Our first trip to Mexico was in 2014. My family and I stayed at a large resort in Cancun with many amazing amenities. We traveled outside of the resort only a few times to go shopping or to other beaches. My first trip to Mexico with was outstanding, but when my mom announced our 2015 trip to the same country, I was even more excited. We were staying in Playa Del Carmen for a week and then spending some time in Cancun for a couple nights. In Playa Del Carmen we rented a gorgeous and spacious condo with multiple rooms, which sat directly on
the beach, and included a breathtaking ocean view.

My family and I had so much planned, including a day trip to Mayan Ruins and the Grand Cenotes. Cenotes are underground rivers and bodies of water that caved in and are able to be inhabited. These attractions are located inland, so we had to travel for a couple hours of that day. I was ecstatic to be doing more activities outside of the resort, unlike the previous year. The drive to and from the attractions was very interesting to see the drastically different life some Mexicans live just behind the resorts.

Immediately at our arrival, humid and hot air surrounded us as we got off the plane. Through the small airport we weaved, in and out of the crowd, until we got outside. We knew the area fairly well as this was the same airport we landed at the previous year. It took a few minutes to find our transportation to our condo, but once we did, everything went smoothly. Nearly an hour later, we arrived at our secured and small resort in Playa Del Carmen. I was so excited to finally see the condo and pool in person, rather than in pictures. We walked through
the center of the resort to reach our condo on the first floor. My brother and I quickly threw our suitcases into our rooms and put on our swimsuits. Next, we jumped into the warm pool and enjoyed the beautiful ocean.  After spending another day like this, we decided we wanted to explore beyond our resort. 

Our first stop was a long walk on a popular street just a block away from our condo; Fifth Avenue. This street is a very busy and a cultural tourist attraction where you can find countless shops and restaurants. My family and I ended up buying a lot of handmade items from various carts along the street such as, a Mayan calendar, a woven blanket, and carved figures. The eager shop owners wanted as much money as the could get, so they offered a high price at first.

With a bit of practice it’s easy to barter it down to a very reasonable price. When I was walking through the little shops, I kept glancing at the owners. Women were sitting at the makeshift cash registers fanning themselves. Their sons, husbands, or daughters roamed the few aisles looking for an interested customer to bargain with. The wooden structures creating the aisles looked like they were unsturdy and overfilled with goods. Beneath my feet was either packed down dirt or broken tiles. The ceilings of the shops were often full of more handmade items dangling on a string.

I thought of how different their lives were from mine. From my observation I concluded that they traveled to these shops from their tiny homes wedged in between businesses farther in town. They seemed to not mind the work everyday, even though it seemed endless. I realized that that was how they earn a living. On the second day of our trip, I didn’t think much of the lives of the Mexicans, but when our next adventure came up, I started to take a closer look at their homes and jobs. 

Nearing the end of our trip, we decided it would be a great time to visit the Mayan Ruins and Grand Cenotes. I was very excited to climb ancient Mayan pyramids and snorkel in the underwater caves; that may have been the reason I didn’t pay too much attention to the world outside of our van on the way there. My family and I chatted the entire way about what we were going to do and how excited we were while our driver drove on. Nearly an hour later we arrived at the Mayan Ruins. Welcoming us, the staff lead us onto the main trail. In nearly every direction I looked, workers were directing tourists in the right direction. The staff were appropriately dressed in T-shirts and shorts for the hot day. There were so many of them, that it made me think where they all came from. I assumed nearby towns, but probably not as far away from Playa Del Carmen. I recall one town that we drove through that was small and poverty-stricken.

The Mayan Ruins had to be one of the few jobs that was open to anyone around this area. With help from a worker named, Jose, we maneuvered through the entire Mayan village. Most ruins were not open to the public to climb on, except for the Coba Pyramid . It was a long and steep way up to the top so they had a rope attached to the stone. Once we got to the top, the view was breathtaking. We were over the canopy of the trees, so we could see very far. A smile crept across my face at the wide expanse in every direction making it feel like I could do anything.

I then looked for a spot to stand where the sun didn’t reach and spotted a scrawny dog. He was all alone with no owner, but curled up underneath a tree branch for any shade he could get. My heart reached out for him as I wondered if he had a home, food, or even water. When we were leaving the Coba Ruins, my family and I asked a worker about the dog, and they replied, “The dog climbs up there normally every day.” That made me think about the quality of life it has. I can only hope that it has a source of food and water. Pushing the dog out of my mind, we hopped back in the van and drove to the Grand Cenotes.

Those caves were definitely one of the neatest things I have ever seen. I jumped in with snorkel gear and looked into the deep dark of the caves. I was scared, yet in awe at the sights. Soon it was time to head back to our condo. We started our drive and I looked at the scenery outside the window for the ride back. In all of my excitement of the ride over, I didn’t see much of the poverty that was just outside the window. We were refreshed from the cooling water but tired from our Mayan Ruin hike so it was a quiet ride back. The Mexicans’ houses were one room, with an outdoor space designated for a small shop. For most families, that’s all they could manage to do to get money, because they didn’t have the transportation to get to town. Those Mexicans had to rely on the kindness of pedestrians to buy the blankets, pots, and bracelets they made.

Men were outside chopping wood in their small yards. Women and children sat in the shade of their shops to help
any customers that happened to pull over. The shops were made of wood on the front porches of their small shacks. They had homemade blankets blowing in the breeze and other small handmade items squeezed together on the dusty shelves. In the many shops we saw, I only saw one customer in any of them. Compared to Fifth Avenue, these shops were deserted and neglected. If these people were able to have a shop on the busy streets of Playa Del Carmen, they would be guaranteed a much bigger income. Thinking about their lives made me realize that I should never take anything for granted. I know now what it is really like behind the resorts of Mexico. It may not be like this everywhere, but if it’s in one place, it is certain to be in more.

We continued our vacation having loads of fun, and always remembering to buy a lot of souvenirs from various locations around Playa Del Carmen to aid the needy families. On Fifth Avenue, it may look like the Mexicans have a great life chatting with customers and always smiling, but I must remember that the smiles may be a mask to hide the poverty and frailness of their lives. It is a whole new world behind the safety of the resorts where Mexicans must rely on strangers to have a home, or even food. I must keep in mind the hard lives of some Mexicans while I still enjoy myself.

If I got the chance to go again to the beautiful country of Mexico, I would say yes in a heartbeat. During that vacation, I will make sure I spend more of my time to explore the cultural shops of the families to buy souvenirs that will hold these precious memories for a lifetime. I want to help them in any little way I can, for the people living a life of poverty behind the luxurious resorts of Mexico.