To allow time for acclimation to our surroundings and planning for traveling to and from ruins, Nick, Dewey and I agreed to stay in the city for our first two days. We spent a good deal of it exploring the heart of Cancun, and because we wanted to avoid staying in a sketchy area at night, we would head to the beaches surrounding our hotel when dusk arrived. Getting to and from the city each day became easier and easier as we became comfortable with bus routes and started to learn the layout of the city. Each time we would explore a little further than before and we soon began to grow fond of specific spots in town. On the second day, the three of us were walking along one of the main streets of the city when we spotted an awesome looking side street. The first building on this street was painted with zebra stripes, the second was vibrant orange and pink, the third was covered in graffiti, and every building thereafter looked interesting. Naturally, we had to walk down it, cameras in hand capturing everything. At the end of this street we discovered a small park next to a church, and beyond that, our soon-to-be favorite restaurant. The restaurant was a nice, white and yellow structure on the corner of two streets. The seating area was entirely outdoors, but covered with an overhang and a giant tree. Even the indoor area (for ordering and cooking food) had giant openings in two sides of the building that allowed the outside air to travel through, making for a very pleasing and open environment. The workers at this restaurant were extremely kind and put up with our broken spanish every day. Here I became aware that to communicate efficiently, all that was necessary was a simple smile. If there was something we didn't know how to say, we would laugh, point to a menu item and would often be rewarded with "tres tacos con queso y pollo" and a smile. At noon the second day, we found the ADO bus station, which was what we would be traveling with for the next two weeks to get to the Mayan ruins. Though we had loved exploring the city for two days, at this point, we were extremely anxious and excited to see these places and couldn't wait until the next day when we would be walking in the ancient city of Tulum.
