WHY MEXICO IS MY FAVOURITE COUNTRY

When people ask me what my favourite country is they always seem puzzled when I
answer Mexico. Then come the questions. Isn’t it so touristy and spoiled? Isn’t
Mexico one of the most dangerous countries in the world? Don’t people get
kidnapped, beheaded or killed in Mexico?
Every time I hear this it makes me cringe a little. People know so little about Mexico
and judge it because of what they hear in the media. I am not saying that those things
never happen. Sadly they do in some areas; but not everywhere. Much of Mexico is
quite safe and in fact safer than some major cities in the US or Europe. While drug
cartels do cause a lot of problems in some areas, they also tend to bother each other.
If you are not involved with the cartels or drug dealing the chances of you getting
killed are extremely low!
On my return from another wonderful trip to Mexico, someone asked me, “weren’t
you scared that you might be dragged into an alleyway and have your liver stolen?”.
It made me laugh! I quickly replied, “I am not worried about anyone stealing my
liver, especially not after this holiday and all the margaritas I drunk!”. People will
believe just about anything.
Is Mexico overly touristy? Well yes, some parts of Mexico are very touristy and
spoiled; Cancun for example. You will find all-inclusive resorts where people simply
hit the beach and clubs for their entire trip and don’t make the most of being in
Mexico. But that’s not at all what Mexico is about. There is so much more to do in
Mexico than lazing around on its pristine white sandy beaches. Have I ever stayed at
an all-inclusive resort in Mexico? No, and I am pretty sure I never will!
I think I have always been in love with Mexico, I certainly was in love with it before
I even set foot there. Was I Mexican in a previous life? Maybe! Mexican culture has
always interested me and Mexican food has always been my favourite. But of course,
each visit to Mexico has made me fall more in love with this country. So why do I
love it so much?

THE CULTURE
The Mexican and Mayan cultures are just fascinating. Learning about their complex
history and visiting ancient Mayan ruins has always been one of my favourites things
to do while in Mexico. Learning the history behind those ruins is really interesting.
There are so many ruins to check out, some much more impressive than others but
all certainly worth a visit. Our all time favourite was Teotihuacan near Mexico City.
Teotihuacan is a huge archaeologic complex with some amazing pyramids. Two of
those, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun provide you with
breathtaking views over the entire complex from their summits. If you visit just one
temple in Mexico it should be this one.
Mexican culture places a strong emphasis on religion. Even if like us you are not
religious, you can still enjoy visiting the many beautiful and colourful churches
around the country. If you happen to be around for Easter then you are in for a treat
with all the celebrations that take place during the “Semana Santa”. They put so much
work into it and the processions are spectacular.

THE FOOD
As I said Mexican food is my favourite and I love everything about it (except for the
ants and worms; not that I have tried them!) tacos, chilaquiles, street corns, huevos
rancheros, tamales, guacamole. I am salivating just thinking about them all! The
flavours are so amazing and I love how they can make some of the most simple food
taste so wonderful.
In Mexico, you can get a delicious meal anywhere, from street vendors to small
family-run restaurants, through to expensive restaurants serving authentic, traditional
cuisine. Of course, each region has it’s own specialities as well. If like us you come
from a westernised country, then the Mexican food that you’re familiar with is
probably nothing like the real Mexican food. Visit Mexico for a few days and you’ll
quickly figure that out!

THE BEACHES
Mexico has some of the nicest beaches in the world, particularly in the Yucatan
region. With turquoise blue water and fine white sand, there is nothing better than
spending the day lazing on one of the beautiful Mexican beaches with a Margarita in
your hand! But of course, don’t make your holiday in Mexico just about the beaches.
As nice as they are you’d be missing out on all the other incredible things to do in
this awesome country.

THE COLOURS
Mexico is so bright and colourful! The houses, the food, the traditional clothes that
the indigenous people wear, the colonial buildings; everything is a rainbow of
colours! Visit a market and you will be blinded by all the vivid fabrics, beautiful
fresh fruit and vegetables, and the beautiful handcrafts. Stunning!

THE WILDLIFE
Mexico has lots of interesting wildlife and sea-life. Meeting an Iguana while
exploring the many temples is a common experience in Mexico. These big lizards
love to laze around the dry temple grounds. Another favourite activity of ours was
swimming with sea turtles just of the shore in Akumal. In Akumal bay, the sea turtles
are so used to tourists that they happily go about their business eating sea grass off
the ocean floor even while surrounded by onlookers. Every year Whale sharks can
also be seen close to the shore of the Yucatan and you can even go swimming with
the biggest fish in the ocean!