Having been to Mexico before, I was already a fan of the country and its warm-hearted people. But this road trip? It truly reaffirmed this first impression, and more. The people of the Yukatán peninsula are some of the kindest and most welcoming souls you’ll ever meet. With the wonderful wedding of my American exchange sister in Mérida as our grand finale, we mapped out a 1.5-week itinerary in May, road-tripping from Cancún to Mérida via Valladolid, then down to Campeche, and looping back through one of Mexico’s “Magical Towns”, Izamal. Picture 38°C heat, rainbow-colored streets in every town, and frequent dips into Cenotes to keep us cool. Just writing about it already makes me want to do the trip all over again.