Mexico: The Dicke family

The first few days in Mexico City

We arrived on Saturday. It took a bit of getting used to – sleeping off the jet lag and then cycling through the city. On Sundays, the city’s main thoroughfare is reserved for cyclists. It’s certainly a lovely way for a Dutch person to get to know the city. We stayed in an excellent hotel, in a lovely, trendy part of town. In the morning, we were woken by hummingbirds. After visiting museums and the Templo Mayor, we went to Teotihuacan the following day – once one of the most powerful cities in the world – and you could really still feel that as you walked around there.

On to eastern Mexico

After these first impressions, we flew east to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, then on to Chiapas and San Cristóbal. On the way, we took a boat trip through a canyon (Sumidero). Here we saw lots of animals, such as crocodiles, pelicans, herons and monkeys. We then drove to various Mayan sites. We visited Palenque, Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, and finally Tulum as well. Beaches, jungle, rainforest and charming colonial towns. What a variety, and what a lovely country with helpful people – really laid-back and with delicious food, quite different from what you’d expect based on ‘our’ Mexican restaurants.

Sapa Pana Travel had organised everything perfectly with a reliable Mexican partner; everything was on time and offered excellent value for money. The only downside: the end of the trip in Tulum. Whilst the location was stunning – with sea turtles over a metre long – the resort failed to live up to its own high standards. By hiring bikes in the village, we still had a lovely time here too, enjoying the sun, sea and beach!

As far as we’re concerned, Mexico comes highly recommended for families who love adventure and variety, but still want to travel safely; go for it!

Dicke family