We spent our first few hours in Cancun getting our laundry done, and un-fun stuff like that, but 
headed off to the beach in the afternoon. What a gorgeous beach! As much as we both disliked the glitz and glamour and Americanism of Cancun, we have to admit that the beaches really are superb. White beaches with sugary-fine sand along with stunning turquoise water set the scene. Add in some waves and hot sunshine and you’re set. We picked up Noreen in the afternoon, went out for a nice Mexican meal – away from the hotel zone and in the Mexican part of town – and then crashed for the night at a cheap hotel.
In the morning we set out to find some camping gear (tent, mattress etc) for Noreen. We were surprised to find that Cancun has a full complement of large stores including Wal-Mart (to Noreen’s delight!) and Costco. We spent some time on the gorgeous beach soaking up some rays before heading 200km inland to the world famous Mayan ruins, Chitchen Itza.