My Scouting Trip to Four Cities Across Mexico (Part 1)
First stop: Playa Del Carmen and the amazing Black content creators that made my trip extra special <3
No chaser, let’s just jump right into it in chronological order. The Pros, Cons, and highlights of each of the cities/towns I visited.
All of the places I visited have these qualities:
Close enough to a major airport
Recommended by POC FB groups and internationals social pages (go to my last newsletter for more details on that)
Have a major hospital in town where I could get my autoimmune treatments
Some form of expat/international presence (big or small)
Playa Del Carmen (PDC)
This is a relatively small beach town on the Yucatan peninsula located about an hour south of Cancun and an hour north of Tulum.
(insert map)
Pros:
I went to undergrad at a beach town and I kind of miss it
There’s a decent mix of expats and locals. Calle 5 and 10 are the closest to the beach and that’s where most of the western people are. If you go further inland, that’s where you find the locals and better food.
My current level of Spanish is survivable there and I can find spaces to grow.
A noticeable amount of Black people from around the world
Very walkable city
Cons:
Out of the 4 cities I visited, this was the second most expensive one for rentals
Uber is incredibly affordable in Mexico but Uber isn’t available in PDC yet (EDIT: there’s a lot of controversy around Uber in Mexico and what that means for the taxi drivers there. While it’s convenient for people who don’t have Mexican bank accounts [aka people who can’t take out cash readily], Uber is not helpful for locals)
Many of the restaurants, especially beachside restaurants, accommodate the western palette which means most restaurants have a watered down version of the regional flavors. Basically, a lot of restaurants taste like they were made for white people who think ketchup is spicy.
Highlights:
Places to eat: Birria de la 30
The best tacos that I had in PDC for my stay. It’s a small restaurant (15-20 chairs) with an open flame grill. For those who don’t know, birria tacos are usually beef tacos braised in their own broth with combinations of spices and herbs. Different regions of Mexico flavor their broths in different ways. Chefs will take the tortilla, dip it in the meat broth, cook the tortilla on the grill, fill it with meat and cheese, and serve it to you with consomme (a bowl of the broth). Babe. Babe. So good. Most places in the US make their birria tacos with an extreme amount of salt. The only place I know that does it perfectly is Chofi’s in Union City (I actually wrote an article about there for Hoboken Girl) but the mastermind behind Chofi’s is from Puebla, Mexico so these are flavors and techniques that she knows very well. This is also the restaurant that inspired me to visit Puebla, but I’ll talk about that visit later.
People who know things:
I met Chanel through TikTok earlier this year and I finally got a chance to meet her in person in PDC! Her platform was super informative when it came to getting information about PDC as an expat who doesn’t want to live in PDC as a tourist. Her handle is @chanelanice. She’s going to be stateside for a while but her page is full of super helpful information about how to move to PDC, finding housing, and so much more. She was a HUUUUGE help to me in learning more about Playa and gathering my need-to-know information, plus she’s an absolute sweetheart (as most LIbra women are).
You’re also definitely going to want to follow @pivotpixie. If you want a true DAY BY DAY account of what life is like as a Black woman in PDC with an active social life, a beautiful puppy, and a thirst for travel then FOLLOW HER. I haven’t met her in person (yet) but I’m hoping we’ll cross paths at some point. She also makes videos about visiting Tulum, Cancun, and she’s getting ready to explore other locations in Mexico so you’re definitely going to want to follow her adventures. We recently became mutuals on TikTok and I’m so excited to see where her life takes her next
Journal Prompt:
I came across this TikTok from @candicebrathwaite about The Year Compass. It’s free downloadable journaling exercise to help you reflect on the year you just had and start intentionally thinking about the year to come. Beautifully, in @candicebrathwaite’s video, many of the things that she wrote about in her 2022 Year Compass has happened and for her and her family. I’ll be filling out mine in the coming days as we approach the new year and I strongly encourage everyone to take some time out of your holiday season to do it, too. You can print it out or fill it out on your laptop and save it as a PDF.
Important Updates:
I made THIS TikTok two days ago that got a lot of traction and has become a hub for Black women business owners all over social media. Am I obsessed with that? DUH. Will I be sharing as many business owners as possible through this newsletter? OF COURSE! I’m currently working on organizing all the commenters into categories and I’ll be setting up surveys/interviews in the new year! Once I set up a Google Sheet for that, I’ll post it into my newsletters so it can be shared and added upon (but that’s a project for 2023).
I also made THIS TikTok about how I started my freelance writing journey. If you’re curious and/or want to start freelance writing, check it out. Several commenters have found it very helpful :)
For the Paid Subscribers:
Today is the last day that you can choose between which of the 4 Black-owned food trails in Oakland, CA, you want me to write about in late February 2023. Right now the Cannabis Trail is winning. Let your voice be hear if you want to read about something different!
Tomorrow you’ll be getting my Airbnb info for my PDC trip, and what I did for transportation to and from the airport, and how much I paid for everything. I used two different means of airport transportation and I can recommend both; one is a little more expensive and private, and another is SO AFFORDABLE but can be a little confusing to get to (if you don’t know where you’re going but I got you!)