by vagabondette on January 30, 2009
For my trip between Valladolid and Merida I decided to save a bit of money and take the 2nd class bus. It was leaving right away so I hopped aboard without stopping for a pee break (bad, bad, bad idea) with the vague idea that the bus trip should take around 2 hours. Wrong. Very, very wrong.
The first thing I realized as the bus pulled away from the terminal was that I needed to go to the bathroom. The second thing I realized was that 2nd class busses don’t have bathrooms on board. Immediately regretting the bottle of water I’d just chugged I crossed my legs and tried to focus on the scenery passing outside my window.
Until now I’d either taken first class busses or traveled at night so I’d not really seen much off the main highways. I could quickly tell that this trip would be different. The bus I was on – and I was the only gringa on the bus – was clearly going to stop at every village (and sometimes there wasn’t a village - people just seemed to appear out of nowhere) we passed through and while it was aggravating for my bladder it made for an interesting ride.
Traveling down the side roads of Mexico you pass through villages of stick and mud huts or cinder block houses with no windows or doors, most of which with the interior painted blue and a colorful hammock as the only furnishing. Villages which may not have names and are definitely not on any maps. Small groups of people and livestock (usually more livestock than people) with rocky gardens surrounded by stone walls. It’s a far cry from the huge resorts you see in Cancun and Playa. The poverty is apparent but the smiles on the faces and the waves at the busses are genuine and make me glad that I skipped the highway and took the long way round. Even the fact that the ride took 4 hours instead of 2 and dropped me off 8 blocks further away from my destination didn’t change the fact that I was glad to have seen more of how some of the less fortunate live.
by vagabondette on January 24, 2009
The Mayan Hostel is located at Calle Margaritas 17, just a quick walk from the downtown bus terminal. When you arrive, exit the bus terminal and go to the left. Cross Ave. Uxmal and turn left. Your first right will be Calle Margaritas. The hostel is ahead 1 block on the right.
The hostel costs MXN 120 which is approximately $9. This includes: Breakfast (cereal, bread, eggs), Dinner (pasta, meat, bread, soup), free internet (their computer as well as WIFI), sheets and towels. The food is not the best you’ll ever have, but it’s all you can eat so if you’re on a budget it’s a good way to fill up for cheap.
The hostel has both dorms and private rooms. I have not seen the private rooms but the dorms are clean and not too crowded. I would not want to stay here when it rains though because they have thatched roofs so I imagine there could be some leaks. I’d also not want to stay here during a buggy time of year since everything is pretty much open.
The upstairs patio at Mayan Hostel
Because it’s so open it gets pretty chilly at night. I’m not sure what they do during the colder months, but in January all they gave visitors was a sheet to cover up with so if you get cold this might be a problem. I slept in long pants, a long shirt and in my silk sleep sack and I was pretty comfortable.
On some review sites I read that people didn’t have cold water, but I didn’t find this to be a problem. I also showered at off times, not first thing in the morning when everyone else was doing it so that may be why I had hot water.
There is a nice rooftop patio with a table and lounge chairs where you can relax and talk to the other visitors or plan your day. There are lots of restaurants nearby as well as a couple of parks that turn into markets in the evening. There’s a big grocery store that has anything you could need just on the other side of the bus station and it’s easy to catch busses to the beaches for only $.70.
So, while this is not the nicest hostel I’ve ever stayed at, I think it’s a pretty good value, particularly if you take advantage of the free meals, and I’d stay here again.
Getting the bus from Cancun Airport to the Downtown Bus Terminal
It costs $3 US and takes 20-30 minutes. You pay on the bus and can use US Dollars, but you’ll probably over-pay a little unless you have exact change. To find the bus exit the airport and walk straight ahead until you get to the parking area. The city busses are on the far right at the beginning of the parking row. It will have a sign that says Cancun. Pay attention to that because there are busses that park there that also go to Playa. The bus will stop after a few minutes and fill up with locals so if you’re traveling with someone, make sure you sit together. You’ll put your bags under the bus but you don’t have to worry, it’s safe. If you’re staying in the Downtown area this is your best bet otherwise you pay $15+ for one of the shuttle companies or a taxi. If you’re staying at the beach, you can easily catch another bus from the downtown bus terminal to the Hotel Zone.
