Make It A Great Spring Break: Travel To Cancun
Why do we want to go to the beach? For sunshine, sea, and bikinis. After experiencing the extreme weather in Syracuse (Yes, the temperature can increase from 42 °F to 73°F and then drop to 30°F in merely two days), I bet you can’t wait to enjoy the sunshine out of town. Still looking for a place to go? I would highly recommend Cancun, Mexico.
Except snorkeling and diving which are on the must-do list, there are some other special activities which I had experienced, enjoyed and would recommend.
The first activity I recommend is called “Skyrider”, which can take you to the sky and let you enjoy the views of Cancun from the air. It looks kind of like a hot air balloon, however, there was no fire inside. Instead, a yacht will take the balloon to the sky. The faster the yacht goes, the higher you can fly. You firstly will take a Yamaha to the yacht and then get on the Skyrider which is on the back of the yacht. Before you fly, you can tell the captain if you want to fly high or low, and if you want to be dropped in the water or on the yacht when it lands, all to customize your experience. One thing that you should note is that there is no safety belt on the Skyrider, even though you will wear a life jacket; you don’t want to move a lot because it may turn the equipment upside down. Though I was very nervous and worried about my safety at the beginning, I can definitely say that I felt calm when it went up. Sitting on the Skyrider, looking down at the coastline and Caribbean Sea, feeling the wind from the sky, I fell in love with Cancun.
Aquatwister is also an activity that I’ve never seen in other places. Like they said in advertisement, it’s one of the top things to do in Cancun: full of adrenalin, speed and excitement. It’s an aquatic roller coaster. Speed ups, power brake stops, and 270º spins all make it an incredible experience. Some advice here: sit at the back! You’ll feel the water splash on your face and the wind hit your body. Your heart goes with the waves. And then yes, you’ll thank me!
Besides beautiful sea views and aquatic activities, you can also learn about Mayan culture and explore Mayan relics near Cancun. The most famous and popular site is Chichen Itza, which receives more than 1.5 million visitors each year. The Kukulkan Pyramid there was recently voted one of the seven wonders of the world. However, the site is far from Cancun. If you book a one-day tour, you’ll leave in the early morning and come back late at night. Compared to Chichen Itza, Coba is a relatively smaller site and closer to Cancun. Personally, I prefer Coba though it’s less popular. The pyramid there is notorious for opening for the public to climb its 130 steps up to the top of the site. Since there is no fence on the pyramid but only a rope in the middle, a lot of visitors didn’t dare to walk down. Instead, they moved into a sitting position, with their buns on the stairs.
For most graduate students at Newhouse, this next spring break will be our last. I hope you can make it a good memory and fully enjoy it!
