It was the first time that I had ever been to Mexico.

I didn’t know what to expect.

It was breathtaking. The waters were a deep, crystal blue that differed from the dirty Jersey shore waters that I was used to.

The sun was beaming down on us but a nice breeze wavered over to lessen it.

My two cousins, Nicole and Kristina, and I rented a Jeep for the day. We just drove around Cozumel, exploring the seas and getting a feel for what Mexico was all about.

When stepping off the cruise ship, we were bombarded by an endless amount of people asking if they could give us a tour or to buy ‘this’ or ‘that’.

After picking through the different car deals, we found ours for a good price and we were off.

We had no idea where we were going, all we used was a map that we picked up randomly.

Driving, the views were insane. The bluest waves crashed down onto the white sand, rocks covered the edge of the water. There was so much wildlife, lizards, exotic birds, greenery, the land was just so lively and beautiful.

We blasted Spanish music and cruised down the winding roads with the windows down. A smile never leaving my face as I soaked up the sun rays.

Our time was limited but we made the best we could out of it. Whenever we drove past anything that looked interesting or different, we stopped to explore.

We saw multiple beaches, stopped at tiny shops on the side of the road, and climbed up a tower that had at least 500 steps.

Honestly one of the best parts was after we had been traveling all over Cozumel, we tried to look for a good place to eat.

We found a little shack hidden on the side of the road, with a restaurant connected to a shop with unique little trinkets.

Walking in, there were words covered all over the walls, the tables, the chairs, and the ceiling. Writings of names, lovers, friends, families, and musicians.

As we ordered our food, a mariachi band was singing to different tables and made their way to ours. Their voices and instruments were loud and boisterous, you couldn’t help but move along with the beat.

The restaurant was pulled up right against the sea. The waves lapped over the cement that lied at the end of the building. You could hear birds chirping as they flew over the waters.

After our meal, they gave us shots of tequila for our farewell.

I wish we could have stayed there longer but the time we spent there was so worth it. I’ll just have to make it my mission to go back there and really explore all of the parts of Mexico.