Mexico by Karl

What an amazingly diverse country!

I soon found out that the majority of the Mexican beaches were no longer Mexican, dominated instead by giant German and American resorts along the Yucatan Peninsula. However, you can still experience the real Mexico if you leave your comfort zone. Be prepared to ignore all of the health safety warnings and eat off the street. The small food stalls will reward your taste buds, not to mention your wallet. Even in Playa del Carmen if you walk two streets back from Quinta Av (where you are likely to find Starbucks and McDonald's) you can find the taco you’ve always dreamt about eating. You will learn very quickly that the green avocado looking sauce is in fact not avocado and is actually a chilli sauce that I’m sure could power rockets to the moon. Health Warning – very little is needed of this green stuff!

On another occasion while staying in Puerto Angel on the Pacific Coast I again decided to be more than just a tourist. At 4.30am I wandered down to the harbour where the idea was to make friends with a local fisherman. Yes, I’m a typical Kiwi male and addicted to fishing, however on this particular morning I really just wanted to watch. Do as the Mexicans do one could say. In my broken Spanish I managed to convince Pedro to take me out on his small fishing boat. It certainly wasn’t an experience that would suit everyone, however for me it was one of my Mexican highlights. Pedro didn’t speak a word of English so the whole day was spent grunting at each other. I’m fairly sure he enjoyed my company. I certainly know he enjoyed sharing the workload and at one stage nodded off into a very deep sleep. There’s something cool about being 10km off the Pacific Coast and fishing whilst listening to a local fisherman snore his heart out. You wouldn’t get this experience on a cruise ship.

I remember my father’s gasp when I phoned him to say I’d just got back from a Mexican jail. He assumed the worst. However, like Johnny Cash, I had other reasons for visiting the lock-up. Mexican hammocks are made by the prisoners and some of the prisons allow you to buy direct rather than at the markets. It’s a unique experience. Yucatan hammocks are world famous and a large percentage of Mexicans sleep in hammocks on a daily basis. I came home with five although the Wellington weather has somewhat limited their use! I plan to go back to Mexico next year and wonder if Pedro will remember me!