Living in Cancun - About This Blog

After living in Cancun for 3 months I decided to share my knowledge of the city with other travellers. I moved here during the winter of 2008/2009 to basically escape the Canadian winter. At first I was a little worried and sceptical about moving to Mexico but now I know how silly I was. This country is so beautiful and the people are the friendliest ever. All this makes up for the few hick-ups that Mexico is going through. A lot of what we hear back home is exaggerated and we only hear about the bad stuff.

Of course the country has great problems like corruption, drugs, crime, or unemployment but I think it's still quite safe if you know how to behave and what places to avoid. And that could be said for any country, really. So hopefully you will learn something from my blog and be able to enjoy your stay much more.

So in summary I'm going to talk about the basics of starting your new life in Cancun, talk about sound and economical living and give you some tips I learned from the locals.


Photo: Fuente Ceviche, Cancún

And if you are still not convinced about visiting Mexico, check out this cool report about "what is really happening in Mexico" ;)

www.whatisreallyhappeninginmexico.com

You are visitor number:

Hair Cut, Manicure, Pedicure

There is a very good place walking distance from the ADO bus station. It's called Salon Capellis and is located on Calle Tankah, close to Avenida Chichen Itza. Man's cuts costs 60 pesos and woman's 80. If you get a chance to go there ask for Mariana, she was very nice and extremely good. Everyone I brought there was impressed with her. Best way to get there is to walk on Uxmal (from the bus station) up until Chichen Itza (~15 min walk), and turn left. After about two blocks you'll get to Calle Tankah. Turn left again and the salon will be on the other side of the road.

Post Office

To send letter mail it's best to visit the post office. There is one downtown, walking distance from Avenida Yaxchilan. I was asking for stamps (estampillas) in other stores and none of them had it. To send a post card back to Canada cost me 10.5 pesos. Here is how the post office looks like:



and the street names (notice the SM indication on the street sign, I talk about this in the post "Cancun Map")

A Relaxing Day Trip to Playa del Carmen

This blog is specific to the subject of "Living in Cancun". However, everyone needs a break sometimes so I will include one entry on something nice to do. If you like the beach, basking in the sun and relaxing all day I suggest you visit Playa del Carmen. To start, the ADO buses are awesome. You can catch one every 30 mins from the main ADO terminal and it only costs 38 pesos for one way. The buses are direct (no stops along the way), are brand new so very comfortable, air conditioned and there is even a movie playing on the way (in Spanish though).

The trip takes just under an hour and you are dropped off right in the heart of Playa, on Avenida Quinto (5th Avenue). This is where you can walk around and browse through hundreds of stores, restaurants, boutiques and cafes. Also, you are very close to the ocean. At any point you can take a side road and head to the beach.

I recommend going to the Mamitas Beach Bar. You can rent a tanning bed with an umbrella for only 30 pesos. The place has a very nice ambiance and chill music. Relax in the sun, have a drink and maybe grab something to eat. To find this bar just take the side road 28 and head to the beach. Don't be intimidated by the white beds. You can rent these too but that will cost you anywhere from 500 to 1000 pesos, depending on a day. For dinner it's nice to go back to the 5th Avenue.

In summary, for under 40 bucks a person you can have a very relaxing day with site seeing, road trip, tanning, swimming and delicious dining :)

Websites Worth Mentioning

www.cancuncare.com You can find a lot of information about working and living in Cancun on the forum of this website.

www.compartodepa.com This is a sister website of roommates.com. But you need to register in order to communicate with other people, and it's not free. I recommend picking up a newspaper and looking for ads there. Also, the Novenades paper has the classified ads online.

www.eventscancun.com Here you can look up big events like visits of famous DJs, parties, etc.

www.mexicotodayblog.com Daily news digest from Mexico, in English.

Places Recommended By Locals

Ty-Coz This is a restaurant started by a French man who makes his own bread. You can get a ham and cheese baguette for only 15 pesos and it's DELICIOUS and quite filling. This place is also close to the ADO station (just beside the supermarket Comercial Mexicana) but I believe there is another one in the hotel zone as well. There are other baguettes like tuna or italian which are about 40 pesos. Much bigger though and very tasty!



Santa Clara This is where you'll find the best ice cream in town. It's made from full milk and uses all natural ingredients. Located on Bonampak, close to the intersection with Coba. I have to say though, one day I bought a homemade coconut ice cream from a street vendor and it was amazing. So feel free to experiment :)

Sushi Ken There are a few of these restaurants in the city, one in the Plaza Paseo. Very fresh sushi and not very expensive. I ate very well for 5 bucks.

Chedraui This one I'm recommending myself. Many supermarkets have a food section where you can grab a bite before doing your groceries. There is a lot of meal options but if you're trying to save a buck go for the 8 peso tacos. They are good, you won't get sick and they will fill you up nicely.

Pipo's Buffet I found this place through a friend of mine. He would go there once a day and that was pretty much all he ate. I wasn't surprised. For only 55 pesos you can eat as much as you want. This includes one serving of meat but you can get a mix of meats including beef, pork and chicken, straight from the grill. It's all Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, rice, beans, stir fry, potatoes, etc. There are usually 2 different soups and soft drinks include a famous Horchata (sweet beverage made from rice). No deserts though. It is located about 2 blocks south from the bus station, right at the beginning of Parque de las Palapas which every local knows and can point out to you. Best time to go is around 3 pm.

The Beaches and The Hotel Zone

If you haven't discovered yet, the hotel zone is basically a peninsula about 10 km away from the city core. There are buses that drive up and down the peninsula and connect you with the city and downtown 24/7. This is something nice because, for example, the buses within the city stop running between midnight and 6am. Another thing to know is that those 'hotel zone' buses are slightly more expensive. So it's 7.5 pesos instead of 5.5, not a big deal.

The beaches are all public. The problem is that some hotels block the access to the beach so you have to find a place to cross, and there are many. You can also walk through a hotel but keep in mind that some might not allow you to. If they notice that you don't have a bracelet from their hotel they might turn you back. But if you look like a tourist they will most likely not bother you. I've heard of guys walking in and covering their wrists with towels and then hanging out at a hotel pool all day. The official access points are designated by these signs:





The locations in the hotel zone are referred to in terms of the kilometers, starting from the intersection of Bonampak and Coba (km zero). At km 9 is the main center where the big clubs and restaurants are. That's, for example, where CocoBongo or Dady O's is.

Just before the big center (~6km) you will find the hotel Presidente. If you can cross somewhere in this area you will find a very beautiful and peaceful beach here. It's nice because it's wide with a lot of sand, unlike some of the other beaches which have been washed away. However, if you want more action (i.e. more tourists) you should penetrate to the beaches after the big center. Playa Ballenas (beach of the whales), for example, is very nice and is located close to Kukulkan Plaza which is after km 9. Simply ask the bus driver and they will point it out. Drivers on these routes usually speak English.

Few bus stops before hotel Presidente is a pretty small beach of Turtles. It's not very fancy but there are a few restaurants right by the water. The prices are also quite reasonable. To find this beach you can ask the bus driver to get off at Pepe's restaurant or just ask for Playa de Tortugas. This is also the location of the Ferry Express that goes to Isla Mujeres (don't take this ferry though, take the one at Puerto Juarez instead, much cheaper, and the bus R1 can get you there).

And if you want to do some free snorkeling and see many beautiful fish head to Punta Nizuc. Simply stay on the bus a little longer. It's almost at the end of the peninsula, past La Isla and Kukulkan malls. The bus driver can also point it out. Punta Nizuc is good for snorkeling as there are many reefs in that area.

One more thing about the buses. Sometimes you might need to flag them down. The bus drivers often flash their lights or honk in order to get people's attention. If they see that no one is waving their hand they don't stop.

Places to Avoid and Your Behaviour

Before arrival I was warned by a local that break-ins are common in Cancun, especially in some parts of the city. I haven't experienced or seen any during my stay here but I definitely could see the precautions taken by others. Most windows have metal bars on them, even on higher floors. Same goes for doors. The place that I was renting was in a 3 story building. I was on the second floor and I had to open 2 different gates before getting into my apartment door (a 3rd key). At least I felt that my stuff was secure.






There is quite a big market at the corner of Portillo and Tulum (the main roads in Cancun) which you should avoid. A lot of sketchy people hang out in that area and people have been robbed in the past. Unfortunately that's where I had to switch my bus when I lived in the west of the city. It felt safe as there were always many people walking around but I still kept more vigilant then usual and I never got off the main street. What I was told is that Cancun is a promise land of Mexico and a lot of people come here in hopes of new opportunities. However, jobs are now harder to find, especially for those with no education or experience, and a lot of them end up on the street. And remember, they can't take something you don't have so don't carry all your cash around. That's another reason I don't carry around my bank cards.

So in general:

- do not carry more money than you need
- do not carry documents you don't need
- do not wave large amounts of cash around
- do not show off with expensive designer clothing

Internet Cafes

Internet is very popular here, travellers and locals use it regularly. This means that almost every place has a wireless Internet connection. Starting from Starbucks to MacDonald's and Burger King. So if you have a laptop it doesn't cost you anything. Problem with Starbucks is that it's expensive to chill there. You get a drink and a sandwich and it will run you close to 10 USD. So I discovered that you can just go to Burger King and get an ice cream instead. In fact, you don't even have to buy anything. Once you have the password you just show up and use it. One thing though, these fast food places usually don't have electrical outlets so you will be dependant on your laptop's battery for power. I was lucky to find one Burger King with an outlet, probably meant for a vacuum or some other cleaning equipment.

And if you don't have a laptop you can always go to an Internet outlet. They are scattered all over town, easy to find since the signs are in English. Price is usually 10 pesos per hour. Some nicer places will even have Skype and headphones so you can make phone calls.

Going Out - Nightlife

At the beginning of my stay here I would go out to the hotel zone because that's all I knew. Of course there are nice bars there and many to choose from but the problem is they are far from downtown and usually more expensive (tourist trap). For example, a night out in the hotel zone can easily cost you 50 USD which might be ok if you're a big drinker because that's including an open bar. If you're like me however, and want to enjoy some good music and a few drinks this is way too much money. First of all there is usually no cover charge to go out in the city. And the drinks are cheap. You can expect to pay between 30 and 40 pesos for a beer (and that's usually a 2 for 1).

Some nicer places will charge cover on certain nights or have free entrance/drinks for girls on the ladies' night. There is a brand new complex on Bonampak Ave. called Plaza Peninsula which has a nice bar/lounge called El Barezzito and also a nightclub called Rush. El Barezzito plays Mexican music, some of it live, and is very popular. For Saturdays reservations are required weeks in advance. Rush plays electronic music (and they have a guy on a saxophone accompanying the DJ, it is really cool) and has ladies night on Thursdays. Both of the places have an open roof terrace with the view of the ocean.

If you want to dance to some Mexican and Cuban beats and hear live music I recommend Mambo Cafe which is at the bottom of Yaxchilan Av (close to Coba and Yaxchilan). As for an afterhours in downtown you can check out Skybar (which is part of the Blue Hostel and is located on top of the roof). Really nice place and if there is a good DJ you can expect to party till the morning sunshine, especially on Friday and Saturday. A Corona costs only 10 pesos.

Like I mention in my previous post, to take a taxi between any of those places will cost you about 25 pesos. If you don't speak Spanish just mentioning the name of a bar should suffice. Taxi to the hotel zone will be more, at least 100 pesos, so take the bus, which runs 24 hrs a day and is cheap.

As for the hotel zone I'll just mention the more popular club names. Most people will recommend Coco Bongo and so will I. It's a dance club, with an open bar and an amazing show. With impersonators of major singers and other artists you will definitely enjoy the show. Beware though, on busy nights it gets really crowded. Like when I went there on New Year's Eve. First of all it was a big sausage party (good for girls I guess) and second of all I was so squished that my feet were barely touching the ground. Really, it was that bad. They just cram everyone inside, no regulations on the limit. The show usually starts around 11pm but no big deal if you miss the beginning. All of it is awesome and it lasts for a few hours. Careful on the limitless supply of tequila lol!

Other clubs you might want to look up are: The City (house/electro), Maxim Beach Club (during the day), Dady'O, Seanor Frog, Bulldog Cafe (younger crowd), Pat O'Brien's (good for mardi gras), Basic (beware of water sprayed on the dance floor), Ultra Club and Terrace (electro), Bling (facing the lagoon) or Nectar (afterhours). Some clubs might also have "working girls" on certain nights so keep that in mind if a girl is very friendly, like at The Mix Lounge. Also, there is a specific day for each club, like The City is good on Tuesdays and Pat O'Brien's is good on Wednesdays. To find out what's good for a particular night head to Oasis Cancun hotel and ask one of the reps there.

Grocery Shopping

There are many grocery stores here and some are nicer than others. They call them Supermerkados which are basically supermarkets with not only groceries but everything else imaginable, like for example, scooters or clothes. There are already 5 Walmarts in Cancun, also stores like Cosco, SAM's club, or City Club.

The cheapest grocery store (and thus very busy) is Chedraui. They are located all over town with the main one at the corner of Tulum and Coba. I usually go to Comercial Mexicana, just because it's closer to my apartment (right beside ADO bus terminal). One thing that struck me as different was how the baked goods were purchased. When you enter the bakery section you will have to pick up this huge aluminum tray and a set of tonsils. You then load up the tray and bring it to the counter where a lady packs it up and marks the price. Pretty good system, it's more hygienic this way as no one touches the bread and other baked goods.

Don't look for milk in the fridges. Similar to Europe, the milk is sold in cartons and because it's preserved it can stay at room temperature (until opened). Similar for eggs, since they are not washed they don't have to be placed in fridges. The rest of the buying process is exactly the same except when it comes to bagging your groceries. You will find that it's either young kids or elder people that will do it for you. Keep in mind that they are not paid by the stores so a tip is expected. 5 pesos is what I was told to give.





OXXO is the most popular convenience store which sells everything from water to beer. These are open 24 hrs.

Payphones vs Cellphones

The telephone system and dialing is a little complicated here. First there are land line numbers which are 7 digits. To call a land line you simply dial those 7 digits. However, all cell phones have an additional 998 in front of the 7 digit number. So if calling a cell phone from another phone (land line or cell) you need to dial 10 digits, e.g. 998.123.4567

However, if you're calling from a payphone you must include 044 (so 044.998.123.4567). If you're calling a cell which is from another area (say Merida city) you will have to use 045 (so 045.999.123.4567). Merida phones start with 999, Mexico city phones start with 553. If calling these from a cell phone then there is no need for 044 or 045.

During my 3 month stay I got myself a pay-as-you-go mobile which was quite convenient and inexpensive. Here is how it works. First I paid 300 pesos for the phone, sim card and 300 credits (which are basically minutes or text messages). So not a bad deal considering that your credits are not used for incoming calls, just when you make a call or send a message. To buy additional minutes it's 100 pesos per 100 credits.

About the payphones, there are two types. Ones which work with coins only (and seem to eat them up rapidly) and ones which work with phone cards only. I recommend the phone card since it's cheaper and you'll have more minutes. You can get a calling card from any OXXO convenient store. I bought a Telmex card for 100 pesos and that gave me 125 minutes.

Traffic

This is something that needs attention in Mexico, at least here in Cancun. I couldn't believe when after being stuck in traffic for almost an hour we discovered that it was all because of a very minor accident. The police was on the scene, marking the locations of tires and cars with a chock, all this for a small fender bender which caused a huge backup of the main highway out of Cancun. All this investigation, with the cars left at their exact location (meaning, in the middle of the highway). It's not like anyone was hurt.

Another day I saw something similar, this time when I was walking (thank god). Another backup of at least 2 kms simply because a taxi run into a side of a truck and scratched its side with a mirror. And those drivers are sitting in the middle of the road and waiting, I guess for the police. Maybe it's the rule here to keep the cars exactly as they were but it doesn't make any sense. On top of it, all the frustrated drivers who are stuck behind are honking their brains out. Problem is, with many of the roads there are medians so you can't even turn around. You don't understand how many times I grabbed my head in disbelieve when I was walking beside this non-sense traffic jam.

Commuting Around Town

Commuting within the city is quite cheap compared to Canada or the US. For example, a bus costs 5.5 pesos (7.5 to the hotel zone) and a taxi is usually around 25 pesos.

What's nice about the taxis is that they are everywhere, so you don't call for one, you just go out of your house and catch one on the street. The price varies but is usually around 25 pesos to any place within the city. That could be one or 20 blocks. However, it's up to the taxi driver to make up the price so ask before you get in. Especially when they see a non-local. Oh and taxis don't take credit cards, cash only, and the ones at the ADO bus terminal are slightly more expensive. Because of the taxi stand they are allowed to charge an additional 15 pesos. One more thing, don't be surprised if someone else shares a ride with you. It's common for a taxi driver to stop and pickup more people on the way if heading in the same direction.

The buses are of all sort, size and color. This was a little confusing at first, I didn't expect to see mini-vans used for busing people around. But it totally makes sense, it's just more efficient for short routes. Some of the buses have numbers but most simply have few locations written allover their windows (with a marker, by hand, so don't be surprised). So, for example, it might say "Coca-Cola" and people know that this one goes towards the Coke plant. Another common location is "Crucero" which is simply the intersection of Tulum and Portillo Avenues (crucero means crossroads).






Airport is a little far from the center so a taxi is quite expensive. Expect to pay about $40 USD. However, you can take the bus and that will cost you only 40 pesos. The last bus runs at midnight and it takes about 30 mins to get to the airport from downtown. If you happen to arrive at Terminal 3 you will have to take a shuttle (which is free) to Terminal 1/2 because that's where the ADO bus that goes to Cancun is. To find the shuttle turn left immediately after exiting the building of Terminal 3. It will be the first shuttle stop on your right.

Tip: When heading from downtown to the airport, buy the ticket ahead of time to ensure availability.

Electricity and Gas

The electricity here is the same as in Canada and US, 110 volts and the plugs/outlets are of the same type. The cost of electricity is quite low. The bill for two months in my 1 bedroom apartment was only 56 pesos. And this includes a midsized fridge and an air conditioner which I used quite often.

Propane gas is used for cooking and heating up water. At the first place I lived at we never warmed up the water, it was always hot so a nice cool shower was refreshing. Also, because the water container is on the roof the sun warms it up slightly. The gas could be piped in or not, in which case you will need to refill the tank every now and then. Ask if the apartment comes with a tank because otherwise you will have to buy one.

Tap Water

The locals don't drink the water from the taps. Instead, consumable water has to be brought home in containers. Every convenience store (like OXXO) sells those blue 20L bottles of water and it's quite cheap (I was paying 22 pesos). There is also a lot of self made entrepreneurs who drive around the city and sell the water door to door. These guys are quite persistent and you can expect to hear one yelling "aaaaagua agua aguaaaaaaa" at least once a day. Some are on bikes others in cars, which is even more annoying because they keep honking all day. Not so good if you want to have some peace. However, this varies from area to area. What I suggest is to spend few hours around your new house/apartment before you decide to rent it. And I would repeat that over a few days if noise is of concern.



The city water apparently has too much chlorine in it but if you drink it accidentally nothing is going to happen. In many cases, the city water is delivered to a container beside a building (by low pressure pipes) and from there it is pumped to a container on top of the roof. The owner of the apartment pays for the electricity used to pump the water up. So basically once your water runs out you turn on the pump for ~30 mins and let the tank fill up. One thing I didn't like about this system is that there was no pressure, since it's gravity fed to your taps. Another thing that was worrisome was that anyone had access to our water container, but that probably varies from building to building.



I don't know how bad the water is but I made rice with it one time and nothing happened to me ;) Someone told me that for cooking it's ok.

Banks, Money, Credit, ATMs

ATMs are everywhere and I was pleasantly surprised to see Scotiabank here in Cancun. Since this is my bank I was able to take out money without being charged the regular $5 fee. It only cost 7 pesos for a transaction and I was able to pull $300 per day. Other machines gave me a $500 limit but they would also charge 5 bucks for a withdrawal.

Credit cards are widely accepted but I resorted to using cash only. Heard a few stories and wanted to be safe. So as a rule I wouldn't be worried using one at a big store like Soriana or Office Depot, but in other places where people take my card out of site I rather use cash (like in restaurants). A restaurant might have good recommendations but who knows about that waiter that is just serving you.

One more thing to note is their use of a dollar sign ($). It's used with pesos as well. So if you see a bikini on sale and the price shows $115 that's most likely in pesos (however, most likely in dollars if it's in the hotel zone).

Choosing Your New Apartment

During my 3 months here I lived in 2 different apartment buildings. The only reason why I changed locations was because the first place was a little too far from downtown. If I wanted to go to the beach (i.e. the hotel zone) I had to take two buses.

The first place was close to the main road Portillo, on the West side of the city. It really felt like I was living with "the people". Whenever I stepped outside I never heard any English, the families were picnicking in their backyards or playing music out of their windows. This last thing was really annoying though. The people here really love their music and when one neighbour is playing and another wants to play too, what happens? They crank up their volume. Sometimes, two different audio systems would be blasting away for few hours at a time. Once till 1am, although usually the music stopped around 11pm. This love for music is also evident when you visit the supermarkets. The audio systems are the first thing you see when entering the front door. And most of the time they are also turned on and blasting away. There were stores beside which I had to walk and cover my ears because it was so loud. Another source of noise was the water guys who would come around everyday and honk away for a few minutes at a time to let you know they were there, ready to sell you water.

At the second place I could hear the music from some bars nearby but that was usually on the weekends and didn't really bother me, I expected that. The problem, however, was my neighbour who's got 4 dogs and 2 of them are the yuppiest dogs ever. I resorted to sleeping with ear plugs pushed-in really deep after few nights of broken-up sleeps. Later on I discovered that he wasn't cleaning the dog's poo very often so on hot days I could also smell it and I couldn't open my windows to let fresh air in. As for the cost, I was paying 3000 pesos per month. To start, I had to pay the last month's rent plus an "administration fee" of 1000 pesos. So my first payment was 7000 pesos.

Therefore, in summary, if you can put up with some occasional noise or find a place in a quiet area you'll be set. What I loved about living downtown was the proximity to everything. I didn't need a car. Groceries, buses, movies, shopping malls, were all within walking distance or a short bus ride away.

Cancun Map

Google maps is pretty good with having most of the streets on their system, but some smaller ones might not show up. What you need to know is the big roads and then you can easily refer to locations by specifying a close-by intersection.

The main road that's also very busy is Tulum (Calle de Tulum). It goes more or less North-South. Another one is Jose Lopez Portillo which goes East-West. I would recommend, if you're looking for a place to live, to look south of this street. North side is just too far. Here is an interactive map of the city. You can click and drag it around. Also you can click "View Larger Map" to open it in a new window:


View Larger Map

The downtown is basically where the main bus terminal is. This bus terminal is called ADO (which is the name of the bus company) and is located at the corner of Tulum and Uxmal (pronounced "ushmal"). If you follow Uxmal to the East from ADO (that's left on the map) you will get to Yaxchilan ("yakshilan") where you'll find many restaurants and bars. Here is how the bus station looks like:





Most of the hostels and hotels are around this area too. There is so many that I wouldn't worry about booking unless you're coming at a busy time like Christmas or New Year's eve. Otherwise, you can just walk around the small streets and look for signs. They start at about 10 US per night and that usually includes a breakfast and Internet connection.

If you look to the right of the city (on the map) you'll see a peninsula with a road called Boulevard Kukulkan. This is the hotel zone. The buses that take you there are either R1 or R2 (R stands for route). R1 goes up Tulum whereas R2 goes straight towards the west when entering the city. These particular buses run 24 hours a day.

One more thing, the city is divided into regions called Supermanzanas (SM) which are numbered. These are simply areas of the city, few blocks wide, which represent the location. Also, SMs are subdivided into manzanas. This is used for defining an address, for example, like MZ16, SM57.

Other Facts About Cancun

* some movies at theatres are available in English, but usually only 1 or 2
* although not really an issue you should still be aware of occasional scorpions, know about sea lice and watch out for trucks spraying mosquito poison ;)
* ants are a big problem, especially in kitchens; they seem to come out when it's more humid
* on a similar note, check your new place for mold, especially if not well ventilated
* taxis which are parked at the ADO bus station are more expensive (additional 15 pesos)
* city buses do not operate between midnight and 6am, the hotel zone buses R1 and R2 operate 24/7
* ear plugs are hard to find, the stores only carry the ones for snorkeling but I was unable to find some regular, noise blocking ones
* stamps (estampillas) can only be purchased at the post office (oficina de correos)
* to refer to buses, the word "camion", not autobus, is used more often