You birds, always cracking foxy...: Vegas by the Sea

December 15, 2004

Vegas by the Sea

We just came back from four days in Cancun, mostly on a whim. About two weeks ago I got semi-spam from American Airlines advertising absurdly low off-season rates, and W and I booked a flight and a room. We had talked about getting away to the sun somewhere, while he regroups after leaving his job, and this seemed about right. We expected oversized and overpriced hotels catering to oversized and overpaid (relative to most of the world) Norteamericanos like us, and we weren't disappointed.

Our hotel sat on a platonic ideal of a beach; perfect blue water kissing blindingly white sand. It was one of many similar behemoth tourist havens, surrounded by shopping malls and all-too-familiar chain restaurants. In lazy tourist mode, we didn't do much. Most days we'd wake up, snack, splash and float in the Caribbean until we were pretty sure the waves had removed all of our sunscreen, then stop for margaritas on our way back to the room for a siesta. Later, we'd wander out for food and a dip in the hotel pool. W was tortured all night by an allergic reaction the night before we'd planned to take the ferry over to nearby Isla Mujeres for snorkeling (the man can get vicious itchy hives sometimes), so we missed that. Still, I was happy enough just staying put.

I kept being reminded of Las Vegas while we were there, and I know why. Cancun was selected by the Mexican government in the late sixties as the site of a mega-resort to exceed Acapulco. The first hotel went up in 1972, at which time the area was home to maybe a few thousand people. Today, countless hotels crowd the beaches of what was once a tiny island (now tethered on both ends by bridges) and the nearby town is home to a cool million people — all of whom (as far as I can tell) work supporting the tourist trade.

W was a disappointed not to have seen more (uh, any?) of Mexico, I think. And he's got a point. I'd imagine that the New York, New York Hotel in Las Vegas represents Manhattan about as well as this manufactured paradise, with its Margaritaville and Senor Frog's, captures anything essentially Mexican. But we'll have plenty of time for immersive travel soon enough.