Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Two days in Cancun: Sunbathing and Shopping




So the plan for this trip was to fly to Cancun, sit on the beach for two straight days, and fly home. It was going to be such a short trip that we didn’t plan any other adventures. I would like to visit Chitzen Itza one day, but that will have to be a trip where there is more time to go. That excursion would take all day and I did not want to sacrifice any sun time.
Jetty makes for nice calm waves

long view of the jetty















Since we woke so late on Saturday morning, we wasted no more time getting to the beach. We stopped in to the hotel’s breakfast buffet (pricey, but decent) and then headed straight out to the beach. We were able to snag a couple of chairs and enjoy the sun for some time. The beach itself had quite a drop-off to the ocean and we discovered that if you walked down the beach about 100 yards, the waves were calmer and the beach evened out. The sand was a beautiful white color, soft beneath our feet. The ocean was calm, clear and cool, but not cold. We would lay on the beach, dip in the ocean, and watch the tourists and locals alike play with their loved ones, dig in the sand, swim, and climb the blocks on the jetty. 

Lucky ones made it up the jetty to a great lookout. Others were caught by the “marina” police and asked to either come off the jetty or leave the beach (because they refused to listen to the life guard). I ventured out enough to take a few pictures of a stirred up Caribbean Sea, but stayed out of harms way since I had no sneakers and well, didn’t need to take another spill—especially into the ocean. 
rock side of the beach


market place
Saturday and Sunday nights, we headed out into the town to do some shopping and dinner. The markets are a great place to find a deal if you don’t mind being harassed and are willing to bargain with the merchants. 

We had dinner at Margaritaville and shopped at the mall connected to it. Sunday night we shopped at the Coco Bongo area (no bargaining allowed there). We found Tutu the monkey and had our picture taken with him.

All in all, Cancun is a fine weekend trip. Most people at the hotel and resort were staying much longer, but we just needed a weekend get-away. The beaches were wonderful, the staff was nice, and if you don’t mind the people always trying to sell you something, it is quite relaxing. Perhaps I need to get used to the idea that as a tourist, the locals see dollar signs when I come walking. But that’s ok. They have to make some money too and this gives me an opportunity to learn the language, the culture, and to be a “world-bridger.”

Tutu and us
Cancun Sunset