Before we get sentimental about Montreal, I want to focus in welcoming you to the city I just recently moved.
Hello Tulum, Quintana Roo!
So far?
Eventful. A series of unfortunate events, as one would describe it.
No surprises there. It’s Mexico.
More on that later 😉
The weather
Reunited to where my body was used to.
Tropical vibes. Summer all-year round.
Only that.. the body is not used to it anymore.
31 celcius with 93% humidity on average. It’s a living hell.
If you love your skin, don’t live here chica.
Nevertheless, I welcome you again, Mr. Sun.
Just don’t get too close. I need your Vitamin D, not Vitamin Skin Disease por favor.
The beaches
If you come from a tropical like I do, the Caribbean beach becomes sort of ordinary to you.
It’s still beautiful! Don’t get me wrong.
Many resorts here have either an exotic theme or a fun vibe that made it instaworthy and fabulous.
But truthfully, The Cenotes and the Mayan Ruins are more to look forward to than the beaches.
I am proud to say that we have way better beaches in the Philippines 😉 .
Public beach vs Paid Beach ($30 USD Day Pass or $50+ Consumable)
The prices
Within the reach of many of the first world countries, the prices here are somewhat ungodly.
New York prices but with an infrastructure of a developing country.
I thought I can save money here. But not quite.
Water here are not drinkable.
Electricity – Based on consumption. And because it’s super hot, you’d want to turn your AC most of the time.
I honestly missed America’s Dishwashers.
Understandably, most people come here to visit not live.
The absence of these things somehow balances what you “save” from rent.
The transportation
One cannot move without a vehicle.
..or walk if you don’t mind the scorching heat of Mr. Sun.
Unlike the Philippines where we have jeepneys and tricycles, they only have “colectivos”. These are Vans that get you from Point A to B. Very limited.
You’d have to deal with the notorious Taxis that charges you 30 USD for a 5-10 min ride.
Ridiculous.
What should you do?
Either have a car, scooter or bike.
I personally rented a car for the first 2 weeks ($600 MXN per day),
then a scooter bike for the rest.
$5000 MXN per month.
I got lucky for those deals. You might find it hard to find that rate here. Negotiate hard like I did. Use mine as a reference.
You’d need plenty of negotiation skills if you want to survive here. Especially as a tourist.
It was my first time driving a Scooter so I made some bruises here and there. It was fun, getting the hang of it.
The people
There’s lots of digital nomads, expats, business owners, lifestyle and wellness content creators here living around the neighborhood of La Veleta or Aldea Zama.
While le tourists are mostly on the Beach Zone.
The locals that I’ve met are generally friendly, kind and humble.
But beware of the police here.
I recently got extorted by 2 cops. They followed me and had me pull over near the cemetery. They investigated if I had drugs.
They sneakingly took all my cash whilst searching through my things and demanded for my Airpods so they would let me go.
The funny thing is? They only got one piece of it and I was able to track them later on.
Here’s the story.
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That’s it for now!! I don’t know until when I am here. But it’s giving — incompatibility XD
Much love, Abie
