LBC Day 21 - What Latin American Country/Island I Have Been To

Over the last twenty one days, I may have mentioned (just a little) that I have been to 3 Latin American Countries. Although I am not sure that I can call Puerto Rico a country, I would assume for sake of argument that this will slide. I have been to the Dominican Republic and Mexico (twice). I have written about being in DR and in PR, but never about Mexico.

While my first trip to Mexico was to Cancun, I think it still counts! I had so much fun considering this was the first vacation that I paid out of my own money. I noticed many thing different things in just being in another country. One thing that struck me was the lack of traffic laws...or what I consider to be traffic laws in Cancun. Many locals drove so fast and if you crossed the street, prepare to run.

While most of the places in Cancun were really touristy, there was one place that I went to that I really enjoyed. There is a small island called Isla Mujeres that I enjoyed so much because it seemed so untouched by commercialism. You could rent a motorbike and drive the length of the island in about 40 minutes.  I remember the army base and a few locals just living their lives.

I went there in 1999 and I can recall tours to the pyramids being offered and turning them down due to my lack of intelligence since all I wanted to do was party.  Thank god that over the years I have gained a sense of self and identity.

Which leads me to my trip to island of Cozumel. I only spent a day on this island as a part of the cruise I was on in 2007. This time I made sure that if I am going to make a trip to Mexico, I was going to see some pyramids or at least some ruins. For those who do not know, Cozumel is an island with the Yucatan Peninsula and is considered Mexican territory.

This is beautiful island with a rich history. There are Mayan ruins located in several points of the island, but the place that I went to is called the San Gervasio Ruins. This was a vast place that had shelters and places of worship. I was very much taken back by the sheer amount of ruins that this place had. You can really tell that the Mayans had a sense of culture. The picture on the left I took myself.

While I do feel that I have been to Mexico twice in 2 different locations, I feel that I need to see more. I would like to really go to certain places like Mexico City and Oaxaca. I feel that these place will always show a connection and common ancestry that we all seem to share.