| Saturday,
January 10, 1997, Detroit. You know,
sometimes the words come, and sometimes they
don’t. It’s funny like that, trying to
write. The mind is swirling with memories and
ideas, but the fingers don’t translate them
to words. Or, if they do, the words are
completely unsatisfactory. I have been trying to
write something that captures the essence of my
recent trip to Cancun, Mexico, but it leaves me
frustrated. So, I give you half-completed
thoughts and ask you to return in a couple of
days. I hope to have something more succinct
then. In the interim, browse around the site,
check out the new jokes and photos, and let me
know how you are doing. Friday,
January 2, 1998, On a Mexican Ferry somewhere
between Cancun and Isla Moharjes. Riding
on a Mexican Ferry has its advantages and
disadvantages. On the plus side, it’s cheap;
15 pesos (about $1.85), about 1/5th
the price down at the "tourista" dock.
On the down side, it’s completely packed
with the local population who gleefully cry
"OOOhhhhh" as the boat rides up and
then plunges down the rolling waves. The inside
the ferry is tastefully decorated with Christmas
lights, bows of holly, portraits of Christ, and
some lovely curtains. A television blares a soap
opera on TV Azteca.
We are headed back to Cancun
from Isla Moharjes, a small island seven miles
from the Yucatan coast. Known as "a poor
man’s Cancun" it stands in stark
contrast to the gleaming high-rise resorts and
perfectly manicured landscaping in Cancun.
It is something straight out of
a Jimmy Buffet song. Dirt roads and thatched roof
bars line the beach.
|
New
This Week:
A couple of Jokes,
A couple of Photos, and
a page in the Archives.
We stopped for a bite at
Chimbo’s Palapas Restaurant, Bar, and Disco.
An open-air affair it sits right at the water's
edge – sandbags keep the water off the
patrons. It has a thatched roof held up by
tin-foil covered posts. A local man and his
daughter are on the relatively large dance floor,
the only floor in the place, dancing to a Mexican
rendition of "Achy, Breaky, Heart." I
could stay here a while. Senor, cerveza por
favor.
Cancun was developed back in
the 1970s and 1980s by the Mexican government as
a tourist destination for the jet age. It used
sophisticated models and analysis to determine
the best place to develop this new resort. The
area now known as Cancun was chosen. The area was
wilderness and ancient ruins; not much else
existed. The resort was developed and the town of
Cancun sprung up to support the local population.
So, while Cancun island is
almost picture perfect, the town is where the
real Mexico is located. Local restaurants serve
authentic Yucatan food. Street vendors promise
"More junk in here, but the best junk in
Mexico." Mariachi bands roam up and down the
street. It is the colorful chaos of Central
America – a rich tapestry of colors, sounds,
and emotions that energize and heighten the
senses. I feel sorry for the touristas eating
back on the island at Ruth’s Chris Steak
House. We have one in Detroit…
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