Most visitors arrive in southern Mexico through Cancun the international airport in the Yucatán penisula. Cancun is a purpose-built holiday resort constructed in the 1970s to bring tourism and wealth to the naturally spectacular but undeveloped Mexican coastline. Nowadays it is amidst with hotel blocks, fast food chains, discoteques and is a popular location particularly for US tourists. It is has therefore to an extent achieved its goals. Investment, wealth and employment have been brought to the area which has simulated a trickledown affect improving the standard of living and providing opportunities for local residents there. However like with so many development projects, although planned by the Mexican government, much of the gains are still enjoyed by foreign-owned businesses.

Cancun itself serves the purpose of entertaining package-tourists. Its beaches still maintain their spectacular whiteness and the oceans glow aquamarine but the essence of the Yucatán was buried back in the 1970s under the concrete hotel eyesores. Its usefulness remains in creating a starting point to explore southern Mexico.

If the vistor wishes to get an insight into the real Mexico, travelling by public transport is a must. Throughout Mexico, the efficiency of the public transport system makes most Western nations transportation efforts look pitiable. To travel by bus around town costs next to nothing and is a great way to see the place and travel with the local people. Most buses are well-labelled making travelling relatively easy provided the visitor has an ounce of adventurous spirit. The beauty of the buses in Mexico is their efficiency. It is rare to wait more than a minute or two for a bus no matter where you are headed.

Beyond getting around town, buses will also take you all across Mexico. Again their reliability and efficiency is generally outstanding. To travel to a new town or city, a visitor needs to head to the local bus station. As with any other country in the world, bus stations are not the best place to hang around. Mexican bus stations are generally very safe but being a foreign visitor it is also important to show some sort of street sense and not dress in reams of gold or flaunt valuables.

Buses are usually available in up to 4 classes; super, 1st, 2nd and 3rd class. Most visitors travel by super or 1st class which equate to Mercedes-Benz luxury coaches. The first place to visit from Cancun which can be reached in an hour is the resort of Playa del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen used to be a small fishing village which grew into a destination for tourists as an overspill to Cancun. Unlike the former, Playa managed to retain and infuse style into its development. Although there a few chain restaurants to be found, much of Playa is made of appealing boutiques, unique restaurants serving a variety of delicious fresh food and small characteristic hotels. The actual town of Playa is effortlessly interwoven with the major tourist areas and thus provides an interesting blend of everyday shops and local life.

As with most Mexican villages, town and cities, the plaza is central aspect of Playa del Carmen. The plaza is a traditional Mexican park of pathways, benches, trees. It may also have a center stage, fountain, flower garden or other decoration. It is a public place for people to sit or stroll, be entertained by frequent musical ontarages, buy fruit or snacks with hot sauce, and socialize with friends and family. The plaza is usually busy both by day and during the evening where young couples take romantic strolls and sit entwined on the numerous benches. By spending just a litle time at the plaza, the visitor can begin to appreciate the warmth and gentility of the Mexican soul.

The beach at Playa del Carmen can get crowded but is unequivocably stunning. Most striking is the breathtaking color of the ocean, starting out an incredible vivid turquoise mixing into a deep blue as the eye strays out to sea. Here lie the principle attractions of Playa, a picture-perfect beach with a temptress ocean, a variety of excellent restaurants, the choice of 1 to 5 star accomodation and accessibility to the big smoke (Cancun) if needed. A week in Playa del Carmen is a miracle cure for the racing heart.

Two hours south of Playa del Carmen is Tulum. In a nutshell Tulum is a place of total relaxation. More isolated than Playa and largely undeveloped its town comprises little more than a strip of stores and a bus station. The majority of hotels lie on a long dusty road running parallel to the beach. Here an array of simple to luxurious cabanas can be found to meet both budget and more extravagant needs. From the cabanas, a visitor needs to only walk 50m before reaching the therapeutic sands at Tulum.

The beaches stretch as far as most visitors can walk and the shallow ocean quickly seduces most travellers. Along the beaches, entertainment relies upon the individual to make the most of the natural environment. Tulum is not for the visitor who requires water-skiing activities or relies on all-you-can eat buffets and continual waiter attention. Most visitors come to Tulum to submerge themselves in the beauty of the place, walk, talk, swim, read and indulge in tranquility.

For the interested traveller however, Tulum is more than just a relaxing hideaway. It is famous for its ancient Mayan ruins. Unlike other more isolated ruins, Tulum does suffer being a highly-visited destination courtesy of the busloads of day trippers from Cancun. If ancient Mexico is your passion, a site such as Palenque in the Chiapas rainforest is a much better bet but of course takes a great deal longer to get to. However it is highly worth the extra effort.

The Tulum ruins are situated to the west of town away from the extensive beach area, hence why the beach remains unspoilt by crowds. They are not the most impressive of ancient ruins lacking the scope and intricacy of other sites, but they do benefit from their spectacular location set against the backdrop of the turquoise ocean and are certainly worth seeing.

It is thought that ancient Tulum was built between 900 and 1200 AD at the end of the Mayan dynasty. During this period, the buildings were painted blue, red and white, a fact that the visitor needs to imagine as the ruins are now crumbling stone.

For a further insight into ancient Mayan culture a trip to Chichén Itzá is highly recommended. Initially built in the 9th century Chichén Itzá, the city was mostly Mayan in design. However the Toltecs arrived in the 10th Century and the architecture resembles a fusing of the two. Chichén Itzá is approximately a 3 hour drive from Cancun and can once again be reached by bus.

All of the buildings at Chichén Itzá are incredible spectacles but of particular note is the ball court which used to the venue for the sporting games. It is believed that a form of soccer was once played there as well as a game requiring teams to bat the ball through a stone hoop. Rumour has it that under Toltec rule, the losing team were sacrified. The ball court is the largest of its kind in all of Mexico's ancient sites.

Another magnificent building is the pyramid which stands in the heart of the complex rising almost 25m tall. Known as El Castillo, the pyramid was built to represent the Mayan Calendar, with 91 steps on each of the 4 stairways to the top platform, making a total of 365 for all of the days in a calendar year.

Visitors are invited to climb to the top to get a view of the entire site. However the challenge is not for those with any kind of vertigo tendancy. The pyramid lies at a steep angle and visitors have to climb to the top without a handrail, which may not sound concerning but once up 20m with nothing to hold on to, the brain starts to cry for these familiar luxuries. Coming down, the moto is to not look down and focus on each step one by one. Many people resort to shuffling and sitting down on each step.

Besides Chichén Itzá, the Yucatán is blessed with other formidable ruins at Uxmal set in the Puuc hills. The ruins are earlier than those at Chichén Itzá dating back to 600 to 900 AD. Most spectacular is the Pyramid of the Magician standing a massive 39m tall. The site is more difficult to access, and visitors need to first catch a bus to Merida, the capital of the Yucatán, about 5 hours from Cancun and then travel another 1 to 2 hours to Uxmal. In this region there are a number of other smaller ancient ruins which are also worth visiting.

With such richness it is not possible to describe all of the inspirational sites of the Yucatán peninsula. This article simply offers insights into a selection of places to assist and encourage the thoughtful traveller.

Sources/Further information

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