Mexican Adventures 1.2

It’s all about the country where tourists talk about tacos, and travelers about torta. Where tourists talk about tequila, and travelers about mezcal. Where tourists talk about chile, and travelers about mole. My point is that I’ve been lucky to experience this beautiful country not just as a tourist, but as a traveler.

First Impression

Arriving in a country where they can’t pronounce your name, where they only know your language as a dance -Flamenco-, and where some people did not even hear about your country before, is quite overwhelming. Especially because you will spend 3,5 months of your live working in this place. Fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough to be immediately surrounded by a lot of amazing and very welcoming people. Here in the Mexican Riviera Maya, I’m literally living in the middle of the jungle, but close to breathtaking beaches, and as local as it can be: Chemuyil. A small town located between Tulum & Playa del Carmen, right beside Akumal. Living in the residence of the hotel where I work for gives me the opportunity to create everlasting relationships with coworkers and roommates.

About the job

Not only do I like the weather and the beautiful nature, I also really like my job in the biggest resort in this area: Bahia Principe Riviera Maya. Bahia Principe is a Spanish hotel chain with hotels all over the Carribean and Spain. Being part of a family of more than 2000 employees, I am working as a Public Relations and Guest Services Intern. I love the contact with the people, the adrenaline of solving their problems, and the power it gives me to see the guests leaving full of satisfaction. This all fascinates me enormously. To be more precise, you can divide my work in an operational and administrative part. For the administrative part, I am mostly in charge of the precontact with the clients and travel agencies to arrange different requests through email. I also make VIP lists as a support for different departments such as housekeeping and food & beverages, I make event orders for groups, write welcome letters for Dutch & Belgian guests, and assist the Social Media Coordinator in analyzing and responding to TripAdvisor & MarketMetrix reviews. The operational part includes making a la carte restaurant reservations, handling major guests problems, sending courtesies to the rooms, and hosting VIP events to obtain feedback and build relationships with guests.

Exploring the area

Besides working, I’ve also had quite some time to explore the wonderful Riviera Maya. From swimming with fishes in cenotes, to paddle right beside a crocodile, and snorkeling with Turtles. I visited the most known places in the Riviera Maya such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Akumal. At night, The Blue Parrot in Playa del Carmen is my favorite place to be: a nice beach club with swimming pool and good (commercial) music. The first week I was here, I was given the opportunity to go to the Tulum Carnaval. And I was not just watching it, I was participating in the Carnaval to represent Bahia Principe, so the people were actually watching me! It was a crazy night, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget!

The challenges

The transportation here in Mexico is a bit of a struggle, although the colectivos (name of the public transport) are very convenience, I am not a big fan of them. Some of the drivers are crazy, they can be dangerous at night (including people trying to touch you!), and they charge you a double price if you dare to speak another language than Spanish. My Mexican friends are always laughing when I tell them: don’t talk English to me during this ride, otherwise I will have to pay the tourist rate. Fortunately, my Spanish is going better and better since at this moment I am able to have fluent conversations with people. Oh, what do I love this language so much!

Honestly, although I really like my internship and this area, I would not be able to live here. This beach life is perfect for a certain period of time or for holidays, but I still miss the city vibes and adrenaline. The only thing I really don’t like about this place is the humidity. I never experienced it before, but here in the Riviera Maya more than ever. Even if it’s not that hot outside, humidity makes you sweating all the time, makes white spots (mold) on your clothes that are just hanging in the closet, and is even more sensitive for people with allergies (like me). But besides this, I am really enjoying my Mexican Adventures and I’m looking forward to sharing some more stories with you soon!

With love,