Not quite in Belize yet.
Trip Start
Dec 31, 2007
1
12
Trip End
Jan 15, 2008
Cancun,
Mexico
Monday, December 31, 2007
After being enveloped safely with humidity the moment we stepped off the plane, we learned that every single ATM in the Cancun airport was broken, and we had $15 between us. Luckily, any transport waiting at the door of the Cancun airport has evolved sufficiently to accept almost any currency you feed it, including credit cards. The "economy" shuttle to our place on the hotel strip dropped us off at the door of Green 16 (presumably named for its proximity to the golf course), only for us to learn that budget hotels have not evolved quite as fast as the airport shuttle industry. So we left our backpacks with the front desk while we walked the half mile or so back to the main road to catch a bus to the nearest ATM. An hour later, about two and a half hours after we landed, Sarah and I actually opened the door to our room. If this series of events had happened in, say, Tulsa, I'd be furious, but the moment I reach foreign soil, I fall into the "not in Kansas any more" state of zen, where it seems perfectly reasonable to hike a few miles and take a few buses, usually carrying large objects. Which is good, otherwise I'd be dreadfully unhappy much of the time.
We'd stopped over before in Cancun briefly, at a hostel near the bus station, but we'd never actually made it up to the hotel zone. It was basically Miami, lacking the culture, charm, and variety in lighting. Somewhere between the second Starbucks, the giant mall, and the dolphins in pens at our restaurant, Sarah dubbed it Simcun. The American rendition of Cancun, executed scant kilometers from the real thing.
After passing up Margaritaville, TGIFriday's, and Hooters, we ended up in one of the mall restaurants for dinner, the one with the aforementioned dolphins. Jugo de Limon had, in its defense, passably good food, even if it had no particular Mexican character whatsoever. My coconut shrimp were the best, but Sarah's steak was decent. The restaurant also featured a shark tank, a chance to swim with the dolphins (one a ten day old baby), and Mexican pop karaoke. Simcun at its finest.
Since we had no intention of getting mixed up in the New Year's Eve festivities and we wanted to get up early to try and make it to Ambergris Caye the next day, we decided to try and sleep after dinner.
Here's a tip - New Year's Eve in Cancun is not a place to turn in at ten. I eventually gave up around two and messed around with Sarah's Nintendo until it was six, and time to start getting ready for a day of busing down to Belize.
