Mexico aaahhhh! I feel like I need to take a deep breath before diving into this post. First of all, I can’t believe we’ve been to Mexico City, Mérida, and back! What an adventure. It was everything I hoped it would be, and so much more. Of course it went by way too fast. Now we’re home, back in the thick of it, and we wasted no time continuing our busy schedule. But you don’t want to hear about that! So let’s get on with it.

DEPARTURE

We had the best of intentions when we decided to leave LAX at 11:30 at night. In my head, I knew we’d be tired… but we would obviously (!) sleep on the plane for several hours and wake up at 5am somewhat refreshed in Mexico. But what I failed to notice was the time change and that our flight was actually only about 3 hours. Not much sleep happened, and therefore, “refreshed” was not in our vocabulary that day. Unfortunately, we couldn’t check into our AirBnB until around 3pm, so we had lots of time to kill. But we stopped there first anyway to drop off our bags and try and get a feel for where our home base was for the day.

DAY ONE

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We made a quick bathroom stop to freshen up and I thought Paul was going to jump out a window when I accidentally brushed my teeth with tap water. He was certain I’d have Montezuma’s Revenge before the days’ end, but I survived! Then we made our way to Centro Histórico, since that seemed as good a place as any to start. As you can probably tell from the name, this is the historical city center, or central neighborhood, in Mexico City. There is a huge plaza (Zócalo) smack dab in the middle of everything, with streets branching out in all directions for several blocks. Here you’ll find shops, food, museums, churches, and even Mayan ruins.

I was hungry almost right away (duh). But I panicked that we wouldn’t find anything to eat since it was so early in the day. Cue me forcing Paul into a VIPS and us eating a pretty terrible first meal on vacation. Haha! To be fair, it was sustenance. But to be fair again, it was also the Denny’s (or even worse — IHOP) of Mexico. Little did I know, we could have walked a couple more blocks. There were some lovely outdoor cafes that probably would’ve been much more enjoyable in ambiance alone! Oops. When hunger overrules brain and heart.

After a quick bite, we continued to walk and walk, taking in the sights and sounds of the area. We randomly found a fabric district, which had my sewing senses tingling. But didn’t stop much other than to get water and sit momentarily, looking into each other’s zombie eyes.

We were strolling around the ruins, when we spotted a rooftop from afar. But not just any ordinary rooftop. This one had umbrellas and beautiful greenery and waiters walking around — it was calling our names. We happily made our way in that direction and stumbled upon Librería Porrúa. A couple flights of stairs later and tadaaaaa! We were overlooking the Mexico City Center from El Mayor. They had a lovely little menu and we sat there for quite some time, sharing some pick-me-up snacks and drinks. All we really wanted to do on this particular vacation was sit around anyway. It felt like the unofficial start to kicking it all off.

ACCOMMODATIONS: The White Apartment

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I messaged our gracious AirBnB host, in between chips and guac, to see if we could check in any earlier than 3. She said it would be available after 1. Such sweet relief to get that news! We practically raced back to the apartment building, even skipping a late lunch reservation. Just anxious to unwind from our travels and the long morning we’d had.

The White Apartment was perfect for what we needed. Small and bright with lots of natural light and a minimal aesthetic. We instantly made ourselves at home and decided to rest up for an hour or so before heading out again.

One hour turned into three and before we knew it, it was time for dinner! The neighborhood that we stayed in was teeming with amazing restaurants around every corner. The hardest part was just deciding where to go! We ended up making reservations on OpenTable for a place called Fonda Fin. The quality of the meal was superb, and it was so reasonably priced as well! A very pleasant surprise for pretty much everything we ate. We got so much delicious food and excellent drinks and the atmosphere was equally enjoyable.

I figured after dinner, we’d go bar hop or something to check out the nightlife in the area. But we decided to call it a night after a nice evening walk, knowing we could start fresh the next day.

DAY TWO

First things first, I had a really cute outfit planned for our second day and I wasted no time getting ready.

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We made our way over to the highly recommended Lardo. After I forced Paul to take photos of me, complete with director commentary, we enjoyed another amazing meal. This restaurant tends to have a wait, but we got there at just the right time. Grabbed a couple seats at the bar and COMMENCED FACE STUFFING.

The rest of our morning was spent strolling through Bosque de Chapultepec. Sort of the Central Park of Mexico. It was quite lovely, if I do say so myself. The weather was glorious and the park was enormous. We saw only a small section of it, and didn’t go inside the castle or zoo or anything, but it was a nice relaxing way to finish up our time in Mexico City before heading to Mérida!

Our flight between MEX and MID was a little delayed. Thankfully we still made it into town at a reasonable hour and the airport is small and manageable. From there, we headed straight to our friends’ home for a birthday dinner celebration. This was the first time meeting the rest of the group that we’d be spending the weekend with and you could tell it was a good bunch of people right off the bat.

DAY THREE

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We had an exciting day planned — a group excursion to Uxmal! An ancient Mayan city complete with pyramid ruins. Seeing something like this in real life is always a treat, because it’s one of those places that I’ve seen pictures of and wondered if I’d ever witness in person. And we did! We witnessed!

As expected, it was scorching hot and I had a headache within minutes (yes, I am a real treat of a human being to be around). It didn’t dampen my excitement or the wonder of how this city came to be. We dodged wild iguanas and birds and got to see a few of the crumbling buildings up close. It felt like a really big deal and we enjoyed being explorers for a day with our big hats.

After the ruins, our shuttle bus transported us to the most magical place for lunch called Hacienda Ochil. It is a working plantation with it’s own cenote and honestly just the most gorgeous setting. I lapped up a Sueño (sparkling water, lemon juice, and salt) to re-hydrate, and filled up on chips and guac and tamales. Life was good.

ACCOMADATIONS: Casa Gatita

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One nice thing about being in such a hot climate was that it forced us to slow down a little bit. So after hiking around the ruins, instead of going out to explore the city, we were more than happy to head back to our rental Casa Gatita to sit in the comfortable A/C and take a dip in the little pool. We re-watched some Breaking Bad episodes and enjoyed being lazy. Something we never get to do!

We had dinner plans at Catrin with the group that evening, so we got dolled up and were ready to head out the door. It was then that I very soberly, but very clumsily, fell down the concrete stairs in the house! I yelped and Paul came running as I laid sprawled on the floor (in my very pretty dress, mind you!) I sat, stunned, for a moment as we tried to assess the damage. There was no blood and I could wiggle all my toes, so we determined I was probably fine. Walk it off, walk it off.

It was painful, but I decided I could probably take it slow and tread lightly the rest of the evening. We had another amazing dinner with some great conversation as we got to know the rest of the group a little more. Unfortunately by the time dinner was over, my foot was about 3 times it’s usual size. Nothing a little ice and elevation couldn’t fix right??

DAY FOUR

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So, even with my big fat foot, there was no way I was missing the next group excursion. Cenotes!!!! I can’t believe I actually jumped into underground swimming holes. What an incredible experience. With my healthy fear of the ocean, I wasn’t sure I would even want to try it, but once you get into the caves, it’s pretty darn irresistible. We traveled about an hour away to the Cenotes Santa Barbara, and what a freaking treat that was!!

I really didn’t know what to expect, and so I braced myself for some major FOMO if there was too much hiking or too many rickety ladders. I would have hated to sit this one out. But this place had a great, easy infrastructure and I was able to get around just fine. A crazy horse carriage took us swiftly to the swimming holes, which were rigged with easy stairs, so it was the best case scenario all around. Not to mention, the cool and clear water felt so good on my injured foot.

It was just the most magical experience. Knowing that this is something that is exclusive to the Yucatán made it feel even more special. Like a real bucket list type of moment. I wish I had more photos. But that would mean I’d need a waterproof camera. Instead I was forced to be in the moment. And that’s just how it should have been.

More relaxing, more food, a balmy evening later… and another dreamy day had come to an end.

DAY FIVE

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We met up with a few people for breakfast, but most of the group had started trickling back to the States by this point. Paul and I had one more full day, so we went to the beach, hoping for cooler temperatures. Progreso is a port town that’s about 40 minutes from Mérida. It was so picturesque — the beach lined with palm trees and straw huts.

We picked a hut to sit under that happened to be part of The Crabster restaurant. Before we knew it, we had ordered a couple beers, some incredible tuna tartare and of course more chips and guac. Actually, I think we had chips and guac with every single meal in Mexico and I have no regrets about that.

We hung out there for a couple hours, feet placed firmly in the sand. Trying to embrace the ocean breeze (AKA strong winds) before heading back into town. We planned to meet our friends for — you guessed it — another incredible dinner. We had heard a lot of good things about Oliva, and strangely enough, an Italian meal in Mexico may have been my favorite meal of the trip. I wasn’t expecting that, but man. Everything from the bread to the apps to the wine to the fresh pasta to the dessert was just so incredibly enjoyable.

Have we established yet that food makes me happy?

DAY SIX

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We have just about half a day left, and congrats if you’ve made it this far with me! The morning was spent quickly packing (AKA throwing our dirty laundry in a bag and stuffing it in the suitcase) and then walking through Plaza Grande. We were originally going to see the Lucas De Galvéz market, but it sounded too overwhelming for that last day. The market has been featured on several shows, so I was hoping to see it, but I know I can always peruse *next time*, right Paul? (See what I did there, just putting more travel vibes into his head.)

From the plaza, we made our way to Marmalde Barra de Cocina for our last breakfast, and it was a good one. This charming cafe had delicious food and coffee. The owner even let me take a sample of their homemade pineapple jam home with me. Bless.

Our friends pointed us in the right direction for cool artisan shops in the area. We picked up a couple little souvenirs for the folks back home, and all of a sudden we were back at the airport, eating Johnny Rockets, and heading back to LA.

Home

Wowowow! What an adventure. So glad that we got to go, and so grateful to our hosts and for all the help of our family team. Leaving Stevie and Fergus was never a worry the whole time we were gone.

Since arriving home, I’ve seen several doctors. We’ve learned that I sprained my ankle and fractured my foot and there is LOTS of inflammation going on. I have to be in a boot for the next 8 weeks or so. Perfect timing, with it being summer and all. Not only do I loooove being uncomfortably sweaty, but I also get to wear this obscene footwear in Salt Lake, Vegas, and maybe even Portland. Ugh. The good news is that it’s my left foot. So I can still drive. And sew. It could always be worse!

I also have to go in for a follow-up mammogram tomorrow. My left boob is displaying suspicious behavior. So I’d appreciate any good vibes sent this way.

Have you ever been to Mexico? What part? Did you love it as much as I did?

Of course, if you have any questions about Mexico City or Mérida, please let me know. Thanks for checking in!

loves,
jaana