Mexico..
Is not safe
However it's..
We arrived to Mexico
Welcome!
Salam!
Have you ever considered visiting Mexico..
With it's unbelievable nature..
It's Latin culture..
And it's ancient civilizations: Maya, Aztec, and others
And try the tacos while you're roaming the streets
In this cheap country you don't know where to go about with your money
Yet, you don't know how to start and how to plan
No problem
Watch this video where I will give you..
An all-inclusive guide and a complete trip plan
So that when you go to Mexico you'd be precisely aware of..
What you will do, and where you need to go
A long time with no tour guide videos now
So for those who don't know, this video is completely based on my personal experience
Which is not necessarily the best or the most beautiful one
Yet, it's the experience I have lived while I was there
First of all, let's talk about the Visa
You need to have a Visa to go to Mexico especially if you have an Arabic passport
However, good news..
If you own a Visa from..
U.S.A.
Or Japan
Or U.K.
Or Canada
Or a European Union Schengen Visa..
You can enter Mexico with it
Without the need of a Visa, you don't need to get a Visa if you have any of these Visas
However, on a condition that the Visa is still active
And good to use multiple times
But if you have none of these Visas in an active state
You need to go to the Mexican embassy in your country
And apply for a Visa
Just like what I did
♪ Traditional Music ♪
I booked an appointment via email with the Mexican embassy in Jordan
The Visa needs were very easy
Depositing $44 in your bank account
Proof of work papers
And a Bank balance check
In addition to a 3x4cm personal picture
Go to the embassy on your appointment day
You fill a small application, and they interview you
And then Visa takes around 10 days
Second of all, when it comes to the airlines
There are many national airlines that fly to either the capital, Mexico City
Or to Cancun which is the most touristic city especially for Americans
Most of the flights contain a transit stop at a certain city in Europe
The plane just arrived from Mexico city
You can check Skyscanner website and use it to search and..
See all the airlines traveling to Mexico
I personally went with Turkish airlines
Because they have a direct flight from Istanbul to Mexico city
The best way to save money regarding the ticket
Is to travel from Europe
There are many countries in Europe that have cheap flights to Mexico
However, if you don't have a Schengen visa
To travel from Europe
Unfortunately you will need to book an expensive ticket
Third of all
Currency in Mexico
The Mexican currency is the Mexican peso
Every 20 pesos equal 1 dollar
I discovered that the best way to use money while in Mexico
Is to use the ATMs found in banks
Because you would rarely find currency exchange stores, as I have noticed
And even if you do find one, their prices are very bad
Fourth of all
When it comes to food
I have done a specific video in the "What you can eat from the streets for $10" series
In the capital of Mexico
However, I will tell you briefly what you can eat there
First of all, you need to try tacos
Tacos are served in all shapes and types and stuffing
And are completely different from the tacos we eat..
Outside of Mexico.
Outside of Mexico, tacos are a crunchy bread stuffed with meat and such things
However, in Mexico the tacos are a soft tortilla bread stuffed with a bunch of things
It usually contains onion, different sauces, maybe some chili
And they add with it some meat or chicken or veggies
There are lots of types when it comes to tacos
Or even potato
They serve it in a soft bread you wrap yourself
And eat!
You also need to try the Tlacoyos
Tlacoyos are just like tacos
But it's stuffed with either beans or cheese
They also add cactus sauce to it
You should also try the Mole
This is found in Oaxaca
A multitude of dishes similar to Indian food
They serve you sauce full of spices
I don't know what it's really made of
But it's very delicious
We love cooked meals with rice
You will like this one
The Churros
Of course, you should try that when you're there
It's just like Aleppo Karabeej back home
A Mexican replica with sugar on top
Flautas, you should also try that
It's a taco, stuffed with a lot of things and wrapped
And fried
It's served with ranch sauce on it
And finally, the food topic cannot end here without talking about..
Aguas Frescas
Aguas Frescas are a bunch of drinks made from different fruits
However, it's not juice
It's water mixed with these fruits
Sold for the same price of water
The Agua Fresca I loved the most..
Is called..
Horchata
It's white in color
Made of the water of the rice
I don't know why, but it's super delicious
Fifth of all
Transportation in Mexico
Inside the city, some cities have Uber for transportation
If you were in one of these cities such as Mexico City, the Capital
Use Uber because it's cheap
And safe
If Uber is not available
They usually have a fix fare in cities
When you arrive in the city, ask your hotel about taxi prices
So that you wouldn't pay more than you should
However, when it comes to the different trips between Mexican cities
There's a website called Busbud.com
You can get all available bus trips between the cities
Of course we're talking about buses from well-known bus companies
The safe ones
There are public transport methods you can use which are not found on this website
However, you need to be cautious when dealing with them
From my personal experience, the best bus company found there that goes to all the cities is called..
ADO
And if you book your trips on ADO's website itself a little early on..
At least 5 days before your trip
You might easily find buses with a 50% discount
The price of averagely far trips.
I mean 4 to 10 hours
Is usually around between $10 and $30
In addition to buses you can use an app called..
BlaBlaCar
Especially for cities that are not very far away
BlaBlaCar app is available in many countries such as Europe and Türkiye
This app is where you can find people who're traveling from a city to another and have some extra space in the car
And you go with them, in their car
The BlaBlaCar I'm going with has arrived
And you also have an option which is the internal flights
Especially when the distance is very far
Let me now tell you about the suggested plan..
That you can do in Mexico
And I will give you an easy enjoyable path to travel by
And what to do in each of the regions you will arrive to
The plan I will give you can be done in 10 days to 2 weeks
Starting with..
Begin with Mexico City!
The capital.
I have enjoyed a lot
It has it all,
Food,
Music,
And colors.
A city filled with life
The things you should do while you're there..
Starting with going Downtown of the city
Zocal Square and what's around it
You should go there at least once at sunset
To be able to see taking down the flag activity
Second of all, you should go to Xocimilco and see how the city used to look like, with it's water canals,
Previous to the Spaniards' arrival
At the time when Aztecs used to be here
Third of all
Just like all the big cities, it's nice when you arrive to Mexico to go on the free walking tour
So that you'd know more about the city's history and places in it
Fourth of all
You need to visit the traditional market
Found in Mexico City
There are a lot of such store, check out the ones you like
The most famous ones are Jamaica, Sonora, Artesanias
In Coyoacán street
Fifth of all
If you were art-lovers
I'm sure you know Frida Kahlo
The famous Mexican artist
Her house is located in Mexico City in a neighborhood called Coyoacán
Called the Blue House (La Casa Azul)
It's one of the most visited places in Mexico City
However, I didn't go there myself because turns out you need to book a ticket a couple of days beforehand
Personally, before I went to Mexico
I didn't know who Frida Kahlo was but as soon as I arrived in Mexico
You find miniature statues of her in every store
You find her on magnets
So I felt curious about knowing who Frida Kahlo was and what's the story behind her
I opened my phone
Opening Storytel app
This app contains audio books
It's the sponsor of this video, and a supporter of the channel for all the coming period of time
I thank them for their support
I opened Storytel, typed in her name, and found a brief audio book about her life
It has everything, I have learned a lot about Frida Kahlo
"Frida Kahlo"
"Broken Heart and Body"
"The Icon of Innovation, Forever"
You can listen to it if you download Storytel
Storytel, in general, is a superb app that I use, myself
It contains a lot of books for book and education-lovers
You can find a lot of Arabic and English books
It contains features like downloading the audio books to hear offline later on
You can speed up the reading pace
A wonderful app, subscription is very cheap
A small amount of money for a monthly subscription
That allows you to have an entire library of audio books
You will find a download link in the description box
Let's continue
Fifth of all
You need to go to the trendy streets located..
In Mexico City
Such as Roma, Condesa, and Polanco
These are the youthful streets where you can find nice cafes
With well-organized streets and colorful trees
Sixth of all
The biggest park found in Mexico City
Chapultepec park
It's nice to go there and have a walk, it's beautiful
Take something with you to feed the squirrels
Because they're so cute
Seventh of all
The last thing you can do in Mexico City
Though it's outside of Mexico City
But you can go there from Mexico City
Pyramids they call Teotihuacan
A one-hour car or bus trip
To get there
From Mexico City you can take a bus..
To Oaxaca City
Oaxaca is considered one of the hippie cities
In Mexico.
The atmosphere is friendly and youthful where you can meet a lot of people
The things you can do there are..
Beginning with the free walking tour in Oaxaca
Second thing you can do is going to..
Monte Alban
One of the Zapotec Civilization cities found in Oaxaca
Third nice thing you can do in Oaxaca City
Is to go to a place called..
Hierve Del Agua
After Oaxaca, take a bus and go to a city called..
Puerto Escondido
Especially if you love wave surfing
In Puerto, you will find a lot of hippies
Everyone is there for surfing, and swimming
After that, you take a bus and go to one of my favorite cities
In entire Mexico.
San Cristóbal de las Casas
A city between mountains
It's like a small village
Very cozy and friendly
Although the city is small but there are a lot of activities to do
From the city.
So first of all
First thing you need to do is get to know San Cristóbal and go for a free walking tour
You'll get to know more of the city, it's history, and it's food
Second of all, you need to go to Chiflon waterfalls
One of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen
There is a million tourism office in the city who sets up a trip to this place
For around $15
They take you to the waterfalls
And to many other natural places found around it
And finally, you need to go to..
Palenque
And its historical city of the Mayan Civilization there
Considered one of the most beautiful and ancient cities who the Mayans have left for us in the entire Mexico country
This trip, specifically, might have some difficulty
Because the trip starts at 4 in the dawn
And finishes late at night
If you don't have a lot of time, this is the best way to visit it
A whole-day trip from San Cristóbal de las Casas
However, if you have some extra days
You can go on this trip,
However, after the trip is done you can let them leave you there
In Palenque
And spend 2 days in a region called..
El Panchan
Which is located near the historical city of Palenque
This was approximately one of the most beautiful places I have visited in all of Mexico
There's a hostel there called Jungle Palace
They have kiosks in the middle of nature for really simple prices
Around $7 for a kiosk where you are alone
And the kiosk is located in the middle of the jungle
My personal final destination was..
Tulum City
Tulum is such a beautiful city, made especially for tourists
Especially those who search for a yogic atmosphere and some music and life and spirituality
This is a city we can call..
An Instagrammable city
I have personally loved it a lot but I wasn't comfortable while I was there
The reason was that it was very touristic
Therefore, everything there cost more
And you feel that people there try to get your money
In contrary to other cities where it feels more cultural
Although I felt that it's still worth a visit
For a couple of days
However,
I wouldn't like to spend a lot of time there
And regarding the activities you can go do in these 3 days
First of all
You need to rent a scooter
At least for 1 of the 3 days you're going to stay there
Because there are lots of places there far from each other and you will really need it
Unfortunately, scooter rental there is very expensive
As I have told you, they make money out of tourists
Around $30 to $40 per day
In most places.
But it's the only way because if you want to go by taxis you will pay a lot more
When it comes to places, you need to go to Chechen Itza first of all
This is one of the Seven Wonders of the World
Chechen Itza is not in Tulum specifically
However, trips begin from Tulum
I have personally rented a car while I was there
With a guy who was with me in the hostel
And went by car to visit Chechen Itza
And the entrance was for $25
Second of all, you can go to..
Paraiso Beach
This beach is located in the hotel area
In Tulum.
The hotel area is the area where you find all the cafes and wonderful designs
All of the pictures you see on Instagram from Tulum are taken from the hotel area
And Paraiso Beach is free to go to and is located in that location
Third of all
While you're in Tulum, you must..
Visit Cenotes
Cenotes are located in Tulum City and all around it
I have visited 2 of them
One of them was near Chechen Itza and was called..
Ik Kil
And visited another one of them on my way back from Chechen Itza
I forgot its name and it wasn't a well-known one
There are a lot of them all around the area
Finally, in Tulum, you can go to the city
The historical city..
Of the Mayan Civilization..
Located in Tulum itself.
It's important to go there especially if you decided not to go to Chechen Itza for any reason being
Personally, after Tulum, I took a bus to Cancún and didn't spend time there at all
I took my flight back to Mexico City
This is the end of the Mexico trip plan
Seventh of all, after we're done with the trip plan, a really important question..
Is Mexico safe?
Personally..
I have been to most cities of Mexico
Holding my camera everywhere which is worth around $5000
And nothing bad happened to me
In spite of this, the answer of the question: Is Mexico safe?
Is no
Mexico..
Is not safe
However, it's safe for tourists
Crimes and events making Mexico unsafe..
Are all found outside the touristic areas
I have many Mexican friends who have been through some situations in Mexico
Such as: One of them was in his car and was stopped by 2 people on a scooter with a gun
They put the gun to his head while they were at a red traffic light
And told him to give him his phone and wallet
Of course he had to comply..
As these people are not to be played around with
Another person I know was making a movie..
In the middle of the forest
When a group of criminals came with guns in their hands
And threatened them and took all their film-making tools
However, these situations usually happen only to Mexicans
Not with tourists
Because Mexicans are forced to go outside the touristic areas
They have to go to some dangerous places
But you, as a tourist visiting Mexico,
Will not be affected by this at all
Therefore, as long as you stay in the touristic areas near your hostel..
In the middle of the city, the streets are safe
And avoid entering alleys far away and dark areas
And going out at night in dangerous streets
Then there's nothing you need to be scared of
And this is what I have done in a month when I was in Mexico
And no bad situation have I faced
The Ninth point
How cheap is Mexico?
This question depends on the city we are talking about
Far from very touristic, crowded, and expensive cities
Regarding meals..
It's enough to have between $3 and $6 for a meal
When it comes to taxis, in most cities, one ride costs between $2 to $5
When it comes to housing, hostels are easy to find
You might find wonderful hostels where a night, in a shared room, would cost $7 to $10
And if you search on Airbnb for apartments
You might easily find, for $10 to $20, nice and friendly places
However, when it comes to transportation between the cities, as we said before..
There is Busbud, BlaBlaCar, and others
However, in general, you should expect to be paying between $10 and $20 averagely
For one trip.
Finally, Tenth of all
I want to give you a bunch of random advice
For different things
That benefited me to know them before visiting Mexico
First of all
Don't drink tap water in Mexico because it's contrary to countries in Europe for example
Tap water in Mexico is not drinkable
Second of all
And this is very important, more than you can imagine
You need to get an electric converter for the electricity in Mexico
Stay with me for a bit
All the electricity plugs in Mexico are of this type
These 2 flat plugs
And if you didn't have a plug converter for the plugs we usually use to convert to this type of plugs
It will be such a hassle then
Third of all, when it comes to internet and SIM cards
It's very cheap to buy a SIM card there
With active internet services.
They have there a supermarket called Oxxo, it's located..
Every 20 meters there's one of this supermarket
You will find, in this supermarket, SIM cards from Telcel
Whenever you need to recharge internet services you just go to one of Oxxo supermarkets in the streets
And tell him that you want to recharge your internet
This was Mexico's guide video, I hope you benefited
I gave you all the information that might benefit you in your own trip
To Mexico
May God increase your travels
Have a good trip to Mexico
Salam!
Subtitles by Omar Younes | transcriberomar@gmail.com
Hello
I am Ibn Hattuta
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