Keeping your Cool in Cancun

Cancun in August is hot! Don’t let the heat and humidity get you down, here is a list of simple tricks to help you stay cool.

Choose your tour- There plenty of things to see and do in the Mayan Riviera! Choose tours doing things that will help you to beat the heat. There is no need to suffer walking around an archeological site in the middle of August when there are underground caverns, centoes, beaches and jungle tours that would be more comfortable and cooling. If you really are dying to see the archeological zones or other sun kissed activities, follow these tips!

Umbrella- Carry an umbrella and have portable shade wherever you go! Keep the sun from beating down on your head and face. Staying shaded can go a long way to helping you feel cooler.

Stay hydrated- Drink plenty of water! Soft drinks and other beverages do not hydrate your body as well as plain natural water, enjoy all the cold beverage that call to you, but be sure to drink plain water as well. Carry a small bottle of water with you when you are out and about or while hanging out by the pool, especially if you are drinking alcohol. Staying hydrated will help you handle and will lessen the likelihood of heat stroke or other heat related illness.

Sun block- Make sure to use your sun block! This simple detail cannot be stressed enough! Put it on when you begin your day, before even leaving your comfortable room at the Real Club Resorts. Being sunburned makes you feel hotter and far less tolerant to the heat. Use caution when tanning or hanging around the pool and the beach and be sure to reapply sunscreen frequently.

Dress for the heat- Wear loose fitting, light weight clothing and avoid synthetic materials. Wear a sun hat and long sleeves to keep the sun off your skin. It may seem like long sleeves would make you hotter, but keeping the sun from directly hitting your skin will save you from sunburn and help you keep your cool.

Powder up- Baby powder will help keep you feeling comfortable. Powder yourself before dressing; it will help to keep you feeling drier and therefore cooler.

Bring a light sweater- Always carry a light weight cover-up or pareo. When you walk from outside into an air-conditioned shop or tour bus it can be quite a shock to your system. If you are sweaty you can easily catch a chill from the air-conditioning. Try to avoid extremes. Getting too hot and then too cold right away can leave you feeling exhausted and lower your body’s natural defenses.

Top 5 Must Have Tacky Cancun Souvenirs

5- Mexican Sombrero-

The all time classic must have tacky Cancun souvenir. Actually, a Mexican sombrero, in its proper context, is far from tacky. When a group of Mariachis traditionally dressed in Mariachi Mexican cowboy attire with beautifully adorned sombreros serenades a young couple in love or an elderly lady on her birthday, it is truly a sight to behold. The velvet mass produced Mexican Sombrero souvenir is different from other tacky souvenirs because it only becomes truly tacky when it reaches its final destination only to promptly collect dust on a shelf or occasionally passed around at college parties.

4- Shot Glass- Nothing says Cancun like a shot glass with Cancun painted across the side in day glow letters. Or do yourself one better and go for the shot glass with the plastiline nude figurine wearing only a sombrero to conceal his manly parts. There are a million shot glass designs to choose from in varying degrees of tackiness, choose the one that’s best for you!

3- Mezcal with a worm or scorpion-

(The cheaper the better!) This is a traditional must! Buy this for that macho man in your life as a test of his manhood; buy it for your grandmother to clean the sticky residue from price tags off of her knick-knacks; buy it for yourself to show off at your next party! This is a highly coveted tacky souvenir must have. Make sure to pack it carefully- you don’t want to lose a drop of its volatile contents!

2- Lucha Libre Mask- Lucha Libre is Mexican wrestling, similar to American wrestling in its showy choreography but with elaborate costumes that include a mask. The masks cover the whole head and are somewhat reminiscent of the Gimp from the movie Pulp Fiction.

In Cancun, Lucha Libre masks have been seen adorning the head rests in cars- how you use yours is up to you.

1- Snow globe- The number one tackiest must have Cancun souvenir is definitely the snow globe! What could be tackier than a cheap plastic beach scene encased in a clear globe where it “snows” year ‘round? The definition of tacky is the mix of palm trees and snow- is it not?

Your trip to Cancun is not be complete without a collection of tacky souvenirs, don’t forget the snow globe!