Sorry Mex - I know you're not Judith Chalmers but.....

[janaage]

...I'm now only two weeks away from my Mexico debut, fly out to Playacar (well we fly to Cancun) on Feb 3rd!!  I can't wait.

Thinking of doing a few day trips etc, Xcaret worth a visit, or is it just a tourist trap?  

Any hidden paradises worth a visit?  Anywhere to avoid??

Any info would be appreciated.

I've heard the beaches at Playacar have all been eroded by Hurricane Emily, but not that heavily into beaches, although a nice secluded beach wouldn't go a miss!!

Cheers.

[magic8ball]

I think you mean Judith Chalmers.

[janaage]

er I mean, that's what I said wasn't it?

[Nomoreheroes]

If you like ancient Mayan cultural stuff then you need to go to Chichen Itza:

http://www.new7wonders.com/classic/en/n7w/results/c/ChichenItza/

NMH

[Mexicano Rojo]

right you jock cunt

1. tulum. fucking paradise. not just the breathtaking mayan ruins but......... the main road outside your resort there is a local bus/coach that runs 4 or 5 times an hour. get the bus to tulum town, not the ruins will only take less than half an hour. at the bus station in tulum (a loose term:)) find out what time the last coaches head back your way, dont get caught short. get a taxi to don armandos, it will take 10 minutes and cost no more than 40/50 pesos. don armandos is a mayan backpacking place on the beach and is paradise, beach will be very quiet and breathtaking, plus don armandos does cheap mexican food all day and night and has a club night with lush cocktails til 3 in the morning if you want to stay over there in a beach hut it will only cost about a tenner and you will be staying in your own cabana on the beach, its rough and ready but very very romantic. i highly recommend the whole vibe there.

2. chitchen itza is ace. Fact.

3. for fucks sake dont bother with cancun. american shithole.

4. do you fancy a 3 or 4 day trip into proper mexico. if so get a bus  (this is a long bus journey 8-10 hours) to palenque which is just fucking awesome in the middle of the jungle in chiapas. guerilla country and not the animals. scary area but fucking best place on earth. breathtaking. if you do goto chiapas make sure you got to san cristibel de la casas In the near vicinity are a number of indigenous villages populated by Tzeltzal, Tzotzil and Chamula people. These can be visited, but you should respect local traditions and sensitivities, especially when taking photographs.  about 6 miles outside is a place called san juan chamula

there is a church in san juan chamula that is the most mental place ive ever been. it has a psycadelic roof.
There are no pews in the church, and the floor area is completely covered in green pine boughs, and pop bottles, mostly Coca-cola, on the pine needle carpet. Curanderos (medicine men) diagnose the medical, psychological or ‘evil-eye’ afflictions and prescribe remedies such as candles of specific colors and sizes, specific flower petals or feathers, or in a dire situation a live chicken, to be brought to a healing ceremony. Chamula families kneel on the floor of the church with sacrificial items, stick candles to the floor with melted wax, drink ceremonial cups of Posh (pronounced bosh which is the trippiest thing i have ever had in my life!!!!) or in recent years Coca Cola or Pepsi, and chant prayers in an archaic dialect of Tzotzil.

it scare the fuck out of me but is fucking incredible. i have to warn you though. the mouyntain area round there is very very dangerous so be careful. but i promise you if you go there it will be the most amazing experience you will ever have. i promise.

[pauld]

I want to go to Mexico with mex as my tour guide now - these places sound amazing, but don't fancy the sound of going without an indigenous guide such as our mex

[Mexicano Rojo]

oh yeah one other thing i forgot, even more spooky, the stautues you get round that church are made from human parts. dead humans. its a real honour. so the statues have real human hair/eyebrows/fingernails, eye lashes. its the most mental place on earth i swear.

i bought a bottle of bosh back to england with me and took it to a party of about 40 people i had 500ml of it and the whole party had a little sip each and everyone was tripping their nuts off

[pauld]

its a real honour. so the statues have real human hair

Well, that's more than I can claim

[janaage]

Cheers Mex, I'll run that by the Mrs and see what she fancies!!