For your eyes, soul and mind, regardless of the season. Including mine. 
Cancun seems so far away in the past, but I can say I have more than enough photos to remind me of the warm (or sometimes deadly hot) sun, blue waves and the light breeze. There are so many activities you can do in Cancun, obviously, but one thing we didn’t realize was how they can add up. If you wish, you can of course simply stay in the hotel and enjoy the beaches, pools and cocktails (I miss those glorious Piña coladas… sigh) but it’s obvious most travelers book some type of activity package, such as snorkeling, touring around cultural and historical sites and sailing. Or all three or more.
벌써 작년 여름이라는 것이 믿겨지지 않지만 칸쿤 휴가는 그렇게 빨리 지나갔다. 너무 상업적이고 붐빌 것 같아서 처음에는 좀 꺼리고 걱정도 했는데 지금와서 생각해보면 그때 아니면 아마 안갔을 곳. 다양한 해양 스포츠를 즐길 수 있다는 장점이 있지만 하나하나 하다보면 점점 가격이 올라간다는 사실. 우리나라나 발리나 괌 등의 아시아쪽의 휴양지와는 다르게 꽤 비쌌다. 장점은 워낙 패키지도 많고 고를 수 있는 분야가 많아서 딱히 예약을 하지 않아도 즐길 수 있다는 점. 미리 인터넷으로 찾아서 예약할 수도 있지만 호텔에 들어서는 순간, 호텔과 함께 투어를 제공하는 여행사가 있어서 체크인을 하자마자 패키지 투어 설명 시작.
우리는 스노클링을 중심으로 이루어지는 요트 탐험 (?) 패키지 선택. 개인적으로 처음 해보는 스노클링이라 엄청 겁먹었는데 생각보다 재밌었다. 일단 발이 닿지 않는 깊은 바닷물에 들어가는 것 자체가 무서우니 스노클링은 당연히 무서울 수 밖에. 모든 개와 고양이를 무서워하는 G한테서 겁쟁이라는 말을 들은건 처음.
We had a date set for visiting the famous historical sites, so one day we went out for some snorkeling, sailing and stopping by some islands for lunch and a swim. (Type “Cancun, sailing tours” on Google and you can find a lot of packages. From our experience, the sailing tour companies all seemed friendly, in fact, everyone was super friendly, and it really depends on what you are looking for and where you are staying. There may be a certain travel agency that works with the hotel you’re staying at and I’m pretty sure the first thing you do after checking in is to have a long discussion with them, even before you walk into your room.)
Obviously, there are a lot of different agencies and companies that offer such tours, and deciding on one really depends on you: the price, the duration, the type of boat (casual, fancy, indoors, with/without wifi, which activities you prefer), lunch selections and which island you want to stop by. We chose a basic yacht that included a buffet lunch, snorkeling and a short stop by Isla Mujeres. It took almost the entire day, if you consider how tired we were when we got back to the resort.
패키지의 종류는 엄청 많다. 그리고 굉장히 구체적: 안에 들어갈 수 있는 방이 있는 요트, 알코올을 제공하는 요트, 와이파이가 포함된 요트, 점심이 부페 아니면 코스식 등등. 18세 이상만 탈 수 있는 요트도 있었는데 나중에 물어보니 술을 굉장히 많이 (?) 제공하고 음악을 크게 틀어서 요트 위에서 파티를 하는 것 같은 느낌의 패키지라고. 하루종일 밖에, 그것도 바다위 그리고 햇볕 아래에 있으니 다시 호텔로 돌아오니 기진맥진.
And yes, we chose the yacht with alcohol drinks.
Isla Mujeres literally means the “Island of the Women” in Spanish and is about 13 kilometers from the Yucatan Peninsula coast. Back in the day, the island was sacred to the Maya goddess of childbirth and medicine and because the Spanish found so many images of goddesses around the island, that’s what they named it after. It’s currently a touristic, beautiful vacation destination, along with Cancun. Although Cancun does seem a bit more commercial, but I believe that’s because it’s bigger and there’s more space for more hotels, clubs, bars and shopping malls. The funny thing about Isla Mujeres is that you can move around the city in old golf carts.
뮤헤레스 섬은 여인의 섬이라는 뜻. 스페인인들이 처음 섬을 방문했을때 여인상, 출산과 관련된 마야의 여신상들이 많아서 그렇게 이름이 붙여졌다고. 칸쿤에서 13키로정도 떨어진 섬으로 칸쿤보다는 훨씬 한적한 곳이다. 한적하긴 하지만 관광지적인 느낌은 여전히 물씬. 재밌는건 관광객들의 이동수단이 오래된 골프카트. 타고 내리기 편하고 바람이 불어서 에에컨도 필요없어서 효과적! 칸쿤보다는 확실히 한적하고 깨끗한 느낌.
The very famous Cancun Underwater Museum is also located quite close to Isla Mujeres, so if you are up for some serious snorkeling and scuba diving, this would be the place to be. I’m personally not very good at even snorkeling, so we skipped that part this time. But even without visiting the museum, the island is very close to many coral reefs and also home to sea turtles, so divers, rejoice.
I’m not very good with heat, and it was deadly hot at Isla Mujeres. And there was one way to wash it all down: fresh coconuts. But to be honest, I’m not a very coconut person but it was fun to see the lady chop off the top with a huge knife. There are so many restaurants and bars around the beaches, it’s a bit ridiculous. But then, you’re left with no choice but to walk in under the shades and order a cold drink, otherwise the sun may just swallow you up. We were given about an hour, an hour and a half to navigate the city, so G and I walked around the beaches, took photos, had some coconut and then headed back to the marina to catch the yacht.
코코넛을 좋아하진 않지만 너무 더워서 녹아버릴 것 같은 날씨에는 어쩔 수 없는 선택. 확실히 옆에서 누가 코코넛을 들고 다니면서 마시는 것을 보면 나도 먹고 싶어지고 엄청 시원할 것 같은 느낌이 들긴하는데 솔직히 먹어보면 그리 시원하지 않고 닝닝한 느낌. 난 개인적으로 그냥 코카콜라….
Stopping for lunch.
My, or our, kind of heaven.
여기가 천국인가. 다녀오고 나니 더 생각나는 칸쿤!
- MUSA (Underwater Museum of Art)
- Cancun CNN Travel (A teeny bit outdated but still a good source for some info)
- Xcaret: a park and also a travel tour firm that arranges other popular packages.
All photos by rachelsanghee.