Natalie's going on a really long trip. See it all on Facebook.

Week 14: Mexico

Hola. I had a lot of fun this week travelling from Mexico City through to Cancún and one of the things that was the most fun was watching Mexicans getting confused a little whenever a tourist asked for nachos. The best part of it was hearing them describe things that most of us would know as Mexican food as 'TexMex'. You might manage to find the Taco Bell menu in tourist hotspots that cater to the international market but if someone asked for it, the usual response would be 'que?' Oh Western World, how you have lied to us.

Despite this earth-shattering discovery, I found Mexico to be one of the most beautiful countries I've visited so far (I would recommend you skip Cancún though). Sans Cancún, all the other Mexican destinations had central squares called zócalos where people would gather, market stalls would set up and bands would play. In Mérida, you could even come and charge your laptop if you felt like it.

I've got to be honest, I was a little hesitant to visit Mexico after seeing it in the 'warning' zone of countries to visit and watching news story after news story about gang violence but it offered nothing…except the depiction of a peaceful and very friendly country. According to my guides, crime here is about as common as nachos… but it's the other way around - you usually find it away from tourists. Basically, stay away from gangs or dangerous areas, none of which I saw while travelling through. So, if you're hesitant about traveling to Mexico, I urge you to reconsider. It's a fantastic place!