I just arrived in Cancun with a group for our annual Switchback “Tropical Mystery Tour.”
This is my first time in Cancun and it is something to see. Getting on a Boeing 777 should have been the first indication that we were heading to a destination that brings in a lot of people. And the destination can handle a lot of people. I am amazed by the variety of languages I am hearing and observing people, like me, dressed in some floral patterned shirt, a hat for the sun and a winter-designed paleness that almost shines like a waxing moon. We are all here, to escape the grip of winter.
Our resort, the Gran Sirenis, is just big enough to make it feel not overcrowded, but not exactly overwhelming, too. It is one of dozens we saw as we drove along the road from the airport.
There will be more to write about next week. But so far, it’s fun to see what wildlife the place has to offer, and I don’t mean the people. Spider monkeys so far are the predominant species to literally hang around the resort. The young are adept at spying on a person walking with a banana and after posing a bit on a tree, will clamber down and walk over to that person. The monkey will take the banana out of the astonished person's hand and then walk back to the tree. There, the monkey will devour the banana as everyone crowds around and snaps a picture. It’s a pretty good racket for the monkey and people get a good photo shoot in as well.
Another amazing aspect of these critters is that they are able to walk for quite a distance on their hind legs. Upright, they closely resemble us humans. And when that occurs, it feels a bit disconcerting. Mainly because the idea of walking upright is something that is, well, human. Perhaps what it is for me is a deep underlying bias that somehow, I am evolved, better than Mr. Spider Monkey. To see the monkey getting bananas from tourists is not the same as seeing the monkey stroll a distance like a tourist.
The philosopher in me realizes that we too, are here as well to take advantage of food, warmth, comfort and a chance to leave behind (or attempt to leave behind) our daily lives. That our whole notion of a vacation, the idea of traveling is not too far removed from that little monkey taking advantage of a good situation. Then again, the monkey is here because he was born here. He or she is working in an odd way, as once again this morning, I saw the monkey, posing and collecting the occasional banana. Even in paradise, there is work to be done.
READ MARTIN'S OTHER BLOG HERE.