Where I Live Wednesday - Cancun, Mexico

I LOVE Laura's blog. She lives somewhere that most of us would only vacation to. Which is why it's so fun to read about her life and see what it's like when you live in a vacation spot like Cancun. And this interview, with all of it's awesome pictures, is going to be a fun read!

Name: Laura
Blog: Gringation's Blog
Location: Cancun, Mexico

How long have you lived there? 5 years.

If you moved from somewhere else, where did you move from? Why? I moved from Richmond, Virginia, where I grew up. What a change! I tell people I came to Cancun to study tourism, which is true! What I don't tell everyone is that I came here to be with a boy I was dating, who broke up with me two months after I moved. (cheating bastard!) Thank goodness he did, though! I'm loving it here, I've graduated from college, I have the best job, and I've been with the love of my life for three years.

Laura and her fiance

What's the climate like? Friggin' hot. And humid. It's nice for a week on vacation, and I can go to the beach whenever I want, but I'm DYING to wear some cute boots or a lovely jacket! I'm also tired of wearing my hair up so it doesn't stick to my neck. Pretty hairdos and fabulous makeup don't make it past my doorstep due to my summery "glisten", so I'm only a rock star in my bathroom.

What are some of your favorite things to do during a typical weekend where you live? Usually I'll go out to nightclubs either in Cancun's touristy Hotel Zone or to one of the popular local ones downtown. We also go to the movies every weekend, which costs about $4 US dollars a ticket. We just got a new theater with reclineable leather love seats and small swivel-tables. AMAZING.

Party Center

Fiance and I also like to take the ferry to this island right off the coast of Cancun called Isla Mujeres. It has the best beach, with no waves and shallow, crystal-clear water. It's my favorite place in the world.

Isla Mujeres

What are some of your favorite restaurants in your town/city? Favorite shops? My fave restaurant is Cheesters! It's this casual Italian place with bright yellow walls you can write on. They give you massive plates of pasta for $8, but it's enough for two hungry people. Basically, you can have a full Italian meal and a soda for 5 bucks.

Cheesters

At least once every weekend, my fiance and I usually go to this great taco stand near his house that everyone calls "Los Focos Amarillos" ("The Yellow Lightbulbs") because… well… it has a lot of yellow lightbulbs.

I also frequent Starbucks about four times a week since my office is right across the street from one.
I have no favorite shops here because shopping in Cancun sucks. There's an awesome mall that I love to go to called Malecon Cancun, but everything is either too expensive or it falls apart after a week.

Suggest some must see places for an out of town visitor. Isla Mujeres: a small island off the coast of Cancun that has cheap but amazing restaurants and the best beach in the area (Playa Norte). You can rent a golf cart for the day and drive around. So relaxing and inexpensive!


Xcaret: a huge Mexican-themed park right on the ocean. It's expensive, but it's the best experience you will ever have. They have an underground river, a huge Mexican show, amazing beaches, crazy animals, great restaurants, a butterfly pavilion… awesome.

Xcaret

Tulum: ancient Mayan ruins about 2 hours south of here. It's right on a seaside cliff, so even the worst photographers (*cough*me*cough) are sure to take awesome pictures.

Cenotes: There are thousands of these things around here! Since the entire Yucatan peninsula is filled with underground rivers, sometimes holes in the limestone will form, forming natural wells that are great for swimming.

Cenote

Tell us why you love your town/city. The near-constant sunshine is so uplifting, and there are bright flowers everywhere! You can't be sad here.

There's so much to do that you couldn't be bored unless you tried! There are also tons of great islands/towns nearby for quick weekend getaways.
Cancun is very Mexican, but thanks to the tourism there are a lot of American aspects as well… so I never feel too far from home. There are also tons of American expatriates, like myself, living here.

The Beach

Anything else we should know about where you live? Despite unfortunate events happening on the other side of the country (thousands and thousands of miles away), Cancun is actually a very safe place for tourists. Just take it easy on the booze and check for red flags at the beach, and you'll be fine!


Thanks so much, Laura, for sharing your favorite things about Cancun with us!

Want to be featured?
Send me an email at
K.J.Hartenstein@gmail.com