Naz n i tried figuring out how much wed both spent already. We kept doing it over and over because it looked like Naz spent 3 times as much as I did. That was obviously wrong but we sort of reset the slate on what was spent and we should be even more careful in the future.

I go out in the common area and try to update my blog. A German couple come of a room and sit down next to me. It looks like they’re doing some calculations. I say to them, “oh you’re figuring out how much you’ve spent. That’s what my friend and I just did”

Turns out the German couple have been travelling for 6 months already and are rounding down their tour. This is where is gets good. The four of us start swapping loads of stories about travelling and get on really well. Turns out the girl, Ina, did and internship in Shanghai and really loves Chinese culture and food. The guy, Fin, met Ina while studying and is a pharmacologist.

For an hour or so we talk and exchange stories. But my stomach is rumbling. Hard. Making noises you get embarrassed about. We gotta go I say. So we all go to the local food area and get some tortillas, just like the night before. After dinner we go to the local corner shop to buy a huge bottle of beer and continue to share stories. Their English is exceptional and there were very few things that we said that had to be explained to them.

Once back at the hostel, there are a few new faces drinking outside. They ask us to join then but suggest they actually come upstairs to sit at the massive table. This is where it gets even better.

So now we have about 13 people talking round a table. Obviously you can’t talk to everyone but everyone managed to talk to everyone by swapping seats and moving around to chat. Beer runs were frequently made and the huge bottles were shared among us. It was the staff of the hostel who actually bought the beer! They wanted everyone to have a good time. And we were.

The benchmark of hostel experience has been set. The staff were amazing, people we were with were solo friendly. Ina and Finn actually said we were the most friendly people they’d met while travelling and living in hostels. It was a very humbling moment. Their experience was that people were fairly to themselves and quiet. Looks like you haven’t been to the right places.

We had been drinking since 7pm and I head off to bed at 3:30am. Naz stays out for longer. My God what a night. I hope every hostel is this good.

Today we went to the local market and had a very nice and filling lunch. Only 50 pesos which is about 2 quid and we got a thin tomato and pasta soup, fried egg on rice and beef chipole. It was very nice. We then walked around the market looking at what was on offer. I enquired about the day of the dead festival and people buy skull shaped sweets and have their name written on the forehead. You put them on an alter and when the festival is over you eat the skull. I didn’t ask what significance it had but that seemed like a nice thing to do 

After that we came back to the hostel to rest and get ready for the beach. We caught a bus to the beach which cost us 8.50 pesos which is 50p. The beach was lovely, warm water, soft white sand too. It was late in the day so we didn’t stay there too long. We did a little hike back to the bus stop, walking past several resorts and then climbing over some rocks to get past an estate.

Once we got back to the hostel we decided to chill out.

Its morning now, after the first night in Mexico.

The people here are really friendly. This hostel is really nice.

After I met up with Naz last night we went downstairs to rejoin the session that Naz was already in. I introduce myself to everyone and I manage to remember everyone’s name! Not bad after pretty much 24 hours of travelling!

One particular person to note is a Frenchman called Damien. He’s a veteran traveller, has 7 years experience travelling! He speaks French, Spanish and English. He is quite a character. Typically French if I dare say that, and very outgoing. Extraordinarily knowledgeable guy. He took me n Naz out together to get some food from a “food court” area nearby. So many choices! Everything is in Spanish but Damien is on hand to translate and explain the dishes.

First thing I ate was a straight up pork burrito muthafucker. The food I enjoy the most back home I had to eat from the original source. 40 pesos which is £2 for a 12″ tortilla burrito. It was, a little, underwhelming to be honest. It was very tasty, don’t get me wrong. But I wanted more meat! Mucho carne poor favor!

I can’t complaint for £2 but I am thinking, I may have to buy £5 worth of food to fill my stomach. Its not the value, its the quantity it buys me.
After we eat we go to the local store to buy beer. Apparently there is a recycle scheme where if you bring a bottle back when you buy beer, you get a discount. We bought beer by the litres. Each bottle was 1.5 litres. Not one each, but we buy to share.

Now read carefully as I’ll only write this once:

A Kettle Chips sized bag of crisps cost MORE than a 1.5 litre bottle of beer!

Big bag of crisps, 35 pesos.
1.5 litre of corona, 29 pesos.

We have a few drinks but I get too tired so I need to retire from jetlag