote Suytun, and this is the closest we can get to empathizing with the history that is the backbone of Mexico. 

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On our last day in Cancun, we decided to partake in an exhilarating adventure at Xplor Fuego. Alright, alright, you've probably heard of or seen for yourself billboard after billboard of Xcaret tourism that grows across the cities of Cancun and Playa del Carmen like weeds. However, I can see some of the elements that they've tried to emulate to preserve the essence and charm of this region. So, zip-lining is fun. But zip-lining through a ring of fire? Iconic. Jumping into a resort pool? Cool. But walking through underground waterways and pushing through fresh cenote water? Characteristically Cancun. 

Travellers spend all this money to experience things and re-create Instagram reels and TikTok videos of other content creators who are admittedly worth the envy. But I spend money to be transported back in time to feel the energy of the people that are no longer here ( in the same ways that they were before). I'm a firm believer in traveling to a place to prioritize experiences that you can only have at that one destination because it is quintessentially that place. And Cancun is quintessentially that girl. 

Cenote Suytun

In Loving Memory of Black Wedges

Gone, but never forgotten.

2012–2023

Once a faithful companion since Ange’s elementary school days, the beloved Black Wedges waited for their day to come out of the closet and feel the comfort of her soles again. While Ange decided to explore other heels, the wedges endured the passing of time and all four seasons.

Then, finally, their moment came… on a recent trip. But time had done its thing. The glue gave out, the straps no longer strapped, and by the end of the day, the Black Wedges had taken their final steps.

May they rest in peace.

I still think about that Beyoncé line: “I had my first heels by the age of 13.”

And these? They were among the very first.

Black Wedges are survived by their stylish siblings: Ninewest Bronze Feather Pump, Michael Kors Mules, Nude Heeled Sandals, and many more…

A farewell service will be held on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at the dumpster near the El Dorado restaurant.

Donations in her memory can be made in the form of new heels.