Spanish in Mexico

Cada día viajan cientos o tal vez, miles de turistas a la isla de Cozumel. Hay dos formas de llegar a este paradisiaco destino turístico del Caribe mexicano. Una de ellas es en avión ya que Cozumel cuenta con un Aeropuerto Internacional, que recibe una gran cantidad vuelos al año, pero hay otra forma de llegar a esta isla y es por medio de los Ferrys Ultramar.

Cuentan con 9 naves y 4 diferentes tipos de barcos que pueden transportar hasta 500 pasajeros y el tiempo aproximado de viaje es de 25 a 30 minutos. Estas naves cuentan con todos los servicios y los seguros necesarios para garantizar la comodidad y protección de los pasajeros y no te preocupes por los horarios porque tienen 12 salidas diferentes desde La Terminal Marítima de Playa del Carmen, que se encuentra al final de la Av. Juárez.

Así que, si quieres conocer Cozumel, no olvides visitarnos antes en Playa del Carmen y después emprender la aventura en un ferry Ultramar…

Después de 6 semanas de clase en Puerto Vallarta (que es bonita, pero esto es otra historia) y en Playa del Carmen, ¡voy a viajar!. Estoy emocionada ¡quiero ver todo México!

Mi ruta es de Playa del Carmen a Toluca, todo en autobús. Tengo 17 días. El 31 de diciembre tengo que estar en el aeropuerto de Toluca. Pero antes, ¡1.000 cosas me esperan!

Lunes, 15-12-08
Mi primera mañana viajando y ¡estoy sudando a mares! No se porque tengo un backpack tan grande… Mi primer boleto es para ir a Mérida. Tengo solamente una noche ahí. La ciudad es muy "mexicana". Hay mucha vida, las calles son chiquitas y hay mucha gente. Encontré a un mexicano que me recomendó comprar una hamaca. Pero, ¿dónde voy a ponerla en mi maleta enorme!

El próximo lugar es Campeche (en las fotos). Me enamoré de Campeche a primera vista. Es linda, las casas tienen muchos colores y adornos blancos, como azúcar. Mi hostal está en el centro, muy cerca del Zócalo. Tengo tres noches en Campeche, que son tres puestas del sol ¡hermosas! Visité unos museos en las torres de la muralla vieja. Es muy interesante. Aprendí muchas cosas sobre su cultura y los dibujos sobre las piedras. También fui al mercado que es siempre, para mí, ¡muy interesante!

Mi próximo destino es Palenque… (more…)

On December 12 we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (also called the Virgin of Guadalupe), Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image.

On the 12th, people in Mexico celebrate the apparition of the Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, with millions of pilgrims walking for several days from different places in Mexico to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

If you’re looking for something interesting to do that keeps you close to Playa, check out the snorkeling in Akumal. The Akumal Bays are a series of ocean bays where you can see sea turtles, rays, and other sea life.  You can hire a guide who knows just where the turtles are, or you can try your luck on your own.

When you finish your turtle adventure, head over to the Yal-ku Lagoon, where fresh water meets salt water, so you can see a huge variety of plants and animals, and it's really interesting to see the change in marine life as you near the ocean.  Also, dispersed among the vegetation surrounding the lagoon are fun, artsy statues, so just taking a stroll around the area makes for a good time.

And when you're finished swimming with the fishes, you can head home, making it back to Playa in time to hit up the best night clubs in town.

Laura Beth Bartlett (IUC, Chicago Illinois)

¡Vamos Potros!
Wanting something different to do? How about a professional soccer game on a Saturday night? Forty-five minutes north of Playa you’ll find the city of Cancun, where the Potros de Hierro del Atlante (the Broncos) play every other Saturday.

How does Mexican soccer work? Like a lot of Central and South American domestic leagues, the Mexican Football League has two separate seasons every 12 months. The first is the Apertura (opening), the Fall league that runs from late summer to late December. The second is the Clausura (closing), running from January until late May/early June. During each season, clubs play 17 games, usually starting at noon EST on Saturdays and Sundays. The two seasons are completely separate with individual champions. Currently, there is no overall title game between the Clausura and the Apertura Champion.

The Mexican league is made up of 18 clubs divided into three groups of six each. The top two in each group, plus the two 3rd place teams with the best records, go to the playoffs. The playoffs are about to start and the Potros are definitely going to be there.

Are you ready to cheer? "¡Vamos Potros!"

El Castillo, Chichen-Itza | Photo: Jason

Jason took a teacher training course with us in Playa del Carmen…
We got to Chichen Itza about 9.30 in the morning, the Saturday after my CELTA course finished, after a somewhat adventurous trip from Playa in John's rented Jeep.

We were there before the tour buses and rushed in without buying a map or waiting for a tour guide, determined to explore this amazing place on our own. The famous Quetzalcoat pyramid, with its many steep steps reaching far into the sky, the Temple of Kukulkan (aka "El Castillo") dominated the manicured lawns.

We then strolled haphazardly around the rest of the site, in a relaxed game of hide-and-go-seek, along paths where people were selling souvenirs, mostly masks, Mayan calendars and trinkets.

Tucked around corners and behind groves of trees were all manner of buildings and other structures, each one more fascinating than the last, including the Great Ball Court, which we failed to recognise as such at first.

By this time, we had been at Chichen Itza for a few hours. The tour buses had arrived and throngs of tourists were being herded around by guides. The mystique of the ancient monuments was lost and, though we had missed parts of Chichen-Itza, we decided to move on, down the pot-holed back road, lined by jungle on either side, to the ruins of Tulum.

Izamal, la ciudad amarilla…

Now, if you come to our weekend trip to Mérida, you can also enjoy a visit to Izamal, "The City of Hills".

After visiting Chichen Itza, we pass through several fascinating Mayan villages on the 45 minute drive to Izamal. When we get there, we go first to enjoy the Yucatecan cuisine at the Kinich restaurant.

After lunch, we go to visit the Franciscan Convent that was built from — and over — one of the Mayan Pyramids. In this colourful town you can also take a leisurely stroll round some of the plazas.

The whole city was painted yellow and white for the visit of John Paul II in 1993, as a welcome.

Oscar Sáenz

Being in Playa del Carmen sometimes feels like living in paradise. But nearby there's somewhere where that feeling comes on even more strongly: Xpuha.

Last Thursday I took a group of students there after class. We spent 3 hours relaxing, swimming and snorkeling off the white sand beach.

The Cenote Azul sink-hole is nearby and we swam there too before coming back to the real world.

Remind us to take you there when you come to Playa…!

Oscar Saenz

At "El Castillo", Chichen Itza | Photos: Oscar Saenz

A weekend trip that our students like a lot is the trip to Mérida, which is known as "the white city".

We leave Playa on the Saturday morning and it's a three-hour drive to Chichen Itza, where the archeological site is considered one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

A guide tells us about the Mayans who used to live in the city but we also have free time to take pictures, buy handcraft or find out more.

Mérida…

We then continue towards Merida, stopping for lunch 9km before we get there, in Hacienda Teya, to sample typical Yucatecan cuisine. You'll love the atmosphere and surroundings.

After lunch, when we get to Merida, we check in at the hotel and have time for a rest before our orientation tour and "fiesta night" in Merida, a city of strong traditions.

On the Sunday, after breakfast, we have the morning free for shopping or visiting one of the museums in the city.

Uxmal...

Later on, we leave Merida to go to Uxmal, another World Heritatge archeological site. The guided tour again leave free time for pictures and walking around, we have another taste of Yucatecan gastronomy at the old but lively Hacienda Ochil.

Unfortunately, it's now time to go back and a long drive to Playa awaits us, but we stop off on the way in Valladolid to stretch our legs and visit the main square and the Cathedral.

El pasado día 23 de mayo estuvimos de excursión en Playa Paraíso, una de las playas más bonitas de la Riviera Maya.