So my partner has this friend who is getting married next year and the wedding is being held in Cabo, Mexico (I’m from Australia). Anyway it looks like I’m going, it’s going to be ridiculous because the wedding related events there stretch out for nearly two weeks and I hate parties!
Anyway it’s not all bad, we will also go and see a bit of Mexico - at this stage we are just thinking Mexico City. If anyone has any Mexico travel tips let me know!
We are also going to time it so we can go to South By South West in Austin before (I’ve always wanted to go). So if anyone has any Texas tips I’d love those too!
Anyway it’s a big trip- will be overseas for over a month. I’m a bit nervous because it is the first time I’ve taken a big trip since getting sick.
Never been to Mexico but SBSW would be an amazing experience. I have American friends on facebook who just bought a house in Mexico. There’s a lot of headlines on violence etc but they love it down there and thinking of retiring. They are a gay couple and there’s a big community of English speakers and ex pats…it sounds an amazing trip. If you’ve never been to America it’s a fun place for Australians so you’ll love that part!
Yeah I’ve heard good and bad things about Mexico. I’m a massive foodie so pretty excited about the food. Not so excited about Cabo though- it looks like a bit of a tourist trap and we are being forced to stay at an ‘all inclusive’ resort as part of the wedding which essentially seems like a prison.
I’ve been to the states before but only really to California and New York, so Texas will be different. I want a pair of cowboy boots hahaha.
But yeah, super excited about the festival. I hate crowds but i reckon there will be some amazing things to see and learn so I’ll suck it up.
The food in Mexico looks amazing. It’ll be pricey in tourist traps but it’ll be good! My friend just shared some of his dinners recently on facebook. It was incredible stuff! I was suprised by what they were eating.
I’ve never been there but my sister moved to Mexico from California two years ago and she likes it. It’s a different culture but she’s made friends there. She feels fairly safe but she’s in her sixties and doesn’t go out late at night and doesn’t party or doing anything illegal.
You’ll be in a foreign country so follow their rules and play it safe and don’t cause trouble and you should be alright. You hear a lot about the corruption and bad cops and the drug cartels shooting innocent people but if you keep your nose clean your should have no problems with the cops and just be careful about using a laptop or phone in public, people might snatch them and run off with them. When you’re in public don’t flaunt expensive stuff like cameras and jewelry and purses etc. As to the drug cartels, my sister says it’s rare that they kill anyone but each other. I don’t want to scare you, it should be safe if you take normal precautions. If you’re with large groups or a few other people then the chances are slim that anything bad will happen to you. Many parts of Mexico are beautiful and it has a rich culture and history that should make it an interesting place to visit.
I have been to Cozumel, Mexico… it was very beautiful. Lots of beaches, they are rocky. It’s where a lot of cruises go, so it’s a tourist trap… The people are nice though and there is a good vibe there… It’s an island off the main land. Cabo should be a lot of fun. Even though you’ll be at an all inclusive hotel there will probably be guided tours to local spots. Or you can rent a vehicle and go into the city… check out the resort website to see what they offer. Have fun.
Hey thanks so much for the advice. We will hopefully remain sensible - my primary objective is to eat food and see art so hopefully we won’t end up in any dodgy situations. Weirdly my partner has been told he looks like a Mexican drug dealer by various people, but hopefully that’s just in the eyes of dumb white people here in Australia.
I’m definitely interested in learning more about Mexican culture and there seems to be some really interesting architecture around the place. It’s super cheap to visit too which is good because I don’t have much money, then again I’m not paying for much (my partner is claiming the sxsw leg of the trip as a business expense).
Hey thanks for offering up some hope about the all inclusive hotel business. Resorts like that are less of a thing here in Australia so it is very unfamiliar territory for me. I’m also fussy about what I eat and Google does not offer promising info about the quality of the resort food! I’d rather hit up some of the local places, even if they charge tourist prices.
I’ve never been to Mexico. But I know my cousin has. She travelled alone through the country and even made a boyfriend there. She came back in one piece with a love for the country. I’ve heard of other people who were there who partied and spend a night in jail being forced to pay money to get out. Many people go there and many different stories emerge. I hope you come back with a nice story.
Yeah, I’m a bit nervous. This is going to sound lame but the thing I have found most disconcerting is that you can’t flush toilet paper and it sits in bins. I was traumatised in China with similar bin situation, where the cleaners would come in brandishing tongs and lift stuff from the bins and it absolutely stank (I guess I should be thankful there were cleaners). But really I should be focused on stuff like safety rather than being a privileged brat and worrying about smelly toilet time.
I’m hopefully going to avoid the party scene though having said that the whole wedding is a big extended party. I hope I love it there, there’s a whole lot about it that seems so interesting. I haven’t told my mum yet because I know she will worry.
Really kind of you to say that you hope I emerge with a nice story - thank you!
I lived on the border in California and Texas for years. Never had any problems but didn’t go for many years due to the cartel violence. Prices on everything in shops are negotiable. They will always take less than what they are asking.
We might visit Mexico or Cuba in a few weeks. I am renewing my passport. Been to Cuba twice so far, once with friends and once with family. I love it there.
In Cuba did lots of activities. Scuba diving, drove a motorized boat, drove a 4x4 in the jungle watching animals, kayak, visited native population living in nature, visited caves, soccer, pingpong, swimming of course, dancing classes, gym, massage, etc