Transportation between sites will be furnished by a commodious, Greyhound size bus. Click here to see the buses used in the last couple tours.
First, the legal aspects. American citizens now need a passport to travel to Mexico. No visa is required. You will be given a tourist card when entering Mexico. Be sure to keep this card. (Now and then passengers throw this innocuous-seeming paper away.) Other nationalities please check with a Mexican consulate or other office. No special shots are required for the areas we will be visiting. However, there is a slight possibility of malaria in the area around Calakmul. Because December is usually in the dry season, few mosquitoes are normally encountered and so the likely of contracting malaria is low. (Do bring insect repellent.) If this is a concern of yours, you family doctor can write you a prescription for malaria prophylaxis tablets. You must begin taking these tablets before we leave and continue taking them--usually once a week--until we return. Be sure the prescription written for you is for the malaria strain current in the lower Yucatan.
Yucatan Decembers resemble the weather in high mountain valleys in the inter-mountain West during the summer. The humidity is low, the temperatures range in the comfortable hi 70s through mid 80s during the days, and it cools off appreciably in the evening. Rain is seldom met with, except in the southern area of the peninsula. Like the West during the summer, however, it can be warmer than mid 80s during the days, and also like the West, it can get quite a bit cooler, with days being occasionally downright nippy (by tropical standards). So bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and a light jacket. You may need all of them at some point. You can also bring some insect repellant, but it is not likely to be of great use during the dry winter season, but if we hit a bad patch, that repellent will come in very handy.
In Merida, we'll stay at the Hotel Caribe, a fine Mexican-style accommodation. In Campeche we will stay at the Hotel Maya Campeche, a quiet hotel in a side street. This lodging was used by the tour in '06 and several return passengers asked stay there again. We will stay at two fancy hotels, the Chicanna Ecolodge near Calakmul and the Mayaland near Chichen Itza. The last night in Valladolid will be in a hotel tour passengers recommended highly.
Many former tour passengers list Yucatan cuisine as among the most pleasant of many happy surprises. The names of the dishes may be familiar, but the food itself is nothing like the "Mexican" served north of the border. In the past twenty years I have spent much time in the region, and I can say without any fear of exaggeration, that you are not much more likely to become ill eating in Mexican restaurants (of the better class) than you would at home. Tap water is not potable, and probably never will be owing to the high cost of replacing all water and sewer lines. So eat the food, drink Bottled water, and don't over-worry about it. And for goodness sake, avoid eating any more greasy food or imbibing alcoholic beverages than you are normally accustomed to. Over indulgence in these items frequently leads to complaints that the food is blamed for. Past experience has shown that tour members prefer to break away on their own in the evenings. In addition, one of the great adventures of travel is exploring local eateries. We will direct you to several restaurants close to the hotel, give you tips on the house specialties and otherwise help make this important ingredient of travel as exciting and fun (and painless) as it should be. Should you prefer to stick close to the hotel after a full day of touring, most of our hotels have in-house restaurants where you can dine--and pay by credit card at the front desk. If you go out, you have the advantage of knowing the names of the dishes (even if they will be frequently different from the Tex-Mex at home). Paying the bill is not difficult as it will be presented in writing.
6. Should I bring my expensive camera on the tour?
Absolutely. If you cannot take fabulous pictures in Mexico, you may as well throw your camera away. Should you be worried about losing your camera to thievery? After bearing in mind that travel is inherently risky and that unusual situations are slightly more likely to occur in foreign countries than your home one, you are nevertheless unlikely to lose your camera in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, provided you take the normal precaution of always keeping it secure. Whether you are in Peoria, Illinois or Tierra del Fuego, hotels warn you against leaving portable valuables such cameras, cash, traveler's checks, etc. unattended in their rooms. But if you take normal precautions, you have little to worry about.
7. How do I change money? And how much money should I bring for food, daily expenses, and so on.?
Most find using ATMs the most convenient way of obtaining Mexican pesos. ATM machines are widely available in the cities of Merida and Campeche, and perhaps elsewhere. It is almost certain your debit card will work in most or all of them, and the fee using the machine now seems to be about two dollars, so you may want to make your request for pesos fairly substantial. Remember money denominated on the screen is always in pesos. It is, of course, wise to bring a substantial reserve of dollars in cash and/or travelers' checks, just in case. Any bank will convert dollars (in cash or traveler's checks) to pesos, and in Merida kiosks, known as cambios, are easily found, where you can cash your dollars for about what you'd pay using an ATM. Converting money in a bank is frequently a long and arduous process, requiring standing in line and sometimes going to more than one window (often necessitating standing in yet another line--and frequently for an inferior rate of exchange). In terms of how much money you will need, you will probably spend about the same as you would while traveling in a similar situation in North America, that is with your transportation and lodging provided for. Despite the widely held belief to the contrary, meals are only slightly less expensive in Mexico than the US. Most hotels and some restaurants will accept dollars but the exchange rate offered is terrible. It's best to always have a supply of pesos to pay with. Those with American Express cards can write a check for a thousand or more dollars, payable in travelers checks, at American Express offices. You can presumably find the local American Express offices (usually travel agencies or the like) on line. Finding the offices and arriving during business hours may be trying so it's best to keep American Express as a last resort.
8. What is the going rate for gratuities? Do the tour personnel expect a tip?
In recent years, Mexican service personnel have come to expect tips at about the same level as American service personnel, that is about 15%. The tour fee does not include gratuities for the non-professional Mexican personnel, that is, tour guide(s), bus driver and so on. Naturally, the professional Mexicans and Americans do not expect a gratuity, and offering one would probably make for an awkward situation.
9. How can I keep in touch with loved ones back home?
Through the internet. Internet salons are located in just about every place the tour will stop. For about ten pesos or one USD, you can spend an hour on the internet answering email and so on. This means is probably more reliable than giving out the phone number of the hotels at which we will stay to family and friends. The language barrier makes for difficulties in trying to connect via telephone with desk personnel in a foreign country, and oftentimes the staff is not aware you are a member of the tour because of mass registration and so on. Hotel staff frequently see no urgency in finding the parties to whom calls have been addressed. You should have no difficulty connecting to the internet every other day. Hotel Caribe and Hotel Maya Campeche, where we will stay the first six nights, both have wifi internet if you bring your laptop.
10. Will my cell phone work in the Yucatan?
Generally, T-Mobile and AT&T phones will work in Mexico. The charges run somewhat more than a dollar a minute to call the US from Mexico. If you want to purchase a telephone specifically for the trip, you need to acquire an UNLOCKED "GSM" phone and then buy a T-Mobile or AT&T sim card with prepaid minutes (or purchase the prepaid minutes in addition). You can acquire these items on Ebay. You may also buy a Telcel calling card in Mexico and use it to call home via a regular phone. This would probably be a cheaper alternative.
11. How do I get to the airport on Sunday, December 7.
The DOTS (Daytona-Orlando Transit) has an 8:00 AM shuttle that costs about $60 and will get you to the airport in good time. The other local shuttles may also be able to assist. In addition, car pooling may be available by others leaving from your area.
12. Miscellaneous tips.
If you use a wash cloth, be sure to bring one. Mexican hotels follow the European pattern, generally, and so wash cloths are not easly found or acquired below the border.