Sunday, September 16, 2007
Cancun you believe it?
I am back from vacation! (I left on Friday 9/7 and came back on Friday 9/14.) The most surprising part, other than how clean the city was, was the leisurely pace that time went by while we were there. Most of my weekends whiz past in a blink and I’m back to work again, but this past week seemed to drift by like a meandering brook. There was a lot to see and a lot to talk about, so rather than trying to squeeze a condensed recap into one post, I’m going to stretch it out and describe each day we were there. These sorts of vacations don’t happen often for folks like you and me, so I’m going to help you experience it vicariously here.
DAY 1
The flight is approximately 5 hours. We were on Alaskan Airlines. What a huge disappointment. At my last job I had a coworker who was somewhat fanatical about Alaskan Airlines, so we decided to give it a try and see how great it was. It wasn’t. The seats were totally the wrong shape for my back, you had to buy lunch from them, and their version of in-flight entertainment were portable digital movie players you had to rent for $10! Very lame. It made me wonder how dated the airplane was. The important thing was we arrived safely and our luggage did too.
I was surprised that the tube walkway thing they use to connect the plane’s exit to the gate was air conditioned. It was a nice welcome because I was expecting a blast of heat. The Cancun airport was pristine. We learned later that they built out two new terminals after hurricane Wilma in order to accommodate any need for mass evacuations. We got the expected blast of heat as soon as we went outside. It was late afternoon so the sun was a little weaker, but it was still fairly hot. Lots of humidity too. We took a shuttle to the Blue Bay Getaway resort (you share it with others, but it’s cheaper than a taxi).
Check-in was easy. The lobby was all shiny and pretty. The room was slightly disappointing. A little plain, but definitely clean. The beds were hard and the pillows felt like they were made of rolled up towels. The hotel-provided lotion left my hands feeling sticky and smelling of cheap, nasty perfume. But overall the plusses outweighed the minuses. I mean, look at the view from our balcony:
(Click for bigger view)
The air conditioning was very strong, which is important when you’re seeking refuge after a day frolicking in the hot sun. One of the more interesting perks was Channel 12 on the TV. Free porn all day long! I told you earlier this was an adults-only resort, so they’re able to offer stuff like this without worrying about an inappropriate audience. Awesome, yes?
We were given these fairly indestructible wristbands to wear for the duration of the trip. It served as proof that you were a hotel guest so you can wander anywhere in the hotel for unlimited food and drinks without having to flash a card or anything. This is nice when all you’re wearing is a swimsuit with no pockets.
Dinner this evening was spent in their main buffet restaurant. The variety was really good, though the quality of the food itself was often hit or miss. Anything that might be nasty after it’s been on a heating table for awhile was best left alone, unless they just set out a fresh pan. But overall the large number of food choices available won me over. You were bound to find something you liked.
That pretty much sumarrizes our first day. There wasn’t much camera activity, but I promise more photos later!
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