The start of our Mexican leg of The TwentyFifteen Plan was characterised by rookie moves on both our parts. These misdemeanours quickly took the shine off what would otherwise have been a relaxing and captivating week spent in Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

The thought of flying into Cancun airport instantly evoked images of obnoxious drunk teens keeping us awake past our grandparent-ish bed times. As such, we did what we always do and avoided it. The ADO bus to Playa del Carmen was only 15 minutes or so longer, and heading in the opposite direction to Cancun. So we took that option.

Upon arrival at our hostel we were told we would need cash to pay for our accommodation as they didn't accept credit cards. So off we trotted to the nearest ATM to get some cash out. We did so, and after detouring via a local taqueria and the Hostel's bar for some free "welcome drinks", I eventually went back to reception to pay for our room. Imagine how my face dropped when I didn't have my credit card in the usual spot in my wallet, and the receptionist jokingly asked if I had left it at the ATM.
Needless to say I bolted back to the ATM to find it gone. What followed was a number of tedious phone calls to our bank to cancel the card and order an emergency replacement.

(As an aside, we're using GE Money's 28 Degrees MasterCard for our travels. It has great low rates, but I don't recommend having to deal with them. They're frustrating to say the least. Just keep your card safe!)

Our next rookie move was being a little too trusting of local water sanitation and hygiene practices. We knew to avoid drinking tap water (unless bottled or boiled); but we were lazy enough to use it to brush our teeth, and a little too keen to chow down on the assorted salads that came with our tacos (one of Kari and Jarrod's foodie experiences for us - thanks guys!). Sjane got food poisoning for about 24 memorable hours, while I enjoyed a few days of gastro. Sjane has named this condition "Welcome to Mexico!" disease.

Not all was bad for us however. Some highlights we experienced whilst recovering were swimming in a stunning cenote (dubbed Garden of Eden) and days of relaxing on the beach along the Caribbean coastline.