Crowd free Cancun

Our Central American vacation is all but done. Last Sunday, we flew from Panama City to Cancun, Mexico. Since then, we've spent our time lounging by the pool and swimming in a surprisingly warm ocean. As you’ll have read, I also took a day trip to Coba and Tulum while Garry’s soaked up more UV. We then spent two days in Chichen Itza, before returning to Cancun for a final night.  

Our route was far from direct (or straight). The Round The World ticket we’ve booked restricts us to airlines within the One World alliance, so we flew to Cancun via Miami. Our American Airlines flight from Panama City departed shortly after 2:30 p.m. We arrived in Miami shortly before 6:20 p.m. and spent 1.5 hours on the ground transferring onto our flight to Cancun. We finally landed in Mexico at about 8:30 p.m., an hour after sunset. Naturally, our transfer through Miami involved the usual immigration entry charade that the American authorities love.

I must confess that I didn't realise Panama City sits on the Pacific coast.  We arrived at night so our route across the Panama isthmus was hidden from view. However, our return flight to Miami took us across this narrow strip of land in broad daylight. It's surprising just how narrow the isthmus really is. Our plane was still climbing as the Caribbean coast came into view.

As we flew out of Panama City rows of ships were anchoring off the coast waiting to transit the Panama Canal. Dozens of vessels were visible from the air. Sadly my hastily snapped photos failed to capture the entire scene.

We booked ourselves into The Westin Resort. It’s located at the southern end of a gently arcing white sand beach that extends 13km along the Caribbean coast. Our room for the week offered a stunning view over the sea.  We've also discovered that the hotel is ideally situated for a relaxing beach vacation.

Much of the coast’s intensive tourism infrastructure is concentrated to the north in what’s known as the Hotel Zone. You’ll find a relentless cavalcade of American fast-food chains, bars and chaotic traffic here. There’s very little that’s distinctly Mexican (and Taco Bell doesn’t count). Contrast this with the Westin. It’s effectively the last hotel along the coast. As a result, there’s limited road traffic and very few people on the beach beyond guests staying in the hotel.

We’ve also discovered something special in the sand dunes nearby. Apparently, turtles still venture out of the sea to lay eggs above the high tide zone overnight. Local volunteers dig them up the following morning and transfer them to a fenced-off zone in the dunes next to our hotel. We haven't seen any turtles, but it’s kind of cool to think there's a turtle nursery right next door.

We did venture out for dinner one night earlier in the week. However, the experience wasn't exactly memorable thanks to the traffic chaos and jostling throngs of people. In fact, the most authentic local meal I've eaten so far was lunch at a roadside cafe during my Coba tour. I enjoyed a classic Mexican Chicken Mole made with hot chiles, rich chocolate, spices, and tomatillos. Yes, you read that correctly. Chocolate in its raw, unsweetened form is a bitter ingredient that gives the sauce an earthy base.

Sadly, the hotel booked us into a ground-floor room without a view for our final night in Mexico. Although, on a positive note, it's abnormally spacious, making it perfect for watching the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony live on TV in air-conditioned comfort. Here we are, two Australian citizens, sitting in Mexico, watching live events in China. Tomorrow we fly to Auckland via Dallas and Los Angeles. How small the world has become.