Category Archives: Mexico

This isn’t a blog that answers that question by telling you how stunning Isla Holbox is and describing its beautiful beaches, breathtaking sunsets, fascinating wildlife and delicious restaurants. Yup, all those things exist, and they’re amazing! Instead, I’m going to answer that question by asking another: should tourists be entitled to travel to wherever we want to go?

Where it all started

Isla Holbox used to be a small, sleepy fishing village whose only occupants were local Mexicans making a living off the abundant seafood. While places like Playa del Carmen, Cancun and Tulum have been overrun with tourists for decades, Isla Holbox was largely undiscovered until fairly recently. This is because it isn’t close to an airport and it requires a boat trip to get there.

Isla Holbox has grown in popularity as people have heard about its beauty, and also because the white sand beaches of Tulum and Cancun have become covered in thick, stinky seaweed called Sargassum. People want their picture-perfect beach photo to post on Instagram, so they’ve started making the trek to Isla Holbox instead!

The Dark Side of Tourism

As a result, tourism on Isla Holbox has blown up. Hotels are springing up all along the beachfront. Many of them built by investors and developers who have never even visited the island. If they had visited, they would discover that Isla Holbox isn’t actually an island, rather it’s a giant sandbar with no fresh water. Check out my brother’s post to learn more about this.

Anyway, what this means is that water runs out on the island, there is no way of processing rubbish and recycling on the island, and the heavy trucks needed for building create giant potholes on the road. It’s crazy that the hotels are building swimming pools right next to a beach on an island that has no fresh-water source!

Fancy hotels require lots of staff to live up the expectations of tourists who have spent loads of money to stay there. But the problem is there is nowhere for all the staff to live. Rather than building accommodation for their staff, the hotels have approached landlords to rent out entire apartments on the island just for their staff. This forces everyone who was previously living in those apartments to move out. It also drives up the cost of accommodation.

Someone working at a hotel or restaurant earns about $6,000 MXN pesos a month (around $500 NZD) excluding tips. A small apartment costs around $14,000 MXN pesos for a month. It doesn’t take a math genius to work out that this doesn’t exactly add up!

Expectation versus Reality

Remember how I said people were coming to the island for their perfect Instagram shot? Well, some of them have been a bit grumpy. You see, every year around December to March, sea grass washes up onto the beaches. It is extremely important as it mixes with the sand dunes and stops the beaches from eroding away. In fact, it is so important that there are laws prohibiting the removal of it. Despite these laws, some hotels and beach bars send their staff out – sometimes in the dead of night – to sweep up the seagrass and get it off the beaches. Just so they can keep their guests happy, and Instagram filled with photos of flawless, white-sand beaches.

Tourism = Bad…Right???

Okay this seems pretty straight-forward, tourism is bad right? We shouldn’t be going to Isla Holbox. Clear cut case!

No. It’s not that simple. Tourism brings valuable money into the local economy and creates a diversity of jobs. Some tourism can even help protect the local environment by funding ecological investment and scientific research. Xel Ha is a great example (and a fun place to visit).

The biggest problem with tourism is when it grows too quickly without proper controls so that infrastructure, like water, landfill, recycling, roading, can’t keep pace. Remember that pesky seaweed from Tulum? Well, some people argue the reason that it’s growing out of control and become such a huge problem is because human waste (yup, that kind of waste – gross!!) has been allowed to pollute the amazing cenotes in the area and these flow into the ocean. While Tulum does have waste-water systems, they were never built to deal with the volume of people staying in the area.

Why do You want to Travel?

So, I think the question we should be asking ourselves as a tourist is not “should I go?” but instead “why do I want to go? and “what expectations do I bring?”.

We should want to go to places for the reasons that make those places special and unique. Not solely to get perfect photos. Isla Holbox is a wildlife paradise, home to hundreds of different bird species and has an amazing natural lagoon. The fact it is a sandbar is really interesting and once I understood the purpose of the sea grass I saw it through completely different eyes – it’s like magic glue!

Be a Guardian!

In New Zealand, through Te Ao Maori (Maori world view) we have a concept called Kaitiakitanga. Kaitiakitanga means acting as a protector or guardian of the natural world (including humans and animals). We practice this by not polluting, picking up our litter, planting trees and looking after wildlife. When we travel, we need to practice Kaitiakitanga. We’re never on holiday from this role. It’s pretty simple really: don’t litter, avoid buying plastic, enjoy eco-tourism and do your research on the best places to stay and spend your money.

And think about how you can give back to the beautiful places you’ve enjoyed. On Isla Holbox, they have an animal rescue sanctuary. We spent the morning there playing with the dogs and then took two of them for a walk (Bala and Pandita).

Should you visit Isla Holbox?

So, should you go? 100% yes you should! Take pictures on the beautiful beach, marvel at the seagrass, kayak the lagoon and walk those cute puppies!

Cenotes are natural swimming holes found all over the Yucatán area. I love jumping into them from cliff edges, swimming in the crystal clear water and seeing thousands of fish. Read on to find out some cools facts about cenotes.

How many are there?

There are over 6,000 cenotes in the Yucatán. In fact, they are all connected together like a giant underground river. Cenotes are the only source of fresh water in the whole area, and they have been described as the veins of area, giving life to fish, plants and people.

How were they made?

The process for making cenotes started over 3 million years. Cenotes were made by rain falling on the limestone rock that makes up the Yucatán area. The rain is slightly acidic so it kind of eats away at the limestone making giant underground caves. Over time, the caves filled with a combination of fresh water from the rain and salt water from the oceans. They grew bigger and bigger and eventually the ceilings of some of the caves collapsed. And woo hoo, we get cool natural swimming pools!

Maya and Cenotes

Maya were the original people who lived in the Yucatán area. Cenotes were really important to them as they were the only freshwater they had for drinking, cooking and washing. As a result they built their cities around cenotes. Maya considered cenotes to be the entrance to the underworld. They worshipped the rain god, Chaac, through cenotes by making sacrifices into the cenotes when there was a drought. Sometimes even people were sacrificed!

Fun at Cenotes

I visited two different cenotes in Tulum. The first cenote was called Zacil Ha and was very good for jumping. They had two different platforms and it was very deep. They even had a zip line into the centre of the cenote and then you dropped from really high.

The second cenote was called Santa Cruz and it was a circle with an island in the middle. There were two different spots for jumping and heaps of fish in this cenote.

Xel Ha is an amazing water park in a beautiful natural setting. It is a giant lagoon and inlet next to the ocean. It has cenotes and a river that flows to the lagoon. There is so much fun stuff to do here. Here is my guide to having the best time ever at Xel Ha!

Tip One: Get there early!

You’ll love Xel Ha and want to spend the whole day there. Also, they have a huge breakfast buffet with hotcakes, chocolate and caramel sauce, pineapple and even lots of different types of jelly. All the food is included in the price of your ticket, so see if you can eat your money’s worth!!

Tip Two: Do the Waterslide first!

The waterslide is so epic! It’s 30 metres tall and you climb up a bunch of stairs to get to the top. The queue gets longer throughout the day so get there early and zoom to the top. When you’re there, you can see the whole of Xel Ha and its natural beauty. You can really see how big the place is.

Now it’s time to get to the bottom! There’s a fast slide…and a SUPER fast slide! The waterslide spirals around the staircase until the bottom. You spin around so many times. It was exhilarating. The water sloshes around you and you go faster and faster until you enter a black hole and then there’s a giant drop. Keep your eyes open. I didn’t the first time and it felt like I was falling forever. It’s heaps less scary with your eyes open. Then you whizz out and splash into a big pool.

Tip Three: Look for fish by the rocks when you’re snorkling

When you’re snorkling in the lagoon, there’s an excellent spot for seeing so many different types of fish. It is by the big rocks that have a hammock on them. I saw lots of colourful fish, some really big fish, and heaps of small fish darting around.

Tip Four: Follow the circle of the park

Xel Ha park is laid out in a big circle around the lagoon. You follow the path and every five minutes there is a different fun activity.

My favourite thing to do was a tie between the cliff jump and the ziplines. The cliff jump is 4.48m high. I liked running off the end and doing a bomb.

With the ziplines, you can either sit on them or hold on. Holding on is the most fun because you can go faster and further. There are three different ziplines that allow you to zig zag backwards and forwards across the water.

Tip Five: Get a single inflatable for the lazy river

To float down the river through the mangroves and into the lagoon, you choose between a giant inflatable for two people or a single inflatable that is like a giant seat. I chose the giant inflatable and laid on it like a bed. It was comfy but I couldn’t paddle so I was super slow. I switched to the seat and moved my legs like I was pedalling a bike – now I was going fast!

Tip Six: Watch out for iguanas!

As you go around the path, if you keep your eyes open you will see lots of iguanas and even colourful parrots.

Tip Seven: Don’t miss the manatees!

Close to the zipline, there is a little enclosure where two manatees live. They are huge and look like a cross between a pig and a dolphin. They eat algae, plants and seagrass – up to 90kgs a day! See if you can spot them on my video!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to Xel Ha.

Coyoacan is a beautiful suburb in Mexico City famous for being the home of Frida Kahlo and a great place to visit with kids. It’s a wonderful place to spend the day with its pretty colourful buildings, bustling markets and historic buildings in green squares. Here is my guide to the perfect day in Coyoacan with kids (or without).

Walk to Brunch

Mexico City is high up in the mountains, so this means the temperature drops really dramatically over night. It’s quite cold in the morning, and then by midday it’s really hot. The morning is a wonderful time to go for a stroll to get brunch. Walking through the streets gives you the opportunity to enjoy the lovely buildings on your way to one of the many tasty cafes. There are heaps of food options, but I especially like hotcakes, fruit platters and frijoles (beans). As well as food, you have to get a Mexican hot chocolate. They are made with real chocolate (and sometimes chilli) and are one of the tastiest drinks I’ve ever had.

Walk around the square

Coyoacan’s square is a gorgeous place with musicians, an amazingly beautiful church called San Juan Bautista and the Coyoacan sign, which is a picture-perfect spot. It is surrounded by trees, colourful houses and cute cafes and restaurants. All these things make it a wonderful place to walk around and a great part of the day visiting with kids.

Frida Kahlo’s house

A special thing about Coyoacan is that you can go to Frida Kahlo’s house. It is an awesome thing to do as you can see some of her art (which are all very beautiful and unique) as well as the house she actually lived in. Being in her house allows you to picture what her life was like at home. You see the two bedrooms she had (Frida Kahlo got into an accident that pierced her through her pelvis to her back causing her to have to lie down. She had a night bedroom that she slept in and a day bedroom she lay in at day time), her kitchen, living room, the beautiful garden that is covered in plants and flowers and many other rooms that are now filled with art.

Seeing the art was lovely, you get to see a lot of Frida’s paintings as well as things like sculptures and dolls that she made. There is also some of Diego’s paintings and photographs that her Father took. 

Markets

After checking out Frida Kahlo’s house, it’s the perfect time to head to one of the markets. The markets are perfect for getting fresh fruit, ice cream and tostadas. Even if you don’t want anything it’s really fun to just walk around the markets and enjoy the bustling vibe.

Go to the park

Coyoacan has a wonderful park filled with trees, sweet park benches and dogs. It’s a great time to go right after the market as you can grab the fruit, ice cream or tostadas you got and sit on a bench in the park enjoying the scenery and dog watching. I really enjoyed doing this as it’s a nice opportunity to chill before doing more things.

Artisan market

A super fun market in Coyoacan is the Artisan market. It is filled with all sorts of things from Mexican decorations, paper mache dolls, t-shirts to collectables and so much more. There are heaps of stalls and getting around the market is like working your way through a maze where there is the surprise of a cool stall on every turn. I didn’t spend too long at the market as it is rather loud and overwhelming but even a small about of time spent there is heaps of fun and you are sure to find something you like.

Churros

You can’t come to Mexico and not get churros and Coyoacan is a great place to get them. I went to Churreria General de la Republica and it was delicious. Crunchy churros stuffed with chocolate, they were the perfect mix of goey and crunchy. The store itself is a cute little café on the corner of one of Coyoacan’s streets, it’s in a very nice area that is conveniently close to the park. You can get your churros to take away and walk down the pretty street enjoying your delicious churros.

Bouldering

This is a pretty surprising thing, but Coyoacan has a really cool bouldering place. From the street it just looks like a simple café but once you have a peek inside you will be proven wrong. Walk inside and past the café and you will find a huge bouldering area where you can practice rock climbing without a harness. As well as this you can head over to the café once you get tired and hungry for a yum snack or drink.

Dinner

Coyoacan has heaps of lovely restaurants that will serve delicious food for a satisfying dinner. I found that there are some…..interesting food in Coyoacan. I ordered guacamole and it came with deep fried crickets on it! Not the most appetizing thing I’ve ever seen. Despite this most of the food is absolutely delicious and sitting in a restaurant and enjoying the view of the streets is the perfect way to end the perfect day in Coyoacan.

Kayaking the lagoon on Isla Holbox is an amazing thing to do. You can see cool wildlife in a beautiful environment. Let me share with you more about this cool experience.

We did a tour with Holbox Extreme. Alberto was our guide and before we got in the kayaks he shared information about the tour. He explained that Isla Holbox is part of a protected area for animals.  He said that 10% of all the birds in the world live in Mexico and 3% live on Isla Holbox. This is over 350 different types of birds!

You can only kayak the lagoon with a tour guide. This is so the guide can help protect the animals living there. Alberto said we had to be quiet so we didn’t scare the birds and not to get too close to them. 

Then we started kayaking through the ocean. It took us 20 minutes to get to our first stopping point, which was the beginning of the lagoon.

Fun fact! Isla Holbox isn’t actually an island it’s a massive sand bank. The roots from all the mangrove trees around the lagoon hold the island together and stop the sand washing away with the waves. There is no fresh water on Isla Holbox. The lagoon is filled with sea water and fish from the ocean come into the lagoon.

Our instructor showed us a horseshoe crab. It has a pointy stinger and is older than the dinosaurs. It is 300 million years old.

We jumped back into the kayaks and started paddling and then Alberto stopped and pointed into the mangroves. What was it?? Here’s a little quiz…do you guess a) a vulture b) a crocodile or c) a fish taco stand? I wish it was c but no it was a small chilled crocodile. 

Next we carried on kayaking and saw all these funny looking bags in the water. They looked like jellyfish. My sister freaked out a bit. When we stopped again we asked Alberto what they were. He said that crabs made little holes in the sand and fish would lay eggs in the holes. To protect their eggs they would create a bag over the hole. 

Then we kayaked into the middle of the lagoon and saw lots of birds. We saw vultures, pelicans, herons, swallows and humming birds. Some of the birds were diving into the water to get fish. Alberto told us that the salty water can make some species of birds go blind. 

After that we kayaked all the way back. I learnt that we need to keep our oceans safe and in return we get natural beauty to enjoy.

The food in Mexico is amazing and kids can find loads of different things to eat. We’ve been here for almost a month and we’ve had heaps many great meals. Here’s my guide as a nine year old for what kids can eat in Mexico.

Markets

Markets can be found in any part of Mexico. Lots of big stalls with colourful food and bright decorations are crammed together. They are loud and noisy with lots of people shouting over each other, advertising what they have for sale. All the smells are mixed in together, like sweet tropical fruit with stinky fish.

Markets are great for buying fruit and you can also get fresh juices and shakes. We’ve bought mango, pineapple, bananas, melon, pears and raspberries from the market. And if you’re brave, you can buy fried crickets! People in Mexico eat them as a snack.

Food stalls

Food stalls must be one of the most popular things in Mexico. You basically see food stands everywhere you go. You can get tacos, corn, churros and my favourite crepes. The food from food stalls is 10X better than in New Zealand. When you’re in the queue it’s good because everything smells delicious.

The best thing I tried from a food stall was called a marquesita. It’s a crunchy crepe and tastes like a waffle cone. You can add whatever fillings you like. I chose Nutella, banana and strawberries. It was so good we went back three nights in a row. It was really popular, so we waited in the queue for ages and we saw that everybody else was ordering Nutella and cheese. After three nights of watching people order this, we gave it a go. Yuck! no thanks, I’ll stick to my flavour combination.

Restaurants

There are so many delicious restaurants in Mexico. Don’t expect to just get Mexican food. They have food from Italy, France and America as well as Mexico. Pizza in Mexico is extremely good. In Isla Holbox, you can even get lobster pizza. We got ham, cheese, pineapple and pepperoni and it was delicious. I always thought that pineapple didn’t belong on pizza, but fresh pineapple is exquisite. Isla Holbox changed my mind. If you’re ever planning to go to Isla Holbox, you must eat pizza at Roots.

If you want to try really authentic Mexican food, you should go to La Chaya Maya in Merida. They have lots of different dishes all with traditional Mayan ingrediants. I ordered a green, creamy cheesy soup using a secret family recipe. It was so tasty that all my family were more focused on trying my soup than eating their own food. My Dad took my soup when I wasn’t looking and slurped at least half of it.

We also had pork slow cooked in orange juice with tortillas. A lady made the tortillas in the restaurant so we could see how she did it. They were fantastic. Take my advice and don’t eat the chillis they put on the plates. I had a nibble and woah! My mouth was on fire!!

As a kid, you will always find something you like on the menu, trust me, but I encourage you to be adventurous and try:

Mexican soup – they are divine and taste like the king of soups.

Seafood – try all the different types – octopus, shrimp, crab and fish

Esquites – yummy sweet fried corn

Tostados – crunchy fried tortilla with lots of delicious toppings

Churros – try the ones that are stuffed with chocolate and caramel

Mexican hot chocolate – Amazing with churros. They make it with cinnamon and chilli

Mole sauce – A creamy sauce that’s made with chocolate. I didn’t really like It but I think you have to try it.

Crickets – You have to try them. You probably won’t like them, but where else can you get served insects for dinner!

Puerto Escondido is home to four different types of sea turtle including the Olive Ridley sea turtles. These turtles all lay eggs together at the same beach – around 1,000 turtles at one time! Unfortunately due to climate change and urbanism, the baby turtles can’t survive by themselves.

The beach is much hotter than it used to be. This makes something funny happen. It means that more girl baby turtles are born than boys. Also some of the eggs get too hot and don’t hatch. So volunteers collect all the eggs and look after them in special shaded hatcheries.

When the baby turtles are born they are really tiny. It’s a long way for them to get to the ocean. Because there are more humans around there are dogs and cats that might eat them. Also, baby turtles find the ocean by looking for the reflection of the moon on the water. Now that there are big hotels along the beach, they get confused by the lights and head the wrong way!

So baby turtles need our help! We carried them close to the sea and then watched them swim off.

We stayed in Puerto Escondido for seven nights and visited five different beaches. Check out what I thought of them and which one I’d take my future girlfriend to!

La Punta

La Punta is a large, long sandy beach with big waves. There were lots of people. Some were swimming and surfing and lots of people were sunbathing.

This beach has giant waves big enough to spin you around in a summersault. This sounds scary but it was really fun. The secret is you have to dive under the big waves and only jump over the smaller waves.

As soon as we got to the beach I went in the water and didn’t come out until it was time to leave.  

La Punta is right next to the shops and restaurants. After we swam at the beach and I was really hungry, we ate at a restaurant called Fish Shack that had AMAZING fish tacos.

I give this beach 4.999. It would have been 5 stars if I had a boogie board to ride the waves.

Manzanillo Beach

Manzanillo beach is two small bays connected by a walkway over rocks. The first bay was filled with boats to take you out dolphin and whale-watching and the water wasn’t very clean. So we walked to the next beach, which was fantastic!

This beach had clear water, no boats and lots of small waves that broke close to the sand. There were lots of families playing in the water.

I spent most of my time using my goggles to see all the fish. At first I couldn’t see any fish when I was floating in the water. Then I worked out I had to swim out further and dive down to the bottom of the water. I saw schools of neon fish, brown fish bigger than my hand and heaps of blue fish cruising around. My sister saw a puffer fish and got freaked out and ran out of the water.

When I wasn’t snorkeling, I was playing in the waves. The waves sucked you out and then pushed you back on the beach. It was like being on a water slide.

There was a restaurant there where I ate coconut prawns with passionfruit dip. It was delicious.

I give this beach 4.52. It was super fun but a bit crowded.

Carrizalillo Beach

To get to Carrizalillo Beach you have to walk down what feels like 800 stairs. The beach is a bay with waves that crash on the sand. The sand is grainy like couscous. There were lots of people learning to surf and playing in the waves. The beach was filled with colourful restaurants, sun loungers and umbrellas.

We went to this beach twice. The first time I just played in the waves. The waves sloshed everyone around like a big wave pool. The water is really salty so it was easy to float in the water. The second time I went swimming with my goggles. I saw heaps of peach coloured fish and some interesting looking fish that came in funny shapes.

At this beach we ate fried tacos. My chicken taco was dry so I tried Mum’s prawn taco. It was filled with gooey cheese so I ate the whole thing in one bite.

I give this beach 4.26 because it was a nice beach but snorkling was better at the other beach and the stairs were tiring at the end of the day.

Bacacho Beach

This is a long sandy beach with big waves. I didn’t go swimming here. We came here in the evening to help release baby turtles. The baby turtles were super cute and tiny and I had a great time. Read about it here.

I score this beach 4.17 because it is important for looking after the turtle but that’s all we did.

La Barra Beach

This beach was a two minute walk from the tree house we stayed at. It was a huge beach with lots of hot sand and massive waves. I didn’t like being on this beach because it was too hot and unsafe for swimming. You can’t even walk with barefoot on the sand because your feet get burnt. Also my sister hated all the crabs that were waddling around.

We went to the beach to watch the sunset. My mum and dad thought it was beautiful and stayed for ages taking photos. I got bored.

I give this beach 2.08 stars. I might take my girlfriend here when I’m older, but it was boring for a kid. (Actually, I wouldn’t even take my girlfriend here. I would take her to La Punta and buy her delicious fish tacos.)  

Here are my top ten facts about the Aztec pyramids of Teotihuacán.

1.They’re not pyramids.

They are actually temples that are part of a large ancient city.

2. They’re not Aztec.

The temples were made by people who lived around 1,000 years before the Aztecs. Construction started around 200 BCE. We don’t know a lot about the people who lived there because they had abandoned the city before the Aztecs found it. Archeologists think that maybe there was droughts and famine that led to fighting between the ruling class and the working class, and it resulted in people fleeing the city.

3. They are not as colourful as they once were.

The temples are beige and dusty now. When people lived there, they were really colourful. People used natural pigments from plants to paint the rocks red and green. To make sure the rain didn’t wash it away, they used a glaze. In other parts of the world, people used egg whites, but there were no chickens in Mexico at this time. So they used chia seeds mixed with water, which turns into a gloopy paint.  

4. It was one of the largest cities of its time.

At its peak when the world’s population was only in the millions, around 125,000 people lived in Teotihuacán making it one of the largest cities in the world; even larger than London at the time.

5. The Temples were for worshipping the sun and moon.

There are two large temples opposite each other and the largest was for worshipping the moon and the other for the sun. We’re not exactly sure how they worshipped the sun and the moon, but there are lots of stories floating around (check out fact 9).

6. The people of Teotihuacán were astronomers.

Throughout the city, the houses had skylights for star-gazing. Have you ever noticed how if you look up at the stars for a long time you can get a sore neck? The people of Teotihuacán had a clever solution. They built giant shallow baths on the ground that they filled with water so they could star gaze through the reflection in the water.

7. They worked out how to look at the sun.

Using a round disk of obsidian (a type of volcanic rock) they could look through the disk without hurting their eyes. I tried this myself and the sun looks like a big orange orb with no rays.

8. They were into body modification.

When babies were born, they tied a band around their head to squeeze and elongate their foreheads. We know this because of the skulls found by archeologists. Not every person did this; it was seen as a sign of status for the elite class.  

9. They were into human sacrifice….or were they?!?

There are many gory stories about the human sacrifice that took place at these temples. The idea promoted is that people were slaughtered as an offering to the gods of the sun, moon and rain. But these ideas are now being challenged. Our guide suggested that the Spanish colonisers made up these stories as part of their argument that old indigenous traditions were bad and they needed to follow the teachings of the Catholic church.

10. One of the temples was blown up.

In the beginning of the 20^th century, the president of Mexico at the time wanted to quickly excavate the temples. The theory was they would be like the Egyptian pyramids and have chambers inside filled with ancient treasures. He got impatient with all the archeologists told him to go slowly and carefully, so he found a business man who said he could do it quickly. He used dynamite and destroyed about 40% of the temple. Instead of finding treasure, they discovered the temple was built on a mountain. Their stupidity resulted in huge damage to one of the greatest wonders of the world!