On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 00:05:11 -0600, "Sejong Oh"
wrote:
>Hi there,
>
>I am planning to go to Cancun, Mexico from 18th to 23rd December.
>We have 2 adults(me and my wife) and 2 children(3yr, 6months) and will be
>staying sheraton resort.
>I am hoping I can relax myself and enjoy warm weather there.
>
>Does anybody have opinions regarding
> 1. Which one is better? Rental car vs. Public Transportation. And Can I
>drive a car there with my Texas Driver's License?
Your Texas license will work just fine in Mexico. Which is better
is a matter of taste and where you are going. Public transportation is
readily available and cheap. In some cases it can be more convient to
use public transportation because you don't have to worry about
parking the car when you get there. Personally I prefer driving myself
because I can go exactly where I want to go, exactly when I want to go
there. Travelling with a small baby would incline me even more in that
direction. The area you will be in is one of the easiest parts of
Mexico to drive in. There's a good, if expensive, toll road from
Cancun to Chichen and Merida. The highway from Cancun to Tulum is very
nice and well maintained. You do need to understand that Mexican
driving habits are a bit different than what most of us are used to.
Aggressive drivers are more common. People tend to pay a bit less
attention to signs and signals than they generally do in the States.
On highways with wide shoulders, such as the highway from Cancun to
Tulum, the shoulder is considered to be a slow vehicle lane. On the
two lane section from Playa del Carmen to Tulum many drivers will pass
with too little room and cut back in sharply if you don't observe this
custom--buses included. If you are travelling at less than the posted
100kph (about 66mph) and in some cases even if you are, you will be
considered slow traffic.
If you are driving to Piste, the town near Chichen, watch the gas
pump at the local Pemex station very carefully. I was recently clipped
for $6 there because I didn't.
> 2. Where to visit(Must-see) or What to do?
Personally I consider snorkelling or diving the reefs in the area
the biggest must see. Many people consider the ruins of Chichen Itza a
must see. In that area I consider Valladolid (main square and
traditional mercado) and the ruins of Ek Balam things that are well
worth the time. With your time frame I'd schedule some beach time and
those places are about all you'll have time for. You might be able to
squeeze in the ruins of Tulum. This time of year it opens at 7am and I
suggest going early to avoid the crowds as it's a fairly small site.
If you had more time I'd suggest Merida (museums and traditional
mercado) and the ruins of Uxmal.
> 3. Good and resonably-priced restaurant
Read some guidebooks. By my standards there are no reasonably
priced restaurants in the tourist of district of Cancun. Rents and the
necessary advertising are too expensive to allow for that there. There
are many nice restaurants there.
> 4. Any safety notes and recommendation.
Don't leave valuables in an unattended car. Don't carry valuables
where they are obvious if you are using public transportation.
>I guess I am asking too amny things at a time. ^^ I am a little bit nervous
>cause this is my first trip abroad.
There are a lot of good guidebooks and websites that will help you
enjoy your trip. For my taste, it's a beautiful part of Mexico once
you get out of the heavily touristed areas. As it's in the tropics you
certainly should get the weather you are looking for this time of
year.
Dennis |
