This post was originally from March 3, 2023

The other night we were lucky enough to be taken to another of G Adventures Planeterra Project’s called El Hongo. Translated in English El Hongo means ‘the mushroom’. The name is significant to the project because like a mushroom humans can become spores and spread kindness, love and knowledge. What a beautiful concept, eh?!

Today El Hongo is a volunteer-run restaurant created as a means to earn income to support Calle 19, a community art program in Playa del Carmen.  Although Playa del Carmen is known as a tourism hotspot where you can find the most popular stores on the Main Strip, most locals live on one side of the main highway, which many travellers do not get to see. Services are not the same there and roads remain unpaved.

About 10 years ago Calle 19 was in complete disrepair. The area was known for gangs and violence.  Our host, Ceilo told us that you would walk out of your house and all you would see was garbage strewn everywhere. It was a bleak existence and the morale in the community was low. Her parents wanted to make a change for their community and since the government had not stepped in to help, they knew that they needed to do something to give their community a sense of pride again. This is where El Hongo was introduced. Schools for underprivileged children only teach the bare minimum. Art, culture, music and sports are just not part of the curriculum. Ceilo’s parents knew they wanted to give youth more opportunities and expand their abilities. They not only started with having a place where children could come to learn about the arts, but they also initiated a clean up project within the community. Little by little this dark and dreary place started to flourish. 

Fast forward a few years and El Hongo is a successful restaurant. Funds from the restaurant are used to support programs including art and cooking lessons, and to pay for the teachers and materials that work with the youth in the area. Art programs are used to foster creativity and support sustainability and development in their neighbourhoods. When we walked through the neighborhood we could see that Calle 19 is now an epicenter for arts, as artists from all over the world come to participate in mural festivals. It’s a lively community and is a true testament that just one person create a significant ripple effect!  In fact the project is doing so well that now they are expanding to other underdeveloped Mayan communities across Mexico. 

While at the restaurant, we were served the most delicious authentic meal. It started with a refreshing hand squeezed lemonade with mint drink, then a tasty veggie soup, followed by veggies and rice in a mole sauce. Mole is a cacao/chocolate based sauce that uses 7 different types of chili. Finally for dessert, we had a delicious banana wrapped in a churro type thing with ice cream and chocolate sauce. 

It was the final night with the group and although there were some amazing people in this group, I can easily say that it was the most fractured group I’ve probably been a part of. There were so many strong personalities that it made it quite interesting at times. 

Yesterday was our final full day and Liza and I decided that we would check out the island of Cozumel. Getting there we hopped on a 40 minute long ferry. Cozumel is a pretty massive island and is home to a wide variety of ecosystems. It has five protected areas including the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. 

As we arrived we saw quite a few massive cruise ships docked and we knew in an instant we wanted to get away from the centre where there would be a lot of people. Along with another couple from our tour, the four of us rented a car and decided to freeball it around the island. The other couple are British so I was the only one used to driving on the right side of the road. Because of this, I was the designated driver. With Liza navigating Google maps, we drove around the island stopping at several beaches and beautiful lookout points. The day was pretty windy so unfortunately the tides were rough. We couldn’t find anywhere to swim but it was still an adventure full of many laughs. By the time we caught the ferry back to Playa the sun was setting and we got to bid farewell to Mexico in all its beauty. 

The last three and a half weeks have flown by. It has been beyond amazing to have had Liza by my side this entire trip. We have seen so much and shared in so many great memories. Capturing it all in words and photographs is so difficult to do. I hope that I could convey just a fraction of the beauty that we got to experience. Thank you for following along on this journey. As always, I look forward to our next big trip and sharing our next adventure with you again!